Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 26 Preview

Fantasy Premier League gameweek 26 is perhaps the biggest double gameweek in the history of FPL. This bonanza of football starts this Saturday. A staggering 14 teams play twice this gameweek. Read on to find out more about it.

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 26 Picks

Teams That Play Once

Arsenal, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion play only once this gameweek. The other 14 teams all play twice in this massive gameweek.

Goalkeepers

Emiliano Martínez is the pick of the keepers this week. Aston Villa’s form has not been great recently but the Argentine has made a plethora of saves to gain valuable points. The last away match at Brighton was a particularly great one for Martinez as he made nine saves to earn a clean sheet. He’s kept clean sheets in the last two away trips. With two away games coming up this week, Martinez could get a lot of points.

With three clean sheets in the last four matches, Alphonse Areola should be considered. Fulham have improved quite a lot and their defence has been stubborn- even against top opposition. A clean sheet at Crystal Palace is possible. The home game against Spurs could be good considering their recent poor form.

Nick Pope has tough fixtures but he often shines in these matches. He scored 11 points against both Arsenal and Liverpool earlier in the season.

Defenders

João Cancelo, John Stones and Rúben Dias remain hot picks this season. However, all of them have been rotated from time to time so nobody can say for sure which of them will start both. Aymeric Laporte is also in the mix these days.

Lucas Digne has two good-looking games from which he can gain a lot of points. He will want to celebrate signing a new contract with a good performance. However, Everton’s inconsistent home form will worry FPL managers. They have lost their last three home games on the trot.

Ola Aina and Tosin Adarabioyo are worthy picks this week. Fulham will play in gameweek 29 as well so one can hold them for a while. Both of them are available at 4.5.

Midfielders

In terms of FPL, Bruno Fernandes is in great form. Manchester United have two away games this week. Traditionally, the Portuguese has been quite spectacular in away matches. As always, he is never far away from a big score as the designated penalty taker and United seem to get a lot of penalties.

Bruno Fernandes is the highest scorer in FPL so far this season. In fact, he has scored 26 points more than Mohamed Salah, the second-highest scorer. So, despite the tough fixtures, he is a very good choice for the armband this gameweek.

Despite Liverpool’s terrible run of form, Mohamed Salah has scored reasonable points. In fact, he is the top scorer in the Premier League so far this season. The match at Bramall Lane will attract FPL managers. However, Liverpool’s poor form is worrying.

Raheem Sterling has had an inconsistent season so far, but he’s produced decent points on FPL recently. Unlike recent seasons, his ownership is rather low at 12.7 percent. So, a big score for him could see a huge rise in ranking. However, Sterling played for 69 minutes in the Champions League and the risk of missing one of the two games is a deterrent.

Tottenham Hotspur are passing a torrid time. Son Heung-min scored at Turf Moor earlier in the season. However, he has been quite poor recently. Can the South Korean rediscover his early-season form? It would be quite a gamble to hand him the armband this week. There is no doubt that he will start both as he was rested for the Europa League alongside Kane.

Ilkay Gündogan is in the form of his life. The German has two home games coming up. However, will he start both? Gündogan played the whole game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday night. That uncertainty is what might prevent FPL managers from captaining him. However, as Gündogan showed in the last double gameweek, even one match is enough for him to do enough damage. He scored 19 points in that one game.

From the cheaper options, Ademola Lookman and Bertrand Traoré could be considered. The injury to Jack Grealish might see Traoré play a more prominent role. Ross Barkley is in poor form and his place is under threat from the new signing Morgan Sanson.

Strikers

Dominic Calvert-Lewin returned from injury to help Everton get their first win at Anfield in 22 years. He has decent fixtures this gameweek. In fact, Calvert-Lewin scored a hat-trick in the return fixture against West Brom earlier in the season.

The striker is a tempting one to captain, that is for sure. However, Everton have been very inconsistent this season, especially at home. They have lost their last three home games on the trot. Still, Calvert-Lewin is a decent shout for the armband. Richarlison is in good form as well but Calvert-Lewin should be prioritized.

Tottenham Hotspur are in really poor form. In fact, they have picked up only three points in the last six matches. However, the fixtures for them this week are tempting. Kane scored against Fulham earlier in the season in a 1-1 draw. Traditionally, Kane does well against this calibre of opposition. His recent form has not been great though. On a plus point, Kane was rested in the Europa League.

With matches against Leeds United and Sheffield United, Ollie Watkins should be considered. He is a frustrating player to own in FPL but he is bound to get chances to hurt the Yorkshire teams.

Josh Maja is a cheap striker to consider as well if you are short of units. After a brilliant start to his Fulham career, Maja has blanked in the last two matches. However, he seems to have nailed down a starting slot for Scott Parker’s side so one could take a punt on him.