Gameweek 27 presents various transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
Based on fixtures, form and injuries, these players are being transferred in/out the most.
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joao Pedro | 143,999 | Bruno Guimaraes | 100,606 |
| Cole Palmer | 142,643 | Enzo Fernandez | 78,506 |
| Antoine Semenyo | 133,210 | Declan Rice | 76,802 |
| James Hill | 97,814 | Harry Wilson | 69,695 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 66,680 | Marc Cucurella | 58,748 |
| Igor Thiago | 59,256 | James Tarkowski | 56,109 |
| Morgan Rogers | 57,113 | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 55,683 |
| Rayan | 56,216 | Reece James | 55,627 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 53,752 | Igor Thiago | 53,829 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | 52,958 | Matty Cash | 50,899 |
But whether it’s a good idea remains open to debate.
Here, we share our thoughts on who to buy, keep and sell in Gameweek 27.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Saliba ill, Rice bonus, Saka fit + Brentford analysis
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Cucurella latest, Palmer + Bowen absences explained
COLE PALMER
For non-owners, Cole Palmer (£10.6m) is a really tempting pick.
Until recently, his fitness issues and form made him easy to overlook, but that certainly isn’t the case anymore.
The midfielder, who is owned by only 15.0% of managers, scored a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 25 and followed it up with a goal and an assist against Leeds United earlier this week. It’s helped him to 32 points in just two matches.
Thriving under Liam Rosenior, this run has included three penalties, but even without spot-kicks factored in, his underlying stats are still favourable, with seven shots from open play and four chances created over the last three Gameweeks.
Additionally, Chelsea face Burnley at home next, which makes him an even better pick.
Fitness concerns haven’t completely disappeared, but Palmer was rested against Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday, so there is a decent break ahead of Gameweek 27.
The potential issue, however, is what happens after Burnley, with Chelsea set to face a really tricky run of opponents.
The last fixture can, of course, be overlooked if you plan to Wildcard in Gameweek 32.
However, while Palmer is obviously a high upside pick – and a really strong captain option against Burnley – if you don’t have transfers banked, you could consider looking elsewhere, perhaps to someone like Florian Wirtz (£8.4m), given the ticker outlook for Liverpool (nfo/WHU/wol/TOT/bha/FUL).
VERDICT: KEEP, BUT DON’T RUSH TO BUY UNLESS YOU HAVE TRANSFERS BANKED
RAYAN
A £5.5m midfielder is very rarely a priority buy in FPL, but with some favourable fixtures on the horizon, Rayan (£5.5m) is undoubtedly worth a look.
In a very short space of time, the Brazilian has made a real impact on the south coast.
Having arrived from Vasco da Gama in January, he’s returned in all three matches since joining Bournemouth, combining two goals with one assist and 19 points.
Mostly playing off the right, Rayan has racked up six shots across his two starts. He’s also created a couple of chances for his teammates.
Notably, Rayan isn’t your typical Brazilian winger, as he frequently uses his physicality to beat defenders rather than skilful tricks.
“It’s one of the things we were looking for in the winter market because this season we have lost Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara, two of the most physical wingers in the league. We needed someone with some physicality and with set plays given that we’re quite short, so I think he’s added these things to the team.” – Andoni Iraola on Rayan
So, with plenty of attacking freedom, as demonstrated by Antoine Semenyo’s (£7.9m) performances under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, Ryan has the potential to be a real bargain.
He probably won’t start every match, but with three home encounters in the next five Gameweeks, as well as trips to West Ham United and Burnley, it should provide him with enough opportunities to deliver.
A quick word on teammate Amine Adli (£5.4m), too. Deployed off the left, he’s produced four attacking returns (two goals and two assists) over the last five Gameweeks. Small sample alert, but here’s how they compare since Rayan’s first appearance in Gameweek 24.
GOAL THREAT
ASSIST POTENTIAL
As you can see, it’s really difficult to draw any firm conclusions from the underlying stats, especially after only three matches playing together.
However, with positional rivals David Brooks (£5.0m) returning to fitness and Marcus Tavernier (£5.3m) not too far away either, we should perhaps expect earlier substitutions and potential rotation for both players. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem when you factor in their prices, mind.
“I think Amine is in a situation that probably now he is receiving the rewards of a lot of work he’s put in for the team. He has come as a new signing, but this has been a situation where basically Antoine [Semenyo] was playing everything in one side, and then we had Tavernier, Brooksy [Brooks], even Ben Gannon-Doak, Amine Adli, so there were not as many minutes available. But he has continued fighting, pushing, and now in a situation where we don’t have any of those players, we really need him and he has been there for us because of the goal. But also defensively, I think he’s helping Adrien [Truffert] in this case a lot and the more minutes he gets, the more time he plays, I think it’s going to be more valuable for us, I think.” – Andoni Iraola and Amine Adli
It is also important to mention the recent progress at Bournemouth: following a run of 11 league matches without a win in November and December, they’ve since banked 14 points from 21 available, whilst ranking third for actual goals scored and seventh for expected goals (xG) during that run.
VERDICT: BUY
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) looked unusually shaky earlier this season, which coincided with Liverpool’s overall dip in form.
However, with 38 points over the last six Gameweeks, the most of any FPL defender, he is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
The Dutchman has showcased his attacking ability with headed goals from corners against Sunderland and Bournemouth recently, and ranks favourably when compared to other FPL defenders from such situations.
Above: FPL defenders sorted by headed goal attempts from set plays (Head) in 2025/26
That could be important with van Dijk’s next two opponents, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, giving up plenty of shots from set plays.
“It’s vital that [van Dijk] has already scored a few goals for us this season and definitely last season as well from set pieces. He’s a big threat in the air offensively and defensively he’s important for us not to concede. So yes, [he’s] vital and I hope he will score many more for us in set pieces this season.” – Arne Slot on Virgil van Dijk
Furthermore, van Dijk has banked defensive contribution (DefCon) points in two of his last three matches, with 9.62 DefCons per 90 minutes in 2025/26.
Not only does he stand out for his goal threat, DefCons and favourable fixtures, but also because Liverpool have the third-best expected goals conceded (xGC) in the Premier League since the start of December, and have arguably been unlucky not to keep more clean sheets.
And with van Dijk about as nailed as it gets at Anfield, we think he’s a decent purchase.
VERDICT: BUY
DECLAN RICE
As Double Gameweek 26 nears its conclusion, sales of Declan Rice (£7.6m) are starting to pick up.
In Thursday’s draw at Brentford, the box-to-box midfielder failed to deliver a goal or an assist for the sixth match in a row.
He’s recorded only two shots in the box in that period, and while he’s been really unlucky not to provide an assist (18 chances created/-2.17 expected assists delta), it’s easy to see why so many FPL managers are starting to explore other options, particularly in light of Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures and blank.
But due to his recent attacking returns drought, it’s easy to forget that Rice is still the third-top scoring midfielder in Fantasy, behind only Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) and Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m).
And he continues to find ways to pick up points, be it through DefCons, clean sheets and/or bonus.
Indeed, in his last two matches, Rice has still delivered a respectable 10 points (or at least he will have when FPL add his midweek bonus point, which you can read more about here).
However, given the alternatives in/around his price tier, with notably better fixtures, we think moving Rice on for someone like Wirtz or Semenyo, or perhaps the cheaper Dango Ouattara (£5.8m), could pay off over the next few Gameweeks.
VERDICT: SELL
