We are moving to the 18th gameweek of the Premier League 2024/25, where this midweek we will see the Boxing Day challenges. It is a busy schedule for every English club and the players’ fatigue is a concern for every team. So, we can experience some key players’ rest according to the low schedule difficulties. Let’s check our top picks for the FPL gameweek 18.
FPL GW18 Top picks
Goalkeepers
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is on top of the points list among the goalkeepers with 73 points. They will now face out-of-touch Manchester City. While Spurs will take on the hosts Nottingham Forest, the hosts’ goalie Matz Sels has earned 71 points.
While Arsenal are ready to face Ipswich Town, David Raya (67 points) is the shining name under the bar for this gameweek.
Defenders
Nottingham Forest defenders Ola Aina and Nikola Milenković have 75 and 65 points, respectively. While they will host Tottenham Hotspur this midweek, the players can go with one of them. As a counter option, the FPL players can go with Spurs’ Pedro Porro (60 points).
Arsenal star defender Gabriel Magalhães is the second-best defence performer this season with 73 points. He is one of the consistent defenders, which makes him a dependable option for every FPL player. He can be a must-select option for FPL players along with fellow teammate William Saliba (63 points), as the Gunners will now host Ipswich Town.
Although West Ham United have recorded only three clean sheets this PL season, who are unbeaten in their last three PL matches (one win and two draws), Aaron Wan-Bissaka can be a good defensive option this gameweek as they will face the last-placed Southampton.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and/or Virgil van Dijk are the obvious choices for the FPL players as the table toppers Liverpool will now host Leicester City. Both have identical scores of 66 points.
Midfielders
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka’s fans have got a massive hit as his hamstring injury is forcing him to miss the game for many weeks. However, there are some strong replacement options but with significantly higher prices. While Saka has a present value of £10.5, Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah has a value of £13.5, but he is approaching 200 points as the leader has already scored 177 points. Salah has scored 15 goals and 11 assists, and he has been involved in goals in all the last nine PL fixtures.
Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has recorded 131 points with a value of £11.2. Although Palmer hadn’t any significant impact in the last two PL games, he is in good touch.
In a budget value of £7.5 or lesser, Liverpool star Luis Diaz (86 points; £7.4), Fulham star Alex Iwobi (81 points; £5.8), West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen (81 points; £7.5), Chelsea midfielder Noni Madueke (76 points; £6.3), etc., are on top. These names can be used alternatively by looking at their respective fixture difficulties.
Under £5.5, Manchester United’s Amad Diallo is a strong name, as he scored one goal and six assists in the last seven PL matches, including returning with some additional performance points in five games.
Forwards
While Manchester City’s struggle continues, Erling Haaland fans are frustrated with his higher-value and unsatisfied return. The time has maybe come for his exclusion from the squad, as his £14.8 valuation will allow the players to set up a better squad.
Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins hasn’t played more than 65 minutes in the last four PL fixtures. While he has scored seven goals and three assists this PL season, he failed to bring additional performance points in seven out of the last nine games. While he played more than 80 minutes in four matches out of the last nine fixtures, he only managed to score one goal in those four PL games.
Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson scored only once in the last three PL games, but their upcoming fixture is against Fulham at home. In fact, the next five of Chelsea’s PL matches are all under the 4 difficulty rates.
The second-most points scorer in forward, Matheus Cunha from Wolves, is just two points away from the century mark. While he scored goals in the last two fixtures, their upcoming match against Manchester United can be a great option for the Brazilian to even surpass Haaland.
Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak is in incredible form as he scored six goals and two assists in the last four PL matches, including a hat trick against the visitors Ipswich Town in their last game.
