Forward planning for FPL Gameweek 9 and 10

We take a look at forward planning for FPL Gameweek 9 and 10. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can utilise its fixture ticker and underlying stats to pick out the best teams and players to target for the Gameweeks ahead.

Forward planning for FPL Gameweek 9 and 10 can be absolutely vital to the success of any given managers season. The early stage of the campaign is one of the most important periods in FPL so being able to target the right teams and players could be key.

Gameweek 9 & 10 fixtures

Who has the best fixtures?

Bournemouth, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle all rank amongst the top five with the easiest fixtures.

Who has the worst fixtures?

Brighton, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Everton and Manchester United all rank amongst the bottom five teams with the toughest fixtures.

Best players for Gameweek 9 & 10

Liverpool – The Reds rank second on the fixture ticker in the period ahead. Liverpool are in top scoring form so backing their attackers could be a wise move. Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) is the standout option with five goals and four assists already this season. The Egyptian also takes his sides penalties. Other interesting options include the likes of striker Darwin Nunez (£7.4m) who ranks in the top two forwards for big chances total and midfielder Luis Diaz (£7.5m). Some could even consider left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas (£4.4m) with Andrew Robertson out due to injury.

Aston Villa – Aston Villa also rank very highly on the ticker with matches against West Ham and Luton. In defence the standout pick is full-back Matty Cash (£5m). Cash has featured in wing role this season and leads every other defender for non-penalty expected goal involvement so far. In attack some could opt for midfielder Moussa Diaby (£6.7m) who has returned in half of his matches so far including a double-digit return. The best option in attack is of course striker Ollie Watkins (£6.7m). Watkins is currently the highest scoring player in the game which reflects his amazing form this season.

Tottenham – Sitting first in the Premier League Tottenham have stormed the start of their 23/24 campaign. In terms of defence, both of their full-backs Destiny Udogie (£4.9m) and Pedro Porro (£5.1m) should be considered due to their great attacking threat. In attack, midfielders Son Heung-min (£9.5m) and James Maddison (£8.1m) are the best picks. The former is playing in a strikers role and the latter has bagged a return in five of his eight matches so far.

Who else should we be targeting?

Newcastle – Gaining form and momentum Newcastle have games against Crystal Palace and Wolves next so have huge potential. There has been major rotation in attack so it could be wise to concentrate on their defensive line. The best pick is of course full-back Kieran Trippier (£6.9m) who has collected four back-to-back returns in FPL including two double-digit hauls. Other great options include centre-backs Sven Botman (£4.7 – when fit) and Fabian Schar (£5.2m) who had more shots on goal than any other defender last season.

Arsenal – They have started the season very strong and come up against an average Chelsea and extremely poor Sheffield United up next. In defence some could opt for centre-back Gabriel (£4.7m) who is the cheapest and most reliable way in to the backline. In attack the main man is Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) who takes his sides penalties and ranks as the third highest scoring midfielder in the game so far.

West Ham – The Hammers face Aston Villa and Everton next up so their attacking assets could have some potential. The best pick is Jarrod Bowen (£7.3m). Bowen has picked up an impressive five returns in his first eight games including a double-digit haul. Another great but cheaper option could be fellow midfielder James Ward-Prowse (£6.3m). The set piece specialist has produced five returns in his last seven games.

Other assets with potential

Dominic Solanke (£6.4m) – Bournemouth face two of the worst defences in the league next in Wolves and Burnley. Because of that their focal point and penalty taker Solanke could have huge potential ahead.

Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) – Manchester United may face Manchester City in the next two games but they also face the worst defence in the league, Sheffield United. With that in mind, his penalty taking duty and fantastic non-penalty expected goal involvement this season Fernandes could do well.

Manchester City – Although ranked low on the fixture ticker the title holders come up against two poor defences next up. Because of that forwards Erling Haaland (£14m) and the in-form Julian Alvarez (£7m) could be great picks.

Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) – Brighton play an out of sorts Manchester City and one of the worst defences in league so far in Fulham ahead. Their standout attacker is Mitoma who has bagged four returns including two double-digit returns this campaign.

Should we use a chip?

The most experienced managers usually use their Bench Boost, Triple Captain and Free Hit chip during medium or large blank and double Gameweeks. It could however be a fantastic time to use the Wildcard due to the major fixture swings ahead and rapidly increasing player price-tags of in-form players with good schedules.