With AFCON starting this weekend in Morocco, Gameweek 17 feels like a real reset button for the Premier League and Fantasy managers alike. The Africa Cup of Nations has seen a number of big EPL names jet off for international duty — Egypt’s Mohamed Salah among them — meaning clubs and FPL squads are coping without some key contributors just as the festive fixtures ramp up. This break in domestic availability has already started to tilt attacking and midfield pecking orders, creating both headaches and opportunity knocks for managers hunting differential points while the African stars chase continental glory.
Off the pitch, drama continues to swirl at Old Trafford with Bruno Fernandes’ recent interview sparking fresh speculation over his future at Manchester United. The Portuguese captain admitted feeling “hurt” by how his club handled transfer interest this past summer — comments that pundits and insiders alike have cast as fuel for potential exit talk next year, even as United publicly maintain he’s part of long-term plans. Whether this unrest translates into league performances remains to be seen, but it’s already adding an intriguing subplot to FPL captaincy and midfield discussions ahead of the weekend.
And if last Gameweek was anything to go by, this season continues to reward the brave rather than the bandwagoners. The top three point scorers of the round were all owned by fewer than 3% of managers, with Callum Hudson-Odoi (19 points, 0.8% owned), Malo Gusto (18 points, 2.5%), and Ibrahim Sangaré (18 points, a scarcely believable 0.1%) leading the charts. A quick glance at the Sel.% and RP columns tells its own story — big hauls are increasingly coming from left-field picks rather than template staples. As rotations kick in, AFCON absences bite, and managers chase safety, this is shaping up to be a phase of the season where well-timed differentials can swing mini-leagues fast. We are in for exciting times, my friends.
So, let’s start with our BUY-HOLD-SELL article for FPL Gameweek 17, sponsored by …. Well, nobody. We are poor, but you can help here if you want.
Link to all our FPL GW17 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!
FPL Gameweek 17 Transfer Tips: Two Players to BUY
PS – I am assuming everyone has Haaland in their teams. If not, he is your priority buy
Phil Foden (£8.8m) – MID, Man City – 37.5% TSB
If Manchester City were Mount Olympus, Phil Foden is no longer the promising demi-god — he’s fully ascended. With De Bruyne no longer in the picture after his move to Napoli and Haaland thriving as the focal point of the attack, Foden has become the chief conduit between midfield craft and goal threat, operating with both freedom and responsibility.
Since GW13, among midfielders, Foden isn’t just leading — he’s dominating the pantheon:
1st for Big Chances, xG, Goals, Goal Involvements, BPS, and FPL Points
2nd for xGI, xPts, Bonus, and Shots on Target
This isn’t form; this is destiny.
Now enter West Ham at the Etihad — a defence that currently sits 19th or 20th across almost every defensive metric that matters (xGC, Big Chances Conceded, Shots in the Box, NPxGC). This is the kind of fixture mythology is written about: a hero at peak power facing a crumbling foe.
There’s no twist here. No subplot.
Don’t overthink. Just buy Foden.
Further Read: Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m) – MID, Bournemouth – 43.5% TSB
If Foden is poetry, Semenyo is a Saturday morning cartoon — loud, direct, and relentlessly entertaining. No overthinking. No finesse monologues. Just beep-beep and straight through goalkeepers.
Among midfielders, Semenyo’s numbers scream controlled chaos:
- 1st for Goals
- 2nd for Goal Involvements, FPL Points, Shots in the Box, Shots on Target
- 3rd for xG
He’s not hanging around the edge of games — he’s right in the danger zone, every single week.
And Burnley at home? That’s basically a painted tunnel on a cliff wall:
- 20th for xGC, NPxGC, Big Chances Conceded, Shots Conceded
- 19th–20th for Shots in the Box, Goals Conceded, xCS
This is the kind of fixture where Bournemouth attackers don’t need elegance — they just need repetition. And Semenyo thrives on volume.
No origin story needed here.
Again — Don’t overthink. Just buy Semenyo.
Further Read: Best Mbeumo Replacements to Consider ahead of FPL GW17
FPL GW17 Transfer Tips: Two Players to HOLD
Jurriën Timber (£6.5m) – DEF, Arsenal – 33.1% TSB
This one shouldn’t even be a debate — yet here we are.
With Ben White sidelined for at least a month, Timber walks into guaranteed starts for the best defensive unit in the league. Yet somehow, he’s the second most transferred-out unflagged defender this Gameweek. That’s not strategy — that’s panic selling.
Arsenal currently rank 1st (best) for:
- Shots Conceded
- Shots in the Box Conceded
- Shots on Target Conceded
- Big Chances Conceded
- NPxGC, xGC, xCS
- Goals Conceded & Clean Sheets
This isn’t fixture-proof — it’s fixture-agnostic.
Selling a nailed defender from a defence this dominant is how you lose steady green arrows chasing flashy upside. Timber is not a problem to solve. He’s the solution you already own.
Easy HOLD.
FPL GW17 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
David Raya (£6.0m) – GKP, Arsenal – 36.5% TSB
Raya being the most transferred-out goalkeeper this week is another classic case of managers overreacting to noise instead of data.
He faces Everton — a side ranked:
- 18th for Shots on Target
- 18th for Goals Scored
And history backs it up. In the last five meetings, Everton have managed just two goals total, one of them a penalty.
Pair that with Arsenal’s league-leading defensive metrics and Raya’s secure minutes, and what you have is a goalkeeper with:
- High clean-sheet probability
- Low volatility
- Bonus upside when saves stack up
Goalkeepers are not explosive picks — they’re variance dampeners. Raya is doing exactly what he’s meant to do.
Selling him now is chasing last week’s points.
Another clear HOLD.
Further Read: Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
FPL GW17 Transfer Tips: Two Players to SELL
Bryan Mbeumo (£8.2m) – MID, Man Utd – 17.0% TSB
This one writes itself.
Mbeumo is off to the Africa Cup of Nations from Gameweek 17 onwards, with an unknown return date. That alone is enough. Add uncertainty around minutes, travel fatigue, and missed fixtures, and the decision becomes mechanical rather than emotional.
Form, fixtures, and availability all matter — but availability always wins.
There’s no upside in holding a premium-priced midfielder who simply won’t be there. Funds locked here are funds not working for your team. That explains why he is the most transferred out player this GW.
Clear SELL. Move on.
Further Read: Best Mbeumo Replacements to Consider ahead of FPL GW17
Eberechi Eze (£7.7m) – MID, Arsenal – 17.7% TSB
The two greatest traps in EPL this season so far – Eze and Micky. No wonder both are the most transferred out players for their respective positions this GW.
The talent is undeniable. The returns are not.
Injuries, stop-start minutes, deeper positioning, and long gaps between hauls have turned Eze into the kind of asset that always feels one Gameweek away — but never quite gets there. Managers keep holding because of reputation, not production.
When an asset consistently drains patience, team value, and flexibility, the label changes from “differential” to dead weight.
This Gameweek’s mass sell-off isn’t knee-jerk — it’s overdue correction.
Sell, reset, and don’t look back.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW17
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
Top FPL Gameweek 17 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL Gameweek 17 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold, & Sell
Top FPL GW17 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
Best Mbeumo Replacements to Consider ahead of FPL GW17
FPL GW17 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
FPL GW17 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
Link to all our FPL GW17 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 17 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?
We’ll be covering differential picks, transfer targets, Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, Scout picks, Gameweek preview, Captaincy metrics, FPL GW17 tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and keep our notification ON.
