Manchester City, follow the attackers, monitor the noise
The clearest late signal around City is momentum in the wide areas. Sky Sports Football framed it as, “Title race back ON! Doku inspires City to HUGE Brentford win”, and also noted, “Mood turns on Slot as Doku shines”. For FPL, that matters because Doku is back in the conversation as a high-upside final day punt if Pep hints at another start.
The bigger issue is still the premium structure. The official FPL Pod has repeatedly focused on City attackers, including “What to do with Erling Haaland?”, plus separate mentions for Haaland and Foden in Off The Bench: Reworking attacking options. If Guardiola gives any positive minutes signal on Haaland, he immediately becomes one of the key captaincy calls for GW38. If the update is vague, Foden and Doku look like the cleaner routes into the attack.
- Action: Prioritise Haaland if declared fit enough to start.
- Action: If the presser is non-committal on Haaland, City midfielders become the safer investment route.
- Action: Doku is the upside differential if Pep indicates confidence in his recent form.
Arsenal, watch the right side closely
Arsenal carry two useful signals into GW38. Sky reported, “White forced off injured at West Ham”, which immediately puts Ben White minutes under the microscope. It also noted, “Rice moved to right-back after Arsenal hit bar at West Ham LIVE on Sky!”. That positional reshuffle matters because it can affect both clean sheet stability and attacking roles.
On the attacking side, Bukayo Saka continues to feature heavily in official FPL content, with mentions in S8 Ep29: FPL Pod: Making the most of your midfield spots and S4 Ep15: Off The Bench: Man Utd move into focus. If Mikel Arteta gives White a doubtful update, that could secure Saka’s flank as Arsenal’s main chance-creation lane again, while also making defensive investment slightly less secure.
- Action: Treat White as a minutes risk until Arteta clarifies the issue.
- Action: Saka remains the standout Arsenal pick if declared fully ready.
- Action: Be cautious on Arsenal defenders if the back line looks patched up again.
Newcastle, Gordon benchings are now a real flag
The headline here is simple. Sky Sports Football said, “He must be leaving” , Gordon left on bench again. Whether or not that claim proves true, the FPL takeaway is immediate, repeated benching this late in the season is a major selection warning. In GW38, uncertainty is usually enough reason to move away from a mid-priced attacker.
There was also noise around youth and alternatives, with Seung soo appearing in Sky coverage, but for FPL managers this is mainly about avoiding avoidable risk. Unless Eddie Howe gives a very strong indication that Gordon starts, it is difficult to back him over more secure midfield options.
- Action: Sell or avoid Gordon if Howe does not firmly restore him to the starting picture.
- Action: Do not chase speculative Newcastle picks unless the press conference is unusually positive.
Forest and late differentials
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has now forced his way onto the radar after Sky ran both “Anderson haunts Newcastle to rescue draw for Forest” and “Anderson haunts former club as Forest claw back for Newcastle draw”. That kind of repeated coverage usually follows a player becoming more central to the attack.
He is still more differential than core pick, but GW38 is exactly the week where managers chase form and ownership gaps. If Nuno confirms continuity in role and minutes, Anderson becomes a viable punt for those needing rank gains.
- Action: Anderson is a credible one-week differential if team news remains positive.
- Action: Prefer him as a chasing play, not a safety-first pick.