FPL Gameweek 8 (2025/26): Team, Captain and Transfers
For FPL 2025/26 Gameweek 8 (reconstructed cutoff 18 Oct 2025, 10:00 UTC), the optimiser picked M.Salah as captain and Semenyo as vice, a 3-5-2, and 2 free transfers (Tarkowski out, J.Timber in; B.Fernandes out, Semenyo in). Projected squad total was 66.7. It scored 52 net points after hits. This is a reconstructive replay: the cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not a live two-hour freeze.
Cutoff 18 Oct 2025, 10:00 UTCReconstructed cutoff (kickoff − 90 min)sha256:37a129bb…81d7Download snapshotSettledReconstructive replay
Key facts
- Captain
- M.Salah (8.4 xP)
- Vice-captain
- Semenyo
- Formation
- 3-5-2
- Transfers
- Tarkowski → J.Timber, B.Fernandes → Semenyo
- Bank
- £2.0m
- Hits
- None
- Chip
- None
- Projected
- 66.7 xP
- Points
- 52
- Status
- Settled
Squad
| Pos | Player | Club | Fixture | FDR | £m | xP | Pts | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKP | Dúbravka | BUR | LEE (H) | 2 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 9 | — |
| DEF | Gabriel | ARS | FUL (A) | 3 | 7.3 | 5.2 | 12 | — |
| DEF | J.Timber | ARS | FUL (A) | 3 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 6 | — |
| DEF | Senesi | BOU | CRY (A) | 3 | 5.2 | 3.2 | 2 | — |
| MID | M.Salah | LIV | MUN (H) | 3 | 14.0 | 8.4 | 4 | Captain |
| MID | Semenyo | BOU | CRY (A) | 3 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 4 | Vice-captain |
| MID | Szoboszlai | LIV | MUN (H) | 3 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 4 | — |
| MID | Gakpo | LIV | MUN (H) | 3 | 7.3 | 4.7 | 7 | — |
| MID | Reijnders | MCI | EVE (H) | 3 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 1 | — |
| FWD | João Pedro | CHE | NFO (A) | 3 | 7.4 | 5.3 | 2 | — |
| FWD | Watkins | AVL | TOT (A) | 3 | 8.7 | 4.7 | 1 | — |
| Bench | ||||||||
| GKP | Sánchez | CHE | NFO (A) | 3 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 5 | Sub #1 |
| DEF | Rodon | LEE | BUR (A) | 2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 1 | Sub #2 |
| DEF | Pedro Porro | TOT | AVL (H) | 3 | 5.2 | 3.0 | 1 | Sub #3 |
| FWD | Marc Guiu | CHE | NFO (A) | 3 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 1 | Sub #4 |
Why this plan
Reconstructive replay for 2025/26 Gameweek 8. The optimiser captained M.Salah (vice Semenyo), formation 3-5-2, and made 2 transfers (Tarkowski out, J.Timber in; B.Fernandes out, Semenyo in). It scored 52 net points after hits. Pre-cutoff objective was 66.7 expected points.
Transfers
Tarkowski out (£5.5m) → J.Timber in (£5.8m). Selected by this approach at the reconstructed cutoff.
B.Fernandes out (£9.0m) → Semenyo in (£7.8m). Selected by this approach at the reconstructed cutoff.
- Transfers: Tarkowski to J.Timber; B.Fernandes to Semenyo.
- Evidence-informed finished +0 points versus the optimiser this week.
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
This is a reconstructive historical replay, not a live two-hour freeze. Inputs were rebuilt after the season; see Methods and the limitations on this page.
Limitations of this snapshot
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
- Press and injury notes were not locked before the deadline.
- Prices are not exact pre-deadline quotes.
- Raw community xP tables were not used as the pre-deadline forecast.
Three approaches compared
Template (roll transfers), optimiser (selected plan), and same-state evidence. In this ingest, evidence matched the optimiser every week.
| Approach | Formation | Captain | Transfers | Projected | vs Template | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template No transfers | 4-4-2 | M.Salah (João Pedro) | 0 | 60.3 | — | 36 | 36 pts net |
Optimiser (selected) Tarkowski → J.Timber, B.Fernandes → Semenyo | 3-5-2 | M.Salah (Semenyo) | 2 | 66.7 | +16.0 | 52 | 52 pts net |
Evidence Tarkowski → J.Timber, B.Fernandes → Semenyo | 3-5-2 | M.Salah (Semenyo) | 2 | 66.7 | +16.0 | 52 | 52 pts net |
Chip check
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
How to verify
This Gameweek 8 plan is a reconstructive snapshot hashed with SHA-256 (sha256:37a129bbf7735452269f6b5d97aa1935a704a3205cc31ac7df9e42a510f881d7), with cutoff 18 Oct 2025, 10:00 UTC (first kickoff minus 90 minutes). Download the JSON to inspect the rebuilt inputs. This is not a live two-hour freeze.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 8?
The selected plan captains M.Salah (8.4 projected points) against MUN (H). Vice-captain is Semenyo. Same-state evidence matched this captain.
Should I use a chip in Gameweek 8?
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
Is Gameweek 8 a live freeze or a replay?
A reconstructive replay. Inputs were rebuilt after the season. The cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes.