FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 27
It is time for another round of FPL team selections and thankfully, many managers will not have to do much. The just concluded fifth round of FA Cup ties have already given a lot of insights into which teams and players should be bet on in week 27 of the ongoing season.
Everybody will be running after Liverpool players and taking hits to keep Erling Haaland in their teams, but there are quite a few others that can promise good returns.
Here are our top FPL picks for gameweek 27 including insights on who to make your team captain.
Gameweek Analysis
The fixtures for the upcoming gameweek 27 are the reverse of the fixtures that took place in gameweek 10 back in November 2023.
All the league’s teams will be involved in matches this week, unlike in week 26, where Tottenham Hotspur had to take a compulsory rest because Chelsea had to play in the EFL (Carabao) Cup final.
The top three are separated by only two points which means they will all be counting on the opponents of the other to help them out. Only Manchester City have a tougher fixture – they face Manchester United while Liverpool face Nottingham Forest and Arsenal face Sheffield United.
Arsenal players will be very popular among managers with Declan Rice, David Raya and Bukayo Saka being top picks for many managers. Liverpool’s injury list will cause most managers to avoid their players, but Darwin Nuñez could be bet on seeing that they have Forest to deal with.
See the full fixture list for week 27 below.
Luton Town vs Aston Villa is one to watch in this gameweek.
Hatters manager, Rob Edwards, is slowly turning their fortunes around. They have scored more goals in the last five gameweeks than they managed to score in their first ten. They are the third highest goal scorers among the bottom half teams despite being 18th on the log.
They face an equally potent Aston Villa, who with Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey, have run a lot of teams into the ground in recent weeks. Managers may want to look to that game for differential picks in week 27.
Fulham vs Brighton and Hove Albion could also provide some returns for FPL managers. Pascal Groß (Brighton) and Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham) are two players who could catch the eye in that game.
Groß leads the league in assists (10), while Muniz has stepped up to the plate for Fulham in the absence of Raul Jimenez. Since the Mexican got injured in week 23, Muniz has scored four goals and earned 31 points.
At £6.5m (Groß) and £4.4m (Muniz), both could be great differentials for managers.
Best FPL players for week 27
Bukayo Saka (£9.2m) – Arsenal
Arsenal take on Sheffield United after a week without European or domestic Cup action. This means a well-rested Bukayo Saka will be unleashed upon the Blades at Bramall Lane.
Right off the bat, the 22-year-old is already the top pick for the captaincy in the week 27 round of fixtures. With an average of 6.8 points per game since the start of the season and a form ranking of 11.8, which makes him the most in-form midfield player in the league, investing in Saka for week 27 is not just a good idea, but it could change a manager’s season.
Every FPL metric points to him being the best investment that any manager will make this week. The number of man of the match awards and bonus points he has received also speaks to his efficacy.
Fortunately, only less than 40 percent of FPL managers have to make some changes in order to bring him into their teams.
Dominic Solanke (£7.1m) – AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth face Burnley in week 27 but it is their run of games up to week 32 that makes Dominic Solanke a wise pick.
The 26-year-old is a budget striker for any manager’s team and a good differential to have in many game weeks.
Despite Bournemouth’s struggles on the pitch and their place on the league table (14th), he has 14 goals in the league this season, three less than top scorer Erling Haaland. For context, the Cherries have scored 33 goals in the league this season. This means that Solanke is responsible for 42 percent of their goals in 2023/24. He also has three assists for the team, which is only one behind Marcus Tavernier, who leads the assists for the Cherries this season.
They face bottom-of-the-league Burnley in week 27 before they face Sheffield United and Luton Town (twice), Everton and Crystal Palace in the coming weeks.
Solanke is also the seventh most in-form forward player in the league with a rating of 5.6 and is also the third most potent with an average of 5.1 points per match. He is a long-term investment for managers, even if he goes to the bench after week 27.