Fantasy Football Tips: FPL Gameweek 6 Guide and Captain Pick

Q: How many chips do FPL managers get?

FPL managers get eight chips across a season, two each of Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain. The first set must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline in early January, after which any unused chips from that set expire and a fresh set becomes available for the second half.

Q: When is the Gameweek deadline?

The Gameweek deadline falls 90 minutes before the first match of that gameweek kicks off. Once it passes, your squad locks completely, so any transfers, captaincy changes or chip plays made after that point simply won't count for the gameweek ahead. This is especially important to know when there are Friday night games.

By Mark Fordham

Oct 6th, 2026 9:25 AM EDT

Fact Checked By Oliver Lines

Manchester City's 100% record through five games keeps Erling Haaland and company close to undroppable, just as has been the case for most of Haaland's City tenure. Arsenal are three points back after Brighton put themselves on notice to every FPL manager with a 3-0 win that ended Arsenal's nine-match winning run and left the Seagulls third with the division's best goal difference. Both sets of players remain well worth considering.

Further down, Brentford, Leeds, Liverpool and Everton sit level on points, which is a reminder that there's form to find outside the usual big names. At the other end, Tottenham's collapse to bottom of the table means their players are best left alone for now.

Gameweek 6 arrives after an unusually long international break of 16 days rather than the normal nine, with some players away on international duty for up to four matches instead of two. That raises rotation and fatigue risk higher than usual. Be sure to factor that into your captaincy and transfer decisions this week more than most. The deadline falls at 11 am on Saturday 10th October, just before Arsenal host Leeds. The pick of the weekend for FPL purposes is Liverpool's visit from Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The biggest story of the break had nothing to do with FPL really. Manchester City were found guilty on 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, with sanctions still to be decided and the club appealing. Nothing changes for City's results or fixtures in the short term, and there's no reason to panic-sell Haaland or any other City player off the back of this just yet.

There's plenty else worth planning around across the weekend too, and not just at football betting sites.

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Three Players to Target This Gameweek

Evanilson - 6m vs Chelsea, 10th October 3pm

Bournemouth have played a lot better than their league position would suggest, having thrown away five points already this season with goals conceded in the 88th minute or later. However, that isn’t an issue to worry about for your forwards in Fantasy Football. This weekend they face Chelsea, who have been more than generous to their opponents under Xabi Alonso.

They have conceded more goals than any other team so far this season, and it can’t be put down to bad luck either. No team in the Premier League has allowed more shots on target than Chelsea, and it is the Cherries attackers who are set to benefit from the wide open spaces left to exploit this weekend.

You can currently get 13/5 with Spreadex on Evanilson to score vs Chelsea.

Josh King - 5.5m vs Ipswich, 10th October 3pm

Fulham haven’t started the Premier League season particularly well, but Josh King certainly has. Two goals in five games and looking like a constant attacking threat have reportedly drawn the attention of the likes of Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. They’ll need to pay a lot more than the £5.5m you’ll need to fork out to get him into your lineup. After Ipswich this weekend, he gets Hull and Coventry. This is the time to snap him up.

Get 29/20 with QuinnBet on Josh King to score or assist vs Ipswich.

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Mohamed Belloumi - £5.1m vs Everton, 11th October 2pm

Hull City have been the surprise package of the Premier League so far, picking up eight points from their opening five games, with Mohamed Belloumi a huge part of that. The winger has two goals and two assists so far in a team that has scored six times, and he kept his form going in the international break with a goal for Algeria last week.

Everton have conceded just three times this season and take some breaking down, so if Hull are going to score, Belloumi will likely be at the centre of it.

Get 9/4 with bet365 on Belloumi to score or assist vs Everton.

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Captaincy Pick of the Week

Johan Manzambi - £5.9m vs Brentford, 10th October 3pm

Aston Villa fans had been waiting patiently to see one of their star signings in action this season, and it was well worth the wait. On his full debut for Villa, Manzambi managed to keep Spurs fans unhappy into the two-week international break with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win.

He looks set to be a firm fan favourite, and he may be in prime form now having got some more minutes under his belt for Switzerland in the international break. Brentford have conceded in all but one game this season, so Manzambi could have another good day.

Get 16/5 with Betfred on Manzambi to score anytime vs Brentford.

Chip Strategy Watch

Nobody needs reminding that chips exist in FPL. What actually matters week-to-week is timing, and the pressure isn't really on this early in the season. Your first Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain all need using before the Gameweek 19 deadline in early January, so there's a good few months of breathing room before that clock starts to matter.

That said, the window for an early Bench Boost has basically shut now. Gameweek 6 is really pushing it if you're still waiting for a freshly assembled squad, since injuries and rotation only creep in the longer a chip like that gets left. There's no point holding it for a full squad once half your bench is carrying a knock.

Triple Captain is worth saving for a fixture that stands out rather than using it out of habit. There's no shortage of strong captaincy weeks still to come between now and the Gameweek 19 cut off, but make sure you choose wisely.

Whatever you don't use by that Gameweek 19 deadline vanishes. There's no carrying a Wildcard over into February. Plan around that deadline rather than being surprised by it in December.

New Rules for 2026/27

A few changes have landed for this season, and you’ll want to be in the know about them rather than half-remembering from a headline.

Gameweek lockdown moved later: Scores used to become final an hour after the last match of a gameweek finished. Now that happens at 9am the following morning instead. It sounds like a small tweak but it gives Opta enough time to finalise bonus points and defensive contribution data, so don’t be hitting refresh on your FPL on the same night unless you want to be disappointed.

The Bonus Points System rebalanced: Full-backs and defensively minded attackers should see a bit more love from the algorithm this season. Be aware, though, Defensive Contributions themselves, the CBIT and CBIRT thresholds, haven't changed. That's a separate system and is staying exactly as it was.

A Price Change Predictor now exists officially: FPL will show you how close a player is to a price rise or fall based on transfer activity, rather than leaving you to guess from third-party sites like everyone's had to do for years.

There's a squad building assistant too: Answer a few quick questions about favourite club, how you like to split your budget, attack or defence, and it'll build you a starting squad. This is handy for anyone starting out, but seasoned managers will probably still want full control.

How to Play Fantasy Premier League

Starting from scratch isn't as difficult as it might seem once you know the shape of it. You get £100m to build a 15-player squad, split as two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. The biggest thing to be aware of is that you can't have more than three players from any single club.

Each gameweek you pick a starting XI from that squad of 15, in a valid formation (4-4-2, 3-5-2 or 3-4-3) and name a captain whose points double for the week. Whoever you don't start sits on your bench as backup, only cashed in if you play the Bench Boost chip, or if one of your starters doesn’t play.

You get one free transfer every gameweek, and if you don't use it, it rolls over, up to a maximum of five banked at once. Anything beyond your free allowance costs four points each, so think carefully before making three panic transfers the week after a bad result.

Deadlines matter more than anything else in this game. Your squad locks 90 minutes before the first match of each gameweek kicks off, and once it's locked, that's it, no late changes, no exceptions for a shock injury news alert five minutes after the whistle. Build the habit of checking your team the night before rather than relying on a lunchtime scramble.

FPL Scoring System Explained

Every action on the pitch translates into points, and the value of that action often depends on which position your player plays. For instance, a defender scoring is going to be worth more points than a striker because of how less likely that is to happen. Here's the full breakdown.

Action	Points
Playing up to 60 minutes	1
Playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time)	2
Goal scored by a goalkeeper	10
Goal scored by a defender	6
Goal scored by a midfielder	5
Goal scored by a forward	4
Goal assist	3
Clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender	4
Clean sheet by a midfielder	1
Every 3 shot saves by a goalkeeper	1
10 or more CBIT (defenders)	2
12 or more CBIRT (midfielders and forwards)	2
Penalty save	5
Penalty miss	-2
Bonus points for the best players in a match	1 to 3
Every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender	-1
Yellow card	-1
Red card	-3
Own goal	-2

A goalkeeper scoring is worth more than any other position precisely because it happens so rarely. It's the game rewarding a real rarity rather than a typo. CBIT stands for clearances, blocked shots, interceptions and tackles. This is the defenders' route to a defensive contribution point. CBIRT adds recoveries into that mix for midfielders and forwards, since defensive work matters less to their usual job. Therefore, the bar sits slightly higher to compensate.

Your captain's points double automatically, and your vice-captain steps in and inherits that double if your actual captain doesn't play at all that gameweek. Bonus points come from an underlying algorithm weighing up everything a player did in a match. It is based on the player(s) who did best in a given game, no matter whether they scored a goal or not.

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Chips Explained

You get four chips, two of each across the season for a total of eight. Each one does something different to the others, so choose wisely when you plan on using them across the season.

Wildcard: Make unlimited transfers for that gameweek at no points cost. This is a full squad rebuild you'll get without burning through your bank of free transfers one at a time.
Free Hit: Also unlimited transfers, but only for a single gameweek. Once that gameweek's done, your squad snaps straight back to whatever it looked like before you played the chip. This is perfect for a blank gameweek where half your usual squad has no fixture at all or if there's a double gameweek you want to take advantage of.
Bench Boost: Every point scored by your bench that gameweek counts toward your total on top of your starting 11. It is only worth playing when your whole 15 has a decent chance of getting minutes and returning points.
Triple Captain: Your captain's points triple instead of double. Save it for your most explosive player in his single best fixture of the season, not just a random Tuesday because it felt like time to use it.

Fantasy Football Tips FAQs

What is Defensive Contribution scoring?

Defensive Contributions award two points when a defender reaches 10 or more combined clearances, blocked shots, interceptions and tackles in a match, known as CBIT. Midfielders and forwards need 12 or more of the same actions plus recoveries, known as CBIRT, since defensive work is less central to their usual role.

How many chips do FPL managers get?

When is the Gameweek deadline?

About the Author

Mark Fordham

More About Mark

Mark spent over a decade as a sports reporter and editor with Goal.com and Bleacher Report. He is now a Content Manager at Bookies.com covering all manner of sports from the Premier League and cricket to the NBA and NFL. Mark also has years of experience working in the online casino industry and knows how to rate a good one over a bad one.