Buy, keep, sell? Transfer trends ahead of Gameweek 17

In the build-up to Gameweek 17, transfer activity in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) remains high.

Based on fixtures, form, injuries and bans, these players are being transferred in/out the most.

Above: As of Tuesday night, the most bought (left) and most sold (right) players heading into Gameweek 17

But whether it’s a good idea remains open to debate.

Here, we share our thoughts on who to buy, keep and sell in Gameweek 17.

We’ll try to avoid repetition with previous weeks. For example, Harry Wilson (£5.6m) was a buy and Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) was a sell in our last piece, so we’ll not cover them again.

RAYAN CHERKI

Rayan Cherki (£6.5m) extended his fine form on Sunday, providing the assist for Phil Foden’s (£8.8m) strike at Selhurst Park.

The Frenchman has now produced all seven of his assists for the season over the last seven Gameweeks since his return from injury.

And the underlying data further highlights his influence at Manchester City.

Cherki’s rate of 29 minutes per chance created in 2025/26 ranks among the best in the top-flight.

He’s also been involved in 57% of his side’s goals when selected, another team-high.

There is always a chance of rotation when it comes to Man City players, but Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) has been ruled out for “two to three weeks” and Omar Marmoush (£8.3m) is off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), so Cherki might be a risk worth taking.

Furthermore, City’s matches are well spread out over the festive period, with attractive fixtures to come against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

• Wed 17 Dec: Brentford (h) – Carabao Cup
• Sat 20 Dec: West Ham (h) – Gameweek 17
• Sat 27 Dec: Nottingham Forest (a) – Gameweek 18
• Thu 1 Jan: Sunderland (a) – Gameweek 19

So, if you can swallow the rotation risk, buying Cherki feels like a solid move with real upside.

VERDICT: BUY

ENZO FERNANDEZ

There are only nine players who’ve had at least 30 shots and created a minimum of 20 chances this season.

One of them is Enzo Fernandez (£6.6m), yet the Argentine has not met expectations in Fantasy, failing to return in nine out of his last 10 matches.

His conversion rate during that period has been particularly poor – 7.1%.

Other factors, such as the absence of Moises Caicedo (£5.7m), have naturally played a part.

Despite this run of blanks, Enzo – who has been sold by over 91,000 managers this week – continues to find himself in dangerous positions in/around the box, even with Cole Palmer (£10.3m) back in the ‘10’.

But while past history suggests that Enzo will eventually start to deliver on his promising underlying stats, he appears to be a sell for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, Chelsea’s fixtures take a turn for the worse in Gameweek 17, as they face Newcastle United (a), Aston Villa (h), Bournemouth (h) and Manchester City (a) in quick succession.

Enzo could also be replaced by someone like Antoine Semenyo (£7.5m), Matheus Cunha (£7.9m), Cherki, or cheaper still, Harry Wilson (£5.6m), all of whom carry significant upside over the next few weeks.

VERDICT: SELL

HUGO EKITIKE

Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m) is FPL’s most in-demand forward.

The Frenchman has plundered 26 points in his last two matches, thanks to four goals and six bonus.

Additionally, his shot frequency has rocketed in this period, with 12 shots taken in only 156 minutes of football:

Comfortably outperforming positional rival Alexander Isak (£10.3m), who continues to look off the pace, Fantasy managers have clearly taken note of Ekitike’s form ahead of this weekend’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lilywhites were thumped 3-0 by Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with their home form poor throughout the 2025/26 season.

Looking further ahead, Liverpool play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Burnley in Gameweeks 18-22.

Like Cherki, Ekitike isn’t completely nailed-on to start every match, but with Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) off to AFCON and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) injured, plus some generous recovery times in between games this month, he looks like a serious option for our frontlines.

VERDICT: BUY

EBERECHI EZE

Gameweek 12 brought a hat-trick for Eberechi Eze (£7.8m), but the ex-Crystal Palace man has blanked in all four of his subsequent matches.

Alarmingly, he hasn’t registered a single shot in this period.

He hasn’t been creating much either, with only two chances created during that four-match spell.

There are other considerations to take into account.

The return of Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) means that Eze is no longer assured of minutes in central midfield. And with numerous options available to Mikel Arteta on the left, such as Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m), his minutes appear vulnerable.

While it may be tough to ditch Eze before he faces Everton (a) or Brighton and Hove Albion (h), the longer-term fixture outlook for Arsenal is mixed.

And given the minutes’ uncertainty, it’s probably safe to move Eze on.

VERDICT: SELL

TREVOH CHALOBAH

Trevoh Chalobah (£5.4m) has started every Premier League match he has been available for this season.

He’s also found the net three times and delivered defensive contribution (DefCon) points on six separate occasions, the most of any Chelsea player.

And with eight clean sheets to his name, it’s no surprise Chalobah is the second top-scoring defender in FPL.

But the fixtures aren’t great for Chelsea over the next four Gameweeks, particularly from a defensive standpoint.

Indeed, Aston Villa and Man City are the two hottest attacks in the division right now.

As for Newcastle, they have found the net in every home game this season, whereas only Man City have scored more goals on the road than Bournemouth.

Perhaps now isn’t the best time to rush into buying Chalobah, then.

Instead, it might be best to prioritise other defenders before potentially moving for the Chelsea man in Gameweek 21, when Enzo Maresca’s side embark on an excellent seven-match run (ful/BRE/cry/WHU/wol/LEE/BUR).

VERDICT: KEEP, BUT DON’T RUSH TO BUY