FPL Gameweek 8 preview: Every player you need to think about as Premier League returns

It's back. The penultimate international break of 2025 has come and gone and that means Premier League action returns this weekend with loads for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers to be thinking about.

Gameweek 8 kicks off when Nottingham Forest host Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime (18 October) 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 8.

Arsenal assets, such as top FPL scoring defender Jurrien Timber, are likely to provide strong returns over the next few weeks / Getty Images

Best Gameweek 8 goalkeeper picks

It's hard to look past any of the top four goalkeepers in terms of FPL points at the moment. Tied at the top are Newcastle United's Nick Pope (£5.1m) and Sunderland's Robin Roefs (£4.6m).

Newcastle travel to Brighton this weekend and Sunderland host an out-of-sorts Wolves so it might be time to bring Roefs in if he's not in already.

The two behind those in third and fourth respectively are Spurs' Vicario (£5.1m) and Arsenal's David Raya (£5.7m). Spurs have a bit of a tougher run coming up now though whereas Arsenal have come through a tough start to the season and don't have a red fixture in their next five.

In the shorter term, Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m) could be a strong candidate to get a clean sheet at home to Everton but City then have three red fixtures in their next four.

Best Gameweek 8 defender picks

Set piece and defensive contributions seem to be the way to go for defenders this season. Or just Arsenal assets as the Gunners have three players in Gabriel (£6.3m), Jurrien Timber (£5.9m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m) in the top six with Timber and Gabriel first and second. And Arsenal have a great run coming up.

There are three centre-backs right up there providing good value for money too and they are Newcastle United's Dan Burn (£5.1m), Bournemouth's Marcos Sensei (£5.0m) and Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi (£4.9m).

We mentioned him last time out but Sunderland's Omar Alderete (£4.1m) could be a good cheaper alternative with the Black Cats hosting Wolves.

Is now the time to bring in West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen? / Getty Images

Best Gameweek 8 midfielder picks

He's got to be in everyone's team by now - Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) has outscored every other midfielder by at least 21 points.

With Chelsea having just one red fixture in their next eight, Moises Caicedo (£5.8m) and Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) already sit in the top four best performers this season and could provide further returns over the coming weeks, especially with a trip to a struggling Nottingham Forest next.

Again with Arsenal having a good run too, it could be time to bring in the likes of Bukayo Saka (£9.9m) or Eberechi Eze (£7.6m).

Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m) has been playing like a forward for the Eagles and could be a strong option - while Palace only have one red fixture in their next six, there are no green fixtures at all in that run.

Best Gameweek 8 forward picks

Another one that has to be nailed on now is Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£14.5m), the top points scorer in FPL so far with 70. But who should you have alongside him?

Looking at the fixtures, Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (£7.2m) could be a strong pick, especially as he's also on penalties. Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres (£9.1m) is likely to return over the next few weeks too.

Chelsea's decent run makes Joao Pedro (£7.7m) an option but one that should not be overlooked at the same price is West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m). Bowen only sits four points behind Pedro at the moment.

The Hammers may have turned a corner in terms of performance under Nuno Espirito Santo despite defeat to Arsenal last time out and a favourable run with just one red fixture in the next nine could lead to frequent returns. He is the main man in that team after all.

A cheaper alternative could be Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.5m) with Leeds having a decent run of fixtures on the horizon.

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

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.