FPL GW2 Early Tips: Best Transfers, Players to Watch and Lessons from GW1

Introduction

Gameweek 1 punished the template. Now comes the dangerous part: deciding what to do about it.

Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes both blanked. Manchester United lost 2-0 at Hull. Brighton's £4.5m defender Maxim De Cuyper scored 17 points while playing on the wing. The best possible FPL team finished on 148 points without needing most of the players managers spent all summer debating.

That does not mean your original squad was wrong. It means we have one competitive match of new information. Compare it with the final GW1 plan before reacting.

This early FPL Gameweek 2 guide separates useful evidence from opening-week noise. We will cover the most popular GW2 transfers, whether Haaland or Bruno should be sold, the De Cuyper decision, early Wildcard thoughts and the players who genuinely deserve a place on your watchlist.

FPL GW2 quick answers

• Should you sell Haaland? No. One blank is not a reason to dismantle your squad.
• Should you sell Bruno Fernandes? No. He faces Ipswich at Old Trafford in GW2.
• Should you buy De Cuyper? Watch closely, but do not chase blindly before Chelsea away and Brighton's European match.
• Should you Wildcard? Almost certainly not. One Gameweek is not enough evidence.
• Should you make an early transfer? Only for an injury, suspension, confirmed loss of minutes or an imminent price change that would destroy a planned move.
• Who are managers buying? Calafiori, De Cuyper, Sangaré, Ødegaard and Kayode are among the early leaders.

Most transferred-in FPL players ahead of GW2

The first transfer wave tells us which Gameweek 1 performances managers are chasing.

At the time of research, the leading transfers in included:

1. Riccardo Calafiori — Arsenal
2. Maxim De Cuyper — Brighton
3. Mamadou Sangaré — Brentford
4. Martin Ødegaard — Arsenal
5. Michael Kayode — Brentford

Christos Tzolis, Kai Havertz and Dominik Szoboszlai are also attracting attention.

The popularity of Arsenal assets is understandable after their strong opening result and with a vulnerable Aston Villa side next. De Cuyper, Sangaré and Kayode are being bought after explosive individual returns.

But transfers-in are evidence of popularity—not proof that a player is the correct buy.

Should you buy Maxim De Cuyper for FPL GW2?

Verdict: a genuine target, but waiting one week may be the better move.

De Cuyper was the highest-scoring FPL player in Gameweek 1. The £4.5m Brighton defender produced a goal, an FPL assist, a clean sheet and two bonus points in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa.

More importantly, he played on the left wing.

His underlying involvement supported the eye-catching role: four shots, three attempted assists and 35 touches in the final third. A defender receiving clean-sheet points while occupying midfield or forward areas can become an exceptional FPL asset.

The risks are equally clear:

• Brighton face Chelsea away in GW2.
• They have a Conference League play-off on Thursday, less than 72 hours before the Chelsea match.
• Ferdi Kadioglu missed GW1, so De Cuyper's role and minutes need monitoring.
• His 17-point haul has already encouraged more than 100,000 early transfers.

If you have an injured defender and need a £4.5m replacement, De Cuyper is a credible option. If your defence is fit, waiting for team news—or even rolling the transfer—could be stronger than buying immediately after his career-best FPL return.

Do not buy the 17 points. Buy the advanced role only if you believe it will continue.

Should you sell Erling Haaland after his GW1 blank?

Verdict: hold.

Haaland cost £15.5m and was captained by around 46% of the early top 10,000 managers. Manchester City won against Bournemouth, but their premium striker returned only appearance points.

That hurts. It is not a sell signal.

Haaland remains the central goalscorer in one of the league's strongest attacks. Removing him also creates a major squad restructure; once the £15.5m is spread across several positions, buying him back may require multiple transfers or a Wildcard.

Sell only if you had already planned to move away from the Haaland structure and can identify exactly how the money improves your team over several Gameweeks. Selling because he failed to score once is frustration disguised as strategy.

Should you sell Bruno Fernandes before GW2?

Verdict: hold for Ipswich.

Bruno was one of the biggest disappointments of Gameweek 1. Manchester United were beaten 2-0 by newly promoted Hull, despite many managers backing Bruno, Bryan Mbeumo and United defenders for the opening fixtures.

More than 50,000 managers have already moved Bruno out. They may be selling immediately before the fixture they originally bought him for.

United host Ipswich in Gameweek 2. Bruno remains their main creator, a major set-piece presence and one of the strongest captaincy candidates for the weekend. The performance at Hull was concerning, but 90 bad minutes do not erase his role or the fixture.

If United struggle again, we will have more evidence and greater freedom with two transfers. Selling now risks using a transfer to remove a premium player immediately before a promoted opponent at home.

The best early FPL GW2 transfer targets

These are not automatic buys. They are the players whose roles, fixtures or Gameweek 1 performances deserve further investigation before Friday's deadline.

Riccardo Calafiori

Calafiori is currently one of the most-bought players in the game. Arsenal began with a convincing 3-0 win over Coventry, and their players are dominating early GW2 discussion before facing a Villa side beaten 4-0 by Brighton.

The attraction is obvious: Arsenal defensive coverage with attacking potential. The question is whether you are buying a secure long-term starter or reacting to one result. Confirm the latest team news before committing.

Martin Ødegaard

Ødegaard started with a strong return and offers a cheaper route into Arsenal's attack. Villa's GW1 defensive collapse makes the fixture attractive, but Arsenal have several viable attackers competing for our money.

He is more interesting as part of a planned midfield move than as a rushed replacement for Bruno.

Mamadou Sangaré

Sangaré delivered 14 points for Brentford through two assists and defensive contributions. That combination matters because defensive-contribution points can provide a route to returns even when an attacking return does not arrive.

He is a watchlist player with a potentially useful FPL profile. Do not assume two assists will become normal.

Michael Kayode

Kayode's 13-point return and wing-back role immediately attracted buyers. Brentford's 3-0 win over Tottenham gave managers several new options to consider.

As with De Cuyper, the position and repeatability matter more than the final points. Check whether the attacking role is stable before chasing the haul.

Chelsea attackers

João Pedro scored after 31 seconds and finished on 11 points. Cole Palmer returned 13, while Morgan Rogers also scored in Chelsea's 3-2 victory over Fulham.

These returns came from established attacking options rather than unexpected defenders scoring from set pieces. Chelsea face Brighton in GW2, although Brighton's Thursday European match could affect preparation and rotation.

João Pedro, Palmer and Rogers all belong in the GW2 conversation.

Should you use the Wildcard in FPL Gameweek 2?

For the vast majority of managers: no.

An early Wildcard can work when a squad has multiple injuries, several players who have clearly lost their places or a fundamentally broken structure. A disappointing score is not enough.

Wildcarding after one Gameweek means rebuilding from the smallest useful sample we will have all season. It also leaves you vulnerable to international breaks, late transfers, tactical changes and injuries in the weeks ahead.

Consider a GW2 Wildcard only if:

• several original selections are injured or confirmed non-starters;
• your team structure prevents you reaching the players you now consider essential;
• the planned new squad is designed for a sustained fixture run, not last week's points;
• you can explain every change without referring only to GW1 scores.

If those conditions do not apply, keep the chip.

Should you roll your GW2 transfer?

Rolling is likely to be the best move for many managers.

You gain another full Gameweek of information and enter GW3 with two free transfers. That makes it easier to change team structure, replace a premium or solve two connected problems without taking a hit.

Roll if:

• your starting XI is fit;
• your players still have acceptable fixtures;
• nobody has clearly lost their place;
• your proposed transfer is mainly motivated by a GW1 haul.

Make the move if:

• a player is injured or suspended;
• a supposed starter received no minutes and has clearly fallen down the pecking order;
• reliable team news changes the decision;
• a price change would make a carefully planned transfer impossible.

Patience is an active decision. It is not the same as doing nothing.

FPL price rises and falls before GW2

No players had changed price at the first official update after Gameweek 1, but transfer activity is accelerating.

Read how FPL price changes work before acting on a third-party prediction. Do not make an early move purely because a predictor shows a player close to rising. Midweek European matches, press conferences and late injury news can cost far more than £0.1m.

Price matters when it blocks a specific plan. Information matters almost everywhere else.

What did Reddit and the FPL community learn from GW1?

The most useful community discussion is not simply “Who scored?” It is focused on:

• whether De Cuyper's advanced position will survive Brighton's rotation;
• whether managers should hold Bruno for Ipswich;
• whether Haaland's price can still be justified;
• how heavily to invest in Arsenal against Villa;
• whether Sangaré's defensive contributions create a sustainable floor;
• whether a GW2 Bench Boost or Wildcard is an unnecessary overreaction.

There is no universal answer because every squad has different weaknesses. The consistent lesson is to judge roles, minutes and future fixtures—not transfer-in numbers alone.

Gameweek 1 Team of the Week: the 148-point Dream Team

The highest-scoring legal XI cost only £84.5m and produced 148 points:

Goalkeeper: Tzolakis (10)

Defenders: De Cuyper (17), Nobel Mendy (15), Ajayi (14), Kayode (13)

Midfielders: Hinshelwood (16), Sangaré (14), Palmer (13), Stach (13), Gakpo (12)

Forward: João Pedro (11)

If you had picked this team, you would be flying. Realistically, almost nobody predicted it.

FPL is not won by owning every surprise before it happens. It is won by identifying which surprise reveals something sustainable and which was simply an exceptional afternoon.

GW2 deadline

The official FPL GW2 deadline is Friday 28 August at 18:30 BST. Recheck the in-app countdown before you finalise your team.

Early FPL GW2 captain thoughts

Bruno Fernandes at home to Ipswich immediately stands out despite the Hull defeat. Arsenal attackers will attract support against a Villa team coming off a 4-0 loss, while Haaland remains difficult to dismiss even away from home.

Do not lock the armband yet. European matches, injuries and press conferences can change the picture.

Revisit captaincy after the European matches, press conferences and confirmed team news. The best early choice is not always the best final choice.

How FPL Assistant helps after every Gameweek

Pre-season teams are built from projections. Once matches begin, we can compare those predictions with real selections, minutes, transfers and captaincy decisions.

FPL Assistant becomes more useful with every Gameweek because it helps show how closely your squad aligns with elite managers—and where you have deliberately moved away from them.

That does not mean copying the template. It means knowing whether a transfer is supported by strong decision-makers or driven by one bad score.

Use Rate My Team before making your GW2 transfer and see where your squad genuinely needs attention.

Final FPL GW2 advice

Do not sell Haaland because he blanked once. Do not sell Bruno immediately before Ipswich simply because United were awful at Hull. Do not buy De Cuyper only because you can see 17 points beside his name.

Watch the European matches and the latest predicted line-ups. Wait for reliable team news. Fix injuries and missing starters first. If your original players still have strong roles and fixtures, rolling the transfer may be your best move.

The deadline is on Friday. Our complete GW2 guide arrives Wednesday.