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Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) analysts give their best picks for Gameweek 5 of the English Premier League fantasy game. Expert advice on Captains, Differential Captains, and Low-Picked Players in the English Premier League.
Happy Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 5, RotoBallers! Gameweek 4 saw Man City dominate Man United, Chelsea give up a last-second equalizer to Brentford, and Liverpool escaped Burnley thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Mohamed Salah.
From Gameweek 1-38, Wale, Jamie, and Euan will give out their favorite captain, differential captain, and low-picked player for the upcoming gameweek. Don't forget to follow them all on X for up-to-the-minute and last-second Fantasy Premier League thoughts.
The Gameweek 5 deadline for the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season is Saturday, September 20, at 6:00 a.m. ET, when the Merseyside Derby kicks off. Check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every EPL and UCL slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
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Best Captains for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 5
Each gameweek, Euan, Jamie, and Wale will provide their best Captaincy pick for the upcoming gameweek in the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season.
Wale (The FPL Manual): This week, I’m giving the armband to the FPL goat himself – Mohamed Salah (£14.5m). The 32-year-old has been getting away with last-second returns and has only scored two goals this season. Perhaps, this week’s encounter against local rivals, Everton, could kick-start a solid momentum for last season’s golden boot winner.
Salah has scored eight goals in 13 appearances against the Toffees, and I’m banking on the Liverpool winger to deliver a clutch moment at Anfield this weekend. Don’t let me down, Egyptian King!
Jamie: Looking at the fixtures, this feels like a week where some of the big guns will blank. Arsenal and Manchester City face off. Liverpool hosts Everton in the Merseyside Derby less than three days after their Champions League tie with Atlético Madrid.
For that reason, Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) is my top option. Crystal Palace haven’t really got going yet, but they face a West Ham United side in disarray and have conceded three or more goals in three of their four EPL games.
Palace’s European adventure doesn’t get going until next week, so the French striker should be fresh to face a shambolic Hammers defence.
Euan: It hasn't been easy, but Mohamed Salah has returned in three of the opening four gameweeks for his FPL managers. With Erling Haaland facing the league's top defense in Arsenal this weekend, I see no other option than rolling with the Egyptian King.
Salah has multiple returns in two of his previous four games against his Merseyside rival, and it's tough to go against a 90-minute man on penalties for a team at the top of the table. The form hasn't been spectacular, but it's only a matter of time until he kicks it into top gear.
All of Mo Salah's attacking returns this season have come after the 90th minute 😏#FPL pic.twitter.com/CPFagPjLKP
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) September 14, 2025
Differential Captains for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 5
Everyone loves to get a little different with the Captaincy picks once in a while. Every matchweek, our FPL analysts provide their favorite outside shots for a huge haul.
Wale: It seems Crystal Palace has a stronger resolve when playing on the road than at Selhurst Park, as they have scored more goals on their away days. This might be an opportunity to look at Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) for the armband, who is on penalties and could do well against West Ham, who have conceded the most goals (11) this season.
Jamie: Most FPL managers will have given up on Florian Wirtz (£8.4m). He’s yet to provide an attacking return but had three shots and seven shot-creating actions on Sunday. The German leads Liverpool in shot-creating actions (18) this season and is the team’s primary corner taker.
There’d be no greater time to announce yourself than netting a winner in the Merseyside Derby. It’s almost a given that Wirtz’s form will pick up just as soon as the majority of FPL managers have ousted him.
Euan: When Cole Palmer stepped back onto the field in Gameweek 4, you could see the difference in the Blues' attack. The Englishman linked up with his new teammate, Joao Pedro, for the go-ahead strike against Brentford.
Either Chelsea player is a pick as a differential captain against a struggling Man United side. The Red Devils were demolished 3-0 last weekend by their rivals, Man City, and rumors are circulating about a change at the top.
Goal - PALMER
Assist - JOAO PEDROBrentford 1-1 Chelsea (61 mins)#FPL #BRECHE
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) September 13, 2025
Low-Picked Players for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 5
Going with the herd can sometimes get boring. From Gameweek 1 to Gameweek 38, Wale, Jamie, and Euan will reveal their favorite FPL player, picked in fewer than 5 percent of Fantasy Premier League teams.
Wale: Wolves usually have a poor start to the season but manage to survive relegation at the end. In the first 10 minutes against Newcastle in Gameweek 4, I could see a burning hunger to secure a win as they put the Magpies under constant pressure from the opening seconds of the game and came close to scoring an early goal.
This week, the Old Gold fortunes could change when they host the newly-promoted side, Leeds. I’m placing my money on Hwang Hee Chang (£5.9m) to make the difference and secure three points for them this Saturday.
Jamie: Daichi Kamada (£5.0) is a player I was looking at as an option in preseason (0.1% rostered). Unfortunately, he picked up an injury in the Community Shield and missed Crystal Palace’s first two EPL games of the season. He returned on Matchday 3 and got an assist, and has bagged back-to-back clean sheet bonuses.
Palace is set to be without Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m) this week. If you’re running with Mateta in your team (especially as captain), pairing him with an attacking midfielder against such a porous defence is a great option.
Euan: With the news that Yoane Wissa is out until the next international break, it looks like Newcastle is relying on its other new striker, Nick Woltemade, to score its goals. The German got off to a great start in Gameweek 4 with the game-winning header over Wolves.
Anthony Gordon is the other goal-scoring threat in the Geordies' attack, but he still has one game remaining on the suspension he received after Gameweek 2. Woltemade should have opportunities to find the back of the net this weekend against a fast-tempo Bournemouth side.
KAMADA SCORES
🦅 | ✅✅✅✅
🦁 | ❌✅✅— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 16, 2025
It's our fourth season covering Fantasy Premier League, so reach out to @TheFPLManual, @Baseball_Jimbo, @TheFPLBois, @F1FantasyEuan, or @df_solutions on X to let us know what you think about our coverage for the 2025-26 FPL season.
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