As the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 4 deadline gets nearer, we’ll again be hearing from our team of guest contributors.
Here, FPL Meerkat talks us through five players who Gameweek 4 Wildcarders are currently overlooking.
1. James Tarkowski (Everton) – £6.0m
The Everton defender has a hefty price tag of £6.0m, but has a proven consistency over previous seasons and is arguably worth it.
He’s already displayed his usual attacking prowess with a goal against Bournemouth, and is one of the most consistent assets for defensive contributions, with 9, 10 and 12 in the last three Gameweeks.
With games against Ipswich Town and Hull City coming up in Gameweeks 5 and 6, it’s a good time to jump on the reliable Evertonian.
2. Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United) – £6.0m
Despite his data not yet reflecting it, Barnes is an explosive asset who showed what he’s capable of against Bournemouth in Gameweek 3.
Newcastle assets are still relatively low-owned, with Barnes himself sitting at just 2.1%, which is surprising given their strong start and upcoming seven-match run:
The biggest doubt hanging over Barnes going into the season was game-time, but with three 90-minute run-outs so far, he’s looking nailed on Newcastle’s left wing – and hungry for more.
It’s worth repeating Matthias Jaissle’s quote from Thursday’s presser here, as the Newcastle boss talks of taking his time with Barnes’ positional rival, Bazoumana Toure (£5.8m).
“For Bazou, it is really clear, he is a young lad, came as a new signing. He’s doing a great job, you see it, the steps now in training. He is really committed [but] it’s sometimes, in football, a case when other players are performing at a high level, like Harvey [Barnes] at the moment, and you get a little less playing time.
“We said it from the beginning, especially for the young lads and the new signings, that we give them the time.” – Matthias Jaissle
When Barnes is assured of game-time (which wasn’t the case when Anthony Gordon was present), he usually delivers. In the last two seasons, his points-per-start averages have been a very healthy 4.1 and 5.6.
3. Anan Khalaili (Crystal Palace) – £5.0m
Daniel Munoz’s (£5.4m) replacement at Crystal Palace, Anan Khalaili, is yet to return this season, but is growing into the role.
Despite a Gameweek 1 benching, he’s surprisingly amassed 33 defensive contributions since, the third-highest total overall among defenders. He even nearly banked DefCon points in a 35-minute cameo on the opening weekend!
He is picking up some promising positions at the other end, too. In the lead-up to Ben Chilwell‘s (£4.5m) winner in Gameweek 3, he had rounded the ‘keeper and was on the cusp of stroking the ball into an empty net, only to lose his footing.
With Ipswich, Leeds and Forest in the next three matches, I anticipate the returns will start to come for Khalaili, who has numerous ways to score points – even if a clean sheet may be the least likely!
4. Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) – £5.9m
It seems questionable to recommend an Aston Villa attacker when they are yet to score a single league goal, but the drought cannot continue for much longer.
Indeed, in midweek, the Villans hit three goals at Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League, with Buendia among the scorers.
With the amount of changes in personnel this summer, it was a given that Villa would struggle initially. But with decent upcoming fixtures, and off the back of Tuesday’s 3-2 win in Belgium, the season can begin in earnest now.
Look at 2025/26: goalless in the first four Gameweeks, then a run of 12 wins in 13 from late-September to Christmas.
It’s still unclear who Aston Villa’s penalty taker is, but Buendia has a high chance of being on them. Of the four members of Unai Emery’s squad who took a spot-kick in 2025/26, the Argentine midfielder is the only one who remains at the club.
Buendia is already on a share of corners, while no Villan has attempted more shots than him (six) in the opening three Gameweeks.
5. Gonzalo Garcia (Fulham) – £6.0m
Fulham have looked shaky in defence, but attacking-wise, they’ve been pretty good, scoring two goals against both Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Perhaps it’s slightly too early for the raw Spanish striker, but the Wildcard is a great opportunity to jump on assets before the crowd does.
Gonzalo has taken up the mantle of Fulham’s attacking spearhead since his summer move, and has had more shots on goal (11) than any other FPL forward bar Erling Haaland (£15.5m) in the opening three Gameweeks.
He may even be the Cottagers’ new penalty taker, given his past experience from 12 yards.
The third forward position is highly competitive right now, but Gonzalo could be a smart option to bench for the first couple of weeks after a Gameweek 4 Wildcard before he plays all three promoted teams in a row:
