Palmer Vs B.Fernandes: The Better FPL Pick

Palmer or Fernandes? My numbers say save the £2.3m

Here's the headline: my projections have Cole Palmer edging Bruno Fernandes over the next six gameweeks — around 38 points to 37 — and Palmer costs £9.7m to Bruno's £12.0m. When the cheaper player is also the higher-scoring one, that's not really a debate. That's a verdict.

Palmer's run of fixtures is a big part of it. Chelsea face Brentford away, then Bournemouth at home, Everton away, and home games against Spurs and United before a trip to Sunderland. That's a very kind stretch, with plenty of matches where Chelsea should dominate the ball and Palmer — on penalties, on set pieces, the focal point of everything creative — gets his chances. He's the sort of player who's usually good for a steady return most weeks and can go massive when a game opens up.

Bruno's case isn't bad, to be clear. His fixtures are favourable too — Fulham away, Spurs at home, Leeds away, Bournemouth at home — and he's as nailed as any midfielder in the game. My numbers still like him plenty. But you're paying £2.3m more for slightly less, and that money is a bench upgrade or the difference between a mid-price forward and a premium one elsewhere in your squad.

Ownership tells the other story. Roughly 4 in 10 managers already have Bruno; fewer than 3 in 10 have Palmer. So Palmer isn't just cheaper and marginally higher-scoring in my projections — he's the pick that moves you away from the crowd rather than into it. If he hits one of his trademark big weeks against Spurs or United at Stamford Bridge, you gain ground. If Bruno hauls, most of your rivals score with you anyway.

The honest caveat: one point over six gameweeks is a thin margin, and Bruno's minutes are about as bankable as it gets — United funnel everything through him, and he rarely misses a game. If you already own him, this is not a sell signal. Hold him happily.

But if it's a straight choice with the transfer in your hand? Buy Palmer. Cheaper, projected slightly higher, owned by fewer, and staring at a lovely run of fixtures. That's my pick, and it isn't close enough on price to think twice.