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Welcome to Gameweek 9 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.
Eight gameweeks down, 30 more to go. Gameweek 9 kicks off with another rendition of the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. Then we are treated to five games in the afternoon before a Saturday night doubleheader with Chelsea and Arsenal battling in a London Derby and then a late-night contest between Sheffield United and Manchester United. Ast0n Villa and West Ham play the lone game on Sunday before Spurs welcome Fulham on Monday night.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 9 deadline is 6:00 AM EST on Saturday, October 21, for the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. 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 9 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 & Jordan Pickford, Everton - 9 points
- Defender: Micky van de Ven, Spurs - 15 points
- Midfielder: Raheem Sterling, Chelsea - 16 points
- Forward: Alexander Isak, Newcastle - 13 points
FPL Goalkeepers - Gameweek 9 Rankings
- Given their early-season form, you wouldn't think it, but Everton is ninth for expected goals this season. With an early kickoff at Anfield on the cards, it's hard to see them getting one past Alisson Becker on Saturday, but crazier things have happened. It's enough reason to avoid the Liverpool keeper if you think of him as a differential in the net or bringing him in on a Wildcard.
- It's pretty wild that Matt Turner didn't appear in the top-15 goalkeepers this week despite having the second-best odds at a clean sheet with Luton Town visiting the City Ground. There are some questions about his starting spot, but as long as he holds onto that, he should have a concrete chance at a six-point outing this weekend. Luton doesn't create many chances, so the likelihood of a save point is relatively low.
| Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts. | Clean Sheet % |
| 1 | Pope | NEW | CRY | 4.2 | 46% |
| 2 | A.Becker | LIV | EVE | 4.1 | 37% |
| 3 | Vicario | TOT | FUL | 3.9 | 35% |
| 4 | Neto | BOU | WOL | 3.8 | 27% |
| 5 | Martinez | AVL | WHU | 3.8 | 27% |
| 6 | Ederson M. | MCI | BHA | 3.7 | 33% |
| 7 | José Sá | WOL | BOU | 3.6 | 23% |
| 8 | Sanchez | CHE | ARS | 3.5 | 23% |
| 9 | Raya | ARS | CHE | 3.4 | 28% |
| 10 | Flekken | BRE | BUR | 3.3 | 37% |
| 11 | Johnstone | CRY | NEW | 3.3 | 12% |
| 12 | Leno | FUL | TOT | 3.2 | 10% |
| 13 | Foderingham | SHU | MUN | 3.2 | 9% |
| 14 | Areola | WHU | AVL | 3.2 | 15% |
| 15 | Kaminski | LUT | NFO | 3.2 | 16% |
FPL Defenders - Gameweek 9 Rankings
- Kieran Trippier has lit up FPL over the last month, and it's becoming more challenging every week to avoid Newcastle's captain. He faces a Crystal Palace side without Ebrechi Eze this weekend, and give him a great chance at a six-point floor. Trippier is also a bonus-point magnet with his passing and assisting ability and is at the top of many FPL managers' wishlists.
- Pedro Porro missed a massive chance in Gameweek 8 against Luton Town and will want to redeem himself in a London derby against Fulham. The Spurs winger had the assist on the game-winning own goal against Liverpool two gameweeks ago, and you don't need to stretch your imagination too much to envision similar situations against the Cottagers. Porro is good for 90 minutes, and his supply of crosses to Spurs' attackers should provide plenty of FPL points.
| Ranking | Name | Team | Opp. | Pred. Pts | Clean Sheet % |
| 1 | Trippier | NEW | CRY | 5.5 | 46% |
| 2 | Alexander-Arnold | LIV | EVE | 5.0 | 37% |
| 3 | Schär | NEW | CRY | 4.3 | 46% |
| 4 | Dalot | MUN | SHU | 4.2 | 41% |
| 5 | Pedro Porro | TOT | FUL | 4.2 | 35% |
| 6 | Virgil | LIV | EVE | 4.1 | 37% |
| 7 | R.Varane | MUN | SHU | 4.1 | 41% |
| 8 | Burn | NEW | CRY | 4.0 | 46% |
| 9 | Boly | NFO | LUT | 3.8 | 43% |
| 10 | Martinez | AVL | WHU | 3.8 | 27% |
| 11 | Udogie | TOT | FUL | 3.7 | 35% |
| 12 | Van de Ven | TOT | FUL | 3.5 | 35% |
| 13 | Lindelof | MUN | SHU | 3.5 | 41% |
| 14 | Rúben | MCI | BHA | 3.4 | 33% |
| 15 | Cash | AVL | WHU | 3.4 | 27% |
FPL Midfielders - Gameweek 9 Rankings
- There will be a considerable debate this gameweek on captaincy between Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, and Son Heung-min. On the Gameweek 9 preview with Jamie Steed, I said I would give it to Son, but that's changed. The South Korean picked up another knock on international duty, and he feels the least likely out of the three players to play a full 90 minutes.
- Another player mentioned in our Gameweek 9 preview was Dominik Szobozslai. He scored a cracking free kick on international duty with Hungary and is in great form heading into his first Merseyside derby. I've watched a lot of Liverpool this season, and Big Dom is a perfect fit for this fixture. A goal against the blue side of Liverpool will endear him to the Anfield faithful more than he already has over the first two months of his career with the Reds.
| Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts. | Goal % | Assist % |
| 1 | Salah | LIV | EVE | 7.1 | 48% | 33% |
| 2 | Son | TOT | FUL | 6.0 | 44% | 31% |
| 3 | B.Fernandes | MUN | SHU | 5.8 | 35% | 33% |
| 4 | Mbeumo | BRE | BUR | 5.4 | 36% | 24% |
| 5 | Maddison | TOT | FUL | 5.4 | 32% | 34% |
| 6 | Rashford | MUN | SHU | 5.3 | 40% | 25% |
| 7 | Gibbs-White | NFO | LUT | 4.9 | 35% | 29% |
| 8 | Diaby | AVL | WHU | 4.7 | 26% | 24% |
| 9 | Richarlison | TOT | FUL | 4.5 | 42% | 22% |
| 10 | Luis Díaz | LIV | EVE | 4.5 | 30% | 30% |
| 11 | Szoboszlai | LIV | EVE | 4.4 | 22% | 29% |
| 12 | Foden | MCI | BHA | 4.2 | 28% | 32% |
| 13 | Ødegaard | ARS | CHE | 4.2 | 22% | 19% |
| 14 | Kulusevski | TOT | FUL | 4.1 | 22% | 26% |
| 15 | Almirón | NEW | CRY | 3.9 | 26% | 22% |
FPL Forwards - Gameweek 9 Rankings
- The top three forwards in this week's model are the ones I brought in on my Gameweek 8 Wildcard. Dominic Solanke was the most significant risk and did not deliver in a favorable matchup with Everton. This weekend, he has a chance at redemption when he meets a Wolves side. When the English forward plays at home, he's had 12 shot-creating actions compared to only four on the road.
- Rasmus Højlund slots in as the eighth-best forward in the model, but I would move him higher in my rankings. The Dane has three goals in the Champions League for Manchester United. However, he has yet to open his account in the Premier League for the Red Devils. Højlund's opponent this weekend, Sheffield United, has allowed the most goals (22) in the Premier League this season.
| Ranking | Name | Team | Opp | Pred. Pts | Goal % |
| 1 | Haaland | MCI | BHA | 6.7 | 61% |
| 2 | Watkins | AVL | WHU | 5.5 | 40% |
| 3 | Solanke | BOU | WOL | 4.6 | 38% |
| 4 | G.Jesus | ARS | CHE | 4.5 | 28% |
| 5 | J.Alvarez | MCI | BHA | 4.3 | 43% |
| 6 | Darwin | LIV | EVE | 3.7 | 48% |
| 7 | Isak | NEW | CRY | 3.7 | 47% |
| 8 | Højlund | MUN | SHU | 3.6 | 37% |
| 9 | Foster | BUR | BRE | 3.4 | 26% |
| 10 | Morris | LUT | NFO | 3.2 | 24% |
| 11 | Edouard | CRY | NEW | 3.2 | 20% |
| 12 | Wissa | BRE | BUR | 3.2 | 28% |
| 13 | Ferguson | BHA | MCI | 3.1 | 22% |
| 14 | Antonio | WHU | AVL | 3.1 | 25% |
| 15 | Calvert-Lewin | EVE | LIV | 3.1 | 29% |
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!
