B.Fernandes Vs Palmer: The Better FPL Pick
The call — Fernandes or Palmer? My numbers make this less close than the price gap suggests. Bruno Fernandes is my pick — and it's not a coin flip. Over the next six gameweeks I project him for close to fifty points, a full dozen clear of Cole Palmer's high-thirties. That's roughly two extra points a week, every week, from now until the…
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Yes, Fernandes costs £12.0m to Palmer's £9.6m, and £2.4m is real money in a squad build. But look at what you're paying for. Fernandes has a very kind run coming: MCI (H) is the one awkward opener, but after that it's FUL (A), TOT (H), LEE (A), BOU (H) and CHE (A) — the sort of stretch where a player of his output should be good for 7-8 most weeks, with the odd double-digit haul when everything clicks. He's on everything for United — set pieces, penalties, the lot — which is exactly why my numbers rate him so highly.
The honest case for Palmer: he's £2.4m cheaper, only about 2 in 10 managers own him against roughly 5 in 10 for Fernandes, so he's the one who moves you up the ranks if he goes big. And his fixtures are genuinely lovely too — HUL (H), BRE (A), BOU (H), EVE (A), TOT (H), then MUN (H). On his day he can go massive; nobody needs reminding of that.
But here's the thing: both players have kind runs, so the fixtures don't separate them. The projection does. When two attractive options cover the same stretch of gameweeks and one of them is a dozen points better in my numbers, the cheaper man needs a very good excuse — and "he's a differential" isn't enough of one when the gap is this wide. Palmer at £9.6m is a fine hold if you already own him; I'm not telling anyone to sell. But if you're choosing which one to bring in this week, the answer is clear.
One caveat worth stating plainly: half the game already owns Fernandes, so he protects your rank more than he builds it. That's the trade — safety and points over swing.
My call: buy Fernandes. If the £2.4m simply isn't there, Palmer is a respectable fallback — but find the money if you can. Fernandes is the stronger pick for the next six, and by a distance.