Fantasy Football tips and advice: FPL Gameweek 5 transfers, selections and captain choices

By Tom Carnduff

Football

Fri September 02, 2022 · 2y ago

It's a very quick turnaround from Gameweek 4 to Gameweek 5.

Midweek Premier League action means we have around 48 hours from the last set of games ending to the next getting underway.

For many, Gameweek 4 was a solid one - with the average points scored sitting at a season-high 62.

Although the main frustration will be regarding Mohamed Salah. Liverpool scored NINE against Bournemouth and the midfielder returned a huge total of three points - yeah, we can't believe it either.

His four shots led to an xG of 1.28 so he could easily have scored a couple. It's annoying for those who captained him - or brilliant if you didn't.

It was a strong week in our Gameweek 4 column, with the five selections returning plenty of points:

Roberto Firmino - 22pts
Raheem Sterling - 15pts
Dejan Kulusevski - 6pts
Emerson Royal - 6pts
Bryan Mbeumo - 2pts

Focus now turns to Gameweek 5 and how to approach the midweek fixtures.

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When is the FPL Gameweek 5 deadline?

The FPL Gameweek 5 deadline is Tuesday August 30 at 18:00 BST, with the first game kicking off at 19:30 BST.

How do the FPL chips work?

Bench Boost: This counts the points of those on your bench alongside your starting XI - this can only be used once a season
Triple Captain: The captain earns 3x the amount of points for that gameweek - this can only be used once a season
Free Hit: This allows unlimited changes for one gameweek only. A team reverts back to how it was before once this has been played - this can only be used once a season

Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 5?

According to FPL's Fixture Difficulty Rating - the higher the number, the tougher the game - the teams are split as follows:

2: Arsenal (Villa H), Bournemouth (Wolves H), Brentford (Palace A), Brighton (Fulham A), Chelsea (Southampton A), Palace (Brentford H), Everton (Leeds A), Fulham (Brighton H), Leeds (Everton H), Manchester City (Forest H), Wolves (Bournemouth A)

3: Leicester (Manchester United H), Liverpool (Newcastle H), Tottenham (West Ham A), West Ham (Tottenham H)

4: Aston Villa (Arsenal A), Manchester United (Leicester A), Southampton (Chelsea H)

5: Newcastle (Liverpool A), Nottingham Forest (Manchester City A)

It's decent fixtures again for LIVERPOOL and MANCHESTER CITY, with two home contests on the back of high-scoring wins at the weekend.

LEEDS hosting Everton is an interesting one. Rodrigo has had another price rise and Jesse Marsch's side could have scored in their 1-0 defeat at Brighton.

Only Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have conceded a higher xGA than the Toffees across the first four games, meaning the hosts will be optimistic of finding a way through.

Villa posted a tiny 0.41 xG in their 1-0 home defeat to West Ham, and an away game at ARSENAL looks like it will end in another loss.

What are the best transfers for Gameweek 5?

Given the quick turnaround to Gameweek 5, we'll keep this shorter than usual. However, for those considering a Wildcard before Tuesday's deadline, the dates for the two (/three) are as follows:

When are the FPL wildcards?

Wildcard 1 - Gameweek 1 (start of season) to Gameweek 16 (Saturday November 12)
World Cup - Unofficial wildcard: Unlimited changes allowed after Gameweek 16 starts and before Gameweek 17
Wildcard 2 - Gameweek 17 (Monday December 26) to Gameweek 38 (end of season)

With this Gameweek in focus, who are the best players to look at when it comes to one or two changes?

Granit Xhaka

Position: MID
Club: Arsenal
Fixture: Aston Villa (H)
FPL Price: £5.0m

I'll be honest, I never really expected to be looking at Granit Xhaka when it came to fantasy football.

However, his showings this season have put him on my radar - and his 2.8% ownership rate makes him a solid differential pick when it comes to an Arsenal side with a 100% record so far.

The defensive midfielder has the same amount of assists across his opening four games as he had in the whole of the 21/22 Premier League campaign.

He averaged 1.2 key passes per game last season, yet he's had at least two in three of his four games so far. He also scored from two shots against Leicester.

Another interesting stat is that Xhaka has a higher expected assists (xA) figure than Martin Ødegaard - 0.40 to 0.19.

Jack Harrison

Position: MID
Club: Leeds
Fixture: Everton (H)
FPL Price: £6.1m

Rodrigo has been the star for Leeds in terms of fantasy football points, but Jack Harrison has more than played his part and can produce against this Everton defence.

The winger has three assists across his last four games, while also grabbing a goal in their last home game - that being the convincing 3-0 win over Chelsea.

Harrison had a huge total of seven key passes in the opening weekend win over Wolves, with four the following week against Southampton. There was only one against Brighton but that's understandable given quality of opponent.

As mentioned above, only Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have conceded a higher xGA than Frank Lampard's men - 4.94 of their 7.95 also coming in the two away games.

Leeds have returned 6.22 xG across their opening four - scoring seven goals - and they should have chances on Tuesday night.

Eberechi Eze

Position: MID
Club: Crystal Palace
Fixture: Brentford (H)
FPL Price: £5.5m

Despite a tough start to the season for Crystal Palace - they've faced Arsenal (H), Liverpool (A) and Manchester City (A) in their first four - Eberechi Eze has two assists on his tally.

They have a home contest against a Brentford side who have been conceding chances. The six goals they've conceded have come from 6.26 xGA.

Palace's only game against a non-'big six' side was the home win against Aston Villa, and Eze posted strong attacking numbers despite failing to get a goal or an assist.

The attacking midfielder had three shots and registered three key passes. He looks a solid pick for Gameweek 5 with only 1.9% of players currently having him in their team.

Che Adams

Position: FWD
Club: Southampton
Fixture: Chelsea (H)
FPL Price: £6.4m

A game against Chelsea is usually a difficult one, but gambling on the Southampton forward line could bring points that many others won't have.

Che Adams is owned by just 1.0% of FPL players at the time of writing but he has two goals on his tally - both of those coming from the bench in the 2-1 victory over Leicester.

He returned to the starting line-up against Manchester United and provided a constant threat. His five shots totalled 0.38 xG, while he also contributed a key pass.

The Saints should have scored last time out and they face a Chelsea side struggling to keep clean sheets and limit chances. The six goals conceded coming from 6.26 xGA.

Southampton have posted above 1.50 xG in each of their last three games. They should get opportunities to score against Thomas Tuchel's men on Tuesday.

Who are the most transferred in players for Gameweek 5?

As of 1125 BST on Monday, the most transferred in players - according to FPL - are:

Erling Haaland - 408,660
Luis Diaz - 394,158
Pascal Groß - 347,051
Martin Ødegaard - 323,652
William Saliba - 282,675
Rodrigo - 259,650
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 174,087
Robert Sánchez - 161,640
Aleksandar Mitrović - 161,555
Bernardo Silva - 159,506

Who should I captain in Gameweek 5?

Captain. MOHAMED SALAH. Are we all ok after Gameweek 4?

Yes, I am. LUIS DIAZ was flagged as an alternative pick in the last column and he delivered with 28 points with the C.

ERLING HAALAND netted a hat-trick, while HARRY KANE's week was a bizarre one despite two goals. A penalty miss and a yellow card damaged his full points potential.

All four are well worth backing again in midweek, although we have to be wary of changes given the quick turnaround in fixtures.

There is little we can do about this though and teams will always look to go as strong as possible.

It's tough to avoid targeting City assets given the fact that Forest have been conceding plenty of shots and chances. Haaland - if he starts - should see more enjoyment.

KEVIN DE BRUYNE is another name to target, with his 26.2% ownership lower than we'd probably expect at this stage.

Those wanting to look elsewhere - a risky enough strategy at this early stage of the campaign - may well be targeting Leeds and their striker RODRIGO.

He is listed as a midfielder on FPL and has seen his ownership percentage skyrocket over the past few weeks. He is now in 29.1% of teams!

JACK HARRISON - for reasons mentioned above - may also be another worth considering.