The 50/50s that split FPL managers

Gameweek 1Haaland or Bruno?

The split

The captaincy was as close as FPL gets. Haaland (£15.5m) had Bournemouth at home; Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) was away at newly promoted Hull. AllAboutFPL's poll had Haaland on 39% and Bruno on 37%. Fantasy Football Scout's had them at 34% and 27%.

Haaland was in around 70% of teams and had scored 15 home league goals last season, so leaving him out felt like the risk. Bruno had nailed-on minutes, penalties and the top projection on several models (Fantasy Football Hub had him on 7.1 to Haaland's 6.6), while Haaland had missed pre-season and played only about 52 minutes in the Community Shield.

Alongside it: Bench Boost now, or later? The pitch was to get points from all 15 players before an early Wildcard.

What happened

Hull beat Manchester United 2–0, and Bruno and Mbeumo both blanked. Haaland blanked too, at home to Bournemouth, despite getting the best chances. Both captains scored 2.

The week belonged to Brighton: Maxim De Cuyper scored 17 and Hinshelwood 16. A record 814,606 managers played Bench Boost, the most ever in an opening week.

What the managers did

All five of the creators we follow captained Bruno, and four of them played Bench Boost. Let's Talk FPL had De Cuyper on his bench, where the boost counted all 17. FPL General went the other way on the armband, with Haaland and Bench Boost, and scored 82, more than any of them.

Our own coin said Haaland, and Bench Boost. Read our GW1 Verdict.

Gameweek 2The same dilemma, a very different answer

The split

A week later, the same two names. Haaland was away at Crystal Palace and Bruno at home to Ipswich. This time the polls leaned Bruno, 37% to 26% on AllAboutFPL, and Fantasy Football Fix projected him at 7.6 to Haaland's 6.0. The doubters pointed at his GW1: almost no shots in the box at Hull.

Elsewhere, De Cuyper was the most-bought player after his 17, 279,227 managers started early Wildcards, and 338,660 played the Bench Boost they had held back.

What happened

Bruno scored a hat-trick and added an assist in a 5–2 win: 23 points, the biggest single-match haul of his FPL career. Haaland scored twice in a 4–1 win at Palace with maximum bonus for 13. A good score, but 20 captain points short of Bruno. Haaland was still the most-captained player.

What the managers did

All five creators captained Bruno again. FPL Mate, who had waited a week to play Bench Boost, scored 150, the best of the group by 35.

Our coin said Bruno this time. Read our GW2 Verdict.

Gameweek 3Triple Captain now, or wait?

The split

Captaincy wasn't the question. Haaland at home to winless Coventry was everyone's pick, with projections between 7.2 and 7.9. The real 50/50 was timing: Triple Captain Haaland now, or save it for his other home games against promoted sides, Ipswich in GW7 and Hull in GW16? The Premier League's own Scout article set out exactly that choice.

Many also wanted a City-heavy team for the week, which raised a second question. Wildcard to rebuild for good, or Free Hit to borrow City players for one weekend and keep the Wildcard? Meanwhile Cherki, after his brace at Palace, became the most transferred-in player in FPL history: 2,141,186.

What happened

Haaland scored once with maximum bonus: 9 points, 27 for those on Triple Captain. Solid, not the haul people were dreaming of. He scored twice for City in the Champions League a few days later. Cherki returned 3, and the average was 51.

A record 1,787,071 managers played Triple Captain, the most ever in a single gameweek, alongside 709,478 Wildcards and 421,239 Free Hits.

What the managers did

All five creators played a chip and captained Haaland, but they split three ways on which chip. Let's Talk FPL, Pras and FPL Focal Wildcarded. Ben Crellin played Free Hit and topped the group with 55. FPL Mate went with Triple Captain for 49.

In Fantasy Football Scout's "Great and the Good", a group of 18 well-known managers, every one played a chip, and Triple Captain Haaland was the most common.

Our coin said Triple Captain. Read our GW3 Verdict.

Gameweek 4Palmer or João Pedro (or Haaland in the derby)?

The split

A three-way split. Chelsea hosted Hull while City went to Old Trafford. AllAboutFPL's poll had Palmer on 29%, João Pedro on 28% and Haaland on 15%. Palmer had penalties and the extra point a midfielder gets for a goal. João Pedro had more chances and a full midweek rest, while Palmer played 45 minutes in the cup. Some models (RotoWire, FPL Copilot) ranked both Chelsea players above Haaland.

Fantasy Football Scout even ran a pros and cons piece on Triple Captain Palmer, with Hull yet to concede. It was also the big Wildcard week: 760,682 played one, the most of the season so far, with Palmer and Morgan Rogers the key buys.

What happened

Chelsea drew 2–2 with Hull. Haaland scored the winner at Old Trafford after City went down to ten men, with Foden sent off.

Captaincy figures from the Premier League; points from official FPL data. The polls had Haaland third, yet more than four million managers still gave him the armband.

What the managers did

All five creators captained Palmer, and four did it with Triple Captain for 15 points. FPL Mate Wildcarded instead. FPL Focal topped the group with 105.

In Scout's Great and the Good, most captained Palmer and seven played Triple Captain on him. Thomas Brønsby went with João Pedro instead and took the lead in the group's captaincy points.

Our coin said Palmer. Read our GW4 Verdict.

Gameweek 5Haaland or Gibbs-White? Start the Brighton players?

The split

Haaland at home to Sunderland, or Morgan Gibbs-White at home to winless Coventry? AllAboutFPL's poll had it 55% to 24%, and projections 6.9 to 6.1. Gibbs-White was the most-bought player of the week, and some sold an injury-doubt João Pedro.

The real headache was the bench. Brighton were at home to an Arsenal side that had barely conceded. Start Pascal Groß and De Cuyper, or bench them for "safer" Arsenal defenders? Most benched them. It was also the last call before a three-week international break, so some held their Wildcards back.

What happened

Brighton won 3–0. Groß scored 14 and De Cuyper 6, and owners of two Arsenal defenders lost both clean sheets. City beat Sunderland 5–3, but Haaland managed only 6, from a late tap-in, while Semenyo and Brobbey (with a hat-trick) both scored 17.

Forest lost 1–0 at home to Coventry and Gibbs-White scored 2. Bruno blanked again at Fulham, his fourth blank in five, and João Pedro picked up an injury in Chelsea's 3–0 defeat at Brentford.

What the managers did

Four of the five creators captained Haaland; Ben Crellin went with Gibbs-White. Let's Talk FPL benched Groß and De Cuyper and left exactly 20 points on his bench, and FPL Mate left 23.

In Scout's Great and the Good, Tom Freeman's Bench Boost brought 19 bench points and topped the group with 63.

Our coin benched De Cuyper. Read our GW5 Verdict.