The FPL deadline for Gameweek 9 is Saturday 31 October 2026, 11:00 GMT. The list below ranks available players by season points per game, nudged for how hard their fixture is (FPL's own projection for the round is shown next to each name), limited to players with more than 200 minutes so far. It is a starting point, not a verdict: check the confirmed lineups before you lock.
Top captain options this round
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, £15.7m) v Brighton & Hove Albion (home): averaging 8.3 points a game, form 6.3, 58 in total, FPL projects 6.3 this round, 77.5% owned, on penalties.
- Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa, £6.0m) v Fulham (home): averaging 7.5 points a game, form 5.3, 30 in total, FPL projects 4.0 this round, 3.0% owned.
- Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton & Hove Albion, £5.3m) v Manchester City (away): averaging 8.4 points a game, form 7.0, 59 in total, FPL projects 7.0 this round, 42.2% owned.
- Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion, £6.2m) v Manchester City (away): averaging 8.3 points a game, form 3.7, 58 in total, FPL projects 3.7 this round, 46.4% owned, on penalties.
- João Pedro (Chelsea, £7.9m) v Manchester United (home): averaging 7.8 points a game, form 4.7, 47 in total, FPL projects 4.7 this round, 73.8% owned.
- Jordan Henderson (Chelsea, £4.9m) v Manchester United (home): averaging 7.7 points a game, form 7.0, 23 in total, FPL projects 7.0 this round, 1.4% owned.
- Rayan Cherki (Manchester City, £8.0m) v Brighton & Hove Albion (home): averaging 7.3 points a game, form 3.3, 44 in total, FPL projects 3.3 this round, 39.4% owned.
- James Tarkowski (Everton, £6.2m) v Newcastle United (away): averaging 6.6 points a game, form 1.0, 46 in total, FPL projects 1.0 this round, 18.2% owned.
How to choose between them
Erling Haaland tops the list at 8.3 points a game, but his ownership is 77.5%, so captaining him is the popular choice and gives little rank movement. A fixture difficulty of 3/5 (5 is hardest) for his side is part of the case. Penalty takers carry extra upside, and the list above marks them.
Injury and suspension flags to check
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United, 22.8% owned): Foot injury - 50% chance of playing
- Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool, 16.2% owned): Hamstring injury - Unknown return date
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, 10.3% owned): Thigh injury - Unknown return date
- Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City, 8.7% owned): Back injury - 75% chance of playing
- Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City, 8.7% owned): Knee injury - Unknown return date
- Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest, 6.2% owned): Arm injury - 75% chance of playing
More GW9 resources
- Full GW9 hub with every fixture, team news and the table: /premier-league/gw9
- Live FPL prices and ownership: /fpl-prices