FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 6

We probably already sound like a broken record with our weekly declaration of the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season as potentially the most difficult one yet.

What makes this prediction of ours different is that it is coming before the tenth week of the season. Never has a league season started with so much chaos that everyone, unanimously, agrees that there is a need to buckle up.

We have already seen key injuries and refereeing errors. We have seen managers adapting systems. How can FPL managers work around these peculiarities to earn valuable points in week six of the world’s most popular fantasy sports game?

We take a look at the best strategy for week 6 to answer this question.

Gameweek Analysis

Whatever could go wrong in week 5 did, giving credence to our declaration that this season will be a very tricky one for many FPL managers, regardless of their experience.

Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy blanked against Everton, while Alexander Isak & Co. were outplayed by a resolute Fulham, who are showing that they are in it to genuinely compete this season.

Both names are now part of the most transferred out players by managers ahead of week 6. That leaves managers with a plethora of players to choose from, of course, but with a bit of confusion on the right strategy to go for having pegged them down as possible long-term acquisitions.

Then there are the injuries and fixture congestion issues which will surely cause managers to rotate in week 6, leading to even more confusion. Here are some matches to look at when coming up with your transfer strategies for the week, before we give you our top three picks.

Chelsea vs Brighton and Hove Albion

Cole Palmer (£10.6m) and Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) are Chelsea’s two biggest assets for obvious reasons. Jadon Sancho (£6.3m) is now proving to be a valuable asset after two assists in two games and will likely start for Enzo Maresca’s side against Brighton.

Meanwhile, Fabian Hürzeler has lost João Pedro (£5.6m) to injury but can still count on the talents of veteran striker Danny Welbeck (£5.7m) and creative youngsters Simon Adingra (£5.5m) and Yankuba Minteh (£5.5m).

Brentford vs West Ham United

Bryan Mbeumo (£7.2m) remains the star of the show for Brentford now that Yoanne Wissa is out of commission. The Cameroon international has been on the score or assists sheet within the first five minutes in Brentford’s most recent matches, making him one of the most dangerous players in the league at the moment. On the other hand, West Ham do not have enough equity right now but Mohammed Kudus (£6.3m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) remain threats for the Hammers to bounce back.

Best FPL Players for Week 6

Gabriel Magalhães (£6.1m) – Arsenal

Many managers would rather go for William Saliba over Gabriel Magalhães when picking an Arsenal defender. The Frenchman is a leader at the back and is responsible for a lot of defensive actions while Gabriel mostly serves as his backup to clean up his spills or take care of the rare balls he misses. But the tides have begun to change thanks to the latter’s recent performances.

Along with Kai Havertz (£8.1m), the Brazilian defender is the Gunners’ highest goalscorer this season with two goals after five league games. These have come from set pieces, which has now become Arsenal’s forte. The Gunners return to the Emirates in week 6 against Leicester City, which presents managers with a great opportunity to get clean sheet points and possible goal contribution points by having the goal-scoring defender, Gabriel, in their squad.

Kai Havertz (£8.1m) – Arsenal

Kai Havertz’s two goals for Arsenal this season have come at the Emirates. His home form is the best in the league aside Manchester City’s goal-scoring monster Erling Haaland. With another opportunity to get on the score or assists sheet against a defensively frail Leicester City, the German’s rare talents will be useful for managers looking for good points this week. Mikel Arteta is also desperate for a win having slipped down to fourth on the log after a chaotic past two weeks with the league’s referees, so Havertz could find himself upfront against Leicester.

Jhon Duran (£6.1m) – Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s back-up striker, John Duran, is outscoring their main striker, Ollie Watkins. The Colombian has a better xG (expected goals) ratio and goal-per-minute ratio than Haaland despite having scored all of his four league goals this season from the bench. He is unlikely to replace Watkins in the Villa setup for as long as the Englishman is at the club, but with Villa facing Ipswich in week 6 and a UEFA Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich almost immediately after, Villa manager Unai Emery may choose to give Duran his first start of the season, which presents a big opportunity for many FPL managers.