Getting your budget picks right allows FPL managers to spend more on premium assets and stronger captaincy options, making this a must-read for anyone preparing to play their FPL Wildcard.
We break down the best value-for-money picks so far, making this essential research for managers looking to optimise their Wildcard and maximise points.
Expect expert insights, key stats, and strategic tips to help you gain an edge and finish the season strongly.
As the below image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, Henderson is the top scoring budget keeper with 115 FPL points and 10 clean sheets. Palace are also the only team along with Man City to have a postponed fixture yet to be scheduled (from Gameweek 31).
Kelleher is a close second with 114 FPL points but the Ireland international has two fewer clean sheets (eight) and has relied on three penalty saves for additional points.
Dubravka leads the way for saves (111) and is still a popular second goalkeeper option for a spend of just £4.0m. However, Darlow has started the last 10 games for Leeds and racked up three clean sheets, so making the switch on wildcard may be a wise move.
Petrović and Verbruggen are also great options for FPL managers looking to keep the goalkeeper spend to a maximum of £4.5m. The former has kept nine clean sheets compared to the Dutchman's seven but as the below image from our Fixture Difficulty Ratings shows, Brighton have a much kinder fixture schedule for the remainder of the season.
As shown in our Opta Stats Sandbox tool below, Truffert is top for xFPL (125.34) amongst budget defenders with three assists, nine clean sheets and 12 bonus points. No other defender has accumulated more FPL bonus points in this price bracket.
O'Reilly is a close second (124.21) having played considerably fewer minutes (2134), the England international has been used in a variety of positions by Guardiola and has racked up four goals, three assists and 11 clean sheets. With Man City likely to have at least one double Gameweek before the end of the season, he looks like an essential pick.
As mentioned in our Best FPL Defenders for the Run-In: Wildcard Must-Haves blog, N. Williams ranks top among defenders for both shots (35) and shots on target (12). The Welsh international is also second for attempted assists (30) in this price bracket and third for xFPL (122.31).
✅ 3 clean sheets in last 6 GWs
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) March 31, 2026
✅ 4 DEFCON returns in that spell
✅ 5 attacking returns this season
✅ Brighton’s top FPL scorer (120)
✅ Just 5.1% owned
✅ BUR (A) next
Is Jan Paul van Hecke on your FPL radar as a differential? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MSIueprQPv
As the below image from our Opta Stats Sandbox tool shows, Van Hecke is seventh for Defensive Contributions (DEFCON) amongst defenders in this price bracket and is fifth for xFPL. The 25-year-old has registered nine shots on target (fifth) and scored three goals.
Dalot has racked up six FPL assists and is third for 'big chances' created (five). He is also ranked seventh for shots (21)
xFPL is calculated primarily using expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA), which combine to form expected FPL involvements (xG + xA = xI), along with expected clean sheets (xCS). These values are based on underlying statistics — for example, shot type and location determine the probability of scoring, which contributes to xG. xFPL then combines these metrics, factoring in appearance and bonus points to produce an overall expected FPL point score.
Wilson is the top budget midfielder with 10 goals, eight assists and a whopping 21 FPL bonus points. However, as shown in the image below Fulham are ranked 14th for 'Attack Difficulty' on our Fixture Difficulty Ratings, so FPL managers are posed with a difficult decision whether to stick or twist with the Welshman.
Cherki is ranked only eighth for xFPL (88.12) but with nine FPL assists he trails only B. Fernandes (17) this season. The French international also ranks second for 'big chances' created (15) and xA (7.05) amongst all midfielders — impressive given he has played just 1,308 minutes as discussed in our FPL Stats You Need to See.
Garner (106.56) and Anderson (103.24) have benefited greatly from DEFCON points, as the below image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows the two midfielders are top for DEFCON by a significant margin in this price bracket. They are also in the top three for attempted assists with 44 and 48 respectively.
Sarr is one to keep an eye on, the Senegalese international is top for 'big chances' (13) and xG (8.36) amongst budget midfielders.
As shown in our Opta Stats Sandbox tool below, Calvert-Lewin is top amongst budget forwards for xFPL (125.09), 'big chances' (23) and xG (13.04)
As the below image from our Player Heatmaps feature shows, Welbeck (106) has scored just four FPL points fewer than Calvert-Lewin (110) but has scored more goals (12 vs 10) and racked up more FPL bonus points (17 vs 16).
Raúl is joint-top for shots in the box (53) alongside Calvert-Lewin but has been afforded seven fewer 'big chances' (16 vs 23). However, he is also the most creative budget forward with 22 attempted assists.
Richarlison has scored nine goals and registered 7.00 xG in just 1504 minutes, the Brazilian international is likely to be key to Spurs' top-flight survival hopes.
Everton's two forwards Beto and Barry have scored six goals apiece but with gametime shared between the two, picking either seems like a risky option.
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