Game Week 8 of Fantasy Premier League brings major decisions for managers, with Rayan Cherki benched at Manchester City, Erling Haaland an injury risk, and several struggling assets to consider. The FPL deadline is Friday 23 October at 18:30.
Manchester City rotation risk
Manchester City's 3-2 win over Ipswich on Saturday saw the emergence of what experts are calling "Maresca roulette". Just days after this column backed Rayan Cherki (£8.0m) as nearly guaranteed minutes, manager Maresca benched the Frenchman and handed Phil Foden (£6.8m) a starting place instead.
Cherki is now considered slightly less than optimal, although those who already own him may not need to sell, especially with City suffering injuries in the forward line. Another City tip, Jérémy Doku (£7.5m), continued his fine form since returning from injury by bagging an assist.
Captaincy: Look beyond Haaland
Erling Haaland (£15.7m) has often been the obvious captaincy pick, but he picked up a knock that may rule him out of City's midweek Champions League tie against AEK Athens. While he seems unlikely to miss the weekend, he may not be at 100% and could be at risk of an early substitution.
With City facing Aston Villa, against whom Haaland has historically struggled (one goal in five games), the double-points pick could come from Chelsea's clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. The choice is between Cole Palmer (£9.7m) and João Pedro (£7.9m), with the English midfielder edging it thanks to his threat from set pieces. Bringing in one of them is a very good idea if you haven't got either.
Fulham and Arsenal assets
Fulham looked like a good investment before the international break with fixtures against the three newly promoted sides, but the Cottagers are struggling. Managers should perhaps think about getting rid of their assets before prices drop, though keeping the faith for one more week is advised as they go into their clash with Coventry as favourites. If things go wrong again, cut your losses in the following transfer window.
Arsenal were lacklustre in their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, so managers with more than one attacker or midfielder from the Gunners should diversify. Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) and Martin Ødegaard (£6.7m) remain decent options, but having both is probably overkill, while other Arsenal attackers such as Tzolis, Declan Rice (£7.3m) or Kai Havertz (£7.5m) should be a quick sell. Arsenal's defence is still rock-solid, with Riccardo Calafiori (£6.0m) and Ezri Konsa among the best options.
