FPL Dugout

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

Strong draft 👌

I’d make one change though:

Palmer ➝ Rogers
Hemming ➝ Schade

You already have Saka + Haaland + Gyökeres for premium upside, so I’d rather spread the money.

For me:

Palmer + Hemming ❌
Rogers + Schade ✅

That gives you a much stronger front 8 and more flexibility across GW6–10.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

We’d solve it in defence:

Robertson ➡️ Egan would be our first choice.

Robertson’s recent form hasn’t convinced while Egan brings better DEFCON potential and frees the cash without touching the core.

If you want to go cheaper still, Bobby Thomas is another strong enabler with DEFCON appeal.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

Nearly 1 MILLION managers have bought Gross for GW6. He’s owned by 30%+ of us 👀

And it’s understandable:
⚽ 3G + 4A
📈 47 FPL points
🟢 SUN → CRY

But then Liverpool and City are coming up plus the risk that European fixtures and subsequent rotation brings.

Don’t buy a 5 GW player based on 2 fixtures.

Check Dugout’s Fixture Ticker and Player Projections first.

https://t.co/iyzjM41wyR

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

We’d go Hall + Greaves.

If Greaves/Thomas are mainly there as the backup/enabler, then the real decision is Hall vs Silva vs Van Hecke. Our Player Compare pushes us towards Hall over the next five.

Yes, Newcastle’s fixtures turn later, but that’s a future problem. On a Wildcard, we’d rather maximise the next five than downgrade the upside now just to avoid a transfer around GW11.

Take the upside now, reassess when the fixtures actually turn.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

This is very close already.
The one change we’d consider is Mbeumo to Rogers.

Mbeumo fixtures turn after GW6 whereas Rogers gives you:

BOU (H) → EVE (A) → TOT (H) → MUN (H) → SUN (A)

…and he’s returned in every league game so far.

We’d take Rogers over trying to squeeze Palmer in.

Then use the money saved versus Palmer to keep the defence strong rather than creating another compromise elsewhere.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

If you’re confident JP is back for GW7, we’d bench rather than sell him too - no point using a transfer to solve a one-week problem if you still want the player afterwards.

On Jackson vs McBurnie, we’re still Jackson. Even given his CL games, we'd still rather back his upside than drop down to McBurnie purely for security.

We’d also still make the Gross move now rather than wait.

SUN (A) + CRY (H) are two fixtures I’d actively want him for, and with his current role, set pieces and form I think there’s enough upside to justify the transfer immediately.

Then if JP is back in GW7 as expected, you’ve strengthened the squad without burning another transfer getting him back.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

GW6 isn't a race to make your transfers first.

Pedro, Palmer, Isak and Brobbey all have fitness questions after the international break.

A confirmed starter beats a brilliant pick who plays 0 minutes.

🚨 Check Dugout Team Monitoring before making your move.

Follow for the final GW6 calls.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

This range of midfielders is where we think a lot of wildcards will be won or lost.

Our order right now:
🥇 Gross – still the standout for us. Role, set pieces, minutes and price all line up.

🥈 Barnes – probably the best short-term upside play. Newcastle’s next run suits him and the left-side matchup data is encouraging.

🥉 Schade – strongest pure goal-threat option of the bunch, but slightly less secure than the two above.

Just behind them:
King – really like the fixtures and price
Le Fee – creative, on set pieces and a useful budget release

The interesting thing is how different the profiles are:
Gross = security
Barnes = upside
Schade = goal threat
King/Le Fée = value

For us, Gross + Barnes is the pairing I’d be happiest owning right now.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

That horrible £0.1m short feeling 😭

We wouldn’t rip up the Wildcard for it. I’d look at Bogle first.

Two routes:

1️⃣ Bogle ➡️ Mitchell
This would be my preferred move. It finds the money, keeps the structure intact and gives you a defender with a more established FPL profile and a decent route to returns beyond just clean sheets.

2️⃣ Bogle ➡️ Schuster
Also very viable. A little less proven, but the projections over GW6–10 are encouraging and it’s another clean way to unlock Isak without touching the core.

Then there’s one midfield alternative worth considering:
Schade ➡️ Le Fee

That’s the more aggressive route because we still like Schade’s goal threat but Le Fee gives you creativity, set pieces and a bit more budget flexibility.

So for me:

Best route: Bogle ➡️ Mitchell
Alternative: Bogle ➡️ Schuster
Reshape: Schade ➡️ Le Fee

If Isak gets the green light, we’d much rather make one of those small tweaks than dismantle the Wildcard.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

We're onboard with Saka too.

Leeds (H) + set pieces + guaranteed minutes gives him a really strong captaincy shout this week, especially with Haaland away at Liverpool.

The one alternative I’d seriously consider is Bruno vs Spurs (H).

He’s also on pens, has the 90-minute floor and the projections have him right in the same captaincy conversation.

So for us it’s:
Saka = better fixture/upside
Bruno = slightly safer minutes/role profile

Still Saka for us though.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

Yeah, that’s pretty much where we’re landing too.

The big thing for us is that our projections like him and the role/minutes are there too. That gives you a nice combination of model support and a very plausible route to returns.

As fixtures start to turn and the risk of rotation increases in the medium term we’d then look to pivot to Tavernier if needed.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

Definitely one to watch but we’d still have Gross and Barnes comfortably ahead on a GW6 Wildcard.

Manzambi has the differential appeal but Villa are the concern:
❌ Just 1 league goal so far
❌ Only 1 point from their opening 4
❌ BRE → NEW → MCI → FUL → MUN isn’t especially friendly

Compare that with:
🔵 Gross – Sunderland + Palace next, playing in a Brighton side already scoring freely

⚫ Barnes – Coventry next, nailed for 90 so far and Newcastle then get Villa, Palace and Everton

That’s where our Player Compare + projections become useful. We don't just compare individual returns but expected minutes, fixture quality and the attacking environment around them.

Manzambi = exciting differential.
Gross/Barnes = much stronger wildcard picks right now.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

The problem isn’t AI.

The problem is asking a generic LLM an FPL question and expecting it to understand your squad, minutes risk, fixtures, price, ownership and whether a transfer is actually worth making.

That’s why we built FPL Dugout.

It’s designed specifically for fantasy decisions with projections, expected minutes, fixture context and your actual team all feeding into the recommendation.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

I’m with you on Gross - at £5.9m he feels very hard to leave out 👀

For the other spot, it's Barnes for us.

⚫ COV (A) in GW6
⚫ 28 points already
⚫ 90 mins in every game so far
⚫ Higher short-term ceiling

But King at £5.5m is seriously tempting.

IPS (A) → HUL (H) → COV (A) is arguably the better 3-GW run and that £0.6m saving could be useful elsewhere on a Wildcard.

So for us:
Barnes if budget allows.
King if the saving meaningfully upgrades another position.

Gross + Barnes would be my pairing right now. 👀

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

Yeah, we’d still have De Cuyper as our first choice.

The reason is the upside. He’s not just relying on clean sheets, he’s getting forward regularly, has set-piece involvement and is playing in areas where attacking returns can genuinely arrive.

I’d describe him as first choice rather than completely rotation-proof. There’s always some risk with Brighton, especially once the schedule gets busier, but at the moment I think the role is strong enough to justify it.

Vuskovic is a great alternative though 👀

He probably gives you a slightly safer minutes profile, plus:

✅ DefCon potential
✅ Strong set-piece threat
✅ Clean-sheet route
✅ Very good long-term hold profile

So I’d frame it:

De Cuyper = higher ceiling
Vuskovic = slightly safer floor

Maitland-Niles is interesting too, but we’d want more evidence that the spot is genuinely his before choosing him specifically to avoid a future transfer.

For me: De Cuyper > Vuskovic > Maitland-Niles

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

With Gross already in the squad, two alternatives we’d seriously consider:

1️⃣ Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m)
Our preference. Secure role, strong attacking involvement, some set pieces and even a route to defensive-contribution points. Everton also have the fixtures to make him a genuine medium-term hold.

2️⃣ Anton Stach (£6.0m)
Less fashionable, but we really like the profile for a Wildcard. He has a share of corners + free-kicks, can pick up defensive-contribution points and has shown strong 90-minute security. That gives him several ways to tick over even when the goals aren’t flowing.

Schade still has the bigger explosive ceiling, but KDH/Stach feel like cleaner long-term buys from this point.

[FPL Dugout @FPLDugoutUK]

👀 Is Viktor Gyökeres (£7.1m) now one of the most interesting FPL forwards?

Kai Havertz is reportedly set to miss up to a month with a hamstring injury.

That could hand Gyökeres a run of:
🏠 Leeds
✈️ Nottingham Forest
🏠 Everton
✈️ Liverpool
🏠 Hull

And the timing couldn't be much better.

🇸🇪 Gyökeres has scored in all 4 of Sweden’s Nations League games this season and is currently only around 3% owned.

Minutes have been the big reason to avoid him so far. If Havertz’s injury removes that problem, £7.1m for Arsenal’s No.9 becomes a very different proposition.

Could he be one of the best GW6-10 differentials? 👀