FPL Focus: Vik reigns supreme as final DGW hits

Following our magical midweek which saw us book our place in the Champions League final, we return to league action this weekend and with it arrives Gameweek 36 of Fantasy Premier League.

Before Budapest against Paris Saint-Germain comes three enormous Premier League fixtures ahead of us, and Sunday afternoon takes us across to east London where we will take on West Ham United.

VIK AND BUKAYO ON FIRE

Thanks to our 3-0 victory over Fulham at Emirates Stadium last Saturday, millions of FPL managers saw their faith repaid by numerous Gunners in their squads for Gameweek 35.

With two goals and a sensational performance spearheading the attack, Viktor Gyokeres (£8.9m) led in red and white with a whopping 16-point return. The display in N5 takes Vik’s season total to 124, having averaged just under six points across each of his last five Gameweeks. Our Swede sealed the joint-highest Gameweek return of the whole league with Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.2m), who bagged a brace and won a penalty in their win at Chelsea.

Also in double figures last week was Bukayo Saka (£9.9m), whose goal and assist in the first half against Fulham earned him a healthy 11 points. Bukayo is beginning to look his blistering best again following his injury layoff, and now would be a great time to add him to your side with his price below the £10m mark.

Leandro Trossard (£6.5m) has enjoyed a surge in the past seven days with his displays against both Fulham and Atletico Madrid, and his seven-point impact in GW35 makes him an intriguing differential bet for the final three weeks of the Premier League season.

Thanks to our clean sheet against the Cottagers, six defensive players including goalkeeper David Raya (£6.1m) all picked up a steady six-point haul. Among these Gunners was Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m), who is now just one point from becoming our 11th FPL centurion of 2025/26.

Topping the charts is of course Gabriel (£7.2m), whose six-point GW35 return brings him to an incredible total of 191. A clean sheet plus a DefCon extension and performance bonus points, or alternatively an attacking return, on Sunday for Big Gabi would see him smash the 200 barrier – so far only reached by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£14.6m) and Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m).

HAMMER TIME

Sunday’s short trip of course reunites us with West Ham United, who are fighting for their lives with 270 minutes remaining to retain their Premier League status for next term.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side currently sit on the wrong side of the dreaded dotted line in 18th place, but are within touching distance of 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur by just a point.

Despite their disappointing defeat at Brentford last time out, West Ham have shown an upturn in form in recent weeks and subsequently have several ideal FPL options within their ranks at reasonable prices.

Chief among them is of course talismanic captain Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m). Listed as a forward in-game, Bowen provides another option in the attacking department for Fantasy managers, when it may have been more difficult to fit him in a midfield stacked with possibilities.

Bowen, owned by 14% of teams and by far the most highly-selected Hammers asset in the game, has 171 points to his name despite his team’s lowly position – the next most prolific returner being midfield man Mateus Fernandes (£5.5m) on 120.

For his price and ownership, it is a fair assessment that Fernandes has been vastly overlooked as a budget midfield choice. Despite slowing down since peaking earlier in the campaign with 29 points between GW22 and GW25, his minutes appear guaranteed and with just a 0.4% selection rate, he could be a reliable backup plan.

In terms of form, a familiar face has become slightly more popular in the Fantasy community over the past few weeks and that is former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.5m). Having seen his price recently rise, Mavropanos has been an exceptional threat in the opposition box with three goals and 36 points between GW30 and GW32. The Greek centre-half was a victim of bad fortune last week, with an own goal and a disallowed goal contributing to a -1 total.

FINAL DOUBLE GAMEWEEK

Barring any sudden unforeseen circumstances, Gameweek 36 will be the last of its kind this season to feature a double dose of action for any clubs, when Manchester City and Crystal Palace finally contest their postponed fixture from GW31.

The match at the Etihad Stadium will take place on Wednesday, May 13, as a standalone game in hand for each of the two sides, after the weekend when City host Brentford and Palace are at home to Everton.

Managers are therefore sizing up the opportunity to include up to six doublers in their side for the upcoming Gameweek, especially with City rivalling the Gunners for the Premier League title with rotation risk at a minimum. Those with their Triple Captain chip intact would also be strongly advised to play it this week.

Alongside FPL’s leading marksman Haaland, there are a conveyor belt of potential City assets to bring in for GW36 as the club play 180 minutes of football on home turf. Like ourselves, Pep Guardiola’s side have 10 players on 100-plus season totals, including Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m) who has been this season’s surprise package.

Rayan Cherki (£6.6m) is a well-priced midfield option, while at the back the popular selections are Nico O’Reilly (£5.2m) and Marc Guehi (£5.1m). If you’re looking to make up urgent ground in a mini-league with time at a premium, differentials are your best bet – Matheus Nunes (£5.3m) in defence and Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) in midfield are each owned by fewer than 4% of squads.

As for Crystal Palace, the double-up becomes a double-edged sword, as the Eagles are well in the hunt for the Conference League crown – therefore, rotation from Oliver Glasner is highly likely across the Everton and Man City fixtures.

If you’re insistent on trying to maximise the Double Gameweek with Palace assets, the attack is a complete roulette, and the defensive areas are your ideal method – and even that is potentially dampened by their midweek trip to Manchester.

Only three players who started for Glasner’s outfit in their GW35 defeat at Bournemouth played a full 90 minutes in both that game and their previous Conference League semi-final first leg against Shakhtar Donetsk. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson (£5.1m) could be considered, along with the club’s leading FPL scorer Maxence Lacroix (£5.2m) – a threat in both boxes. Selected by just 0.5% of managers, teenage defender Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m) is a cheaper choice, having secured double-figure returns in two of his last five Gameweeks.

Whatever your plans, remember this week’s transfer and selection deadline hits at 11am UK time on Saturday, May 9, before Liverpool host Chelsea in the weekend’s first fixture!