FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 18

There is a big decision to be made ahead of week 18 by Fantasy Premier League managers following the official confirmation that Arsenal’s talisman, Bukayo Saka, will be out of action for the next six weeks. Arsenal thrashed Crystal Palace in week 17 but sadly, the Englishman was not among the goals or assists because he had to be taken off in the 24th minute after picking up a knock.

That leaves many managers with figures north of £10m to play with ahead of a busy first few weeks in 2025, when clubs will begin to fight to solidify their places on the log. What can you do with all those funds? Read our gameweek analysis to find out!

Gameweek Analysis

We advised managers to ensure that they used the first of their two FPL wildcard chips last week because of the unforgiving winter schedule. If you did not, this is a reminder that you have only weeks 18 and 19 before you lose out totally on the opportunity to overhaul your squad completely to increase your chances of hauling in good points.

If you have not and you happen to have Bukayo Saka (£10.5m) in your squad, now is the perfect time to put that chip to use. Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, says that he is “very optimistic that he [Saka] will be back before the end of the year.” The media, on the other hand, is reporting that the winger will be out for at least six weeks in which he will miss a run of games that could have seen his assist numbers increase significantly.

As far as assists go, Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) only caught up to and beat Saka in week 17 thanks to his two assists against Tottenham Hotspur, which means that the Liverpool forward and his 11 assists is the highest profile player that you can bring in with your wildcard ahead of week 17 and beyond.

Salah will also provide the goals—he has also caught up to and surpassed Erling Haaland (£14.8m) as the league’s highest goal scorer—but it might be time to bring back the Norwegian striker thanks to Manchester City’s run of games from now until week 22, all (but one) of which score a 2 on the Fixtures Difficulty Ratings (FDR) list. The first challenge is Everton, who look different to be fair, but are still one of Haaland’s favourite opponents. He has scored four goals in four games against the Toffees, including a brace in February 2024.

Below are two other Premier League games you can consider as you seek out options to replace Saka in your squad.

Best Value Games for Week 18

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United

Wolves are enjoying the new manager bounce with Vitor Pereira and in week 18 they host the struggling Manchester United. We all see where this is going, do we not?

Players to watch: Matheus Cunha (£7.1m), Amad Diallo (£5.3m), Gonçalo Guedes (£5.3m).

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Brentford

No player from here should be a long term asset ideally, because of the stressful run that both clubs have after facing each other. However, football is an unpredictable sport and both clubs field players who have surprised us this season.

Go for the assets under £6.5m in any of these teams if you choose to go long term, so that you can have enough from the Saka funds to spare on the rest of your team.

Players to watch: João Pedro (£5.9m), Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m).

Best FPL Players for Week 18

Justin Kluivert (£5.5m) – AFC Bournemouth

Antoine Semenyo (£5.6m) remains the most popular pick from Bournemouth but we are advising that you include Justin Kluivert in your selection this week. The son of famous Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert is now Bournemouth’s chief penalty taker.

The Cherries seem to have picked up on tricks to win spot kicks in recent weeks, just like Arsenal have revised their tactics to include dangerous corner kicks that increase their xG. For this reason, and the fact that Bournemouth are hosting Crystal Palace in week 18, Kluivert is a great shout.

Dominic Solanke (£5.2m) – Tottenham Hotspur

James Maddison (£7.6m), Heung-Min Son (£9.8m), Dejan Kulusevski (£6.3m)—these are all assets that managers can invest in thanks to Ange Postecoglou and his all-out attacking style of football. However, as the focal point of the attack, Dominic Solanke against Nottingham Forest is the more logical pick as a good percentage of the goalmouth action has him involved in some way. Now that he is back among the goals, there is no better fixture to bring him in for.

Ola Aina (£4.8m) – Nottingham Forest

Two players from the same match as two of our top 3 picks for the week is a rarity. However, one cannot continue to ignore the potential of having Ola Aina in their FPL squad.

An attacking threat and a defensive giant, the Nigerian is making many fans initiate early calls to include him in the league’s final XI of performers for the season. His goal last week has earned him a place here.