FPL experiment review
No transfers, no hits, and still a week to forget. Saka Potatoes finished on 32 points as the Brighton contingent struggled and familiar names returned elsewhere.
The week in numbers
David reviews a difficult GW8 for Saka Potatoes: 32 points, Brighton disappointment, Kinsky on the bench and 34 points from keeping the previous lineup.
Available weeks
My notes
My Brighton-heavy team fell flat from the get-go. Konsa and Gabriel scoring for Arsenal made the last few transfers look really daft. Then Kinsky had a blinder against Chelsea, just as I put him back on the bench. Where was that last week?!
Time to shake it off. With some big teams playing each other next week, I am looking at a Free Hit. It feels like a good opportunity to use the TallyKind Wildcard Builder in Free Hit mode and see whether a one-week squad can help make up some ground.
No hits. The gameweek average was 45.
Two points behind keeping the GW7 lineup, bench order and captain.
Up from the settled GW7 total of 453.
Down 860,446 places from GW7 in FPL history.
The same 15 players. No chip used.
Haaland's eight doubled after Joao Pedro did not play.
Review table
Both columns use FPL's settled history checked on 26 October. The earlier GW7 article retains its original provisional snapshot.
| Metric | GW7 final | GW8 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| GW points before hits | 60 | 32 | -28 |
| Transfer-hit cost | 8 | 0 | No hits this week |
| Net GW points | 52 | 32 | -20 |
| Season total | 453 | 485 | +32 |
| Overall ranking | 2,359,993 | 3,220,439 | Down 860,446 places |
| Transfers | 3 | 0 | Same squad |
| Recorded bench points | 9 | 11 | +2 |
| Bank | 1.4m | 1.4m | Unchanged |
| Squad value | 101.3m | 101.9m | +0.6m |
Review table
The no-change scenario retains the original GW7 XI, bench order and Haaland captaincy, then applies GW8 player scores and legal autosubs. It is not a prediction or a best-possible XI.
| Scenario | XI after autosubs | Captain bonus | Hit cost | Net points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GW8 actual | 24 | 8 (Haaland) | 0 | 32 |
| Keep GW7 setup | 26 | 8 (Haaland) | 0 | 34 |
| Difference | -2 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
Review table
These are GW8 player returns for two earlier transfers, not transfers made this week. They do not recreate a complete alternative squad or include earlier hits.
| Sold earlier | GW8 pts | Replacement | GW8 pts | Player gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konsa (sold GW6) | 14 | Tarkowski | 2 | -12 |
| Gabriel (sold GW7) | 17 | Calafiori | 1 | -16 |
Team outline
The selected 3-4-3 became 3-5-2 when Yalcouye replaced Joao Pedro. Haaland took the armband as vice-captain; his 16 includes the multiplier. These 11 cards add up to the final 32 points.
Reading the numbers
I kept the same 15 players and spent nothing on hits. The change was in the XI: Raya replaced Kinsky, Schade came in for Tarkowski, and Joao Pedro got the armband ahead of Haaland. Joao Pedro did not play, so Haaland inherited the captaincy and Yalcouye came on. The result was 32 points.
Leaving the original GW7 lineup and captain alone would have returned 34 using those same GW8 scores. Both scenarios get Haaland's eight-point captain bonus and Yalcouye's autosub. The two-point gap is Kinsky's nine against Raya's seven, not lost transfer points. That does not make 34 a good score; it just puts a number on this week's selection decisions.
FPL marked GW8 finished and data checked when I checked the public entry, history, picks, transfers and player scores on 26 October 2026. The settled GW7 total is now 453, rather than the 450 provisional total recorded in last week's article. Adding GW8's 32 gives 485. The no-change comparison starts with last week's original selection, not the XI after last week's automatic substitutions.
FAQs
Next deadline
I am looking at a Free Hit rather than another round of permanent changes. In Wildcard Builder, selecting This gameweek only (Free Hit) lets me compare a squad for the next deadline without committing to it in FPL.