The Best FPL Gameweek 8 Wildcard Team – The Cheat Code

Gameweek 8 is proving an increasingly popular time for a Wildcard. With a couple of unexpected revelations such as Saka being on pens. The Gameweek 8 Wildcard team has a few changes when compared with the Gameweek 7 Wildcard Team.

It is first worth mentioning that we always try and create these teams for much longer-term fixture plans. If there is a player who has an excellent GW8 fixture but not so great ones after that, then they will likely be omitted. We also do out best to balance out DefCon gems and Clean Sheet gems, so you no longer have to prioritise.

Also make sure that before locking in any changes you check out our Predicted Line-Ups hub to make sure all players are likely to start and you haven’t missed any injuries or suspensions.

Now even though the total value of this team is £101.7m, we have listed the alternatives at the end should you be short a few funds. Do not worry, these alternatives will not disrupt the key foundations of the team in the slightest.

So without further ado, we get the Gameweek 8 Wildcard Team underway with the Goalkeepers.

 

Goalkeepers

 

David Raya – £5.7m

We name an unchanged Goalkeeping unit from the Gameweek 7 wildcard team and for obvious reasons. Raya is by far and away the best keeper for this upcoming run of fixtures and indeed probably the rest of the season. Arsenal are top of the prem, joint top for lowest xGA, and top for least Goals conceded. With Fulham, Burnley and Sunderland comprising 3 of their next 4 fixtures, this is an absolute no-brainer.

 

Martin Dubravka – £4m

The only starting £4m keeper in the game. Ignore the fact that Burnley have conceded 15 goals this season, he’s £4m, who cares.

 

 

Defenders

 

Gabriel – £6.3m

We start off with the Thanos of defenders in Gabriel at £6.3m. As mentioned previously Arsenal have the best defence in the league and fantastic fixtures. This is normally a winning formula.

This is only half of Gabriel’s upside however, as he also brings an ever-present goal threat from set pieces. Registering at least 3 goals in his last 4 seasons for the gunners.

However, perhaps the most intriguing factor in his fantasy value has been his Defensive Contributions. Particularly of late. He is averaging a whopping 12.25 DCs in his last 4 games. All these factors combine to form an absolute goliath of an FPL defender. He is as essential as they come.

Although lot of people are considering Gabriel and Timber, we prefer the Raya + Gabriel combo given the plethora of great defensive options and limited great options at GK.

 

Marcos Senesi – £5m

Speaking of essential. Marcos Senesi at £5m is the next defender on this list. Bournemouth have a criminally underrated defence, currently sitting 3^rd for lowest xGA.

They also have a great set of fixtures for their next 7 games, including Forest, Villa, West Ham, Sunderland and Everton.

Senesi’s main appeal however comes from not only playing for a great defence, but also providing a fantastic DefCon potential every week. He is currently averaging 12.84 a game and has hit the threshold in all but 1 game this season. Essentially providing him with a minimum of 4 points a game. As well as tacking on 6 bonus points on top.

Despite the rapid price rise he is still a great option.

Daniel Munoz – £5.6m

He was a key feature of our Best Players to Buy for Gameweek 8 article and so we will let that synopsis do the talking.

If you’ve read anything we’ve been saying the last few weeks, you’ll know we have been plugging Munoz as much as we can. Even though Crystal Palace’s unbeaten streak is over and they did end up conceding multiple goals for the first time this season. This was only ever a small part of the reason we own Daniel Munoz. Even with the 2 goals they conceded against Everton, they have still conceded the 2nd least goals in the Prem this year. So, I doubt the clean sheets will suddenly dry up.

Munoz’ key draw is definitely his attacking return potential. He is averaging 1.43 shots per 90 and has shown already he is a very capable finisher and provider. His xGI is hovering around 0.32, which would have him on pace for 12/13 attacking returns this year. More attacking returns are coming.

Joe Rodon – £4m

Somehow still only £4m, Joe Rodon plays the role of budget enabler in this Gameweek 8 Wildcard team.

As mentioned in our Best Players to Buy for Gameweek 8 Article, Leeds have been one of the leagues’ sneaky good defences. Sitting 5th lowest for xGA. They now take that form into a fixture stretch which contains Burnley, West Ham, Brighton, Forest and Villa as their next 5. This fixture stretch contains 4 of the bottom 5 teams in the league for xG, making it a fantastic fixture stretch for any defender. Especially one whose top 5 for lowest xGA.

Rodon is also averaging 9 Defensive contributions a game and even popped up in the goal column against Bournemouth, so there’s not much to dislike at all. For £4m he is the perfect budget enabler for anyone seeking to bring in shiny new toys like Saka.

 

Chris Richards – £4.5m

Now this final spot could definitely hold a bit more flexibility. Richards is here not just because Palace have a great defence, but also because he is a fantastic DefCon candidate.

He is averaging 10.43 defensive contributions a game on one of the better defences in the league, and if there is one thing we’ve learnt this season, its that Good DefCon + Good Defence is the recipe for success.

 

 

Midfielders

 

Antoine Semenyo – £7.9m

If this man isn’t the first name on your team sheet, then you’re not wildcarding properly. With 6 goals and 3 assists in his first 6 games and a great next 7 fixtures, there is absolutely no reason not to have him in your teams. Screw the xG and ride the hot hand, don’t overthink it.

 

Ismaila Sarr – £6.5m

Another feature of our Gameweek 8 Players to Buy Article and Gameweek 7 Wildcard article.

The Palace star has picked up right where he left off pre-injury. Crystal Palace currently top the league for xG, averaging just over 2 per game. With Sarr personally accounting for 0.67 of that per 90.

3 goals and 1 assist in 5 starts, even better underlying numbers and a team who top the league for xG. £6.5m is an absolute steal for all that upside. One of the Best Players to Buy at the moment.

 

Bukayo Saka – £9.9m

One of the key differences from our Gameweek 7 wildcard team is the replacement of Viktor Gyokeres with Bukayo Saka. Arsenal’s fixture run is too good not to cover with at least one attacker, and the revelation that Saka remains on penalties has meant we’ve swung towards him.

We do not need to go into detail about the value he brings to Arsenal and FPL managers, so we won’t. After Haaland is arguably the best £8m+ asset in the game.

 

• Value Alert: Fulham have conceded 6 goals in their last 2 games and now face a high flying Arsenal. Saka is somehow only 3/1 to score anytime! Click one of the great offers below to get started!

 

 

 

Bruno Fernandes – £9m

Now this one may be controversial but we don’t care. Now very rarely will you be able to select a player whose averaging 0.72 xGI per 90 and 10.64 Defensive Contributions per 90. On top of this Bruno is an absolute magnet for bonus points as a result of his all-round game.

Man United currently sit 2nd, yes 2nd… for xG. With Brighton, Forest, Everton, West Ham and wolves as 5 of their next 8, there is not much reason this can’t continue.

If he had tucked away those penalties and not narrowly missed out on the DefCon threshold multiple times we’d be looking at one of FPL’s top scorers.

He just has so many routes to points that we really like him. A great floor and great ceiling sort of player.

 

Mohammed Kudus – £6.7m

The Ghanaian logged another 90 minutes as well as a goal and an assist to boot. Another example of a player we have been recommending since GW2 even when the returns dried up. He is as direct as they come and leads the league in Take-Ons completed with 30, a full 11 ahead of Ndiaye in 2nd place. With 6 returns in 7 games and Tottenham looking great going forward, Kudus provides excellent value at only £6.7m. More returns are definitely in store. A great option for any Gameweek 8 Wildcard Team.

 

Forwards

 

Marc Guiu – £4.3m

We will get the cheap filler option out the way quickly. Any player getting any minutes at only £4.3m is not a bad shout at all. So Guiu provides a very solid filler option in this case.

 

Erling Haaland – £14.5m

Completely essential. We do not need to go into detail about why he should be in your teams.

Joao Pedro – £7.8m

A few people have been put off by Joao Pedro’s lack of returns in recent weeks, and honestly we understand. However, with Forest, Sunderland, Wolves and Burnley as 4 of their next 5, it is hard to see him not registering some returns.

Not covering the Chelsea attack for this next run of fixtures seems wrong, and their Gunman-in-Chief remains the best route into it. Particularly at only £7.7m.

 

 

Alternatives

 

Now given the total value of this squad is £101.7m, it may be quite tricky to squeeze in all the listed players. If that is the case, here are a few ways you can still make it work, without damaging the key elements of the team.

• Downgrade Richards to a £4m baller such as Mukiele or Alderete.
• Swap Raya for Pope. Newcastle also have a great xGA and this also frees up an extra Arsenal spot to experiment with.
• Downgrade Bruno Fernandes to an Enzo type if you are really short.

 

If you still have Bench Boost

If you still have bench boost one route you could go down is downgrading Bruno and upgrading Marc Guiu. Here’s a few possible combos which also help cover Chelsea’s great fixtures during this stretch.

• Caicedo + Woltemade
• Enzo + Thiago/DCL

 

Final Thoughts

 

This team provides a nice balance throughout and covers some of the best attacks to own for the next few weeks. Having 5 strong starting defenders is absolutely key at the moment as DefCon points have resulted in a strong value swing towards defenders.

The main essential players for every team are listed below

Must Have’s:

• Haaland
• Semenyo
• Gabriel

Close to Essential:

• Munoz
• Senesi
• Saka
• Sarr

Great Options:

• Kudus
• Joao Pedro
• Fernandes
• Rodon

 

Make sure you stay up to date with our Game Week Tips for more Gameweek 8 advice.

Let us know what you thought of our Gameweek 8 Wildcard Team and best of luck in your Mini-Leagues.