Another round, another double gameweek in the world of the Fantasy Premier League, although a much smaller one than last time. DGW26 had been heavily anticipated as the biggest double gameweek in FPL history and despite more than a few managers crossing the 100-point mark, the many blanks from premium-priced and/or heavily-owned FPL assets caused plenty of heartbreak as well. The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Raheem Sterling, Mo Salah, Jamie Cardy and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all failed to return for their owners, but fortunately, we’ve got yet another round of action coming up in less than 24 hours. Below you can find a quick overview of the teams doubling in gameweek 27:
| TEAM | 1ST FIXTURE | 2ND FIXTURE |
| MANCHESTER CITY | Manchester United (home) | Southampton (home) |
| SOUTHAMPTON | Sheffield United (away) | Man City (away) |
The Man City double looks juicy, no doubt, but Southampton’s double gameweek could be a bit of a trap. The Saints are not in their best form of the season at the moment, and the upcoming two away games will not be walk-overs. The Blades have found a bit of (defensive) form of late, while City, well… once again look like the skyblue Pep Guardiola machine we all love or loathe. As a result, we have not focused on just these two teams for our fantasy picks this week.
Don’t forget, the deadline for gameweek 26 is set at 11h00 (UK time) on Saturday 6th March.
Do check out the Predicted Line-Ups for the Premier League clubs as well as the latest injury news (click on ‘Team’ to sort per club rather than the default ‘date’) before finalising your transfer(s).
Most transferred in/transferred out players (as per March 5th, 2021)
| TRANSFERS OUT | TRANSFERS IN | POSSIBLE REASONS | |
| GK | Pope (BUR), Ederson (CIT), McCarthy (SOU) | Martinez (AST), Ederson (CIT), Mendy (CHE) | |
| DEF | Cancelo (CIT), Justin (LEI), Wan-Bissaka (UTD) | Dias (CIT), Stones (CIT), Dallas (LEE) | City double coming up, Dallas out of position, Justin injury |
| MID | Barnes (LEI), Maddison (LEI), Grealish (AST) | Lingard (WHU), Mount (CHE), De Bruyne (CIT) | All transferred-out midfielders are injured |
| FOR | Calvert-Lewin (EVE), Bamford (LEE), Vardy (LEI) | Kane (TOT), Antonio (WHU), Richarlison (EVE) | Blanking popular forwards being transferred out |
Premium pick
So, our premium pick for the huge double gameweek 26 was a big bust and you know what? We’re repeating our pick for gameweek 27! Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) was rested for City’s first game against West Ham and then failed to get amongst the points in the 4-1 victory over Wolves, but he has a chance to redeem him this round as the Cityzens host Manchester United and Southampton at the Etihad. We can’t imagine Raz not starting against arch rivals United and considering his rest in GW26, he should be good for a start against the Saints a few days after that as well. On top of that, the return leg against Mönchengladbach in the Champions League is only played on March 16th, three days after gameweek 28 and almost three weeks before gameweek 30 (City blanks in GW29). We expect Sterling to feature a lot over the coming weeks, which will give him a chance to build on his current 9 goals and 7 assists in the league.
Non-premium picks
For our first non-premium fantasy pick of the week, we’re sticking with Manchester City and their upcoming double gameweek. For many of the same reasons as mentioned above in the case of Sterling, Ilkay Gündogan (£6.2m) should be good for some points over the coming weeks. The Turkish midfielder played 88 minutes in the first game, but failed to return points and then got 8 minutes in the second game against Wolves and grabbed an assist. The return of the De Bruyne has risen Gündogan’s rotation risk a bit but we expect to see plenty of Gündo in DGW26. He already has 11 goals and 3 assists this season, and with a price tag of just £6.2m, he has recently been essential in FPL.
Our second pick in the non-premium category does not have a double gameweek, but could very well payout like he does. Michail Antonio (£6.5m) has once again been delivering for West Ham, and the 11.1% of FPL managers who currently own him, with goals in consecutive gameweeks against Spurs and Man City. In just 15 Premier League starts this season, the powerful forward managed 7 goals and 3 assists, playing a big part in the Hammers’ impressive fourth place in the league. Up next are Leeds United, who are a dream to play against for opposition strikers. Only West Brom have conceded more than Marcelo Bielsa’s men, while the Whites also rank amongst the bottom three teams for defensive metrics like shots conceded in the box, shots on target conceded, and big chances conceded. An Antonio haul could be incoming.
The budget enabler
Second in the league overall for shots on target over the past seven gameweeks. More key passes and created big chances than any other player in the league over the past six gameweeks. Three goals and 4 assists over the past eight gameweeks. Looking at these facts, it seems incredible that Leeds winger Raphinha (£5.4m) is still owned by just 9.9% of FPL managers, while carrying a real budget price tag. The Whites are facing in-form West Ham away from home in gameweek 27, which is not looking like an easy fixture by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, they will be on the attack on Monday and they will be creating chances, which means that their Brazilian winger will be involved in some threatening situations, especially seeing as he is in charge of many set-pieces as well.
A differential pick or two
It may sound incredible to some, considering the amount of memes that have circulated online over the past seasons, but our first differential fantasy pick for gameweek 27 is Jesse Lingard (£6.0m). The English midfielder’s name was rarely found on the score sheets while at United the past few years, but he seems to have found his scoring boots and his form since moving to West Ham United on loan in January. He started for the Hammers in the last five games, and scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist over that run for a total of 39 FPL points. J-Linz has slotted right into manager David Moyes’ plans and with leaky Leeds at home up next, chances for more attacking returns look to be on the cards for him.
Our final fantasy pick for gameweek 27 marks the return to fitness of Diogo Jota (£6.6m). The Portuguese forward arrived in Liverpool last summer on the back of a huge £45 million transfer fee and did not need much time to make an impact. Despite starting just five times in his first nine games as a Red, he managed to score 5 goals before a serious knee injury saw him sidelined since the start of December. He is now back though, and considering Liverpool’s horrid form and similar results of late, he could be just what they need to get back on track again. Jota got 28 minutes as a substitute against Chelsea in gameweek 26 and we would not be surprised to see him get more involvement this Sunday as Liverpool host Fulham at Anfield.
The captaincy
Captaining a Manchester City player is always a bit risky and counting on that player to feature twice in a row as part of a double gameweek even more so, but we are putting our faith in Raheem Sterling this week nonetheless for the DGW27 Captain. He looks likely to feature prominently in DGW26 after being rested for a game in gameweek 26 and with the form Guardiola’s men are in at the moment, there will be few better options for the armband. Alternatives could be, of course, Kevin de Bruyne, the in-form Riyad Mahrez, or one of their defensive players.
If you are hesitant about City captains or don’t own any of the above mentioned fantasy assets, fear not. Gameweek 27 offers a few other appealing captaincy options as well. Michail Antonio is coming off consecutive goals against strong opposition and plays Leeds at the London Stadium next. Mo Salah is facing Fulham at home, which could be a double-digit haul despite the Reds’ current form. Also, Spurs duo Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son will be looking to break down a sturdy Palace defence on Sunday. Those managers searching for a serious punt could opt for Danny Ings’ double gameweek against Sheffield United and Man City, or West Brom’s Mbaye Diagne for their home game against Newcastle.
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