Few things bring more joy to Fantasy Premier League managers than your captain firing in a Double Gameweek. Even though Ilkay Gundogan only played once in DGW24, he did enough with a 19-point haul against Tottenham. If you had him as your captain, chances are you enjoyed a good week. An average score of 61 was reflective of a high-scoring GW in FPL where the three-figure mark was crossed by over four lakh managers.
Gameweek 25 is another double gameweek, but slightly smaller than the previous one. Leeds United and Southampton are the only two teams that play twice this week but considering the performance of Leeds assets and those playing against them this season, there is every chance that it will be a big-scoring week again.
However, the rather straight-forward looking GW25 is overshadowed by a potentially massive double gameweek in GW26, the fixtures for which will most likely be announced on Friday evening just before GW25 deadline.
As many as 11-15 teams could have a double gameweek in GW26, making it a matchday with season-changing potential. But, until it is made official, it’s wise to only look at what it’s in front of us and that’s a quite tasty-looking GW25.
Fixture difficulty
Leeds and Southampton have immediate double gameweeks and are the teams that FPL managers need to focus on. Apart from the two, Liverpool and Leicester City have easy games on paper as things stand but that could all change once the DGW 26 fixtures are announced.
Fixture expert Ben Crelin has chalked out possible scenarios of the DGWs in the next few weeks and FPL managers can refer to that to make their teams.
Fixture Difficulty index
| Team | *Combined Difficulty rating for GW 25-27 | GW25 opponent (Feb 20) | *GW26 opponent | *GW27 opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 10 (4, 4, 2) | MCI(H) | LEI(A) | BUR(A) |
| Aston Villa | 10 (4, 3, 3) | LEI(H) | LEE(A) | WOL(H) |
| Brighton | 9 (3, 2, 4) | CRY(H) | WBA(H) | LEI(H) |
| Burnley | 9 (2, 4, 3) | WBA(H) | TOT(A) | ARS(H) |
| Chelsea | 10 (3, 4, 3) | NEW(H) | SOU(A) | MUN(H) |
| Crystal Palace | 8 (2, 2, 4) | BHA(A) | FUL(H) | TOT(A) |
| Everton | 12 (5, 3, 4) | LIV(A) | SOU(H) | CHE(A) |
| Fulham | 10 (2, 3, 5) | SHU(H) | CRY(A) | LIV(A) |
| Leeds | 9 (3, 3, 3,3) | WOL(A), SOU(H) | AVL(H) | WHU(A) |
| Leicester | 8 (3, 3, 2) | AVL(A) | ARS(H) | BHA(A) |
| Liverpool | 7 (3, 2, 2) | EVE(H) | SHU(A) | FUL(H) |
| Man City | 10 (3, 3, 4) | ARS(A) | WHU(H) | MUN(H) |
| Man Utd | 11 (2, 4, 5) | NEW(H) | CHE(A) | MCI(A) |
| Newcastle | 9 (4, 3, 2) | MUN(A) | WOL(H) | WBA(A) |
| Sheffield Utd | 9 (2, 4, 3) | FUL(A) | LIV(H) | SOU(H) |
| Southampton | 9 (4, 3, 3, 2) | CHE(H), LEE(A) | EVE(A) | SHU(A) |
| Spurs | 10 (3, 2, 3) | WHU(A) | BUR(H) | CRY(H) |
| West Brom | 6 (2, 2, 2) | BUR(A) | BHA(H) | NEW(H) |
| West Ham | 11 (4, 5, 2) | TOT(H) | MCI(A) | LEE(H) |
| Wolves | 8 (2, 3, 3) | LEE(H) | NEW(A) | AVL(A) |
The big ins and outs
FPL managers in general are clearly not looking too ahead and all the transfer activity is focused on maximising GW25. Four out of the five most transferred in players are either from Leeds or Southampton with the in-form Gundogan, who is set to return for Manchester City against Arsenal after missing out against Everton, being the fifth on the list.
Most transferred (in) players ahead of GW25
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| FWD | Ings | SOU |
| FWD | Bamford | LEE |
| MID | Raphinha | LEE |
| DEF | Dallas | LEE |
| MID | Gündogan | MCI |
As far as the players on their way out, injuries are dictating that. The DGW is also a factor as lot of players are being moved out to accomodate the Leeds and Leicester assets. This trend may change if the fixtures for DGW are announced before the deadline.
Most transferred (out) players ahead of GW25
| Pos | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | Justin | LEI |
| FWD | Calvert-Lewin | EVE |
| FWD | Antonio | WHU |
| FWD | Wilson | NEW |
| MID | Grealish | AVL |
Top picks for Gameweek 25
Whether you bring them in through transfers or (luckily enough) have them in your squad already, these are the five hottest selections for GW 25:
Patrick Bamford (Leeds United): The first name on team sheet this week. Bamford has been consistency personified this season and with Leeds playing twice, he is a no-brainer. With 12 goals and 8 assists to his name already this season, there’s no reason why he won’t add to that tally against Wolves and Southampton.
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United): Away from the DGW talk, this man has been the best FPl=L asset since he joined Manchester United a year ago. With returns in each of his last three games, he showed off his potential in midweek with a brace in the Europa League. Against a struggling Newcastle, he is again a must-have.
Danny Ings (Southampton): Injury and suspension have largely sidelined Ings this season but with the Saints playing twice, with one of those fixtures against the leaky Leeds United defence, Ings is back in favour among FPL managers. If the rumours are to be believed, there’s a chance that Southampton could have three straight DGWs from GW 24-26 making him a very important player during this run. The Saints face a tough run of games but if Ings get his his goalscoring touch back, the opponents don’t matter much.
Luke Shaw (Manchester United): After years of injury struggles and underachievement, Luke Shaw is realising his potential this season. In recent weeks, he has also been a huge threat going forward, registering four assists in his last three matches. With goal-shy Newcastle being the visitors, Shaw could be among the points with a clean sheet quite likely.
Raphinha (Leeds United): The Leeds midfielder has gone under the radar a bit but quietly racked up four goals and six assits. With returns in each of his last five matches, the man is a must-have for a Leeds DWG. Owned by just 7.1%, he has great differential value as well.
Top differential picks for GW 25:
Timo Werner (Chelsea): The German was a Premier League scorer again after 100 days without a goal but the signs of that were evident for a few weeks. Werner could have scored a few more but seems to be slowly getting his confidence back. With returns in each of his last three games, Werner could fancy his chances against Southampton, a team against whom he had scored a brace in the reverse fixture. With just 12% ownership, Werner could be a long-term differential for your team.
Jay Rodriguez (Burnley): Burnley face a struggling West Brom side that simply don’t do clean sheets. Sean Dyche’s team have been in fine form and would like to inch closer to safety with a win over doomed West Brom. Jay Rodriguez has been in good touch in the last few weeks and has returned in the last two games for Burnley. With just 0.5% ownership, Rodriguez could be the man to pick for GW25.
Lewis Dunk (Brighton): Brighton have been extremely strong defensively with five clean sheets in the last six matches. Dunk has averaged 6.3 points in the last ten gameweeks and against a Crystal Palace side that have scored just once in their last four matches, a clean sheet seems a strong possibility. Palace have also conceded from set-pieces ten times this season and thus Dunk could be more than a handful from corners and free-kicks for Brighton.
Captaincy Conundrum
Leeds United players Patrick Bamford and Raphinha are leading candidates with the former being the favourite thanks to his consistency throughout the season. Raphinha’s recent form also makes him a top candidate but Bamford would appear as a more reliable pick for FPL managers.
Apart from the DGW players, Fernandes is once again a great option for captaincy considering they face an out-of-sorts Newcastle at Old Trafford. He is due a big return in FPL and it could come this week.
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan and the returning Kevin de Bruyne can also be considered but doubts over the fitness of the duo (and Pep Guardiola’s rotation roulette) could put FPL managers off. Raheem Sterling, who has scored seven goals against Arsenal in his career, is a great differential option.
However, considering the amount of goals Leeds score, putting an armband on a Leeds player seems the best bet this week.
FPL Deadline for GW25: 12:00 am IST, Saturday, February 20, 2021.
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