The FPL Template: The Players Almost Everyone Owns
The call — The crowd's £7.8m striker is projected for just 11-12 points over the next six gameweeks — and nearly 7 in 10 of us own him. That's João Pedro, and it's the softest spot in this week's template. He's still in the most-owned XI because everyone bought him weeks ago, not because the numbers back him now. Our model has him…
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Now the piece we genuinely can't skip: Haaland, £15.6m, owned by roughly 7 in 10 managers and projected for a hefty 36-37 points over six. That's not a differential, it's insurance. Not owning him is a bet against the field, and we don't take that bet.
The template's best-kept open secret is De Cuyper at £4.9m. Only about 2-3 in 10 own him, yet our projections have him top of the whole XI — around 43-44 points over the next six gameweeks. That's premium-midfielder output from a budget defender. The crowd has noticed: Brighton bodies dominate this week's transfer traffic, with Groß pulling in over 200,000 buyers and De Cuyper and Kostoulas moving too. Getting in before he's a 4-in-10 player is how we protect rank cheaply. The caveat is the usual one for a £4.9m defender — his value lives and dies on clean sheets, and Brighton's aren't guaranteed — but at that price the downside is tiny.
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m, ~4 in 10) leads the midfield on projection at 42-43 points over six and justifies his tag, while Rogers at £7.7m is the value cover — 4 in 10 own him and he's usually good for a solid return most weeks. Palmer projects well too, but at £9.7m he's the luxury version of what Rogers gives cheaper. Cherki is the midfielder we can most comfortably live without — decent, not essential.
The call: Haaland, De Cuyper and Bruno are the shields — own all three. Rogers is the sensible fourth. And João Pedro is the one template piece it's safe to skip: if you own him, plan the exit this week or next; if you don't, spend the £7.8m elsewhere and don't look back.