GW21 FPL Guide
Captain Picks · Transfer Targets · Differentials
What should I do in FPL Gameweek 21?
— Onside (onsidearena.com), predictions graded in public.
The Onside engine projects every player in the game each gameweek. These are the 29 it rates highest for GW21 — the captains, the transfer targets and the differentials, ranked by projected points.
Captain Picks for GW21
Ranked by the engine's captain expected-value model — the #1 pick is our highest-confidence armband recommendation.
Captain — BHA are scoring freely. 2% haul chance.
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Consider buying — BRE are scoring freely. Avg 4.7 pts, ceiling 9.
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Consider buying — HUL are scoring freely. Avg 2.5 pts, ceiling 4.
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Consider buying — BOU have a friendly run-in. Avg 5.1 pts, ceiling 9.
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Consider buying — MCI are scoring freely. Avg 5.5 pts, ceiling 10.
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Consider buying — BHA are scoring freely. Avg 3.2 pts, ceiling 6.
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Consider buying — MCI are scoring freely. Avg 3.3 pts, ceiling 7.
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Consider buying — BRE are scoring freely. Avg 3.1 pts, ceiling 6.
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Consider buying — CHE are scoring freely. Avg 3.7 pts, ceiling 7.
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Consider buying — AVL are scoring freely. Avg 3.7 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profileTransfer Targets for GW21
Every player the model rates a buy for this gameweek, ranked by projected points — injured and doubtful players left out.
| # | Player | Club | Pos | Price | Owned | xP | Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haaland | MCI | FWD | £15.6m | 73.8% | 5.5 | 3.0–10.0 | BUY |
| 2 | Tavernier | BOU | MID | £6.1m | 6.8% | 5.1 | 2.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 3 | Schade | BRE | MID | £6.2m | 11.6% | 4.7 | 2.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 4 | Saka | ARS | MID | £9.5m | 13.7% | 4.5 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 5 | Barry | EVE | FWD | £5.7m | 8.3% | 4.4 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 6 | Guéhi | MCI | DEF | £6.0m | 18.2% | 4.4 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 7 | Gvardiol | MCI | DEF | £5.7m | 26.8% | 4.3 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 8 | B.Fernandes | MUN | MID | £11.9m | 38.5% | 4.3 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 9 | João Pedro | CHE | FWD | £7.7m | 65.1% | 4.2 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 10 | Tarkowski | EVE | DEF | £6.2m | 16.6% | 4.2 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 11 | Groß | BHA | MID | £5.8m | 29.0% | 4.0 | 2.0–7.0 | MUST CAPTAIN |
| 12 | A.Becker | LIV | GKP | £5.5m | 4.1% | 4.0 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 13 | Isak | LIV | FWD | £9.1m | 22.3% | 4.0 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 14 | Ødegaard | ARS | MID | £6.8m | 19.8% | 3.9 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 15 | Scott | BOU | MID | £6.1m | 5.8% | 3.9 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 16 | Thiago | BRE | FWD | £7.8m | 9.1% | 3.9 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 17 | Calvert-Lewin | LEE | FWD | £6.0m | 24.8% | 3.9 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 18 | Trafford | LEE | GKP | £5.0m | 5.5% | 3.9 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 19 | Mbeumo | MUN | MID | £7.9m | 20.6% | 3.9 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 20 | Van de Ven | TOT | DEF | £5.0m | 3.8% | 3.8 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 21 | Tzolakis | HUL | GKP | £4.7m | 12.8% | 3.8 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 22 | Suzuki | AVL | GKP | £5.0m | 1.9% | 3.8 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 23 | Martinez | CHE | GKP | £5.0m | 4.7% | 3.7 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 24 | Rogers | CHE | MID | £7.7m | 40.5% | 3.7 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
Differentials for GW21
Low-ownership picks our engine tags as DIFFERENTIAL — highly rated players most managers won't own, giving you a potential rank edge.
Consider buying — BOU have a friendly run-in. Avg 5.1 pts, ceiling 9.
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Consider buying — EVE are scoring freely. Avg 4.4 pts, ceiling 8.
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Consider buying — LIV are scoring freely. Avg 4.0 pts, ceiling 8.
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Consider buying — BOU have a friendly run-in. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 8.
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Consider buying — BRE are scoring freely. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profileGW21 Planning Checklist
Run through this before the GW21 deadline to maximise your expected points and avoid common mistakes.
- 1Confirm captain pick — choose your highest expected-points starter with a favourable fixture. See GW21 captain analysis →
- 2Check injuries before deadline — late team news can invalidate your captain and starting XI. View player availability →
- 3Review fixture difficulty — avoid players facing a Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) of 4–5 unless they have exceptional form. Check fixture difficulty →
- 4Monitor price changes — rising players gain value overnight; falling players lose it. Act before the price falls. Track price changes →
- 5Identify differentials — any highly-rated player below 10% ownership is a rank-up opportunity. Captaining a differential that delivers can jump you thousands of places. GW21 differentials →
- 6Check ownership data — know what the template squad looks like so you can decide where to be brave vs. where to follow the crowd. Most owned players →
Explore More on Onside Arena
Also researching GW21:
Player profiles featured in this guide:
GW21 — Common Questions
Answered by Onside AI engine
Who should I captain in GW21?
Onside's top captain pick for GW21 is Groß (BHA) with 4.0 projected points. Captain — BHA are scoring freely. 2% haul chance. Alternative: Schade.
What are the best transfer targets for GW21?
Onside's top GW21 transfer targets are: 1. Haaland (£15.6m, 73.8% owned, 5.5 projected xP); 2. Tavernier (£6.1m, 6.8% owned, 5.1 projected xP); 3. Schade (£6.2m, 11.6% owned, 4.7 projected xP). These are the highest-projected players the engine rates a buy for GW21, with injured and doubtful players left out.
Who are the best FPL differentials for GW21?
Top differential for GW21: Tavernier (only 6.8% owned, 5.1 projected xP). Consider buying — BOU have a friendly run-in. Avg 5.1 pts, ceiling 9. A differential is a high-rated, low-ownership pick that gives a rank edge if they score big.
When is the GW21 FPL deadline?
The GW21 Fantasy Premier League deadline is Sat 16 Jan, 13:30 UK time. Make sure to finalise your transfers, captain pick, and vice-captain before this time.
How does Onside generate GW21 recommendations?
Onside blends nine independent signals into an expected-points score, then runs Monte Carlo simulations to rank captains by expected value — the median of doubled-score distributions. Data refreshes every hour. How the signals are built is proprietary.
What happened in FPL GW21?
GW21 has not yet finished. Once all matches are complete, this section will show the average score, highest score, most captained player, and top scorer. Check back after the final GW21 fixture.
Who should I captain in FPL GW21?
Onside's top captain recommendation for GW21 is Groß (BHA), projected at 4.0 expected points. For a full captain deep-dive with fixture analysis, visit /captain/21.
What is a good FPL score in GW21?
A good FPL score varies by gameweek depending on how many matches are played and how many bonus points are distributed. As a rule of thumb, scoring 10+ points above the gameweek average puts you in a strong rank-gaining position. The average FPL score across all managers typically sits between 40–65 points per gameweek. For double gameweeks, average scores can reach 80–100+ points. Check the GW21 retrospective section above once the gameweek finishes for the official average and highest scores.
Get the GW21 verdict before the deadline
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Data from the Fantasy Premier League API. Rankings by the Onside v5 engine, refreshed every hour and graded in public after each gameweek.