From premium picks such as Bukayo Saka to value options like Pascal Groß, midfielders offer plenty of routes to FPL points.
But which players have the underlying numbers and fixtures to keep delivering?
In this blog, we analyse the first five Gameweeks to identify the best midfield picks for the weeks ahead, uncover potential bargains and explore the Elite XI managers’ Wildcard plans.
As the Stats Sandbox image below shows, Bukayo Saka leads midfielders for Expected FPL Points (xFPL) over the first five Gameweeks, with 36.28.
The England international is joint-top for goals scored (three) and has had more big chances than any other midfielder (six), suggesting there was potential for even greater returns.
Pascal Groß is FPL’s leading points scorer with 47 and ranks second among midfielders for xFPL (35.73). The German international has already registered three goals and four assists in just five matches.
Morgan Gibbs-White has one goal and two assists, but his xFPL total of 31.60 suggests his performances could have produced more points.
Bruno Fernandes’ three goals and one assist all came against Ipswich in Gameweek 2. Despite that uneven distribution, his xFPL total of 31.35 closely matches his actual return of 31 FPL points.
Enzo Le Fée is another notable underperformer. The 26-year-old has registered 27.98 xFPL but collected just 18 FPL points, with a missed penalty contributing to that gap.
As the Stats Sandbox image below shows, Bukayo Saka leads all midfielders for Expected Goals (xG, 3.87), big chances (six) and shots on target (nine).
No midfielder has taken more shots (19) or shots in the box (14) than Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon international also ranks second for big chances (five), although only six of his attempts have been on target.
Pascal Groß’s numbers offer a note of caution. He has taken just five shots in the box and scored from all three of his attempts on target. His xG total of 1.87 includes a penalty, raising questions over whether he can sustain his current scoring rate.
Cole Palmer has taken 17 shots, but only two were classified as big chances, contributing to a relatively modest xG total of 1.56. By comparison, the cheaper Morgan Rogers has taken fewer shots (15) but recorded a significantly higher xG total of 2.54.
Our Fixture Difficulty Ratings, shown above, rank Fulham top for attacking fixtures over the next five Gameweeks. Josh King could be a strong option to capitalise on that run.
The 19-year-old ranks third among midfielders for shots on target (seven), behind only Saka (nine) and Marcus Tavernier (eight). He also ranks eighth for xG (1.96).
Kevin Schade looks good value at £6.2m. The 24-year-old ranks second among midfielders for shots in the box (12) and fifth for xG (2.07).
The arrival of Jaidon Anthony raised questions about Schade’s minutes. However, our Predicted Lineups feature currently gives him a 100% likelihood of starting against Aston Villa in Gameweek 6, as shown above.
Creativity is where Pascal Groß really stands out. As the Stats Sandbox image below shows, no midfielder has registered more attempted assists than his 15.
Morgan Gibbs-White is close behind with 14 attempted assists and leads all midfielders for big chances created (five).
Bruno Fernandes has registered 13 attempted assists, but only one resulted in a big chance, according to Opta. That helps explain his relatively low Expected Assists (xA) total of 0.67.
His teammate Marcus Rashford presents a similar picture, with just 0.50 xA from 13 attempted assists.
As our Transfer Analytics image above shows, Dominik Szoboszlai is the second most-sold player this week.
However, his creative numbers suggest his owners have been unfortunate. The Hungarian international has created 11 chances, including three big chances, but has yet to register an FPL assist despite an xA total of 1.25.
The Predicted Points & Stats tool projects Bruno Fernandes to be the highest-scoring midfielder over the next six Gameweeks, with 35.0 points. Cole Palmer ranks second on 30.4.
Marcus Tavernier ranks third and could offer excellent value at £6.1m ahead of Bournemouth’s favourable run of fixtures.
Morgan Gibbs-White (29.2) and Bukayo Saka (29.1) also feature prominently, with the projections supporting their strong underlying numbers.
Despite his outstanding start, Pascal Groß ranks only 18th with 24.0 projected points. Brighton’s meetings with Liverpool and Manchester City in Gameweeks 8 and 9 are worth considering when planning ahead.
Corey Baker (five top-10k finishes, currently 18,360 overall) has locked in Groß, with Rogers also very likely to feature. Schade, Tavernier and King are competing for his remaining midfield places.
Walter Randazzo (seven top-10k finishes, currently 23,360 overall) has also locked in Groß. He is considering Saka and Tavernier, although selecting Saka would mean giving up a potential triple Arsenal defence.
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There is a strong case for investing in midfield, but finding the right balance remains key.
Saka and Gibbs-White combine impressive underlying numbers with strong points projections, while Palmer ranks second in the six-Gameweek forecast despite more modest goal-threat statistics.
Groß and Tavernier offer appealing value alongside those more expensive options. Combining premium picks with carefully chosen budget midfielders could help maximise returns while freeing up funds elsewhere.
Your next FPL move starts here.
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