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This article provides a preview of what Gameweek 8 has in store for fantasy managers, including top captain selections and strong picks for the weekly FPL Challenge game.
After a two-week hiatus due to the international break, the Premier League is set to return with a bang for the weekend. Gameweek 7 left its mark on FPL managers, particularly for Bukayo Saka owners who rejoiced in his 16-point haul.
The FPL Challenge series now introduces the Test Lab, a fresh event for participants. Managers will be tasked with selecting from categories like ball winners, playmakers, and attacking players to shine in the challenge. As always, we’ll provide weekly breakdowns of the top assets to target for each category to help you maximize your points potential.
The Gameweek 8 deadline of the 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League season is Saturday, October 19, at 6:00 a.m. EDT, when Tottenham hosts West Ham in a London derby. Also, 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.
As we head into Gameweek 8 which fixture run stands out for you? 🤔#FPL pic.twitter.com/fjeQDDLgsm
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 14, 2024
Gameweek 8 Tips
North London Teams On The Horizon: Tottenham and Arsenal Attacking Potential
Tottenham and Arsenal have been in sensational attacking form recently, with Tottenham netting 13 goals in its last five matches across all competitions and Arsenal continuing its unbeaten season run, scoring 16 goals in that same period.
✅ 3-1 vs. Southampton
✅ 2-0 vs. PSG
✅ 4-2 vs. Leicester City
✅ 5-1 vs. Bolton
🤝 2-2 vs. Man City
🤝 0-0 vs. Atalanta
✅ 0-1 vs. Spurs
🤝 1-1 vs. Brighton
✅ 0-2 vs. Aston Villa
✅ 2-0 vs. WolvesArsenal extend their unbeaten run to the start of the season to 10 games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/V98nHyABg4
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) October 5, 2024
As we approach Gameweek 8, investing in attacking FPL assets from these two North London clubs presents a variety of strong options.
Based on goal projections, Tottenham and Arsenal are expected to generate 2.40 and 2.29 xG (expected goals), respectively, against their opponents in Gameweek 8.
💹 PL GW8 matchups
First look at projected goals and clean sheet odds for the upcoming round of Premier League games, via spread betting markets pic.twitter.com/nFZvU19X0I
— Rob T (@robtFPL) October 16, 2024
This Week's Recommended Targets
For Gameweek 8, consider the following attacking assets:
- Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke from Spurs have been pivotal in goal contributions for their team. Johnson and Maddison, in particular, have shown great form, with Johnson scoring in his last six games for Tottenham.
Brennan Johnson has scored seven goals in seven consecutive matches for club and country 💥
Will a price increase deter you from bringing him in for #FPL Gameweek 8? pic.twitter.com/aHSIzfiwsw
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 12, 2024
- From Arsenal, focus on attacking players like Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka (if fit). Saka’s fitness will be key, but if he's available, he's always a reliable option, while Trossard and Havertz could offer good value.
Liverpool's upcoming fixtures feature a challenging run against top teams, which might make it time to reconsider some of its assets in our fantasy team. Matches against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City are on the horizon, which could slow down our Liverpool assets during this period.
While Mohamed Salah remains the talisman for the Reds, managers might consider rotating some of their Liverpool assets. It could be a good time to sell players like Luis Díaz or Diogo Jota, especially if there are strong alternatives from teams with more favorable fixtures.
According to FDR, no side has a more tricky run over the next 10 Gameweeks than Liverpool 🔴
Read more on which teams have favourable or unfavourable runs coming up 👇
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 15, 2024
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold could remain a valuable asset, given his potential for high attacking returns from defense, despite the tough matchups.
No side has banked more clean sheets this season than Liverpool 🔴
Do any of these defenders feature in your side? 👀#FPL pic.twitter.com/4xNZZS1E62
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 12, 2024
Gameweek 8 Top Captain Picks
The weekend fixtures present a list of fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Chris Wood facing Crystal Palace, Liam Delap at home to Everton, and Kai Havertz against Bournemouth all present strong cases. However, my top two picks would be:
Erling Haaland (£15.4m) - Manchester City
With 67 FPL points this season, Erling Haaland's goal drought in recent games was concerning. However, Man City's fortunes might alter his form with its next match against Wolves.
The 24-year-old Norwegian has scored eight goals in his last four games against his next opponent. Haaland, our top captain of the week, will be hungry to score again on Sunday.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) - Liverpool
Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah will be eager to face his former side, Chelsea, a team against which he has registered 10 goal contributions (seven goals and three assists) in 22 outings.
If you can't find a way to bring Haaland into your fantasy team, entrusting the captain's armband to Salah offers an excellent alternate route for Gameweek 8. His consistent ability to deliver against the Blues makes him a reliable captaincy choice.
Mohamed Salah has had more touches in the opposition box than any other player in the Premier League this season. 📦 pic.twitter.com/LftoAxYNx1
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 9, 2024
Differential Gameweek 8 Captain (<10% ownership)
Bernardo Silva (£6.5m) - Manchester City
One standout player in Gameweek 7 was Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, who created six chances against Fulham, contributing an assist to help the Cityzens maintain an impressive 30-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Man City’s longest unbeaten runs in their league history:
◎ 30 games (2017-2018)
◉ 30 games (Present)Pep equals his own record. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cuOpp8hRSh
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 5, 2024
Silva is ranked sixth for chances created (19) in the Premier League and has accumulated a total expected assists of 1.48 xA. With Manchester City set to face Wolves, a team that has conceded 21 goals this season, Gameweek 8 presents a great opportunity to go different and consider Silva in your fantasy team selection.
Cole Palmer and Bernardo Silva created the joint most chances from open play of any Premier League player in GW7. 👏 pic.twitter.com/3GvDujIG6k
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 7, 2024
FPL Challenge: Test Lab
The FPL Challenge section for the 2024-25 season is back, and RotoBaller remains your go-to source for valuable insights on selecting the right assets for any challenge.
The seventh challenge, "Asia-Pacific," in the International Series focused on selecting a team of five players from the Asian continent. Now, we move to the new FPL Challenge event, tagged Test Lab.
Here is a breakdown of what is expected from the upcoming FPL Challenge event.
Fantasy Challenge is LIVE for 2024/25 🚨
Build your squad for Gameweek 1 now 👇#FPLChallengeAccepted
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 24, 2024
The Test Lab is a four-gameweek run where the future of Fantasy Premier League will try out a few experiments for our fantasy teams. This series covers four tests that focus on earning points through different players and play styles.
- Gameweek 8: Ball Winners - Interceptions and tackles are worth 1 point. 3 recoveries are worth 1 point.
- Gameweek 9: Playmakers - Key passes and crosses worth 2 points.
- Gameweek 10: Foul Play - Fouls won are worth 2 points. Fouls conceded are worth -1 point.
- Gameweek 11: Accuracy - Shots on target are worth 3 points.
Test Lab FPL Challenge: Ball Winners - Players to Target
Week 8 of the FPL Challenge highlights Ball Winners, where players earn a point for interceptions, tackles, and one point for every three ball recoveries. Managers can select five players with an unlimited budget, offering a unique chance for strategic planning.
RotoBaller's top five picks for this week's Challenge are:
- Arsenal’s Gabriel in defense and David Raya in goal for potential clean-sheet points.
- Fulham’s Antonee Robinson in defense for potential attacking returns, having completed 25 tackles won.
- Leicester City's Wilfred Ndidi, who leads the league with 28 tackles won.
- Manchester City's Erling Haaland as the sole forward and captain pick for the challenge, rounding off the 2-1-1 formation.
Feel free to select any other top FPL Challenge alternatives that are not mentioned above. Best of luck to everyone participating in this week's challenge!
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the Leagues and Cups tab, and enter the RotoBaller league code: b278pa.
Go head-to-head against your friends and family in mini-leagues 🏆
Pick your squad and compete for #FPL glory now! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2024
Stick around for more 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
