We could see a major shake-up of the Fantasy Premier League ‘template’ going into the Boxing Day round of fixtures, with Bukayo Saka (£10.5million) — who is owned by 40% of players — set for a spell on the sidelines.
Managers will be spoilt for choice when it comes to possible replacements, with plenty of viable options in the premium, mid-priced and budget categories. So who are the best options to consider for FPL Gameweek 18 (deadline December 26, 11am GMT; 6am ET)?
Saka’s injury and the premium replacements
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka was substituted on the 23-minute mark in Arsenal’s 5-1 win away at Crystal Palace last weekend with an injury. He went down clutching his hamstring and was replaced immediately. He was later seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches, which suggested the injury was a serious one.
On Monday afternoon, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Saka is set to be out for “many weeks”. In my mind, this makes him a certain sell.
The timing of Saka’s injury is a frustrating one, especially since Arsenal are about to face Ipswich Town at home, which is one of the best fixtures on their calendar.
For those managers without the two most owned players in the game, Mohamed Salah (£13.5million) and Cole Palmer (£11.2m), Saka’s injury presents the perfect opportunity to bring them in.
However, for the majority who own this pair already, there are plenty of replacements to consider in both the mid-priced and budget price points.
Saka’s injury may also allow managers the opportunity to shift funds back into the forward line to buy Erling Haaland (£14.8m) once again, with Manchester City’s fixtures improving.
Diaz, Jota and the other mid-priced options
Liverpool attackers are top of my shopping list for Gameweek 18 ahead of Leicester City’s visit to Anfield. Liverpool have scored 13 goals in their last four games, while their opponents on Boxing Day have conceded 10 in the same period.
Luis Diaz (£7.4m) stole the headlines last time out with his brace against Spurs on Sunday and he has started three of their last four games.
However, I’m seriously tempted by Diogo Jota (£7.2m), who has had minutes from the bench in Liverpool’s last two league games since returning from injury and is known for his explosivity.
It is a risk buying Jota and perhaps a transfer out waiting to happen, but I do back him to get the start against Leicester. He has three goals and three assists from seven starts this season.
Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m) remains the most consistent mid-priced midfielder in the game, with 10 goals this season, but Brentford’s fixtures are a mixed bag, including some tough home games coming up. Their next three home fixtures will be against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
When the news of Saka’s injury broke, a lot of the buzz in the FPL community was towards Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) ahead of a trip to Wolves. However, his side’s 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Sunday tarnished that momentum.
Fernandes did put in a sound individual performance, with seven shots and four key passes. He remains a credible pick for this game, especially with two goals in his last four, but it’s difficult to invest in United right now when they’ve won just one of their last four games.
The same can be said for Manchester City, although Phil Foden (£9.1m) produced a good performance in their defeat against Aston Villa, as he provided the creativity in place of unused substitute Kevin De Bruyne (9.5m).
Foden had six shots on goal, including four on target, and could be an option if he can regain the clinical finishing we saw in 2023-24. He does face an Everton side next who have five clean sheets in their last six games, though.
Sticking with premiums, Spurs captain and penalty-taker Son Heung-min (£9.8m) should always be in the conversation, with two goals and two assists in his last four games.
His fixture is a tough one this week away at high-flying Nottingham Forest, but then Spurs have consecutive home games against Wolves and Newcastle.
The Tottenham attack remains reliable, scoring three or more goals in each of their last three Premier League games, and so James Maddison (£7.6m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.3m) are also worthy picks given their recent form.
Fantasy managers might well be keen to stay invested in Arsenal’s attack for the visit of Ipswich, with Martin Odegaard (£8.3m) leading the transfer traffic. He should be on penalties in Saka’s absence but has blanked in his last four.
Personally, I’d rather punt on Gabriel Martinelli (£6.7m) or Leandro Trossard (£6.8m), who should both see a minutes boost in Saka’s absence.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) is in the top 10 performing midfielders for this season, completing 90 minutes in his last 14 league games and has three goal involvements in his last four.
His side are in a reasonable run of form going into their trip to Southampton in Gameweek 18 and could breach a defence who have conceded 11 goals in their last four league games.
It’s worth keeping an eye on Newcastle United midfielders, too: there’s a significant shift in ‘the template’ to Alexander Isak (£8.9m) from their attack, but bringing in a second attacking Newcastle player will ensure you can stay different.
Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) remains the standout pick, with one goal and three assists in his last four starts. He had three shots and two big chances on goal against Ipswich last weekend, plus he created three chances for his team-mates.
Fernandez, Amad and the budget picks
Newcastle’s fixtures remain attractive, with Aston Villa at home next followed by trips to Manchester United and Spurs — who have looked shaky in recent games.
Newcastle have scored 13 goals in their last four games, with budget options Jacob Murphy (£4.9m) and Bruno Guimaraes (£6.1m) involved in those returns.
Murphy has six goal involvements in this time and seems to be their first-choice starter on their right wing, although he is prone to early substitutions. He created three big chances in the game against Ipswich.
In addition, Guimaraes has been more advanced in his recent performances, with one goal and three assists in his last four. He made four key passes against Ipswich, including two big chance creations.
Chelsea are another key attack to aim to double up from, with Enzo Fernandez (£5.1m) my preferred pick from their midfield given his set-piece involvement.
He’s blanked just once in his last six starts, with three goals and three assists in this period. It’s a home game next for them against Fulham before they travel to Ipswich Town.
We are spoilt for choice in the budget midfielders category, with Amad (£5.3m), who was widely transferred in ahead of Gameweek 17, a fine option following his one goal and six assists from his last six starts.
He’s been a rare shining light in this Manchester United attack and his fixtures rotate well with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (£5.3m) if you utilise this pair as your fourth and fifth midfielders in a 3-4-3 formation.
Rogers has two goals and one assist in his last four, with home games against Brighton and Leicester City in Gameweek 19 and 20 the key fixtures to target.
Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) has the recent form, scoring three goals and providing one assist in the last two gameweeks alone. They entertain Southampton in Gameweek 19, which could be a key fixture.
A home game against Southampton was a fixture we expected Fulham’s Alex Iwobi (£5.8m) to prosper in last time out, but he blanked and now has just two goals in the last four gameweeks. It’s a trip to Chelsea next for him, before home games against Bournemouth and Ipswich.
When it comes to replacing the injured Saka, there are plenty of options to go for, with some of these picks team-dependent as we look to cover some of the most potent attacks in the league right now.
I prefer to buy from the mid-priced category since I don’t need the spare funds from a budget attacker to use in other positions right now, with Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs options the most attractive. It’s just a case of picking the right one.
(Top photos: Luis Diaz, left, and Son Heung-min; by Getty Images)
