Welcome to Gameweek 8 of the FPL season, RotoBallers! This is the third year covering FPL on the site, and we are bringing you more coverage than ever before. We will publish the Gameweek Preview, consisting of a Staff Roundtable and our weekly rankings, every week. Then, once a month, we will publish our newest article The Watchlist, a review of the previous month and a look ahead to the upcoming fixtures.
Seven gameweeks down, 31 more to go. Just when you thought the Premier League was getting predictable, Man City and Liverpool lost their first games of the season. In Gameweek 8, Man City faces a tough Sunday night test against Arsenal. Meanwhile, the Reds look to bounce back from their heartbreak with a fixture against Brighton. Elsewhere, it's a battle of two high-flying squads as West Ham welcomes Newcastle to London on Sunday afternoon.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 8 deadline is 6:00 AM EST on Saturday, October 7, for the Luton Town-Spurs matchup. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
Fantasy Premier League - Gameweek 8 Rankings
Our weekly rankings highlight players who could be worth a punt in your Fantasy Premier League squad. While the rankings will be filled with familiar names, a low-owned player with an easy fixture will rise up the one-week charts. For each gameweek, we will provide our top 15 goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. These can also be applied as DFS rankings for your weekend contests.
Gameweek 8 Fantasy Premier League High Scorers
- Goalkeeper: Sam Johnstone, Crystal Palace - 9 points
- Defender: Joachim Andersen - 15 points
- Midfielder: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal - 17 points
- Forward: Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa - 23 points
FPL Goalkeepers - Gameweek 8 Rankings
- Sheffield United has one point on the season and is tied for the fewest goals with five. They are also lowest for expected Goals (xG) and xG on the road. Bernd Leno leads all goalkeepers with 36 points this year and has already bagged two double-digit games through seven contests. Another one should be on the cards against the Blades and its blunt attack.
- Robert Sanchez and the Chelsea defense kept their third clean sheet in the last five games with a 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday. Sanchez's 33 points only trail the previously mentioned Leno at the goalkeeper spot. Chelsea is fourth for expected Goals Allowed so far and should be heavily favored to shut down a Burnley attack that's generated the lowest xG (4.7) at home this year.
Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts. | Clean Sheet % |
1 | Leno | FUL | SHU | 4.3 | 41% |
2 | Johnstone | CRY | NFO | 4.1 | 35% |
3 | Vicario | TOT | LUT | 4.0 | 39% |
4 | Sanchez | CHE | BUR | 4.0 | 37% |
5 | Pickford | EVE | BOU | 3.8 | 33% |
6 | Pope | NEW | WHU | 3.7 | 27% |
7 | Martinez | AVL | WOL | 3.7 | 30% |
8 | José Sá | WOL | AVL | 3.5 | 19% |
9 | Neto | BOU | EVE | 3.5 | 18% |
10 | Ederson M. | MCI | ARS | 3.4 | 25% |
11 | A.Becker | LIV | BHA | 3.4 | 17% |
12 | Foderingham | SHU | FUL | 3.3 | 16% |
13 | Areola | WHU | NEW | 3.3 | 18% |
14 | Onana | MUN | BRE | 3.2 | 35% |
15 | Trafford | BUR | CHE | 3.2 | 15% |
FPL Defenders - Gameweek 8 Rankings
- Pedro Porro assisted the game-winning own-goal versus Liverpool in Gameweek 7. His pace was the difference-maker in a rather tepid Tottenham offense. With so many FPL managers activating their Wildcard (myself included), Porro (£5.0m) is an excellent option. With Luton struggling to generate and prevent goals, the Spurs defender is in line for a huge day.
- After snagging an assist, a clean sheet, and all three bonus points, Levi Colwill finds himself as the sixth-highest-scoring defender in FPL. If you plan to activate your Wildcard during the international break and have no other issues in your squad, the Chelsea defender is worth the Wildcard. It's a tremendous one-week punt against a blundering Burnley side.
Ranking | Name | Team | Opp. | Pred. Pts | Clean Sheet % |
1 | Pedro Porro | TOT | LUT | 4.3 | 39% |
2 | Trippier | NEW | WHU | 4.3 | 27% |
3 | Udogie | TOT | LUT | 3.9 | 39% |
4 | Dalot | MUN | BRE | 3.8 | 35% |
5 | Colwill | CHE | BUR | 3.8 | 37% |
6 | Ream | FUL | SHU | 3.8 | 41% |
7 | Andersen | CRY | NFO | 3.8 | 35% |
8 | Diop | FUL | SHU | 3.8 | 41% |
9 | Disasi | CHE | BUR | 3.7 | 37% |
10 | Martinez | AVL | WOL | 3.7 | 30% |
11 | T.Silva | CHE | BUR | 3.7 | 37% |
12 | Romero | TOT | LUT | 3.7 | 39% |
13 | R.Varane | MUN | BRE | 3.7 | 35% |
14 | Tarkowski | EVE | BOU | 3.7 | 33% |
15 | Guéhi | CRY | NFO | 3.6 | 35% |
FPL Midfielders - Gameweek 8 Rankings
- Mohamed Salah did not collect an attacking return for the first time this season in Gameweek 7. He would've if a certain offside decision had gone the right way, but I digress. Still, the Egyptian King is having a great start to the season and is a must-have if you are on a Gameweek 8 Wildcard. A matchup with a Brighton side allowing the fifth-most xG (6.9) at home will bring many FPL points for Salah's managers.
- I'm writing this during the Tuesday Champions League games, and Bukayo Saka went off with an injury. If he misses the game against Man City, I would avoid all Arsenal assets. Odegaard's ceiling would rise because he would be on penalties, but Arsenal's chances of scoring in the game take a massive dive without their talismanic star boy.
Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts. | Goal % | Assist % |
1 | Son | TOT | LUT | 6.1 | 43% | 32% |
2 | Salah | LIV | BHA | 5.6 | 40% | 26% |
3 | Maddison | TOT | LUT | 5.5 | 33% | 34% |
4 | B.Fernandes | MUN | BRE | 5.4 | 30% | 29% |
5 | Rashford | MUN | BRE | 5.3 | 37% | 23% |
6 | Sterling | CHE | BUR | 4.7 | 30% | 26% |
7 | Andreas | FUL | SHU | 4.4 | 29% | 29% |
8 | Richarlison | TOT | LUT | 4.3 | 44% | 22% |
9 | Kulusevski | TOT | LUT | 4.2 | 22% | 26% |
10 | Willian | FUL | SHU | 4.1 | 24% | 24% |
11 | Saka | ARS | MCI | 4.0 | 21% | 22% |
12 | Ødegaard | ARS | MCI | 3.9 | 20% | 19% |
13 | Luis Díaz | LIV | BHA | 3.9 | 25% | 26% |
14 | J.Ayew | CRY | NFO | 3.9 | 24% | 17% |
15 | Mbeumo | BRE | MUN | 3.8 | 25% | 16% |
FPL Forwards - Gameweek 8 Rankings
- The highest-scoring player in FPL through seven gameweeks is not Erling Haaland. It's Ollie Watkins. That's what four goals in two gameweeks will do for a player's total. A date with Wolves greets Watkins in Gameweek 8, but this defense also shut down Haaland in Gameweek 7. Watkins and Aston Villa have fantastic fixtures on the horizon, and no one would blame FPL managers for flocking towards Aston Villa's leading man.
- I mentioned Dominic Solanke in our Gameweek 8 preview earlier this week, and the model backs me up. A contest against Everton is ideal for most strikers, but Solanke should thrive in this game. With three goals and one assist in the campaign, the former Liverpool man will be excited to pile on more misery to his former Merseyside rival.
Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts | Goal % |
1 | Haaland | MCI | ARS | 6.3 | 41% |
2 | Watkins | AVL | WOL | 5.0 | 37% |
3 | Isak | NEW | WHU | 4.5 | 41% |
4 | Darwin | LIV | BHA | 4.3 | 41% |
5 | Solanke | BOU | EVE | 4.2 | 31% |
6 | Awoniyi | NFO | CRY | 4.2 | 28% |
7 | J.Alvarez | MCI | ARS | 4.0 | 26% |
8 | Højlund | MUN | BRE | 3.7 | 36% |
9 | Morris | LUT | TOT | 3.6 | 27% |
10 | N.Jackson | CHE | BUR | 3.6 | 39% |
11 | Wissa | BRE | MUN | 3.4 | 19% |
12 | Calvert-Lewin | EVE | BOU | 3.3 | 46% |
13 | Cunha | WOL | AVL | 3.2 | 26% |
14 | Raúl | FUL | SHU | 3.2 | 37% |
15 | Archer | SHU | FUL | 3.1 | 24% |
Is there anything else you would like to cover for FPL every week? Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!