To say there has been significant transfer activity in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this week would be an understatement. With FPL managers armed with five free transfers, over 3.5 million moves have already been made on the 10 most in-demand FPL assets, with four days still to go until the Gameweek 16 deadline!
Based on fixtures, form, injuries and bans, these players are currently experiencing considerable transfer activity in and out.
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Foden | 811,817 | Bryan Mbeumo | 500,864 |
| Igor Thiago | 584,200 | Jean-Philippe Mateta | 428,524 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | 373,688 | Antoine Semenyo | 366,663 |
| Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | 313,130 | Joao Pedro | 344,266 |
| Matty Cash | 310,108 | Riccardo Calafiori | 297,108 |
| Trevoh Chalobah | 253,749 | Daniel Munoz | 212,967 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 242,578 | Cody Gakpo | 211,047 |
| Declan Rice | 230,077 | Moises Caicedo | 201,864 |
| Jurrien Timber | 214,314 | Eberechi Eze | 180,916 |
| Harry Wilson | 179,280 | Gabriel Magalhaes | 165,302 |
Above: As of Tuesday afternoon, the most bought (left) and most sold (right) players heading into Gameweek 16
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 16.
We’ll try and avoid repetition with previous weeks. For example, Jean-Philippe Mateta (£8.0m) was a ‘sell’ in our last column, so we’ll not cover him again.
PHIL FODEN
Phil Foden’s (£8.6m) rich vein of form continued in Gameweek 15, as he brought his tally to five goals, one assist and 44 points in his last three matches.
In that same period (Gameweek 13 onwards), Foden ranks either top or joint-top for shots, big chances and expected goals (xG).
He’s also created five chances for his teammates.
“Phil is incredible. He is scoring a lot of goals. When he is in this momentum and this mood, he is a gift and a diamond. He is top.” – Pep Guardiola on Phil Foden
With the freedom to roam, Foden has rediscovered his best form and consequently skyrocketed in price, quickly jumping from £8.0m to £8.6m.
While Crystal Palace in Gameweek 16 could prove tricky (more on that below), especially after the midweek trip to Real Madrid, plum fixtures against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland follow, all of whom are in the bottom six for expected goals conceded (xGC).
As for Palace, they have conceded just one goal from open play in their last seven matches, so chances might be at a premium at Selhurst Park.
They also rank fourth for xGC and joint-third for key passes conceded in the centre zone, with their compact back five formation often forcing opponents to play around the outside, rather than through the middle.
But given his recent output, plus the aforementioned fixture run for City, there is no reason not to buy Foden in Gameweek 16.
VERDICT: BUY
BRUNO GUIMARAES
Bruno Guimaraes (£6.9m) found the net directly from a corner on Saturday, banking another double-digit haul in the process.
But is it worth buying him, or have non-owners now missed the boat?
Notably, all four of his 10+ scores this season have arrived at St James’ Park. In fact, Bruno is averaging 7.7 points per start on home turf, compared to just 3.3 on the road.
The decline in output is backed up by the data:
| Mins per | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Shot | 45.0 | 89.2 |
| Shot in the box | 135.0 | 178.3 |
| Penalty box touch | 45.0 | 66.9 |
| Chance created | 56.0 | 89.0 |
| Cross | 51.9 | 76.4 |
Nevertheless, Bruno still has plenty going for him.
Newcastle United have failed to win any of the 10 Premier League matches in which he has not started since his full debut, underlining his importance to Eddie Howe’s side. This is precisely what we FPL managers want as we approach the busy festive period.
The Brazilian also takes some set-pieces and has the potential to deliver defensive contribution (DefCon) points, with a 25.0% success rate over the season.
However, Newcastle are set to face rivals Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next, followed by another away match against Manchester United in Gameweek 18.
Bruno could rack up the DefCons in these fixtures, but with Chelsea scheduled to visit St James’ Park in between, a better entry point for him may be in Gameweek 19 (bur/CRY/LEE/wol).
VERDICT: KEEP, BUT DON’T RUSH TO BUY
HARRY WILSON
Harry Wilson (£5.3m) has been in and out of the Fulham team in past seasons; however, the Welshman has now started every league match he has been available for since the start of September.
He’s been in fine form recently, too, with four attacking returns in his last three matches.
Currently Fulham’s top scorer (four), Wilson has the potential to be a very important player for Marco Silva in the next few weeks, particularly with Alex Iwobi (£6.4m) and Samuel Chukwueze (£5.3m) set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soon.
As for the underlying stats, Wilson has combined 14 shots (see image below) with six chances created over the last six Gameweeks, so he’s clearly doing plenty right from an attacking standpoint, even though none of his attempts have been deemed ‘big chances’.
It’s also important to mention that Wilson’s next three opponents – Burnley, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United – all rank among the worst three teams for key passes conceded from their left flank in 2025/26, further enhancing the Fulham wingers’ assist potential.
The main concern is that Wilson can stay injury-free, but with Fantasy managers armed with five free transfers, the budget enabler could be a very decent pickup.
“Harry Wilson is very focused in his season, not just in our football club. With his country as well, the way he’s performing there, the way he’s performing with us.” – Marco Silva on Harry Wilson
VERDICT: BUY
NICK WOLTEMADE
Just outside the top 10 transfers out this week is Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade (£7.4m).
The German forward became an instant hit on Tyneside after his move from VfB Stuttgart, with four goals and 32 points in his first five matches.
He’s been outscored by nine other FPL forwards in the subsequent seven Gameweeks, however, a period in which he’s averaging only one shot every 50.4 minutes.
There is a bit of assist potential with Woltemade, of course, with his ability to drop between the lines and link play potentially undervalued, but the trip to Sunderland on Sunday is far from the easiest of games.
When you factor in the matches against Chelsea and Manchester United that follow, as well as Crystal Palace in Gameweek 20, the decision to sell Woltemade feels easier.
That’s without even considering the return of Yoane Wissa (£7.3m) from injury and the replacements you could bring in, like Brentford’s penalty taker Igor Thiago (£6.9m), who is about to embark on a ticker-topping run of fixtures over the next 10+ Gameweeks.
VERDICT: SELL
ANTOINE SEMENYO
After six successive blanks, Antoine Semenyo’s (£7.6m) ownership is falling rapidly, with Bournemouth firmly towards the bottom of our Fixture Ticker over the next six Gameweeks.
But if you’ve held onto Semenyo, is there an argument to keep the faith a little while longer, in an attempt to benefit from the Cherries’ next two matches against Manchester United and Burnley?
Burnley’s last clean sheet was in Gameweek 8, whereas for United, their last shutout dates back even further to Gameweek 7.
Crucially, Saturday’s performance against Chelsea was Semenyo’s best in months.
A real livewire down the left flank, he ended the match with five shots and three chances created. He also had a goal disallowed.
So, owners need not be in any rush to sell Semenyo, particularly with Bournemouth’s underlying attacking data still solid, despite a poor run of results.
Indeed, based on xG, Andoni Iraola’s side ought to have netted five more goals over the last six Gameweeks.
VERDICT: KEEP FOR THE NEXT TWO GAMEWEEKS
