How to maximize FPL Gameweek 16 transfer top-ups

---

As you are all sure to know, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will receive additional free transfers in Gameweek 16 to help with preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Leading FPL names such as Mohamed Salah (£14.2 million), Bryan Mbeumo (£8.5 million), Ismail Sarr (£6.7 million) and Indian education (£6.6m) it will all be gone, but how exactly do we get the most out of a transfer top-up from a Fantasy perspective?

We take a closer look in this article.

---

USE ALL FREE TRANSFERS AT GAMEWEEK 15

This is the most important part.

Regardless of how many you have, make sure you have used all your free transfers before the Gameweek 15 deadline on Saturday 6 December 11:00 GMT.

This approach will give you an additional four free transfers, as well as your normal weekly transfers, for Gameweek 16.

But if, for example, you get two points in Gameweek 16, you will only get a) the normal weekly transfer and b) two additional transfers.

SHORT TERM ATTACKS

Safe in the knowledge that we have five free transfers in Matchweek 16, you can use the upcoming period, namely Matchweeks 12-15, to play more aggressively, targeting short-term kicks.

Above, we’ve sorted Fixture Ticker by difficulty for this time period, with the easiest runs at the top and the most challenging at the bottom.

For example, you could bring in a low-status player from Brighton and Hove Albion for the next four Matchweeks, such as Yankuba Minteh (£6.0 million). Fabian Hurzeler’s side will play three home games during this period, facing Brentford, Aston Villa and West Ham United, in addition to an away game at Nottingham Forest.

You can then move the player on in Gameweek 16, knowing that you have a decent exit plan, which coincides with Brighton’s worsening fixture list (liv/SUN/ars).

He has a higher stake (16.1%), but the same applies to Crystal Palace Daniel Munoz (£5.7 million). Get him for wool/MUN/bur/ful, and then transfer him out for MCI/lee/TOT.

Alternatively, you may want to target one of the players heading into AFCON, such as Salah, Mbeumo or Sarr, due to their favorable schedule. With five free transfers in Gameweek 16, they can easily be replaced when they leave without getting any points.

MINI-WILDCARD AT GAMEWEEK 16…

You can use your five free transfers in Gameweek 16 to play a mini-Wildcard, removing deadwood and bringing in players who have favorable fixtures.

For planning purposes, here is the schedule sorted by difficulty for Match Weeks 16-22, which covers the entirety of AFCON.

There may be some new names to consider, for example Nico O’Reilly (£4.9 million) and Benjamin Sesko (£7.3m), who can benefit from it Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7 million), Mbeumo and Amad Diallo (£6.3m) went to AFCON.

We will discuss both players, along with others who could benefit from similar situations, in future articles.

…OR KEEP THIS TRANSFER AND FREE ROLL

However, you don’t need to use all your free transfers in Gameweek 16.

If your team is already in a good position, transfers can be saved for future Match Weeks and used whenever necessary.

They will inevitably be used during the busy festive period, which often leads to schedule bottlenecks and player rotations.

Extra transfers will give you greater flexibility to handle these situations, along with any injuries or suspensions that may arise.

PLAYER SUPPLIES FOR BENCH UPGRADE

For those who haven’t played their chips yet, you can use the extra transfer to help prepare for the Bench Boost.

Matchday 18 has some appeal, as it is the only remaining round where Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland have decent matches.

Other than that, it’s been a good week for low-budget quarterbacks like Granite Xhaka (£5.1 million), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£4.9 million) and Josh King (£4.5 million).

Gameweek 18 is, of course, the Boxing Day-28 December round, so the usual caveats apply, namely rotation/minute management and a lack of team news.

---