Form is fleeting. Class, as football keeps reminding us, is permanent. Just rewind a few weeks and the league table told a very different story. Aston Villa were winless after five games, marooned in the bottom three and searching for answers. Fast forward to now and they’re on a 10-game winning streak, sitting comfortably in the top three, looking every bit like title contenders. Liverpool, too, flirted with a mini-crisis as recently as November — injuries, doubts, and dropped points piling up. December, however, has been a masterclass in reset: rhythm restored, results flowing, and a return to the top five. Momentum shifts quickly in this league, but quality almost always finds its way back to the surface.
If football is the great leveller, Fantasy Premier League might be its most ruthless mirror. Last week’s villains can become this week’s heroes — and vice versa. One of the most transferred-out players of GW17, Woltmade (helped along by that infamous own goal in GW16), calmly turned up this weekend and dropped a tidy 13-pointer. Meanwhile, a heavily backed asset who’s risen £0.5m in value over the past three weeks – Bruno, managed a solitary point and is now racing the clock just to be fit before the year ends. Logic bends, narratives flip, and certainty evaporates — and that’s exactly why we keep coming back.
Unpredictable, unforgiving, and utterly irresistible — that’s football, and that’s FPL. With form swinging, fixtures piling up, and the festive chaos in full flow, smart decisions matter more than ever. Welcome to Gameweek 18 — it’s time for the Buy, Hold, and Sell calls.
So, let’s start with our BUY-HOLD-SELL article for this GW, sponsored by …. Well, nobody. We are poor, but you can help here if you want 😊
Link to all our FPL GW18 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 GW18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to BUY
PS – I am assuming everyone has Haaland in their teams. If not, he is your priority buy
Hugo Ekitiké (£8.9m) – FWD, Liverpool – 28.2% TSB
Hugo Ekitiké isn’t just the most bought player this week — he’s the most logical buy. Thirty-five points across the last three Gameweeks tells its own story, but the context makes it even stronger. Wolves, up next, sit rock-bottom (20th) across almost every meaningful defensive metric, followed by Leeds in GW19 — a side ranked bottom five for xGC, goals conceded, and clean sheets. This is as close as FPL gets to a green-light fixture run.
Add to that the perfect storm of opportunity. With Salah away at AFCON and Alexander Isak expected to miss time due to a broken leg, Ekitiké is not only nailed — he’s potentially a 90-minute lock. He’s central to Liverpool’s attack, involved in high-quality chances, and now priced below the premium bracket while delivering premium returns. If you’re chasing form and fixtures, Ekitiké ticks every box.
Nick Woltemade (£7.3m) – FWD, Newcastle – 18.0% TSB
In GW16, we said HOLD Woltemade. If you listened, congratulations — you were rewarded with a 13-pointer. If you panic-sold after the own goal, welcome back; the door is still open. Since first featuring in GW4, Woltemade’s numbers are elite. Among all forwards, only the robot has bettered him for goal involvements and FPL points over that span. That’s not a purple patch — that’s sustained output.
Now layer in the fixtures. Newcastle enter a dream run through GW22, facing some of the league’s most fragile defences: Manchester United, Burnley, Leeds, and Wolves, with just Palace in between — a side that has shipped seven goals in their last two matches, so not the most water tight defence either. Woltemade is nailed, central, and thriving in a system built around him. At £7.3m, he’s not just value — he’s borderline essential.
FPL GW18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to HOLD
Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) – MID, Arsenal – 22.4% TSB
I get it. Gyökeres is on penalties. Saka isn’t. But since when did Saka need penalties to deliver? His single penalty goal this season tells you everything — his returns are built on open-play involvement and other set pieces, not penalties. Last Gameweek’s blank was his first after four straight GWs with at least one goal involvement.
Among midfielders, Saka ranks:
- 2nd for xA
- 3rd for Big Chances
- 4th for Shots on Target
- 4th for xGI
- 4th for xPts
Underlying numbers? Elite. Minutes security? Rock-solid. Role? Undisputed talisman. Selling Saka because someone else has penalties is classic FPL overthinking. This isn’t a decision point — it’s a patience test. Verdict: Hold.
Bruno Guimarães (£7.0m) – MID, Newcastle – 14.0% TSB
Bruno Guimarães is currently the second most transferred-out unflagged midfielder — which says more about FPL managers than it does about Bruno. Between GW7 and GW15, he was the highest-scoring midfielder in the game, riding a wave of returns that saw his price rise by £0.5m. Two blanks later, and suddenly he’s expendable?
Selling Bruno now is like getting off a train just as it enters the fast track. Newcastle’s fixtures are turning, his role remains unchanged, and his influence hasn’t dipped — only the points have paused. Form deserts players; class doesn’t. This is not the time to jump ship. Another clear HOLD.
FPL GW18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to SELL
Igor Thiago (£7.1m) – FWD, Brentford – 33.5% TSB
Four blanks don’t automatically trigger alarm bells. Even two of those coming against Wolves and Leeds can be forgiven. What can’t be ignored is this: in three of those four games, Thiago has posted a combined xG of 0.00. That’s not bad luck — that’s non-involvement.
With better-form, better-fixture alternatives like Woltemade, Bowen, and Ekitiké all thriving, holding Thiago is an opportunity cost you don’t need to pay. When the numbers disappear, sentiment shouldn’t keep you anchored. Sell, move on, and don’t look back.
Bruno Fernandes (£9.4m) – MID, Man Utd – 27.9% TSB
Bruno Fernandes pulling up with a hamstring injury couldn’t have come at a worse time — for both United and FPL managers.
“I think it’s soft tissue. So, it’s going to take a while. We’ll see. It is really strange. During this year, especially at this time, we have so many problems, but we have to cope with that,” Amorim told the press.
“I don’t know, I think he is going to lose some games, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t want to talk about the matter, it is a guy who is always fit and he has shown he can always recover,” he added.
Soft-tissue injuries are notoriously unpredictable, and with fixtures coming thick and fast, even missing “a few games” is a luxury you can’t afford at £9.4m. Carrying a flagged, high-priced midfielder who may miss multiple games — or return managed — makes little strategic sense when funds can be redistributed into firing forwards or nailed midfielders with momentum. Bruno has been a great servant, but this is a clean exit. Sell, reinvest, and reassess later.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW18
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
FPL GW18 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Stats & Eye Test
Top FPL GW18 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
FPL GW18 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
FPL GW18 Predicted Lineups, Injuries, & Press Conference Updates
Best Bruno Fernandes Replacements to Consider for FPL GW18
AK’s FPL GW18 Team Reveal & Transfer Plans | 3x Top 5K Finishes
FPL Gameweek 18 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold, & Sell
FPL GW18 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
Link to all our FPL GW18 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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