Fantasy Premier League 2022/23: Gameweek 8 tips and advice from experts

Sky Sports continues its weekly column bringing you essential tips from the best Fantasy Premier League managers in the world.

In our latest column, Holly Shand and FPL Heisenberg discuss what to do with Mohamed Salah, whether it is time to pivot to cheaper defenders and if it is time to trust Manchester United again.

Holly and Wes also hosted a live FPL Q&A earlier this week – you can find their answers here.

You can also join the official Sky Sports Fantasy League with code e7ft7m.

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Are you using a free hit or a wildcard this week?

FPL Heisenberg: Nope, I can get to 11 players for a minus 4 so I’m happy to ride this Gameweek out without using my Free Hit – and I’ve already used my Wildcard. I think playing a Wildcard this Gameweek is a good strategy if you have one, however, it’s tricky because you’ll have to build a squad without a few assets from the teams that are not playing this week – the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Brighton and Man United.

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Holly Shand: I’m on a wildcard this week: it was something I was considering before we had news of postponements, which only strengthened the case to play now instead of waiting for the International break.

Image: Alecander Isak has impressed for Newcastle

GW8 deadline: Friday, 630pm

If you were using a free hit, which players would you be bringing in for one week?

FPL Heisenberg: Hueng-min Son (£11.7m) and Harry Kane (£11.4m) are good options for a one-week punt because they face a Leicester side conceding lots of goals. However, Son is maybe a bit of a risk with the likes of Richarlison (£8.5m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£8.1m) maybe taking some of his game time. You could target Bournemouth by bringing in Newcastle assets like Nick Pope (£5m), Kieran Trippier (£5.2m) and Alexander Isak (£7m) who face The Cherries at home this week. Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.9m) playing Nottingham Forest is also a juicy one-week punt, and he has good fixtures and form for a longer-term hold too.

Holly Shand: I totally agree with Wes – the important fixtures to target are Tottenham against Leicester City and Newcastle United against Bournemouth. Kane and Isak are among the most attractive options given their current form.

Image: Tottenham's Harry Kane has an appealing fixture against Leicester in GW8

Which players would you be bringing in on a WC?

Holly Shand: With six goals in six games already, Fulham’s Mitrovic is a key player to target as their fixtures improve. There is also a significant fixture swing for Newcastle, with Trippier the go-to defender. The Magpies defence has been impressive under Eddie Howe, with Trippier also carrying a significant attacking threat through his set-piece involvement.

FPL Heisenberg: There’s a few different ways you could go, but here is a solid and affordable 15-man squad. The players in brackets are the ones I would bench this week:

Goalkeepers: Pope, (Ward)
Defenders: Cancelo, Trippier, N.Williams, (Patterson, Reece James)
Midfielders: De Bruyne, Bowen, Martinelli, Andreas (Zaha)
Forwards: Toney, Haaland, Mitrovic

This squad attacks this Gameweek whilst also getting assets like Wilfred Zaha and Reece James for future Gameweeks.

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Are you keeping any Liverpool players?

Image: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been in indifferent form this season

FPL Heisenberg: No. I’d already moved off Mo Salah (£12.9m) and Andrew Robertson (£6.8m) before all the postponements. Now with Liverpool not playing in Gameweek 8, I’ll also replace Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m). I think Salah and Alexander-Arnold will improve soon, but as they are the most expensive players in their positions they have to deliver regularly to be worth keeping them – cheaper alternatives are outscoring them. Also, Liverpool’s fixtures are tough now, meaning I’m happy to go without for a few Gameweeks at least.

Holly Shand: No. I’ve not seen form from Liverpool this season and now the fixtures are turning for the worse too, with the added complication of a blank this weekend. Salah has been outshone by premium players from Manchester City. Liverpool’s defence have a number of injury concerns, with just two clean sheets this season.

What teams’ fixtures are you targeting from now to the World Cup?

Image: Could Jarrod Bowen and West Ham be a team to target now?

Holly Shand: West Ham and Leicester are among the sides with the best fixtures in the remaining nine gameweeks before the World Cup. These sides have both had tough starts to the season but taking a punt on the likes of Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) or James Maddison (£7.9m) could pay off in this next period.

FPL Heisenberg: Newcastle and Fulham have great fixtures from now until the World Cup, so I’ll be targeting the likes of Pope, Trippier, Mitrovic and Andreas Pereira (£4.5m). Crystal Palace’s run from Gameweek 10 also looks good too, so Zaha could do some serious damage there.

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How does Graham Potter arrival at Stamford Bridge impact FPL assets at Chelsea and Brighton?

Image: Reece James could benefit from Graham Potter's arrival at Chelsea

FPL Heisenberg: It is good news for wing-backs like Reece James and hopefully Potter can sort out their leaky defence and pick up some more clean sheets. A lot of the attacking players were not performing well under Thomas Tuchel, so this is a fresh start for them. Maybe one of their underperforming players comes back into form under Potter. It is probably best to wait and see how Chelsea line up under Potter in their first few games before bringing anyone else in though.

Holly Shand: Potter’s departure from Brighton has to have a detrimental impact on their season: this coincides with their favourable fixtures coming to an end. Now is the time to jump off Brighton assets, with no fixture this weekend. We could see an improvement from Chelsea in future games, but right now their players are firmly on the watchlist. Monitor.