FPL Gameweek 28 Preview: Free Risk Captaincy, Fixture Targeting, and GW31 Planning
- Sam
- Feb 27
- 4 min read
Gameweek 28 is not chaotic. It is not explosive. It is not one of those weeks where ten different moves look equally viable.
It is a discipline week.
The managers who gain rank here will not do so through wild swings. They will do so by targeting the correct fixture runs, making sensible structural decisions ahead of Blank Gameweek 31, and identifying where captaincy ownership is misaligned with projected points.
Let’s break it down properly.
Captaincy: Not Who You Think
At first glance, this looks like another week where Erling Haaland (£14.8m) will dominate the armband conversation.
Leeds away is perfectly reasonable. Ownership will be high. Captaincy will be high.
But when you look at the projected numbers, he is not top.
The leading captaincy option this week is Bruno Fernandes (£9.9m) at home to Crystal Palace.
His minutes are secure. His role is advanced. His underlying data remains strong. And the fixture profile supports both goal and assist potential. When you isolate expected points, he edges the field.
Very close behind him is Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) at home to West Ham.
Salah has quietly re-entered the captaincy conversation. His ownership has not yet fully recovered, which makes him a genuine differential. If you are chasing rank, he offers real upside with relatively limited downside given the fixture and his historical reliability.
This creates another “free risk” week for Algorithm users.
If Haaland is the most captained player but is not the top projected option, then captaining Bruno or Salah is not reckless. It is simply following expected value.
Those are the best types of captaincy weeks.
The Bigger Picture: Planning For GW31
Most teams should now be operating with one structural objective in mind:
Dead-end into Blank Gameweek 31, then Wildcard in GW32, Bench Boost in GW33 and Free Hit in GW34.
This does not mean aggressively selling Arsenal or City players today, it means being intentional.
For many teams, GW31 will likely require moving one or two premium defensive assets. A common example could be Gabriel (£7.1m) becoming a Fulham defender for their home fixture with Burnley in that blank week.
The key point is that transfers from now until GW31 should not create extra problems for that week. Structure matters more than short-term punts.
Fixture Runs: The Teams To Target
Fulham
Fulham remain top of the fixture ticker.
Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Burnley in the next four weeks is one of the most attractive defensive runs in the league.
Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) remains the standout asset. He is affordable, reliable and fits perfectly into most structures.
Harry Wilson (£5.9m) is now entering consideration for some teams. The price is attractive and the fixtures support attacking returns.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s run improves significantly. Mo Salah (£14.0m) is the obvious premium, but Virgil (£6.0m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.8m) also rate strongly on projected value over the next four to five weeks.
Holding and buying Liverpool assets through this stretch looks sensible.
Brentford
Brentford continue to rate extremely well.
Brighton, Burnley, Bournemouth, Wolves and Leeds in the next five weeks creates both clean sheet and attacking upside.
The Algorithm is consistently highlighting:
O.Dango (£5.9m)
Kevin Schade (£6.9m)
Thiago (£7.1m)
These are fixture-driven picks rather than form-driven picks.
That distinction matters.
The Flip Side: Who To Avoid
Chelsea now sit bottom of the fixture ticker until GW32.
This validates the reluctance to aggressively buy Joao Pedro (£7.7m) and Cole Palmer (£10.6m) last week. Owners should now be planning exit routes, particularly for Joao Pedro.
Transfer Strategy: Do Not Force It
This is an important point.
Many teams simply do not need to make a transfer this week.
Rolling is a strong play.
If you already own strong assets from Fulham, Liverpool or Brentford, there is no need to chase marginal upgrades.
The best transfers this week are likely to be:
Virgil (£6.0m)
O.Dango (£5.9m)
Harry Wilson (£5.9m)
Thiago (£7.1m)
Marcos Senesi (£4.9m)
But only if they genuinely improve your structure.
Trap Watch
The most transferred-in player is Virgil (£6.0m), and this week the crowd appears to be correct.
However, O’Reilly (£5.0m) is second most transferred in, which is a classic case of points chasing due to his 2 goals last weekend. Buying Arsenal or City players before their GW31 blank can create unnecessary friction. O’Reilly is also a rotation risk, which compounds the problem.
On the sales side, Enzo (£6.8m), Chalobah (£5.7m), and Joao Pedro (£7.7m) are among the most sold players. Given fixture context, those moves are largely sensible.
The Main Takeaway
Gameweek 28 is about calm optimisation.
Captaincy offers another chance to gain rank through rational decision-making.
Transfers should support GW31 structure, not fight it.
And if your team already aligns well with strong fixture runs, rolling may be the smartest move of all.
Want The Exact Moves For Your Squad?
The Algorithm runs your specific team and sends you personalised:
Transfers
Captain and vice-captain
Bench order
Chip strategy
If you want precision rather than guesswork:
Good luck for GW28.
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