The last gameweek before Christmas kicks off tomorrow, and with players departing for the AFCON, there are many decisions to make for Fantasy Premier League managers.
This article aims to help you navigate those decisions as we discuss a midfield option that has been in excellent form in recent weeks.
We also compare two seemingly identical defensive options to see which one might be the better pick, and lastly, we examine the players with the most defensive contributions so far this season.
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Can anyone take the top spot away from Andy Ward?
FPL Gameweek 17 Deadline
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 17 deadline is Saturday, 20 December 2025 at 11:00 GMT.
FPL Gameweek 17 Fixtures
Newcastle welcomes Chelsea.
Burnley travel to Bournemouth.
Brighton will host Sunderland.
West Ham are on the road to Manchester City.
Wolves are at home to Brentford.
Liverpool will visit Spurs.
Everton will welcome Arsenal.
Crystal Palace are away to Leeds.
Aston Villa will host Manchester United.
Nottingham Forest have an away game against Fulham.
FPL Assets Leading On Form For Gameweek 17
Let’s start by looking at the current form amongst the best FPL players for Matchweek 17 before getting into our free fantasy football tips.
(Form is a metric that’s issued on the official FPL platform, which uses a player’s average score per match, calculated from all matches played by his club in the last 30 days.)
Goalkeepers:
- Jordan Pickford is tied for first with 5.2 points
- Robert Sánchez rivals him with 5.2 points
- Dean Henderson stays third with 3.8 points
Defenders:
- Trevoh Chalobah moves to first with 7.2 points
- James Tarkowski drops to second with 6.2 points
- Neco Williams is third with 6.0 points
Midfielders:
- Phil Foden remains first with 11.4 points
- Bruno Fernandes moves to second with 9.6 points
- Harry Wilson is third with 8.8 points
Forwards:
- Erling Haaland moves back to first with 6.6 points
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin drops to second with 6.4 points
- Hugo Ekitike is third with 5.8 points
FPL Managers Turn Their Attention To Harry Wilson
Fulham have had a mixed bag of results this season, with six wins, eight losses, and two draws in 16 Premier League games so far.
While there have been a few negative aspects of Fulham’s performances, one massive positive has been the form of Harry Wilson in recent weeks.
Wilson is arguably the most in-form player in the entire Premier League, with three goals and four assists in his last four league outings.
With seven goal contributions since Gameweek 13, it should come as no surprise that Wilson is now firmly on the radar of FPL managers worldwide.
Harry Wilson is currently priced at £5.6M and has the sixth most FPL points among all midfield options in the game, with 78 points.
When looking at the entirety of the season so far, we can see that Wilson has been performing consistently for Fulham since the very first Gameweek, where he provided an assist in Fulham’s draw against Brighton.
Wilson has started a total of 13 games so far and has 10 goal contributions in the Premier League this season.
With his form getting better every week, it seems that FPL managers are putting their trust in Wilson for the weeks to come, as Fulham face Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Crystal Palace in their next three fixtures.
With his global ownership rising to 14.2%, Harry Wilson is the most transferred-in player heading into the new Gameweek.
Jan Paul van Hecke Vs Daniel Ballard
Budget options in defense have offered more value this season than any other season in recent memory.
These budget options are not scarce, as there are many to choose from.
Two great options for budget defenders this season have been Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton and Sunderland’s Daniel Ballard.
These two defenders have identical FPL metrics at this stage of the season, with both coming in at a price of £4.6m and both having accumulated a total of 66 FPL points.
Brighton have managed to keep only three clean sheets this season, while Sunderland have kept five.
So does this make Ballard a better option than van Hecke going forward?
Let’s take a closer look at their individual performances on the pitch to determine if picking van Hecke over Ballard has any merit.
Jan Paul van Hecke has played roughly 400 more minutes in the Premier League than Dan Ballard this season, with 1440 minutes compared to Ballard’s 1030.
During that time on the pitch, van Hecke has contributed to four goals, scoring three and providing one assist. Ballard has scored two goals this season and has not yet registered an assist.
Both players have had four shots inside the opposition box this season, but van Hecke is more prone to shooting from range, as he has had five attempts from outside the box, compared to no long-range efforts from Ballard.
Dan Ballard has had more touches in the opposition box, with 35 compared to 21 for van Hecke.
Van Hecke has attempted more crosses into the box this season, with 10, while Ballard has played only a single cross into the opposition box all season.
From the above statistics, it should come as no surprise that Jan Paul van Hecke has a higher xG (expected goals) and a higher xA (expected assists) than Ballard so far.
Jan Paul van Hecke has made a total of 125 defensive contributions so far this season, which is just one more than Ballard, who has made 124.
While it seems that Ballard is set to gain more points from clean sheets, as he is part of a stronger defensive unit, Jan Paul van Hecke looks more likely to benefit from attacking contributions this season.
Regardless of where Brighton and Sunderland finish this season, it will be interesting to see which of these two defensive assets ends up with more FPL points.
Top 5 Players With The Most Defensive Contributions
The addition of FPL points derived from defensive contributions has been a breath of fresh air this season.
It has turned previously undesirable players into interesting picks and has given FPL managers plenty to think about week after week when finalising transfers.
Let’s take a closer look at the players with the most defensive contributions so far this season:
Elliot Anderson
Defensive Contributions: 207
FPL Points: 65
Price: £5.4m
Ownership: 5.0%
Marcos Senesi
Defensive Contributions: 192
FPL Points: 72
Price: £4.9m
Ownership: 16.2%
Granit Xhaka
Defensive Contributions: 177
FPL Points: 68
Price: £5.2m
Ownership: 6.2%
Virgil van Dijk
Defensive Contributions: 172
FPL Points: 62
Price: £5.9m
Ownership: 23.6%
Bruno Fernandes
Defensive Contributions: 168
FPL Points: 98
Price: £9.3m
Ownership: 29.2%
Top 3 FPL Gameweek 17 Captain Picks:
- Erling Haaland vs West Ham
- Phil Foden vs West Ham
- Bukayo Saka vs Everton
Differential Captain Pick Of The Week
Antoine Semenyo
Bournemouth face a struggling Burnley side this weekend, and Antoine Semenyo will be fit and available, as Ghana did not qualify for the AFCON this year.
Semenyo scored against Manchester United in Gameweek 16 and has been in great form throughout the season.
If Burnley continue to struggle defensively this weekend, Semenyo is poised to punish them and reward those who give him the captaincy.
Playing Your Free Hit?
FPL managers who are considering using their Free Hit Chip this weekend might find some value below in our FPL Tips for GW17:
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m)
DEF: Reece James (£5.6m)
DEF: Marc Guéhi (£5.3m)
DEF: Joachim Andersen (£4.6m)
MID: Phil Foden (£8.8m)
MID: Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m)
MID: Declan Rice (£7.1m)
MID: Bukayo Saka (£10.3m)
MID: Harry Wilson (£5.6m)
FWD: Erling Haaland (£15.0m)
FWD: Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m)
BENCH: Martin Dúbravka (£4.0m)
BENCH: Nordi Mukiele (£4.2m)
BENCH: Nathaniel Clyne (£3.8m)
BENCH: Marc Guiu (£4.2m)
Final Thoughts
Gameweek 17 arrives at a crucial point in the season, with the festive schedule beginning to intensify and new challenges emerging for Fantasy Premier League managers.
Squad management is becoming increasingly important, particularly with several players set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in the coming weeks, which adds another layer of complexity to transfer planning.
Momentum matters heading into this gameweek.
Players in strong form should remain high on the radar, but managers may also find value in short-term picks who are about to gain minutes or responsibility due to upcoming absences.
Keeping an eye on underlying numbers alongside recent returns can help identify those best placed to deliver.
Fixture difficulty will again shape decision-making.
Some teams are entering a favourable run that could be exploited before the schedule tightens further, while others face testing matches that may limit returns.
Planning transfers with both this gameweek and the weeks beyond in mind will be key.
Budget options continue to play a vital role, especially as squads need flexibility to adapt to AFCON-related absences.
Reliable low-cost players with secure minutes can provide stability and allow managers to invest in premium attackers where it matters most.
As Gameweek 17 approaches, stay attentive to team news, press conference updates, and any late fitness concerns.
Making informed, forward-thinking decisions now can provide a strong foundation for the demanding period ahead.
