Fantasy Premier League: Three essential FPL tips ahead of GW22

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The Football Faithful

·15 January 2026

Fantasy Premier League: Three essential FPL tips ahead of GW22

Fantasy Premier League is back after an extended period away due to the FA Cup, so it’s beyond time for FPL tips and advice on transfers and captaincy ahead of Gameweek 22.

FPL Deadline: Friday, 17 August, 11:00 BST.

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Fantasy Premier League: Essential FPL tips ahead of GW22

Is Semenyo an automatic transfer in – or a trap?

There was no bedding-in or adjustment period for Antoine Semenyo at Manchester City, scoring twice in his first two games for his new club. At the time of writing, 243,000 managers have transferred the winger in ahead of Saturday’s Manchester Derby, and that number is rising rapidly.

It’s easy to see why; Semenyo has been an incredible pick all season, he’s in top form, and he’s now on a much stronger team. City also have a decent run of fixtures for the next three gameweeks.

There is, of course, one major question mark. The 25-year-old was a minutes monster at Bournemouth, playing the full 90 all but once this season, but that is no longer guaranteed. Indeed, far from it.

Semenyo is now competing for his place in an ultra-talented squad and Pep Guardiola is liable to rest him in any given game, and it’s a lot more likely that he gets subbed off early even when he does start.

That is the risk you are taking with him, but I do think it is still worth transferring him in, particularly if you need to get rid of problem players such as Matheus Cunha (£8.1m). He’s the top scoring midfielder in FPL, only two midfielders have accumulated more expected goals (7.64xG) and I expect him to excel at City.

One issue facing managers, though, is that many are already tripled up on City players. Is it worth selling Phil Foden (£8.7m) or Rayan Cherki (£6.8m)? I would probably hold onto the latter, but I think Foden is a sell right now. His hot streak is long over and Semenyo will be their secondary shooter after Erling Haaland (£15.1m).

Does Bruno go straight back in?

The return of Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) is a huge boost to Manchester United and also potentially to FPL managers. Although the Red Devils were unbeaten in four Premier League matches without their star man, they were woeful in attack during his absence.

The playmaker grabbed an assist in his first match back against Burnley, his 13th goal involvement of the season. He pumps out fantasy returns like it’s nobody’s business, even when United are at their worst.

But is now the right time to bring him back into your team? United host a City side desperate to close the gap to leaders Arsenal in GW22, one of the toughest fixtures of the season. They could benefit from a new manager bounce with the arrival of interim boss Michael Carrick, but there’s every chance they get played off the park.

It doesn’t get any easier next week either, when they travel to north London to take on the Gunners. The smart play is to wait for these fixtures to pass and transfer him in when the schedule easens in GW24; United will face Fulham, Spurs, West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace from that point.

That said, I would not necessarily discourage anyone from getting him now if they have the budget. Fernandes is capable of returning in any given game; he’s registered eight goal involvements in 16 games against City and five in 13 against Arsenal.

The best captains

Our faith in Haaland has wavered over the past month. The striker has blanked in three of his last four outings, scoring just one goal in that run. This weekend City play United away, which they should win comfortably, but derbies can be tricky affairs to predict. Though he is probably still the best pick for the armband in GW22, he is not the weekly automatic lock that he was earlier in the campaign. So who are the alternatives?

With Liverpool facing Burnley at Anfield, Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m) is the obvious answer. The French forward grabbed a goal and an assist against Barnsley in the cup upon making his return from a short injury layoff. He’s in line to start against the worst defence over the past six gameweeks, according to Opta’s xG numbers.

Arsenal, meanwhile, travel to the City Ground to play against a Nottingham Forest team that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in just over a month. I am not a fan of captaining of Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) unless it is painfully obvious he’s the best pick because, although he’s a brilliant player, he rarely returns with a massive haul. Gabriel Magalhães (£6.7m), on the other hand, has huge potential to score big here. On three occasions this season the centre-back has both scored a goal and kept a clean sheet, most recently against Aston Villa, and he has four double-digit hauls in total. And that’s with missing eight matches, don’t forget. His floor is a solid six-pointer with just a clean sheet, but he is also Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat from set pieces.

Lastly, Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) could be a differential shout against an Everton defence that conceded four goals against Brentford and one against lowly Wolves in their last two matches. It’s rare that the Aston Villa star scores more than once in a match, though.

Read – Top FPL tips to help you master Fantasy Premier League