Cory Baker is one of our Elite XI: Team Reveal managers and a Fantasy Premier League veteran with five Top 10k finishes to his name. Just last season, he secured 8,587th place in the world, underlining his consistency at the highest level.
With a track record like that, Cory’s decision to play his Wildcard is one FPL managers can’t afford to ignore. His squad is still very much a work in progress, but you can sign up for push notifications on the Elite XI: Team Reveal page to be alerted the moment he makes a change.
For now, let’s take a closer look at his Wildcard plans for Gameweek 8.
Cory explained that the timing was always going to fall in this period of the season, but a few squad issues pushed him to act in Gameweek 8.
“I was always planning on a Wildcard around Gameweek 7–10 this year. For my team, I have several players that need to be replaced, namely my double Forrest defence, Watkins, Esteve and Perri. All except Perri have poor fixtures moving forward and have other reasons to move off. Additionally, the five extra transfers provided in Gameweek 16 for the African Cup of Nations means you either want to play the Wildcard by Gameweek 10 at max or wait until near the end of the first half of the season.”
He also pointed out that we’re reaching the stage where fixture swings are becoming clear, giving him the opportunity to reshape his squad before the schedule turns.
When it comes to teams on his radar, Cory has done his homework on the fixture runs.
“Chelsea, Arsenal, Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton and Bournemouth all have great runs of fixtures starting in Gameweek 7, 8 or 9. Additionally, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest have seen their early run of good fixtures come to an end. For me then my focus is primarily on bringing Arsenal and Bournemouth assets in while primarily avoiding Chelsea and Liverpool due to rotation, performance, and price issues.”
All of the teams Cory mentioned have been grouped together in the customisable Fixture Planner tool to highlight their favourable runs.
Chelsea are the standout on paper, with matches against newly promoted Sunderland and Leeds, plus a Wolves side still without a win or a clean sheet. However, Cory seems wary of their players’ minutes, which makes him hesitant to invest.
An Arsenal triple-up looks far more likely for Cory. The Gunners face newly promoted Burnley and Sunderland away in the next five Gameweeks, and he’s eager to take advantage of their strong run.
Interestingly, Arsenal’s FPL assets remain relatively under the radar. As shown in the Insight Live tool, ownership among the top one million managers is still modest. Gabriel leads the way at just 35.4%, while even a big name like Saka is only slightly above 10% owned by high-ranked managers.
Liverpool also have appealing games, with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest both visiting Anfield in Gameweeks 8 and 12. But with the Reds on a run of three straight defeats in all competitions – and Arne Slot still struggling to settle on his best XI – Cory feels they’re best avoided for now.
Brighton are another side to watch. They host Leeds in Gameweek 10 and Brentford in Gameweek 12, giving them two very favourable fixtures in a short window. It will be interesting to see which Seagulls player Cory turns to as his FPL pick.
While some decisions are still up in the air, a core group of players are already locked into his draft.
“Up front, Haaland is obvious and is now a perma-captain. Going with him from Gameweek 1 has been the primary driver in my adequate start (without him it would be very poor). Semenyo is probably the second most critical attacker now so he is also locked in. In the back, Gabriel, Senesi, and Dubravka are also nailed while Richards and Andersen are very likely to make it. As for attackers, I am very high on Minteh as an undervalued asset.”
Semenyo is averaging an impressive 9.4 FPL points per game, according to the Opta Heatmaps tool – a figure bettered only by Haaland on 10. The Bournemouth midfielder is also the top-scoring midfielder in the game, with 66 points from six goals and four assists in just seven matches.
Right now, aside from Haaland, he looks as close to essential as it gets in FPL.
Yankuba Minteh is flying under the radar, with ownership at just 3.5%. He could prove to be a strong differential for Cory moving forward.
The Opta Comparison tool highlights just how impressive his numbers are. Minteh leads all Brighton players for shots (11), shots in the box (10), FPL assists (2), attempted assists (12), big chances created (3), expected assists (2.16), and total FPL points (31).
The 21 year old, offers a genuine dual attacking threat with multiple routes to points – making him one to watch or even jump on early with Corey.
Cory is also thinking ahead when it comes to his remaining chips. Having already used his Triple Captain, he’s looking at the best time to play his Bench Boost.
“I have already played my first-half Triple Captain chip, so all that remains is the first-half Bench Boost. I would like to get that out of the way as soon as possible. Given Dubravka will certainly be my second keeper, Gameweeks 9, 11, and 13 are prime candidates. I prefer not to try and boost in Gameweek 8 as there is too much risk in undisclosed injuries in international breaks. Also, there’s a good chance I may need to downgrade my bench in Gameweek 12 to bring in a premium Liverpool attacker (Isak/Salah), so I’m looking to use it in 9 or 11 if at all possible.”
By keeping his options open, Cory aims to maximise flexibility, while also planning for a potential move to bring in Salah or Isak when Liverpool’s fixtures and form improves.
The Wildcard also gives him the chance to rethink his squad balance and longer-term strategy.
“The biggest change in my Wildcard team is planned structure. Four at the back seems to be absolutely the way to go with five at the back being an option at times. This means you need only five nailed-on attackers. Given the current structure I am planning on making the other three viable as well to both maximise Bench Boost potential and to give multiple rotation options. This will likely lead to lineup selection headaches but given how few premium assets are firing I think it makes sense.”
According to the FPL Stats tool, the 3-4-3 formation is currently the most popular among the top 1,000 FPL managers, with 33.6% favouring it so far this season.
Not far behind is the 4-4-2 setup, chosen by 31% of managers. With the new DEFCON scoring system rewarding defensive actions, it will be fascinating to see whether these formation trends shift as the 2025/26 season develops.
After his Bench Boost, Cory is ready to adapt again depending on which premium players become essential.
“I will adjust somewhat once the Bench Boost is played and likely drop a midfielder for Josh King (a very viable asset at £4.5m even given his lower xMins than you would want) and likely downgrade a defender for a £4.0m option. This would be the plan if I want to bring in Salah or Isak in Gameweek 12 and try and catch Liverpool’s great fixture run from 12–19 (Salah would only be for 12–16 due to the African Cup of Nations).”
Cory’s draft is still evolving, but the structure, chip planning, and fixture targeting are clear. As always, his record shows he knows how to get the most out of a Wildcard.
With Gameweek 8 around the corner, keeping an eye on his final team over on the Elite XI: Team Reveal tool.
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