FPL GW8 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 8

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 8 of the FPL 2022/23 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and help you maximise your FPL points for Gameweek 8 and beyond.

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

Link to all our FPL GW8 blogs including fixtures to target, predicted 11, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW8 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered

1) Should you play the Wildcard in Gameweek 8?

With the news of three fixtures getting postponed for Gameweek 8, many managers are considering using the Wildcard chip this week. I think it’s still very team dependent. 

If most of your team includes players from Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United, Leeds, Brighton and Crystal Palace, it might be difficult to field a playing XI. In this case, it is better to use the Wildcard and sort out your team for GW8.  

The other scenario is if you are short by 1-2 players and maybe have players like Neco Williams and Ward who don’t have a high potential for points this week. In this situation, it’s essential to see what can be done with your free transfers and maybe even a hit. Despite that, if you can’t get to a strong team, it might be worth it to play the Wildcard now.

Another thing to note is that this week’s Wildcard team might not be very different from the one in GW9. So you can take advantage of the blank fixtures and set up a strong squad for GW8 and beyond. Another advantage is that you will be ahead of FPL managers who will take hits to field a whole team this week and then Wildcard in GW9.

The flip side is that you will probably have to let go of your Liverpool assets, who blank this week, but they can still do well from an attacking sense in the coming games. You’ll also end up letting go of your Arsenal players on a Wildcard. It is not ideal as they have a decent game against Brentford, but the upcoming fixtures are tricky, and the Wildcard lets you get rid of the Arsenal players without taking any hits.

Ultimately, if you are far from the ideal team, using the Wildcard should give you stability, but make sure to list the pros and cons before hitting that Wildcard button. Using it in GW8 instead of GW9 might leave you a bit exposed. Injury concerns can come up over the International Break into GW9, which can leave you in a tough spot. 

It’s essential to look at your current team, see what you are gaining and letting go and accordingly take the call. 

Check this Wildcard draft and see how far off you are from the ideal team for Gameweek 8 and beyond.

Look at my Ultimate Wildcard Guide for GW8!

2) Should we hold/sell Liverpool players this week?

Liverpool has struggled this season with only two wins in the first six games. Napoli also comprehensively beat them before they won against Ajax in the Champions League this week. That brings us to the question: what to do with Liverpool players?

Liverpool has looked very poor defensively, and I don’t expect them to keep a lot of clean sheets in the near future. If you still own both Trent and Robertson, both make a compelling case for selling. 

Robertson is injured and might even get reduced minutes once he is back. Trent is also worth selling if you don’t have players like Cancelo and Trippier who look like better options in the short-medium term. Even a Reece James on a Wildcard over Trent is not a wrong choice despite him not having a game in GW8. 

Moving to the Liverpool attack, we have Mohamed Salah, the most expensive player in FPL. He doesn’t have a game this week, and I think it’s worth moving on from him to a different premium option. I am still of the opinion to keep that premium spot in midfield if Salah starts firing and you want him back. The play right now can be to play KDB this week, then move on to Sterling from GW9-11 and get Salah from GW12. 

You can spread the cash, too, and make significant upgrades elsewhere. Be careful; overdoing it might make getting Salah or any premium midfielder back trickier unless you have a Wildcard to play. I really don’t trust options like Bowen, Maddison, and Zaha to get them all together and replace the premium spot. 

Diaz is another option I would be on the move from this week as there are some short-term punts like Kulusevski or Saka you can go for. This is great if you are not Wildcarding right now. But in case you are, it is better to go for Zaha long-term. 

Even a Darwin Nunez has replacements available. You can upgrade to a Kane if you have the funds and take a punt on him. If you are not convinced by Tottenham, then go for options like Mitrovic or even Isak from Newcastle. 

Want more insights on Liverpool? Check out this video!

3) What to do with Chelsea players right now?

Many FPL managers have this dilemma around Chelsea players and what to do with them. 

We saw Potter taking charge of Chelsea in a 1-1 draw against Salzburg. Chelsea continued to play a back 3 with Fofana and Koulibaly benched for this game. James, as expected, played RWB and was the most advanced defender. James is still a perfect hold for Gameweek 8 and beyond. In fact, if I was Wildcarding this week, I would still get/keep James and just bench him for the blank gameweek. 

Cucurella, on the other hand, is a sell for me and you can easily get to Trippier from Newcastle who has looked quite decent so far this season. There is potential for rotation with Chilwell in the mix, and I am genuinely more comfortable with keeping James from defense right now. 

Fofana is an exciting one for me! It might be too early to commit, but he can be a nailed option in that Chelsea team. Being the cheapest entry in the Chelsea defence, he provides excellent value. Chelsea’s fixtures aren’t the most straightforward when we talk about clean sheet potential, but an option like Fofana can still outscore players like Coufal from West Ham. It’s a tricky decision, but it’s worth bringing Fofana on a Wildcard. 

All Chelsea attackers are an avoid for me at the moment. I want to see them for a couple of weeks before jumping on to anyone in particular. The fixtures are a lot better from an attacking sense, and with Potter coming in, new options in attack can emerge soon. 

There is one exception to this thought. If you have Sterling on your team and can afford to hold him and play someone else from your bench, do it. Otherwise, sell him and upgrade to Kevin De Bruyne this week, or you can even downgrade to a Zaha long-term, especially on a Wildcard.

Further Read: FPL GW8 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW8 Deadline

4) What are the best midfielders to target in GW8?(with/without a Wildcard)

Using the Wildcard chip in Gameweek 8, you would probably want to move on players like Salah, Diaz, Groß, and even Rashford. Now, if you are looking at the short-medium term, you can replace Salah with KDB and maybe Sterling if Chelsea starts playing well. 

There are a lot of replacements in the Diaz price bracket, which is one of the biggest dilemmas for this week. Despite so many options, there are no standout picks to be fair. 

We have Maddison from Leicester, who has done okay, but the team is currently struggling. The only thing that is going for them now is the fixtures. They have a tricky fixture against Tottenham this week, but then they face Forest, Bournemouth, Palace, and Leeds in the next four. It’s still a risky bet, but fixture-wise, he looks like the option to go for in the short term.

There is also Bowen, but West Ham hasn’t shown much in attack. Plus, Bowen has had no returns so far this season. They also play in the Europa League, and some tired players might be on the pitch for the Hammers soon. One thing that is a plus with Bowen is that he may be on penalties. The fixtures for West Ham aren’t spectacular. Everton and Wolves next can be tricky games. Fulham and Southampton after that have haul potential before another challenging game against Liverpool in GW12.

Wilfried Zaha is the player I am interested in and is worth going for, especially on a Wildcard. I understand he doesn’t have a fixture this week but has good matches from GW10 onwards. Even against Chelsea in GW9, he has the potential to score. We have seen enough to tell us that Zaha is Palace’s main goal-scoring threat and is also on penalties. If you can manage a strong playing XI this week, I think he is worth a shot on a Wildcard.

If you are looking at a short-term one-week punt, Kulusevski against Leicester is up there. There are chances that Son gets a rest for this game, and that is my reason for not including him here. Son has also looked quite average in the recent games, and Conte might decide to play Kane, Kulusevski, and Richarlison together. Kulusevski not starting in the CL game midweek also helps his cause, and he is a decent option this week.

Many managers are considering moving from Arsenal players on a Wildcard, and a last roll of the dice with Saka looks good too. Saka has been more involved in recent games. With most managers retaining Martinelli with/without a Wildcard, Saka could be an even better differential. 

Another differential pick can be Saint-Maximin from Newcastle. He is back in training and if we get news of him being fine this week, he is definitely a great punt. There can be a haul in there against Bournemouth who has not looked great defensively and does concede a lot of chances.

Further Read: FPL Players And Teams To Target From Gameweek 8

5) Should you play your Free Hit chip in case of no Wildcard?

I think there are better opportunities to use the Free Hit later in the season when we have bigger blanks or even double gameweeks to deal with. 

If you have already used your Wildcard and can only field 6-7 players this week, I suggest taking a few hits and getting in long-term options for your FPL team. The bare minimum is having 10 players playing this week. If you can achieve such a team with -4 or even -8, I think a Free Hit is best saved for a later time. 

In an unlikely situation where you take hits but are still stuck with low ceiling options like Reed, Ward, Iverson, etc., and are short of a playing XI, too, a Free Hit is the better option. In most cases, I would try to get the best out of this worst situation and minimise the loss by planning for future weeks. 

That will be all from this week. Do let me know what you think about these dilemmas. Also, tell me in the comments or drop me a DM on Instagram/Twitter if I have missed out on anything specific.

All the best for FPL Gameweek 8, and I will see you all very soon!

You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. Follow me on Instagram for daily FPL updates. 

If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW8

FPL GW8 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
FPL GW8 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 8
Top FPL Gameweek 8 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW8 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW8 Deadline
FPL GW8 Scout Picks | FPLDaggaFC & AllAboutFPL
Predicted GW8 Lineups of All 14 Premier League Teams
FPL Players And Teams To Target From Gameweek 8
FPL GW8 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

FPL GW8 Wildcard Special Stream

In this video, we cover the Pros & Cons of GW8 WC, fixture analysis, players to target, differentials, WC drafts & more with relevant injury news and mid-week game updates as we recorded on Thursday. Do subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already!

Link to all our FPL GW8 blogs including fixtures to target, predicted 11, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Thanks for reading the ‘FPL GW8 Preview’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 90,000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 8 of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering player comparisons, differential picks, transfer trends, Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, eye test report, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, FPL GW8 tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

FPL Gameweek 8 FPL Deadline Countdown

Login and set your team for FPL GW8 now!