Erling Haaland sits at the centre of this gameweek like a storm. If you do not own him, every decision bends around how to get him in – and how quickly.
At £15.5m, the game’s most expensive asset is not someone you casually squeeze in with a minor tweak. To bring him in without ripping up a settled squad, a chip suddenly becomes a powerful weapon rather than a luxury.
Wildcard: the fast lane to Haaland
A Wildcard cuts through the slow, painful route of spending three or four transfers just to fund Haaland. One button, and the entire structure of your squad can tilt in his favour.
It is not just about the Norwegian. A Wildcard this week lets you pile into two clubs you might be light on: Manchester City and Chelsea. Both have appealing home fixtures in the next fortnight – City against Coventry, Chelsea against Hull. That combination offers captaincy security, explosive upside, and a chance to chase early team value as popular assets rise.
You can lean into the fixtures, jump on trending players, and reset around a core of Haaland plus key City and Chelsea options. For managers still clinging to a first draft that no longer fits the schedule, this is the moment to be ruthless.
Free Hit: dodging the big clash
Not ready to tear your team apart? The Free Hit chip opens a different route.
This week’s schedule brings an awkward Arsenal vs Chelsea fixture that many managers would rather avoid from a fantasy perspective. A Free Hit lets you sidestep that clash entirely and hunt returns from other pockets of value: Brighton, Newcastle, Brentford.
Those sides offer players with clean fixtures and attacking potential, allowing you to load up for one focused gameweek while keeping your long-term squad intact. You still get access to Haaland without committing to a structural overhaul.
Triple Captain Haaland: the direct strike
If you already own Haaland and you are not planning to use a Wildcard or Free Hit, the conversation changes. Then the question is simple: do you Triple Captain him?
All signs point in the same direction. Coventry have been one of the most generous defences in the league. Manchester City looked sharp in their last outing. Haaland has enjoyed a clear midweek with no minutes in his legs before Saturday at Etihad Stadium.
That is the perfect cocktail for an aggressive armband call.
City’s schedule does offer other tempting fixtures – Ipswich at home in gameweek seven, Hull at home in gameweek 16 – but those both sit in the middle of heavy Champions League congestion. Rotation, reduced minutes, and managed workloads lurk in the background in those weeks. This Coventry fixture stands out as a cleaner shot.
Other captaincy and midfield angles
There are alternatives on the horizon. Bruno Fernandes, priced at £12.0m, also faces Coventry at Old Trafford in gameweek 14. The appeal is obvious, though that match falls in a brutal run of three fixtures in seven days, raising the usual questions over fatigue and output.
In midfield, the market has already made its move. Rayan Cherki, at £7.7m, is this week’s most-bought player and has already risen twice in price. His last performance turned heads, and right now he looks the standout midfield pick for managers chasing form and upside.
Phil Foden, at £7.0m, belongs firmly in that conversation. Across the first two gameweeks, his underlying expected numbers have actually bettered Cherki’s, suggesting his points could easily catch up with a little variance in his favour. For those who prefer long-term stability, Elliot Anderson at £6.4m shapes up as a reliable hold, a quieter but steady presence in the middle of the park.
There is a note of caution. Cherki and Foden both carry a looming minutes risk later in the season. The late arrival of Enzo Fernández at £6.9m adds another high-quality option into the rotation mix, particularly in those European-heavy periods when managers start shuffling their packs.
At the back: a clear defensive pick
In defence, the picture is clearer. Josko Gvardiol at £5.6m stands out as the best option. He offers a route into a strong backline with clean-sheet potential and some upside in advanced positions, ticking the boxes you want from a premium-ish defender.
So the landscape tightens around one key decision: burn a chip to get Haaland, or trust your structure and back him with the armband you already own. Either way, this gameweek feels like one of those early-season moments that splits the field – and defines who will be chasing, and who will be chased, in the weeks to come.
