Manchester City’s Tijjani Reijnders (£5.5m) dropped to the bench for Sunday’s encounter with Bournemouth.
Pep Guardiola’s decision was not solely tactical, with the Dutchman not fit enough to start.
“He is not completely fit. Yesterday was the first training session so I decided to start him on the bench and we will see what happens during the game.” – Pep Guardiola on Tijjani Reijnders
Consequently, you’d still expect minutes of some variety against Liverpool on Sunday; however, with only one assist in his last nine matches and a decrease in his playing time, many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers are looking to move Reijnders on.
Indeed, Reijnders is the second-most sold player of the Gameweek so far:
Above: The most sold players ahead of Gameweek 11, as of Monday morning
In this piece, we’ll discuss the best candidates to replace Reijnders, focusing on players in his price bracket, i.e. £6.0m and below.
YANKUBA MINTEH (£6.0M)
Rate My Team’s best value midfielder over the next six Gameweeks, Yankuba Minteh has some decent fixtures ahead, with four of his next five opponents in the bottom half of the table.
On a share of set plays, he’s first among £6.0m-and-under midfielders for expected goal involvement (xGI):
Brighton and Hove Albion have displayed some inconsistency this season; however, they are currently tied in fifth place in terms of actual goals scored and rank seventh for expected goals (xG).
Therefore, considering his underlying stats and upcoming fixtures, Minteh is arguably the standout midfielder in this price bracket.
Furthermore, Fantasy managers will be able to call upon Minteh throughout December and January after Gambia failed to make it to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
MOISES CAICEDO (£6.0M)
Top among £6.0m-and-under FPL midfielders for transfers in ahead of Gameweek 11, Moises Caicedo is the go-to Reijnders replacement for many Fantasy managers.
Chelsea’s ticker-topping next two fixtures look particularly appealing, as they face managerless Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.
Caicedo has got three goals to his name already in 2025/26, as many as he managed in the last three seasons combined.
He does appear to be pressing slightly higher up the pitch, but his underlying stats haven’t really stepped up a gear, as he is averaging merely one shot per match. Additionally, his five chances created are surpassed by 77 other FPL midfielders.
Nonetheless, Caicedo has additional routes to produce returns this season via his defensive contributions (DefCon), which should at least help him maintain a steady stream of points. Indeed, he’s hit the DefCon threshold in 50% of his matches thus far.
He is also someone who starts virtually every game, with his only instance of being benched this season attributed to his fitness.
LUCAS PAQUETA (£5.9M)
With a nine-pointer against Newcastle United on Sunday, Lucas Paqueta took his season goal tally to four in all competitions.
A resurgent West Ham United are at home to Burnley next; however, tougher clashes await, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s team bottom of the Fixture Ticker in the subsequent six Gameweeks.
Still, Paqueta has plenty going for him, primarily owing to his vast routes to points.
The Brazilian is West Ham’s penalty taker and is on a share of set plays. Even without spot-kicks, he is among the top 10 midfielders within this price bracket for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI).
He also has the potential to occasionally pick up DefCon points.
Pivotal in a No 10 role behind Callum Wilson (£5.8m) on Sunday, the only word of caution is that Paqueta received his fourth booking of the season against Newcastle, and is now just one yellow card away from a one-match ban.
ELLIOT ANDERSON (£5.3M)
Elliot Anderson’s ownership in FPL may have dropped to 3.0%, yet you get the impression the England international will play a crucial role in any success Nottingham Forest have under Sean Dyche.
Indeed, Anderson delivered a superb performance against Manchester United on Saturday, having recorded two shots and created three chances.
Now priced at £5.3m, he has also resumed taking corners.
However, it is the DefCon potential that is most enticing: Anderson has hit 10 or more defensive contributions in every single match this season.
In fact, no player in any position has recorded more across the first 10 Gameweeks:
Above: The leading players for defensive contributions (Tot) in 2025/26
As for Forest, four of their next seven fixtures are against teams currently 14th or below in the league table. So, there is the potential for attacking returns in addition to DefCon with Anderson.
YEREMY PINO (£5.8M)
Like your Reijnders replacements a bit riskier? Enter a certain Yeremy Pino.
The Spaniard is yet to produce a goal or an assist in FPL, but he undoubtedly has real talent, as evidenced by his goalscoring display at Anfield in the EFL Cup last week.
Notably, Pino ranks among the top two Crystal Palace players this season (minimum 500 mins) for minutes per shot (50.7), minutes per chance created (72) and minutes per cross (28.2).
Oliver Glasner’s side have some favourable upcoming fixtures, with clashes against Brighton and Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Fulham and Leeds United in the next seven Gameweeks.
According to the ticker, Palace rank third for fixture difficulty over that period.
Pino has been struggling from a fitness perspective as he adapts to the extra demands of the Premier League, which remains an ongoing worry, but among this group, he certainly deserves consideration.
OTHERS
Sunderland have a tricky upcoming run and sit bottom of the Fixture Ticker over the next 10+ Gameweeks, but Granit Xhaka (£5.1m) undoubtedly deserves a mention. The Swiss midfielder has recorded one goal and three assists in 10 matches and should keep gathering DefCon points, with a 50% success rate so far.
Similarly, Leeds United’s Sean Longstaff (£4.9m) and Everton’s Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (£4.9m) don’t have the easiest of fixture runs, but still have the potential to offer value.
If you are looking to further free up funds, Josh King (£4.5m) and Freddie Potts (£4.4m) are names to consider. However, neither player offers the same level of security in terms of playing time, particularly once the fixtures start to pile up.
It’s for that precise reason that we’ve erred on the side of caution here and avoided discussing the likes of Marcus Tavernier (£5.5m) and Dango Ouattara (£6.0m), who could be susceptible to rotation in November/December.
Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6m), meanwhile, is now up to sixth in the midfielder standings, remarkably just two points behind Mohamed Salah (£14.2m), thanks largely to five attacking returns in eight matches. Only two FPL midfielders have exceeded their xGI by more (+2.86) in 2025/26, mind.
Finally, Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.8m) should tick along with assists, but it is worth noting that Keith Andrews’ side have performed much better on home turf. With three of their next five matches away from home, it is a bit off-putting.
