As Gameweek 2 approaches, the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) market is in full swing, with managers rushing to capitalise on early form. Let’s break down the key price changes, transfer trends, and smart picks that could shape your squad ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.
FPL Price Changes (19 August)
🔼 Risers
- Ekitiké (Liverpool) – £8.6m
- Chris Wood (NFO) – £7.6m
- Semenyo (Bournemouth) – £7.1m
- Reijnders (Man City) – £5.6m
🔽 Fallers
- Isak (Newcastle) – £10.4m
- Marmoush (Man City) – £8.4m
- Solanke (Spurs) – £7.4m
- Tel (Spurs) – £6.4m
- Malen (Aston Villa) – £5.4m
Notably, Chris Wood surged in value after bagging a brace against Brentford. With over 350,000 transfers in, the Nottingham Forest forward becomes one of the hottest assets heading into GW2.
2025/26England
Arsenal
Manchester City
Manchester UnitedTransfer Trends: Gameweek 2 (as of 19 Aug 08:53 BST)
| Most Transferred In | Most Transferred Out |
|---|---|
| Tijjani Reijnders (MCI) – 685,344 | Florian Wirtz (LIV) – 320,081 |
| Antoine Semenyo (BOU) – 460,482 | Josko Gvardiol (MCI) – 300,507 |
| Hugo Ekitike (LIV) – 416,557 | Ezri Konsa (AVL) – 293,241 |
| Chris Wood (NFO) – 355,184 | Alexander Isak (NEW) – 278,207 |
| Daniel Ballard (SUN) – 246,795 | Joao Pedro (CHE) – 235,151 |
Buy, Keep, Sell: Expert Picks for Gameweek 2
✅ BUY: Tijjani Reijnders (£5.6m)
Man City’s new maestro opened his FPL account with a goal and assist. Already in 1.8 million squads, Reijnders could easily hit 3 million ownership this week. Pep may rotate, but for £5.6m, this is a risk worth taking.
✅ BUY: Antoine Semenyo (£7.1m)
A 15-point haul against Liverpool? Semenyo is cooking. Bournemouth’s kind run through GW7 makes him a top differential pick.
✋ KEEP: Florian Wirtz (£8.5m)
Despite being the most sold player, Wirtz showed glimpses of potential. With a strong pre-season and creative flair, he’s worth holding through tough fixtures.
✋ KEEP: Ezri Konsa (£4.5m)
Yes, he’s suspended, but Villa’s post-GW2 fixtures are golden. Don’t be too hasty unless you’re strapped for defenders.
❌ SELL: Alexander Isak (£10.5m)
Unavailable and unsettled, Isak has become a problem asset. Until his future clears up, it’s best to move on.
❌ SELL: Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m)
Bowen may bounce back, but with West Ham struggling and fixtures turning sour, now’s not the time to hold.
Budget Enablers to Watch
Josh King (£4.5m) started for Fulham, making him the only sub-£5.0m attacker to do so in GW1. Meanwhile, Sunderland defenders Reinildo and Omar Alderete (both £4.0m) are strong bench options.
Big Hitters Justify Price Tags
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) and Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) both delivered. Their output could make a double-up the optimal strategy, but it demands sacrifices elsewhere – hence the need for smart budget picks.
Bonus Trends & Defensive Contributions
New point mechanics are rewarding centre-backs. 11 of 14 defenders earning defensive contribution points in GW1 were centre-backs – think Dan Burn, Matthijs de Ligt, and Maxence Lacroix.
GW1 Takeaways: Ownership & Captaincy
- Salah – 45.1% captained
- Ekitike – breakout differential with 11 points
- Palmer & João Pedro – most owned assets, but underwhelmed
TipsGG League Update
Top Performer TipsGG League: Mfihlakalo Nkathana’s “Storm City” – 115 points
Standings after GW1
| Rank | Team & Manager | GW Points | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Storm City – Mfihlakalo Nkathana | 115 | 115 |
| 2 | JayB – Jay B | 100 | 100 |
| 3 | Fantasy?BarelyKnowIt – Jacob Mellor | 99 | 99 |
| 4 | Cityrbacktrust – Daanyal Ahmad | 95 | 95 |
| 4 | YouAreMyDavis – Darren Jones | 95 | 95 |
| 6 | paqueta chips – Colin Cowan | 94 | 94 |
| 7 | ya dad sells avon – Lee Knox | 93 | 93 |
| 7 | GUAN – Guantai Humphrey | 93 | 93 |
| 7 | Bon Marche FC – Graeme Douglas | 93 | 93 |
| 10 | Longshot – Asle Blømacher | 92 | 92 |
| 11 | Isco Tigers – Tshegofatso Manamela | 91 | 91 |
| 12 | c_tonui – Loreen Chepkoech | 90 | 90 |
| 12 | Pippo FC – Philip Ahlgren | 90 | 90 |
| 12 | Luka077 – LU HAN | 90 | 90 |
| 15 | Kurasa Mbeu-mo – Blessing Kudzaishe | 88 | 88 |
| 15 | Dryckens GF – Wille Gustafsson | 88 | 88 |
| 15 | when man – Michael Van Benten | 88 | 88 |
| 18 | Winners – Utsav Singh Gurung | 87 | 87 |
| 18 | Autopick – Cathrine Langenes | 87 | 87 |
| 18 | onlyfams – Nithin T | 87 | 87 |
| 21 | Ndidi Partey – Adam O’Leary | 86 | 86 |
| 21 | Peaky Reijnders – Bryn Birchall | 86 | 86 |
| 21 | SIR – Sardar Zhoroev | 86 | 86 |
| 21 | Anfield dreams – Chirag Patel | 86 | 86 |
| 21 | Edd – Edwin Gichia | 86 | 86 |
Deadline for Gameweek 2: Friday 22 August at 18:30 BST. Don’t leave your transfers too late – especially with prices shifting fast this week.