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Fantasy Football tips and advice: Gameweek 26 transfers, selections and captain choices

By Tom Carnduff

Football

Sat March 04, 2023 · 2y ago

In the midst of numerous double gameweeks, Gameweek 26 is a more normal one with every team playing just once.

It's also a slate of fixtures that look tricky to call, creating numerous difficult decisions for fantasy football players prior to the deadline on Saturday morning.

There are crucial games at both ends of the table, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see this week being a lower scorer given those games and the potential for low returns.

That's not to say that there won't be goals though, and there are a couple of fixtures to target across the weekend.

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When is the FPL Gameweek 26 deadline?

The FPL Gameweek 26 deadline is Saturday March 4 at 11:00 GMT, with the first game kicking off at 12:30.

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 26?

It's hardly a surprise to be mentioning ARSENAL here considering they sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but this fixture looks very winnable for them.

They host Bournemouth, just days after hitting four past one of the Cherries' fellow strugglers in Everton. Confidence will be high and they'll fancy their chances of a repeat performance and result on Saturday.

Another team fancied for victory is BRIGHTON, who remain in the hunt for European football next season.

Despite winning last weekend, West Ham face a battle to avoid relegation this season, and anything other than three points will be viewed as hugely disappointing for the Seagulls.

LEICESTER away at Southampton is an interesting one after both sides were dumped out of the FA Cup in midweek. Even if they are away from home, the Foxes are a better team than the Saints.

Who are the best players to bring in for Gameweek 26?

Gameweek 26 being a single set of fixtures makes transfer decisions more difficult, but we know the teams to target based on the fixtures discussed above.

Arsenal should be maxed out with three players in squads anyway, but even more so given the home contest against Bournemouth on Saturday.

It's also worth considering future double gameweeks at this stage too, as that could provide some vital points in the fixtures to come after this weekend.

Ben White

Position: DEF
Club: Arsenal
Opponent: Bournemouth (H)
FPL Price: £4.7m

Arsenal assets have, unsurprisingly, been popular throughout this season, but there are still some decent differentials available with ownership rates floating around the 10% marker.

Ben White is one of those - he's in 12.8% of teams at the time of writing. Gabriel and William Saliba have been popular defensive options but White has contributed defensive points.

He's also cheaper than three other Arsenal options in defence. White has returned just four points fewer than Gabriel yet costs £0.5m less.

Bournemouth have struggled massively and the Gunners have a great chance of securing clean sheet points.

Kaoru Mitoma

Position: MID
Club: Brighton
Opponent: West Ham (H)
FPL Price: £5.3m

A popular enough option for a Brighton player, Kaoru Mitoma sits in 12.2% of teams currently.

He has every chance of a positive performance and a decent return this week as they host struggling West Ham.

Recent showings against those at the bottom give us confidence that he can perform. Mitoma has scored in games against Bournemouth, Everton and Leicester from Gameweek 19 onwards.

He should see chances to post attacking returns, while Brighton could well keep a clean sheet in this one too.

Gabriel Martinelli

Position: MID
Club: Arsenal
Opponent: Bournemouth (H)
FPL Price: £6.5m

Gabriel Martinelli was a very popular option at the beginning of the season but a quiet few weeks probably led to people losing faith in the Arsenal man.

Gameweek 25 was a remarkably strong one though. He scored three times across their two fixtures - returning 26 points for those who owned him.

Martinelli finding his scoring touch again comes at a crucial time for the Gunners, with them now sitting five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

The next four fixtures see a '2' on the FDR (Fixture Difficulty Ranking), starting with Saturday's very winnable clash against Bournemouth.

Who should I captain in Gameweek 26?

Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka celebrate

Arsenal enjoyed a great Gameweek 25 and there's every reason to believe that continues here.

The Gunners hosting Bournemouth means they should enjoy another positive three points, making a number of their players strong captaincy options again.

The one that stands out to me is BUKAYO SAKA, who has been in great scoring form. He's also their penalty taker, further increasing the possibility for points.

GABRIEL MARTINELLI returned 26 points in the last set of fixtures and his confidence is clearly high. The wide midfielder will fancy his chances of more against this weak Cherries defence.

Elsewhere, ERLING HAALAND will be popular but note the potential tricky fixture against Newcastle.

HARRY KANE will return to the Tottenham starting XI having been a sub in the FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United, and he should have opportunities away at Wolves.

Fancy a big alternative move? KAORU MITOMA could star as Brighton host struggling West Ham.

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