GW8 FPL Guide
Captain Picks · Transfer Targets · Differentials
What should I do in FPL Gameweek 8?
— 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 GW8 — the captains, the transfer targets and the differentials, ranked by projected points.
Captain Picks for GW8
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.
View full profile
Consider buying — NEW are scoring freely. Avg 3.8 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — BRE are scoring freely. Avg 4.6 pts, ceiling 9.
View full profile
Consider buying — HUL are scoring freely. Avg 2.6 pts, ceiling 5.
View full profile
Consider buying — BOU are scoring freely. Avg 4.3 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — MCI are scoring freely. Avg 5.3 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — BHA are scoring freely. Avg 3.1 pts, ceiling 6.
View full profile
Consider buying — MCI are scoring freely. Avg 3.0 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profile
Consider buying — BRE are scoring freely. Avg 3.0 pts, ceiling 5.
View full profile
Consider buying — CHE are scoring freely. Avg 3.6 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profileTransfer Targets for GW8
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% | 5.4 | 3.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 2 | Gibbs-White | NFO | MID | £8.0m | 15.7% | 4.8 | 3.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 3 | B.Fernandes | MUN | MID | £11.9m | 38.5% | 4.7 | 2.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 4 | Saka | ARS | MID | £9.5m | 13.8% | 4.6 | 2.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 5 | Schade | BRE | MID | £6.2m | 11.6% | 4.6 | 2.0–9.0 | BUY |
| 6 | Tavernier | BOU | MID | £6.1m | 6.8% | 4.4 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 7 | João Pedro | CHE | FWD | £7.7m | 65.0% | 4.3 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 8 | Mbeumo | MUN | MID | £7.9m | 20.5% | 4.3 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 9 | Ødegaard | ARS | MID | £6.8m | 19.8% | 4.0 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 10 | Groß | BHA | MID | £5.8m | 29.1% | 4.0 | 2.0–7.0 | MUST CAPTAIN |
| 11 | Tarkowski | EVE | DEF | £6.2m | 16.6% | 4.0 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 12 | Calvert-Lewin | LEE | FWD | £6.0m | 24.8% | 4.0 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 13 | Barry | EVE | FWD | £5.7m | 8.3% | 3.9 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 14 | A.Becker | LIV | GKP | £5.5m | 4.1% | 3.9 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 15 | Trafford | LEE | GKP | £5.0m | 5.5% | 3.9 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 16 | Cunha | MUN | MID | £7.9m | 5.8% | 3.9 | 2.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 17 | E.Le Fée | SUN | MID | £5.7m | 3.4% | 3.9 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 18 | Raya | ARS | GKP | £6.1m | 42.3% | 3.8 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 19 | Calafiori | ARS | DEF | £5.8m | 50.5% | 3.8 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 20 | Isak | LIV | FWD | £9.1m | 22.3% | 3.8 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 21 | Guéhi | MCI | DEF | £6.0m | 18.2% | 3.8 | 1.0–7.0 | BUY |
| 22 | Barnes | NEW | MID | £6.1m | 5.8% | 3.8 | 2.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 23 | Tzolakis | HUL | GKP | £4.7m | 12.8% | 3.8 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
| 24 | Suzuki | AVL | GKP | £5.0m | 1.9% | 3.8 | 1.0–8.0 | BUY |
Differentials for GW8
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 are scoring freely. Avg 4.3 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — EVE are scoring freely. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profile
Consider buying — LIV are scoring freely. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — LEE are scoring freely. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 8.
View full profile
Consider buying — MUN are scoring freely. Avg 3.9 pts, ceiling 7.
View full profileGW8 Planning Checklist
Run through this before the GW8 deadline to maximise your expected points and avoid common mistakes.
- 1Confirm captain pick — choose your highest expected-points starter with a favourable fixture. See GW8 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. GW8 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 GW8:
Player profiles featured in this guide:
GW8 — Common Questions
Answered by Onside AI engine
Who should I captain in GW8?
Onside's top captain pick for GW8 is Groß (BHA) with 4.0 projected points. Captain — BHA are scoring freely. 2% haul chance. Alternative: Barnes.
What are the best transfer targets for GW8?
Onside's top GW8 transfer targets are: 1. Haaland (£15.6m, 73.8% owned, 5.4 projected xP); 2. Gibbs-White (£8.0m, 15.7% owned, 4.8 projected xP); 3. B.Fernandes (£11.9m, 38.5% owned, 4.7 projected xP). These are the highest-projected players the engine rates a buy for GW8, with injured and doubtful players left out.
Who are the best FPL differentials for GW8?
Top differential for GW8: Tavernier (only 6.8% owned, 4.4 projected xP). Consider buying — BOU are scoring freely. Avg 4.3 pts, ceiling 8. A differential is a high-rated, low-ownership pick that gives a rank edge if they score big.
When is the GW8 FPL deadline?
The GW8 Fantasy Premier League deadline is Fri 23 Oct, 18:30 UK time. Make sure to finalise your transfers, captain pick, and vice-captain before this time.
How does Onside generate GW8 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 GW8?
GW8 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 GW8 fixture.
Who should I captain in FPL GW8?
Onside's top captain recommendation for GW8 is Groß (BHA), projected at 4.0 expected points. For a full captain deep-dive with fixture analysis, visit /captain/8.
What is a good FPL score in GW8?
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 GW8 retrospective section above once the gameweek finishes for the official average and highest scores.
Get the GW8 verdict before the deadline
One email per gameweek: captain call, transfer targets and differentials from the model — graded in public. Free.
Want your picks & team saved? Create a free account →
Data from the Fantasy Premier League API. Rankings by the Onside v5 engine, refreshed every hour and graded in public after each gameweek.