The international break has given Fantasy Premier League managers plenty to think about. Using Opta data and Solio’s projections, we assess six of the biggest questions ahead of GW6, including fixture difficulty, defensive contribution points, budget forwards and whether it’s too late to jump on Pascal Groß.
Brentford’s 3-0 dismantling of Chelsea, Brighton’s shock undoing of Arsenal by the same scoreline, and Brian Brobbey’s Etihad Stadium hat-trick all feel like a lifetime ago, but in Fantasy Premier League terms, they occurred only last week.
After the longest international break on record, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the contents of your Fantasy Premier League squad, but it’s time to get your head back in the game, because a lot has happened – on and off the field.
To help you get back in business, we’ve combined Opta data with Solio FPL’s projections to answer six common questions Fantasy managers are likely to have after looking at their squads following the long break.
The Big Questions Ahead of GW6
If you want to skip ahead to a certain question, just click on it.
Are defensive contributions as important as last season? Are set pieces as important as last season? Which teams have the best and worst upcoming fixtures? What’s the best defensive rotation? Is it too late to buy Pascal Groß? Who is the best budget forward?Are Defensive Contributions as Important as Last Season?
The introduction of defensive contribution points in Fantasy Premier League ahead of the 2025-26 season was arguably the most seismic change ever made to the format.
Defenders now earn two additional points by combining for at least 10 tackles, interceptions, clearances, and blocks in a single game. The threshold for midfielders and forwards was set at 12, but recoveries also counted towards their total.
While Kobbie Mainoo, Kevin Danso and Bruno Fernandes set the record for assists in a Premier League season during a campaign typified by set-piece excellence.
Indeed, more than half of his assists came from set plays, and more value could now perhaps be found in a player like Cole Palmer and Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.9m) would be the most logical route in.
A Chelsea and Spurs rotation gives us 1.97 projected clean sheets, so we’re basically splitting hairs in the rankings. The hardest fixture we can’t avoid in this rotation is likely Chelsea’s trip to Sunderland in GW10.
Given that Chelsea are yet to keep a clean sheet, we’d be putting a lot of trust in the data for this one. Van Hecke is still the most sensible option from Spurs, and although no defender is safe from rotation for Chelsea, Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m), who has played every minute so far, feels like the best way into their defence.
The best option from the Everton side is clearly Luka Vuskovic (£5.0m), who has a variety of routes to points, are tough to pick between.
It’s worth saying that the Solio team solver will factor in all of these complex rotation possibilities when suggesting a Wildcard team or advising you on transfers.
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Is It Too Late to Buy Pascal Groß?
Kevin Schade (£6.2m), Gonzalo García (£6.0m).
When filtering for forwards priced at £7.0m and below, the Spaniard sits comfortably atop the rankings for predicted points per game across the next six matches, with 4.6.
García faces each of the three promoted teams – Ipswich (A), Hull (H) and Coventry (A) – across his next three matches, and also has a healthy-looking home meeting with a leaky Newcastle defence in GW10.
The Fulham forward has scored just once so far from 2.34 expected goals, but his upcoming fixtures offer him a great chance to make amends, and a brace for Spain’s U21s against Romania over the break shows he hasn’t lost his goalscoring touch.
Fulham are yet to win a penalty this season, but García is expected to step up when they do.
Another player firmly in the conversation is Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) is likely to leave many teams due to Leeds’s match away to Arsenal in GW6, but as the game-by-game projections show, he will fancy his chances in the games that follow.
As discussed earlier regarding defenders, if squad value allows, forwards can also be rotated to great effect. A García-Barry rotation, for example, could see a combined schedule of Hull (A) and/or Ipswich (A), Hull (H), Coventry (A), Newcastle (A) and/or Aston Villa (A), Coventry (H) and Brentford (A).
With deadlines approaching, it’s time to start tinkering. Every projection in this piece is live in Solio’s tool, and Solio’s solver weighs rotations like these automatically when building a Wildcard or planning transfers. And if you disagree with a number, change it and see what that does to your plan.
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DEFCONs, Set Pieces, Budget Picks, Wildcards? Six Key FPL Questions Ahead of GW6 Opta Analyst.
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