#fpl

#fpl

No one ever said navigating an FPL season was easy - and this year's run-in might be one of the most chaotic yet, writes Fantasy Premier League expert Blake Hurst. Between the EFL Cup, FA Cup and European competitions, the Premier League schedule is heading for a minefield of blanks and doubles. But for savvy managers, chaos equals opportunity. If you plan your chips right, you can turn fixture disruption into your biggest advantage.

Before the latest round of Premier League fixtures, here is all the key injury news alongside essential Fantasy Premier League statistics. The gameweek kicks off with Manchester United at home to Manchester City at Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) - here is the full fixture list. This article will be updated as Premier League managers give their weekly news conferences. For more FPL help, don't miss our regular Friday Q&A from 15:30 BST live on the BBC Sport website, with one of our four experts

Most FPL teams contain at least a couple of City players and the odd United asset. Manchester derbies averaged 3.1 goals per league game over the five seasons from 2020-21 to 2024-25, while City won 3-0 at Etihad Stadium earlier in 2025-26. However, two of the past five league games at Old Trafford have been 0-0, and that is the venue this weekend. Will there be goals on Saturday? If you think so, then start your attacking assets from both sides with confidence.

His underlying numbers back it up too - an XGI per 90 of 0.64 speaks to constant involvement. He may not be firing double-digit hauls weekly, but his reliability makes him a steady, captaincy-safe pick. In a season full of chaos and rotation, consistency is gold - and Saka delivers it week after week. Liverpool at home might not scream "buy", but they've been vulnerable to chances from the right-wing channel, which suits Saka perfectly.

Half the FPL season is in the bag and we're coming off one of the worst weeks of the season, with hardly any highly owned assets returning. Don't panic though, FPL has given us a fresh set of chips to attack 2026 with. So take a look at our team of the week for a bit of inspiration, to give you a flying start to the second half of the campaign.

With title rivals Arsenal and Aston Villa facing off, and Manchester City travelling to face Sunderland's stingy defence, this is a great week for FPL managers to look elsewhere for punts and captain choices. Manchester United at home to Wolves, Liverpool taking on Leeds and Chelsea against Bournemouth's leaky away defence are games to target. You just need to try to work out which players will be rotated, with games coming thick and fast. Good luck!

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has four goals in his last two Premier League matches and looks to be turning into one of Arne Slot's most important players. The France international, who signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to 79m in the summer, now has seven league goals in 15 appearances. With Mohamed Salah now with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, Alexander Isak struggling for form and Cody Gakpo injured, Ekitike is the man to lead Liverpool's line.

Liverpool's relative struggles, Mohamed Salah's form and a tough trip to Chelsea make it easy to ignore their assets and stick with red-hot Erling Haaland as captain this week. And if you haven't already, this is your sign to load up on Arsenal players as they have the best run of any team over the next six gameweeks.

As Gameweek 4 approaches, finding the right players to boost your Fantasy Premier League squad is crucial, writes FPL expert Blake Hurst. This week's selection focuses on those ready to capitalise on favourable fixtures and form, offering a mix of reliability and differential potential. Whether you're chasing points or settling into your team's rhythm, these five players stand out as smart moves to strengthen your lineup going into GW4. Let's dive in and explore why they could be the game changers you need.

Palmer is a classic FPL troll. If you own him, he blanks. If you don't, he somehow manages to haul big points. His recent injury in the warm up at West Ham looks concerning. For those holding him, it's an unlucky injury but he could be back this weekend. But with Chelsea's fixtures looking mixed and Palmer priced at 10.5m without a guaranteed start at this stage, keeping him long term feels risky at his price.