FPL Tilt · Team talk · Transfers · Gameweek 9

João Pedro and Calafiori are the week's most sold players. Sell now, or wait for news?

By FPL Tilt on YouTube (opens in a new tab) · 27 October 2026

João Pedro and Calafiori are the two most sold players before Gameweek 9, and both are doubts. Their seasons, our projections, the alternatives and what we are weighing for our own team.

A close-up of Riccardo Calafiori in Arsenal's white away shirt, on the pitch. — Riccardo Calafiori playing for Arsenal, 24 May 2026. Photo: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and edited.

Chelsea kick off against Manchester United an hour and a half after the Gameweek 9 deadline. Michael Carrick took United's training on Tuesday, but the club has not said whether he will still be in charge on Saturday. That makes João Pedro's injury interesting to watch this week, and we will follow it closely. He is in 70.7% of FPL teams, more than any player apart from Erling Haaland, and about 305,000 managers have sold him since the last deadline, more than anyone else.

Riccardo Calafiori, the most-owned defender, comes next, with about 226,000 sales.

Our own team has two defenders in doubt, Calafiori and Coventry's Bobby Thomas, who went off with a problem in his lower leg against Fulham. Here is what Chelsea and Arsenal have said, what both players have done this season, how we project them, and what we are weighing for our own team.

What Chelsea and Arsenal have said

João Pedro felt something in training the day before Chelsea played Spurs. Xabi Alonso said on Saturday that there was fluid and that tests would show how serious the injury was.

Calafiori started on the bench against Everton and played the last 22 minutes. Mikel Arteta said afterwards that he had a small problem the club had not yet identified, and that Calafiori had been cautious about it.

João Pedro: five goals, and two games missed

João Pedro has 47 points from eight Gameweeks, with five goals and three assists. He scored 11, 9, 12 and 12 in four of the six games he played, and missed Brentford in Gameweek 5 as well as Tottenham on Saturday.

Stamford Bridge's empty stands and pitch seen from pitch level, with "Chelsea" spelled out in the seats. — Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's ground, February 2013. Photo: Ank kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and edited.

Chelsea are at home to Manchester United at 13:30 CET on Saturday. Alonso's press conference on Friday will be the last word before managers have to decide. Our projection for João Pedro against United is 2.3 points, with the doubt over whether he plays already in that figure.

Calafiori: four clean sheets and a trip to Anfield

Calafiori has 45 points, with four clean sheets, two assists and one goal. He had started all seven league games before Saturday and played at least 66 minutes in each.

Arsenal go to Anfield at 17:30 CET on Sunday. We project him for 2.3 points there. Liverpool have scored four goals in their four league games at Anfield this season.

The alternatives

Player	Club	Price	Gameweek 9	Owned by	Projected	Range
Thiago	BRE	£7.8m	Nottingham Forest (H)	8.8%	4.6	1–12
Evanilson	BOU	£6.2m	Leeds (H)	7.3%	4.0	1–9
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	£6.1m	Bournemouth (A)	21.4%	3.8	1–9
N.Jackson	AVL	£6.7m	Fulham (H)	8.6%	3.7	0–9
João Pedro	CHE	£7.9m	Manchester United (H)	70.7%	2.3	0–8
Silva	BOU	£5.0m	Leeds (H)	0.8%	4.7	0–10
Hill	BOU	£5.5m	Leeds (H)	1.3%	4.3	1–9
Hall	NEW	£5.3m	Everton (H)	20.5%	4.2	0–9
Van Hecke	TOT	£4.9m	Crystal Palace (H)	7.4%	4.2	0–9
Calafiori	ARS	£6.0m	Liverpool (A)	52.4%	2.3	0–6

Ordered by projected points, with João Pedro and Calafiori last in each group. Projections and ranges: ours, 27 October 2026. Prices and ownership: Fantasy Premier League, the same day.

Figures read on 27 October 2026. The projections are updated daily: Players shows today's figures.

Bournemouth have three of the ten. They are at home to Leeds, and Silva, Hill, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson were all in the side that won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday; Tavernier is the most bought player of the week. Igor Thiago, at home to Nottingham Forest, is the forward we project highest after Haaland.

What we are weighing

We have not decided yet, but we are looking at playing our Free Hit in Gameweek 9.

Gabriel, Calafiori and Bradley Barcola all play when Liverpool, fourth in the table, host Arsenal, second, on Sunday, and a Free Hit that leaves that match out could be a good option if the news goes our way.

Hull against Ipswich is a match almost nobody owns: no player from either club is in more than 15% of teams. Hull have gone six league games without a win and Ipswich have conceded 16 goals, the second most in the league.

A close-up of Mohamed Belloumi in Hull's amber training top, warming up. — Mohamed Belloumi warming up before Fulham v Hull City, 17 October 2026. Photo: Timmy96, CC0, cropped and edited.

Mohamed Belloumi (Hull, £5.2m) has 43 points, with three goals and two assists, two of the goals in one game against Chelsea in Gameweek 4. Oli McBurnie (Hull, £5.5m) has scored only once, from the penalty spot against Brentford on Sunday, but he takes Hull's penalties and has started all eight league games. We project both for 4.0 points against Ipswich.

Tottenham are at home to Crystal Palace, who have conceded 19 goals, more than anyone, and are 17th after two defeats in a row. Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham, £6.5m) has passed our eye test in recent weeks, so he could be a decent pick for a Free Hit.

For our own team, the projections put a Free Hit about two points ahead of rolling the transfer in Gameweek 9, and selling Barcola for Marcus Tavernier about one point ahead, both gaps smaller than the error in the projections themselves.

Update, 27 October, 15:30 CET: Xabi Alonso said before Wednesday's cup tie at Liverpool that João Pedro will be out for a few weeks with a thigh injury, and would not put a number on it. He misses Manchester United on Saturday, so for most managers that settles his half of the question: sell. Our 2.3 points already counted the doubt; the next run reads FPL's new status.

Are you keeping João Pedro and Calafiori, selling them or playing your own Free Hit? Tell us in the comments below.

The Gameweek 9 deadline is Saturday 31 October at 12:00 (CET).

Points, goals, assists, clean sheets, prices, ownership, transfers and our team's picks are Fantasy Premier League's, read on 27 October 2026 at 11:45 CET. Projections are FPL Tilt's, from the run of 27 October 2026. Alonso's words on João Pedro, paraphrased, are from Chelsea; Arteta's on Calafiori, paraphrased, from Arsenal. Carrick's position is from ESPN's report of 27 October. The update of 27 October, 15:30 CET, is from Alonso's press conference before Chelsea's cup tie at Liverpool, as reported by AOL.