With four teams set to blank in Gameweek 31, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers face various transfer dilemmas.
Based on fixtures, form and injuries, these players are being transferred in/out the most.
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Gordon | 132,184 | Erling Haaland | 202,470 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 106,400 | Antoine Semenyo | 154,619 |
| Malick Thiaw | 102,685 | Marc Guehi | 137,889 |
| Joao Pedro | 81,490 | Declan Rice | 135,902 |
| Marcos Senesi | 80,344 | Jurrien Timber | 97,898 |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | 66,994 | Gabriel Magalhaes | 51,866 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 65,144 | Nico O’Reilly | 47,337 |
| Hugo Ekitike | 61,736 | Bryan Mbeumo | 43,982 |
| Igor Thiago | 60,983 | Nordi Mukiele | 43,640 |
| Benjamin Sesko | 60,694 | Crysencio Summerville | 36,936 |
| Lewis Hall | 58,808 | Robin Roefs | 36,930 |
| Harry Wilson | 58,083 | Morgan Rogers | 34,486 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 47,049 | Hugo Ekitike | 31,403 |
But whether it’s a good idea remains open to discussion.
Here, we share our thoughts on who to buy, keep and sell in Gameweek 31.
ANTHONY GORDON
Anthony Gordon (£7.3m) delivered a superb performance in Gameweek 30, as he struck the winner at Stamford Bridge.
The England international is now up to 16 goals in all competitions, positioning himself nicely to finish the season well.
“16 – not bad, is it?
“I want to keep going. I’ve said this plenty of times to you, we’ve had plenty of these interviews over the three-and a-half years I’ve been here, but I want to get to 17 first, and then we’ll see where we go from there.” – Anthony Gordon
Gordon has often saved his best for the UEFA Champions League this season, having scored only five times in the Premier League, as well as four assists.
But three of those attacking returns have arrived in the last five Gameweeks, which has coincided with improved playing time and some decent underlying numbers (14 shots, five chances created).
Potentially playing ‘out-of-position’ as a centre-forward, and on penalties, Gordon is understandably a popular target this week.
“I think he views himself probably as a centre-forward. I think he’s really enjoyed the role. I think you can see that with his performances right now. He wouldn’t be playing to the level that he is if he wasn’t, you know, really wanting to do it. I thought he was magnificent today in every respect.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon
Sunday’s opponents, Sunderland, have injury issues ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby, especially at the back, with Robin Roefs (£4.8m), Dan Ballard (£4.7m), Nordi Mukiele (£4.5m) and Reinildo Mandava (£3.8m) all currently flagged.
Some may return in Gameweek 31, but with Sunderland ranked 17th for expected goals conceded (xGC) over the last six Gameweeks, it feels like a really nice entry point for Gordon regardless.
VERDICT: BUY
MALICK THIAW
Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) trails only teammate Gordon and Bruno Fernandes (£10.1m) for Gameweek 31 ‘transfers in’.
Owned by just 7.1% of the top 100k, the German centre-back has been in excellent form this season, starting every Premier League game from Gameweek 5 onwards.
Defensive contribution (DefCon) wise, he’s banked extra points in four of his last six matches, with a 40.7% success rate over the season so far.
At the other end of the pitch, he’s chipped in with four goals, the joint-most of any FPL defender, all from set-pieces.
That could be important, too: since the turn of the year, Newcastle’s next two opponents, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, rank 20th and joint-15th respectively for set-piece goals conceded.
Both fixtures also carry clean sheet potential.
Newcastle aren’t exactly watertight, but injury-hit Sunderland are the lowest scorers over the last six matches. Additionally, Palace have failed to find the net in each of their last two games in all competitions.
So, even factoring in the unpredictable nature of a Tyne-Wear derby, Thiaw is a really tempting transfer in.
VERDICT: BUY
BRYAN MBEUMO
Bryan Mbeumo’s (£8.6m) output has dipped considerably recently.
Gameweek 30 brought a third straight blank for the Cameroon international, who has produced just three shots in that period.
He’s consequently dropped £0.1m in price, ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Bournemouth on Friday, which is far from the easiest of matchups.
Indeed, Andoni Iraola’s side rank second for xGC on home turf:
However, after that, it’s Leeds United and Chelsea, who have kept just one clean sheet in the league under Liam Rosenior.
In isolation, those fixtures make it difficult to advocate for selling Mbeumo.
This holds particularly true with so many other popular midfielders set to blank in Gameweek 31.
That said, Mbeumo was hobbling while walking off the pitch on 74 minutes on Sunday, so Michael Carrick’s Gameweek 31 presser will need to be closely monitored.
VERDICT: KEEP
JARROD BOWEN
Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) has blanked in just one of the last eight Gameweeks, thanks to a steady stream of points.
The England international has produced seven attacking returns in that time, in addition to four DefCon points and six bonus.
It’s coincided with some much-improved attacking output by West Ham United, who have found the net 14 times in nine matches since mid-January, the sixth-most of any team.
“I think going forward we have the quality to score lots of goals.
“So, I think we’ve just all bought into that, been a lot more as a team. The team spirit is so much better.” – Jarrod Bowen
Nine of those strikes have notably arrived on the road, where Nuno Espirito Santo’s approach, which focuses on quick transitions and counter-attacks, is arguably more effective.
Next up for Bowen is a trip to Villa Park, where Unai Emery’s men have been uncharacteristically poor in 2026.
After the international break, it’s Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in Gameweek 32.
Bowen has admittedly evolved into more of a creator than a finisher under Nuno. In fact, only Bruno Fernandes has created more chances than him over the last four Gameweeks, while he’s only recorded four shots.
But as West Ham’s primary penalty taker, with free-kicks and corners also in his locker, Bowen could really excel with the increased responsibility of trying to keep West Ham up.
VERDICT: BUY
ARSENAL/MAN CITY ASSETS
With the transfers out column dominated by Arsenal and Manchester City players, we thought we’d add in an extra section this week.
Much relies on your chip strategy, of course, but Gabriel Magalahes (£7.2m) is probably best kept on your bench if possible, given the value most will have tied up in him.
Arsenal are also very likely to ‘double’ in Gameweek 33.
Declan Rice (£7.4m) feels like an easier sell, however. He’s produced zero goals and just two assists in his last 10 matches, a period which has seen him average only 4.1 points per start.
As for Erling Haaland (£14.5m), the out-of-form Norwegian is likely to be without a fixture in Gameweek 31, before City return to action with a trip to Chelsea in Gameweek 32.
Given his output drop-off, Haaland could be sold if funds are needed, but sellers should be aware that Man City could also ‘double’ in Gameweek 33.
For those managers playing their Wildcard in Gameweek 32, a one-week punt before potentially bringing him back could consequently work.
For others who aren’t Free Hitting in Gameweek 33, however, it might be best to at least plan a potential route back, given that City’s ‘double’ will likely include a trip to Burnley.
