FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 30

The Fantasy Premier League is back and will not be going anywhere until the end of the season, which is in eight weeks!

That’s right – we are in the last stretch of the season and every manager is currently on their toes. Every manager worth their salt is locking in to make sure that they put no foot wrong in the coming weeks so that they can finish strong on the global rankings, their national rankings or their mini leagues.

All teams are available for selection now, so many choices are clear. There are, however, a few changes that our team thinks needs to be made, and that is what you will be learning about in this week 30 analysis.

Gameweek Analysis

Thanks to other domestic engagements, four Premier League clubs sat out week 29 just before the final international break of the 2024/25 football season. Unfortunately for many managers, the four clubs who had to sit out week 29 carry assets that feature prominently in almost 40 percent of all Fantasy Premier League squads for the season. That is why the strategy for week 29 was built around chips usage – especially the Free Hit and the Wildcard chips.

If you deployed any of those chips in week 29, good for you. If you deployed the Free Hit chip instead, even better, because your squad most likely had Alexander Isak (£9.3m), Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) or Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m). Getting those players back for week 30 would help your case because none of them are involved in matches that are more than a 2 on the Fixtures Difficulty Ratings (FDR) list for Premier League games.

Newcastle United face Brentford, Liverpool face Everton, and Palace face Southampton. Only Palace is away this week, but their opponents are the easiest of the three. This fact, coupled with their ego and morale boost from thrashing Fulham 3-0 away from home in the FA Cup during the weekend, is a big reason to invest in more Palace assets for week 30.

Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m), Daniel Muñoz (£5.1m), Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) and – as a differential pick – Eddie Nketiah (£5.9m) are great options for your FPL squad this week. Below are a few other options – differentials, to be exact – that you can consider for week 30.

Anthony Elanga (£5.3m) — Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are chasing a first UEFA Champions League appearance in more than 30 years and so, they are expected to come out guns blazing against every opponent until week 38. The first of those opponents is Manchester United, who can give them a tough time, but at City Ground, the Red Devils will definitely struggle. Elanga is one of the best players in Nuno Espirito Santos’ team, and at just £5.3m, he is a great differential to invest in for this week and beyond.

Savinho (£6.2m) — Manchester City

The reigning Premier League champions are still a big hit and miss, but they are at home to Leicester City, who are awful. Also, Man City’s home ties tend to be home scoring and with opponents like City, Savinho could play a dangerous role, which could lead to assists for his teammates.

Best FPL Players for Week 30

Erling Haaland (£14.8m) — Manchester City

Yes, Erling Haaland is back on this list. His antecedents have kept him as the most expensive player in FPL, but Manchester City’s hit-and-miss season has watered down his numbers. However, he faces Leicester City this weekend, which makes it the best opportunity to bring him in for those points that we all know he is guaranteed to get against opponents of the Foxes’ level.

City’s next two opponents are Manchester United and Crystal Palace, both of whom Haaland enjoys playing against. Spending that to bring him in will be a long-term investment towards a good finish for the 2024/25 season.

Cody Gakpo (£7.4m) — Liverpool

Fitness issues have kept Gakpo away from many FPL squads since January. However, the former PSV Eindhoven man started the two international games for the Netherlands during the last international break, following a slew of substitute appearances for the Reds as Arne Slot tried to get him to full fitness.

This means he is ready to start at Anfield in week 30 once again. This fact is exactly why he is a great buy for the week. Gakpo’s best performances have been at Anfield this season and with Everton on the horizon, we could be seeing another good performance from Gakpo and managers will not want to miss the possible points haul from the Dutchman.

Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) — Newcastle United

Priced like a differential, Jacob Murphy’s effect on Newcastle United’s season is similar to that of a premium FPL asset. The English midfielder is the Magpies’ biggest chance creator and leading assister for the season. The main reason he makes our top three for week 30 is that the teams that the Toons will face between now and week 34 are the teams against which Murphy performs the best. This is a long-term buy that can guarantee you good points as long as Isak remains Newcastle’s main striker and stays fit until the end of the season.