Gameweek 27 presents several transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
Based on matches, form and injuries, these players are switched in and out the most.
| Player | Transfers in (around) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| João Pedro | 143,999 | Bruno Guimaraes | 100,606 |
| Cole Palmer | 142,643 | Enzo Fernandez | 78,506 |
| Antoine Semenyo | 133,210 | Declan Rice | 76,802 |
| James Hill | 97,814 | Harry Wilson | 69,695 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 66,680 | Marc Cucurella | 58,748 |
| Igor Thiago | 59,256 | James Tarkowski | 56,109 |
| Morgan Rogers | 57,113 | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 55,683 |
| Ryan | 56,216 | Ree James | 55,627 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 53,752 | Igor Thiago | 53,829 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | 52,958 | Matty Cash | 50,899 |
But whether it is a good idea remains open to debate.
Here we share our thoughts on who to buy, hold and sell in Gameweek 27.
COLE PALMER
For non-owners, Cole Palmer (£10.6m) is a very tempting choice.
Until recently, his fitness issues and form made him easy to overlook, but that is certainly no longer the case.
The midfielder, who is only owned by 15.0% of managers, scored a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 25 and followed this up with a goal and an assist against Leeds United earlier this week. It has taken him to 32 points in just two games.
This run has flourished under Liam Rosenior and included three penalties, but even without penalties his underlying stats are still favourable, with seven shots from open play and four chances created in the last three gameweeks.
Plus, Chelsea plays Burnley at home next, making him an even better choice.
Fitness concerns haven’t completely gone away, but Palmer was rested against Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday, so there’s a decent break for Gameweek 27.
The potential problem, however, is what happens after Burnley, with Chelsea facing a very tough set of opponents.
Of course, the final match can be overlooked if you’re planning on playing a Wildcard in Gameweek 32.
While Palmer is clearly a good choice – and a very strong captain option against Burnley – if you don’t have any transfers on the bench, you might want to consider looking elsewhere, perhaps someone like Florian Wirtz (£8.4m), given the ticker prospects for Liverpool (nfo/WHU/wol/TOT/bha/FUL).
VERDICT: KEEP, BUT DO NOT RUSH TO BUY UNLESS YOU HAVE BANKED TRANSFERS
RIAN
A £5.5m midfielder is very rarely a priority purchase in the FPL, but with some favorable fixtures on the horizon, Ryan (£5.5m) is undoubtedly worth a look.
In a very short time, the Brazilian has made a real impact on the south coast.
He joined from Vasco da Gama in January and has featured in all three games since joining Bournemouth, combining two goals with one assist and 19 points.
Playing mainly from the right side, Rayan scored six shots in his two starts. He also created some chances for his teammates.
Notably, Rayan is not the typical Brazilian winger, as he often uses his physicality to beat defenders rather than skillful tricks.
“It’s one of the things we were looking for in the winter market because this season we lost Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara, two of the most physical wingers in the league. We needed someone with some physicality and with set pieces, as we are quite short, so I think he added those things to the team.” – Andoni Iraola about Rayan
So with a lot of freedom of attack, as shown Antoine Semenyo‘s (£7.9m) performances under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, Ryan has the potential to be a real bargain.
He probably won’t start every game, but with three home encounters in the next five Gameweeks, as well as trips to West Ham United and Burnley, it should provide him with plenty of opportunities to perform.
A quick word about teammate Amine Adli (£5.4m) as well. Deployed from the left, he has achieved four attacking returns (two goals and two assists) in the last five gameweeks. Small preview alert, but here’s how they compare since Rayan’s first appearance in Gameweek 24.
TARGET THREAT
HELP POTENTIAL
As you can see, it is very difficult to draw firm conclusions from the underlying statistics, especially after playing only three matches together.
However, with positional rivals David Brooks (£5.0m) return to fitness and Marcus Tavernier (£5.3m) isn’t far off either, we might expect earlier substitutions and possible rotation for both players. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem if you take their prices into account.
“I think Amine is in a situation where he is now probably getting the reward for the hard work he has put in for the team. He has come in as a new signing, but this has been a situation where Antoine is actually [Semenyo] played everything in one side, and then we had Tavernier, Brooksy [Brooks]even Ben Gannon-Doak, Amine Adli, so there weren’t that many minutes available. But he has kept fighting and pushing, and now that we are in a situation where we don’t have any of those players, we really need him and he has been there for us because of the goal. But I also think he helps Adrien defensively [Truffert] in this case a lot and the more minutes he gets, the more time he plays. I think it’s going to be more valuable for us, I think.” – Andoni Iraola and Amine Adli
It is also important to note Bournemouth’s recent progress: after a run of eleven league matches without a win in November and December, they have since collected 14 points out of 21 available, while during that run they sit third for actual goals scored and seventh for expected goals (xG).
VERDICT: BUY
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) looked unusually shaky earlier this season, coinciding with Liverpool’s general decline in form.
However, with 38 points in the last six gameweeks, the most of any FPL defender, he is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The Dutchman has recently shown his attacking prowess with headed goals from corners against Sunderland and Bournemouth, and compares favorably with other FPL defenders from such situations.
Above: FPL defenders sorted by header attempts from set plays (Head) in 2025/26
That could be important because Van Dijk’s next two opponents, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, conceded a lot of shots from set play.
“That is essential [van Dijk] has already scored a few goals for us from set pieces this season and certainly last season. He is a big threat in the air offensively and defensively it is important that we do not give in. So yeah, [he’s] essential and I hope he will score many more for us from set pieces this season.” – Arne Slot about Virgil van Dijk
Additionally, Van Dijk has collected defensive contribution points (DefCon) in two of his last three games, with 9.62 DefCons per 90 minutes in 2025/26.
He stands out not only for his goal threat, DefCons and favorable fixtures, but also because Liverpool have conceded the third best expected goals (xGC) in the Premier League since the start of December, and have probably been unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.
And because Van Dijk has had such success at Anfield, we think he is a good signing.
VERDICT: BUY
DECLAN RICE
As Double Gameweek 26 nears its end, it’s turning into a turnover Declan Rice (£7.6 million) are starting to pick up.
In Thursday’s draw against Brentford, the box-to-box midfielder failed to provide a goal or an assist for the sixth game in a row.
He has recorded just two shots inside the box in that period, and while he has been unlucky not to provide an assist (18 chances created/-2.17 expected assists delta), it is easy to see why so many FPL managers are starting to explore other options, especially in light of Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures and blanks.
But given his recent attacking returns, it’s easy to forget that Rice is still the third-highest scoring midfielder in Fantasy, behind only Antoine Semenyo (£7.9 million) and Bruno Fernandes (£9.8 million).
And he continues to find ways to rack up points, be it through DefCons, clean sheets and/or bonuses.
In his last two games, Rice has still managed a respectable 10 points (or at least he will if FPL adds its midweek bonus point, which you can read about here).
However, given the alternatives in/around his price point, with noticeably better matches, we think Rice could be moved on to someone like Wirtz or Semenyo, or perhaps the cheaper Dango Ouattara (£5.8m), could pay off in the next few gameweeks.
VERDICT: SELL
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