FPL Gameweek 5 preview: Every player you need to think about

With European action kicking off this week, it's time to turn attention back to the Premier League once more and check out what Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers need to be thinking about ahead of the next round of fixtures.

Gameweek 5 kicks off with the Merseyside derby as Liverpool host Everton on Saturday (20 September) with kick-off at 12.30pm BST (7.30am ET / 4.30am PT) and the FPL deadline closes 90 minutes before then (11am BST / 6am ET / 3am PT).

WHY NOT READ: The best Fantasy Premier League team names and how to change it

It can be tricky knowing if it's best to stick or twist, who to bring in for each Gameweek. But indy100 will have you covered through the whole season ahead of every one - taking fixtures, form, how well players do against specific clubs and more into account.

Here's our guide on who to pick for Gameweek 5.

Sunderland's Robin Roefs is the second highest scoring goalkeeper in FPL so far / Getty Images

Best Gameweek 5 goalkeeper picks

Spurs' Vicario (£5.0m) has been the pick of the goalkeepers in FPL so far and with their run of kind fixtures continuing, he is one to be thinking about, with Brighton, Wolves and Leeds United up next.

Looking at potential alternatives, Bournemouth have no red in their next five so Djordje Petrovic (£4.5m) could prove fruitful. Leeds United have kept two clean sheets out of four with no red fixture in their next eight, so Karl Darlow (£4.0m) could be an option with Lucas Perri (£4.5m) out injured until at least Gameweek 6.

Sunderland have also kept two clean sheets so far with no red fixture in their next four, making Robin Roefs (£4.5m) a decent choice too. He's already the second highest scoring goalkeeper at the time of writing.

Best Gameweek 5 defender picks

Defender picks seem to be more crucial than ever this season with four defenders among the top 10 FPL points scorers so far.

Another Spurs asset in Micky van de Ven (£4.7m) is the most transferred in defender ahead of Gameweek 5, netting 14 points last time out with a good run ahead.

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi (£4.7m) is proving a popular pick at that price point too. He's a cheaper alternative to Daniel Munoz (£5.6m) for players looking to add a Palace defender to their ranks.

Bournemouth options could prove strong again with Marcos Sensei (£4.6m) being the highest points scorer for the Cherries' defence so far this season.

Is Chelsea's Cole Palmer finding form again after a small spell on the sidelines? / Getty Images

Best Gameweek 5 midfielder picks

Once again, Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (£7.5m) is the most transferred in player ahead of Gameweek 5. He's the highest scoring midfielder by eight points so far and seems to be the top early season pick.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer (£10.4m) is also one of the most popular picks for this Gameweek, coming off the bench at Brentford with a goal and further big chances. He also scored at Bayern Munich midweek and had a goal ruled out for offside in the 3-1 defeat.

We seem to be saying this every week but given how good Spurs' run is, it's hard to look past these assets, with Brennan Johnson (£7.1m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.6m) strong options.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) is a real head scratcher for those with him in their teams - he's the top Liverpool points scorer but the performances themselves haven't really reflected that. However with the arrival of Alexander Isak, the Reds could rotate but Salah is surely one that will stay in the side no matter what and he's the Liverpool penalty taker. Decisions, decisions...

Best Gameweek 5 forward picks

That Salah debate is heightened more by the fact Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£14.2m) is on fire. He's the top points scorer in FPL so far and has scored five goals in the opening four Premier League games.

Chelsea's Joao Pedro (£7.8m) is the most popular player in the game, he's in more than two thirds of squads, with his 33 points and attacking returns in each of the last three games showing why he's a must have.

One player to look out for this Gameweek is Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) - he's only scored once this season but could get back among the goals at an out-of-sorts West Ham United at the weekend.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Fantasy Premier League: When is the best time to use chips?
• The best Fantasy Premier League team names and how to change it

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