Thomas Brønsby’s 88 points lifted him to second, while cash in the bank and returns from defensive picks shaped Gameweek 10.
Gameweek 10 put two FPL questions back in focus: when should managers spend their spare budget, and how much should they trust defenders for points? Among “The Great and The Good”, Thomas Brønsby delivered the standout score, while several managers benefited from defensive returns and one transfer pair produced a 26-point gain.
The group followed by this column includes Mark Sutherns, Az, Andy North, FPL General, Tom Freeman, Joe Lepper, Huss E, FPL Harry, LTFPL Andy, Pras, Zophar, Fabio Borges, Thomas Brønsby, Ben Crellin, Elevenify, Tom Dollimore, Andrew McKinnon and Ben McCrum.
Brønsby’s patient climb
Brønsby scored 88 points and moved into second place after four consecutive green arrows. That run has taken him from outside the top million to 25,000th, despite only three transfers during the stretch and six all season.
His recent moves were a switch to David Raya (£6.2m), giving him three Arsenal defenders, followed by Antonio Silva (£5.1m) last week. He still has both his Wildcard and Free Hit available. The approach has been steady: Brønsby brought in Thierno Barry before Gameweek 5 and kept faith with Erling Haaland, Gabriel Magalhaes (£8.1m) and Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m). Enzo Le Fée (£5.7m) rewarded that patience with a double-digit return.
Brønsby is now in position to pursue a fifth consecutive top-10k finish, and his score puts pressure on group leader Andy North ahead of the international break. Tom Dollimore also had a strong week, with three Arsenal defenders and a big contribution from Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m). Az’s Alexander Isak (£9.3m) captaincy paid off, as did his Brighton players and James Trafford (£5.0m). Since using his Wildcard, Az has climbed almost 500,000 places.
Transfers that changed the week
FPL Harry was the only manager in the group to take a points hit, bringing in Silva and Marcus Tavernier (£6.7m). Tom Freeman, Brønsby and LTFPL Andy held onto their transfers and now have four free moves to work with.
Other changes included Gabriel joining Dollimore’s squad and Pras swapping Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.8m) for Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m). Andrew McKinnon signed Nicolas Jackson (£7.1m) for Gonzalo Garcia (£5.9m), then left Jackson’s 11 points on the bench.
Fabio Borges made the week’s most rewarding pair of transfers: Yoane Wissa (£5.9m) out for Barry, and Harry Maguire (£4.6m) out for Luka Vuskovic (£5.3m). Together, those moves brought a net gain of 26 points.
Defensive picks and the captaincy call
Gabriel is regaining favour after early concerns about his price. As more budget has become available, the Arsenal defender’s appeal has grown. Mbeumo’s arrival in Pras’s squad also came just as Gibbs-White finally delivered a return, a reminder that timing in FPL rarely feels tidy.
Captaincy choices split between the familiar and the speculative. Most stuck with Haaland (£15.8m), while some backed Arsenal defenders, betting on clean sheets and defensive contribution points. A handful captained Barry, whose Friday-night haul made that call look particularly well judged.
Ezri Konsa (£4.8m) was another pre-deadline talking point after a minor injury raised concerns about his availability. With William Saliba (£5.9m) waiting as an alternative, managers had a decision to make about whether to hold or switch.
Cash in the bank, points on the bench
Spare budget remains unusually high across the group. Ben Crellin is carrying £3.2m in the bank, a sizeable reserve that gives him room to react to future needs.
Other managers have put more of their budget into their benches, where the trade-off is protection against absences versus points left unused. Joe has the most money tied up in substitutes, at £20.8m, but the size of a bench alone doesn’t determine how many points it delivers.
The temptation to load up on defenders for clean sheets and defensive contribution points is understandable, especially after a week when several defensive selections paid off. But results across the group point to a more measured approach: solve the squad’s existing problems before chasing a new source of points. With the international break offering time to reassess, the best use of spare cash may be the move that strengthens a real weakness.
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