19 Sep, 2025
The Best Gameweek 5 Wildcard draft we could build. If you find yourself wanting to switch it up then make sure you check this out!
To say the beginning of this FPL season has been funny would be the understatement of the century. With lots of premium assets either underperforming or succumbing to injury, the door has been blown wide open for the shrewd and engaged managers. Which makes keeping up with our Predicted Line-ups hub even more important, as we update these in live time.
In seasons gone past the template has normally contained 5 or 6 absolute locks. Making for a much more boring competition. This has also made our FPL Player Rankings increasingly difficult but very fun over the past few weeks.
Combine these underperforming assets with even more chips, more expensive prices and defensive contribution points and you’ve got yourself a chaotic start to an FPL season. Now if you, or anyone you know has been affected by a chaotic FPL start then please call Ingenuity Fantasy on 075… No, But seriously, we are here to help.
If you’re finding yourself slipping down the ranks, falling behind in your mini-league or even want to extend your lead at the top then this Gameweek 5 Wildcard draft has got you covered.
We start of at one of the more contentious positions, and one with lots of debate around the strategy. It should go without saying that everyone’s 2nd goalkeeper should be Martin Dúbravka. Any starting keeper at £4m is always great value, even if they don’t play for a great team.
The 2nd spot is where things get more interesting. There is no doubt some personal preference involved in this one, but I really like Đorđe Petrović at £4.5m. Even though they have conceded 5 goals this season, 4 of them came in the opener against Liverpool and since then they have only conceded 1 in their last 3, including 2 impressive clean sheets against high flying Spurs and Wolves. They also have the 3rd lowest xGA this season and only come up against 1 top attack in their next 10 games, so he’s also a great long term option.
Defence is one are where a lot of value can be found thanks to some sneaky good defences from around the league. We continue the Bournemouth theme and double up their defence in the form of Marcos Senesi at £4.6m. Currently FPL’s 5th highest scoring defender, playing for one of the top defences and being a DefCon monster, there is not much more that needs to be said about Senesi.
Another sneaky good defence so far has been that of Crystal Palace. Conceding only 1 goal all season and currently sitting 6th for lowest xGA. Palace’s defence is currently looking fantastic. Making a player like Daniel Muñoz fantastic value, even at £5.5m. Averaging an xGI of 0.4 over his last 3 games, Munoz is the ideal profile of FPL defender. 90-minute man in a great defence and super attacking. He’s also been close to Defcon points on a few occasions now. Even though the fixtures could be better the upside is too substantial to exclude him.
Now a wildcard defence wouldn’t be complete without a Spurs player considering their form and fixtures, so it should be no surprise we’ve gone for Micky Van De Ven at £4.7m. Of the cheaper options he is by far the most nailed. However, Spence is also a solid option at £0.2m cheaper should you be a bit short of funds. Like Palace, Spurs have also only conceded 1 goal this season. However, Spurs’ upcoming fixture run is likely the best in the league, with Brighton, Wolves, Leeds, Villa and Everton as their next 5. Van De Ven also scored and secured some bonus points last game, and where this is unlikely to continue its just good vibes.
We round out the defence with 2 budget enablers in the form of Joe Rodon and Gabriel Gudmundsson. Leeds are a sneaky good defence and have already kept 2/4 clean sheets to start the season. Sitting 8th for lowest xGA in the league. Better than the likes of Spurs and City. Gudmundsson has grabbed all 3 bonus points in both clean sheets and Rodon is a consistently great Defcon candidate. Combine this with their excellent set of fixtures that include Wolves, Burnley, West Ham and Brighton in their next 6 and you’ve got some lovely upside at just £4m each for the pair.
A slim but effective midfield, we kick things off with the man of the hour, Antoine Semenyo at £7.3m! Not much needs to be said about Semenyo this season. The highest scoring midfielder in FPL and 2nd highest overall only to Haaland. Safe to say he was the first name on the Gameweek 5 wildcard team sheet. With 3 goals and 2 assists already this season, fantastic xGI numbers and now a newfound presence on Pens, just get him in. Any Gameweek 5 Wildcard team without Semenyo is unserious.
The 2nd inclusion is the notorious Mo Salah at £14.5m. Of course we had to. Despite seeming slightly off the pace to begin the season, he is still the most consistent producer in what is likely the best attack in the league. Even though it was not in the Premier League his performance against Athletico reminded everyone he still has plenty in the tank. Not much else needs to be said.
Our next midfielder is Chelsea star Moises Caicedo at £5.6m. That’s right, FPL’s third highest scoring midfielder is only £5.6m. His DefCon efforts mean he is essentially guaranteed a minimum of 4 points a game. Couple this with the very occasional attacking return, bonus points and clean sheet and you’re onto a fantastic value FPL asset. The best option for anyone with under £6m in the bank.
Our next midfield option is non other than Mohammed Kudus at £6.6m. Despite being quiet on returns since GW1, Kudus has remained in and around the action. He was unlucky not to return against West Ham and if Spurs keep playing the way they are into this amazing fixture run it is hard to see him not returning. Most importantly perhaps has been his 90 min presence during this great stretch. The opportunities will come, and Kudus has all the quality to convert them into returns. A great option to cover the Spurs attack for these upcoming fixtures.
The final budget enabler for the midfield is Fulham’s Josh King. A £4.5m midfielder who has started every game and has found himself involved going forward on occasion. A solid budget enabler if ever there was one.
Now this is where it gets interesting. We kick things off with the most inevitable man in football, Erling Haaland at £14.2m. We will say nothing more on the matter.
Next up is Joao Pedro at £7.8m. Chelsea currently have the highest xG in the Premier League and Joao Pedro seems to be gunman-in-chief. His underlying’s are excellent; he has great link up play, and the return of Palmer should only boost the potential returns. A fantastic value asset at only £7.8m.
The final striker we’ve gone for is Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres at £9m. Man City and Newcastle are not the scariest fixtures for an attacker and following those 2, Arsenal enter their best stretch of fixtures all year. Arsenal are currently 4th in xG in the premier league so the chances will surely be there for him. With 3 goals in his last 3 games and his presence on pens, Gyökeres could prove a great option for the next 10+ Game weeks.
The value of this team is £100.6m, so if you find yourself with less value then we recommend downgrading a Kudus to a Reijnders or Van De Ven to a Spence depending on budget. Make sure you keep an eye on our Game Week Tips to stay up to date with all news to assist with transfers, and let us know if you’re thinking about a gameweek 5 wildcard.
Let us know if there’s anyone you think we missed and best of luck in your mini leagues!
With years working in the FPL space and digital media. George now brings his knowledge and tips to the ingenuity audience through a fun and personable writing style.
