Fantasy Premier League: The players to target for Gameweek 34 - whatever your strategy

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha is a low-owned option for Gameweek 34 Lewis Storey/Getty Images Share articleGameweek 34 is going to be biggest blank gameweek in the Fantasy Premier League calendar this season, with just seven fixtures to pick from due to postponements for the FA Cup semi-finals. Many managers are looking to the Free Hit chip to navigate this tricky period (deadline 6:30pm UK time/1.30pm ET), while others will be forced to use any free transfers they’ve built up to field a full line-up. But regardless of whichever strategy you’re using, there are key players — and some differentials, too — who it will be important to own in the quest for green arrows. It’s our forward lines likely to need the most attention in the blank, with the two most owned strikers in the game lacking a fixture: Erling Haaland (£14.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.7m). Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£7.4m) is the key player to own here ahead of his team’s visit to Old Trafford. He’s on 21 goals this season, just two behind Haaland in the Golden Boot race. Thiago has chalked up three goals in the last four gameweeks, sitting joint-third for big chances in this time with five. He scored a brace in the reverse of this fixture, a 3-1 win for Brentford. Hugo Ekitike (£9.1m) would have been another key forward to own this week, with his Achilles’ tendon injury impacting over 20 per cent of fantasy teams. Ekitike’s unavailability, however, does leave an opening for Liverpool team-mate Alexander Isak (£10.3m).  Isak returned from injury in Gameweek 32, starting in the Merseyside derby in Gameweek 33. He is a big differential in the game, in just 4.0 per cent of sides, ahead of his team’s home game against Crystal Palace. Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£8.6m) is an interesting punt on Free Hit for his side’s trip to Fulham this weekend, with his 16 points in a 4-3 win against Sunderland last time out his biggest haul of the season. He grabbed two goals and one assist to take him to 14 goal involvements for the season, with Aston Villa also facing relegation candidates Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley in the next three gameweeks. I do worry about Aston Villa’s focus, though, with their Europa League semi-final clash against Nottingham Forest next midweek plus games against Liverpool and Manchester City before the end of the season. West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) is another candidate for our forward lines, with four assists in the last four gameweeks. His side is working hard to avoid relegation, with Everton the east Londoners’ visitors this weekend. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m) looks set to lead the captaincy race once again. He’s been essential in FPL for a while, with goal involvements in seven consecutive games. He is the fourth-most-owned player in the game, with his popularity set to rise given that the template players ahead of him of — Haaland, Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) and Joao Pedro — don’t have a Premier League game this weekend. Don’t discount team-mate Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) either, who is just 9 per cent owned. He has produced two goals and one assist in the last four gameweeks, becoming a key player under Michael Carrick. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) is another viable punt among midfielders, especially since he’s just 15 per cent owned. He has scored in consecutive games for Liverpool and remains on spot kicks, with three big chances in four. He’s been outscored by team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.1m), who has one goal and one assist, in the same window, while Cody Gakpo (£7.3m) sits top for shots (14) and is just 5.8 per cent owned. With the Premier League title race looking set to go down to the wire, investment in Arsenal’s midfield once again via Declan Rice (£7.2m) is wise for those managers using free transfers this week. He’s been their most prevalent attacking player in fantasy points terms this season, with four goals and nine assists. He’s set to be more dominant on set pieces due to the absence of Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) with an Achilles injury. Nottingham Forest Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.5m) is another potential short-term punt, in just 7.1 per cent of sides. He’s been the highest-scoring midfielder over the last four gameweeks, scoring four goals, including a hat-trick against Burnley last time out. His side is getting closer and closer to having done enough to secure Premier League safety. They travel to Sunderland this weekend, with their attention likely to turn to a Europa League semi-final first leg in midweek, so I prefer him as a Free Hit pick. Plenty of managers have parted company with the best-performing defender in the game in recent weeks. Arsenal’s Gabriel (£7.1m) has seen sales due to gaps in the schedule and tricky fixtures, but now is the time to reinvest. He has eight goal involvements this season, including a goal in the reverse of this weekend’s fixture against Newcastle United. Arsenal have kept a leading tally of 15 clean sheets in this campaign. Sticking with premium defenders and the second-most-owned defensive asset in the game, Virgil van Dijk (£6.2m), delivered an eight-point return last time out, scoring a late winner in the Merseyside derby. That takes him to five goal involvements for the season, with all of those coming in 2026. He looks set to be the most transferred-in player for blank Gameweek 34 but is arguably a stronger short-term pick. Another defensive punt on Free Hit is West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavrapanos (£4.4m), with his side still needing points on the board to guarantee survival. He has scored a remarkable three goals in the last four gameweeks, his only goal involvements of the campaign, ahead of a home game against Everton. He is owned by just 1.4 per cent of managers. Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele (£4.5m) is another differential worth considering, in 8.3 per cent of sides. He scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win against Spurs, his seventh goal involvement of the season. He has registered the two-point defensive contribution bonus in 11 of his 27 appearances this season, showcasing plenty of routes to points. Sunderland kept a clean sheet in the reverse of this fixture. It’s then relegated Wolves next. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms