10 Tips for FPL Gameweek 38

If you’re looking for immediate ways to boost your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ranking and beat mini-league rivals, we’re here with some Gameweek 38 tips.

Millions of managers currently have the same dilemma, with so much to consider before Sunday 25 May’s 14:30 BST deadline.

Yet this advice has the potential to drastically improve your FPL season.

FPL GAMEWEEK 38 TIPS

The final day is usually a flood of goals

Some myths are true. We’ve crunched numbers from the final day of the last 14 Premier League seasons and discovered they’ve all featured more goals per game than that season’s average. In fact, the most recent nine have all exceeded 30 goals.

Therefore, clean sheets are scarcer, meaning FPL managers should try focusing on attackers with their closing transfers.

Be cautious about team ‘leaks’

Unfortunately, another common feature of Gameweek 38 is the presence of social media trolls who take advantage of the team news mayhem.

All 10 matches are simultaneous, meaning those final pre-deadline minutes could bring useful information for 20 clubs. Notoriously, amongst the annual chaos will be some intentionally false information, so be careful.

Wait until there’s news on Isak

In fact, it feels inevitable that Alexander Isak (£9.5m) will be the centre point of this rush. The forward is in over 6.5 million squads and the majority of higher-ranked ones but his Gameweek 37 absence forced a lot of autosubs to take place.

Eddie Howe doesn’t tend to give much away and said “I don’t know what will happen” in regards to this groin issue. With Newcastle’s must-win match being so crucial, you’d imagine he’ll be pushed out onto the pitch. But a slice of doubt will still linger until the deadline.

Arteta is hinting that Arsenal will relax

Recently, FPL managers have been eyeing up Arsenal’s Gameweek 38 trip to Southampton as a route for investment. But their 1-0 win over Newcastle pretty much secures second place for the Gunners.

“Time to go to the beach. Enjoy a few days.”

Afterwards, Mikel Arteta uttered this line, hinting that they’ll put less thought into this south coast trip. Possible rotation won’t encourage owners of David Raya (£5.5m) or Bukayo Saka (£10.3m).

It’s even worse for those with William Saliba (£6.5m). Withdrawn at half-time because of a hamstring pull, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be risked.

Target teams with nice-looking fixtures

Still, if Arteta speaks about giving specific players some game time, Arsenal are a team worth targeting. As are Bournemouth, about to welcome Leicester to their ground.

Plus the ones with something to play for

In truth, a lot of these closing matches are lacking drama. The Premier League champions and relegated trio have long been known, whereas Crystal Palace’s FA Cup glory reduces the race for eighth place. Whoever finishes in that spot will only reach Europe if Chelsea both finish seventh and win the Conference League.

So it just leaves the battle for Champions League qualification. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest face each other, while Newcastle host Everton and Aston Villa visit Man United. Investing in the Magpies and Villans could be wise, as they’ll be all-in for the win.

Bowen is a safe pick

Meanwhile, one of the safer, more reliable picks right now is Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m). Already bigged up before the weekend, his late consolation volley meant he yet again delivered an attacking return. That’s four goals and two assists in five matches, blanking just six times in his last 18 league outings.

Another name is Ollie Watkins (£9.1m). Nailed-on because Marcus Rashford (£6.6m) is both injured and ineligible, he’ll lead Villa’s line at Old Trafford, hoping to repeat his winning goal from Gameweek 36.

Time to go differential?

In FPL, these closing May weeks are often about guessing the right differential punts that can skyrocket managers towards a strong finish.

If you’re able to nail an Arsenal midfielder, such as the back-from-suspension Mikel Merino (£6.0m), or predict goals for Evanilson (£5.8m) and Pedro Neto (£6.1m), they could provide some late Fantasy joy.

Stick or twist with captaincy?

It’s a similar dilemma with last-day armbands. A fit Isak has potential, as does Saka if he’s named in the lineup. Over at Fantasy Football Scout, the Rate My Team algorithm currently has Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) above Saka as its number one choice.

The projection then picks a couple of Bournemouth names. Perhaps some managers want to go rogue in Gameweek 38, chasing a glorious mini-league climax.

Plenty of Assistant Manager table bonuses

Finally, depending on how Tuesday night’s clashes go, there could be table bonus points up for grabs in eight of these 10 matches for those using the Assistant Manager chip.

The most appealing real-life managers about to face a team five or more places above them in the table are Ruben Amorim (Man United v Aston Villa), Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham v Brighton) and, possibly, Vitor Pereira (Wolves v Brentford).

The theory with these first two is that 2025’s Europa League final will have already taken place, removing the fear that’s plagued them for weeks.