B.Fernandes Vs Palmer
The call — Two premium mids, one obvious tie-breaker — and it isn't the price tag. My numbers make Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) the pick of the pair over the opening six. United's run is about as kind as it gets: HUL (A), IPS (H), EVE (A), then MCI (H) before FUL (A) and TOT (H). Across those six I have him around 31…
Cole Palmer (£9.5m) is the value angle. Chelsea's start is friendly too — FUL (A), BHA (H), ARS (A), HUL (H), BRE (A), BOU (H) — and I have him at roughly 29 points over the same stretch. That's a couple of points less than Fernandes for £2.5m less, and hardly anyone has him: about 1 in 10. If you want to free up cash elsewhere, that's your man, and he can absolutely go massive on his day.
The honest nuance: the gap between them is small — under half a point a game — and that's well inside the range where a single haul flips it. Fernandes's edge in my numbers is consistency of returns, not a huge points advantage. Palmer's cheaper, less owned, and the £2.5m saved can buy a proper upgrade in defence or a third premium forward. But note the sting in each run: United host City in that block, and Chelsea travel to Arsenal. Neither six-game stretch is a free pass, and the fixture kindness is front-loaded in both cases.
One more thing worth saying plainly: at nearly 5 in 10 owned, Fernandes is a hold-or-hurt asset. Missing him in a HUL (A) and IPS (H) double-header is the sort of thing that quietly costs you a hundred ranks a week.
FPL VERDICT — Fernandes: buy. He tops my list for a reason: the best projected return of the two, the softer opening, and enough ownership that going without is a real gamble. If you're already stretched at the top end, Palmer at £9.5m is the sensible workaround — a clear buy for anyone who needs the £2.5m elsewhere, and a genuine captain shout at home to HUL and BOU.