Best squad for FPL in Gameweek 9 – ready to use your Free Hit?

The editorial team of the YourBestPick website decided to use the Free Hit option in its Fantasy Premier League, which allows an unlimited number of transfers for a single gameweek. And if you are also inclined to do so before the 9th round of the Premier League, you can use the players we have highlighted together with us.

Thus, what is our optimal squad for gameweek 9 in Fantasy Premier League? Let's go through each position and present our arguments.

Main squad for gameweek 9 Fantasy Premier League

Goalkeeper

Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa)

Cost: 5 million

Unai Emery's team has found decent form, and in the Premier League Aston Villa have two consecutive wins – away at Newcastle (1-0) and at home against the then-unbeaten Manchester City (2-1). As we can see, the Birmingham side's defensive reliability is fine. And the opponent for the new gameweek is modest Fulham, which overall scores little at the start of the season, and away – only 2 goals in 4 matches. Suzuki will have an excellent chance to keep his goal “dry” this weekend.

Defenders

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)

Cost: 5 million

Yes, Tottenham and its players are not the best investment in Fantasy Premier League, but let's be honest – Roberto De Zerbi's team has noticeably improved in recent weeks, winning two Premier League matches in a row, and importantly, Spurs did not play in the midweek League Cup, thus preserving their energy for the league.

The London side's defence is doing quite well – only one goal conceded in the last two gameweeks, and we pick van de Ven also because the Spurs captain knows how and loves to get actively involved in his team's attacks, as well as entering the opponent's penalty area for set pieces. Although this season it is not yet very evident in his statistics.

Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford)

Cost: 4.5 million

The best Brentford defender in Fantasy Premier League this season by points – Ajer has 32 points over 8 gameweeks. We pick the Brentford defender because the London side have a home match against Nottingham – a team with one of the worst attacks this season. Forest have scored only 6 goals in 8 gameweeks.

As with van de Ven, Kristoffer loves to join his team's attacks. The defender already has one goal in the 2026/27 Premier League.

Jay Dasilva (Coventry)

Cost: 4 million

Coventry play at home against Sunderland – a team at the bottom of the table with one of the worst attacks this season (only 6 goals scored). It makes sense to take a Coventry defender into your Fantasy Premier League squad. And in the case of Dasilva we also count on possible attacking contributions – Jay has already recorded a “1+1” in the “goal+assist” system this Premier League season.

Midfielders

Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)

Cost: 5 million

We have covered this midfielder in detail in the article about the best Fantasy Premier League players after 8 gameweeks. We won't repeat ourselves – Marcus is one of the most effective players this season, is very cheap, and we recommend taking him into your squad while Tavernier is in good form.

Rayan Cherki (Man City)

Cost: 8 million

The Frenchman, who scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in the previous 8 rounds, must become one of the key players in the home match against Brighton this weekend. It is a little worrying that Cherki played the full match in the English League Cup tie against the same Seagulls midweek. But we think Rayan will have enough strength for the second match of the week. Moreover, the coaching staff have no real alternatives for his position on the field.

Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa)

Cost: 6.1 million

One of the best summer transfers in the EPL. Manzambi has already managed to score 2 goals and make 2 “assists” for his teammates. And this despite the fact that Aston Villa’s winger did not play all 8 matches of the season due to injury, but only the last 4. His return to the squad has greatly helped the Birmingham side!

Aston Villa’s next opponent is the modest Fulham, who will have a very hard time against the skillful and agile Manzambi. Johan can score himself in this match, and will certainly try to create as many chances as possible for his attacking partners.

Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)

Cost: 8 million

Against the backdrop of injury of Joao Pedro, Rogers should become the main figure in Chelsea’s attack against crisis‑hit Manchester United in the weekend match. Morgan has already recorded 4 goals and 1 assist this season. After lackluster matches against Tottenham and Everton, Rogers needs to step up.

Forwards

Evanilson (Bournemouth)

Cost: 6.2 million

The Brazilian has 3 goals and 1 “assist” in the last 3 Premier League matches, and this despite the fact that his opponents during that period included Chelsea and Manchester United. Everton is in great form, and against Leeds, although they defend reasonably well, this forward will definitely have chances to increase his goal tally this season.

Erling Haaland (Man City)

Cost: 15.8 million

No special comments needed here. Haaland is Haaland, and if you use Free Hit in Fantasy Premier League, not picking Haaland in your squad is a crime. And there are additional factors that fit the overall picture – Man City, after the defeat to Aston Villa, will try to bounce back at Brighton and score as many goals as possible. Haaland himself will come into the match rested, as the coaching staff gave him extra days off mid‑week, and against the same Brighton in the League Cup the Norwegian has not played.

Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa)

Cost: 6.8 million

The Senegalese is in perfect shape right now! His optimal form is linked to the recent improvements in Aston Villa's results, and it's hard to disagree, as Jackson has scored 4 goals in the last 4 rounds against the opponents of the Birmingham side. We think Fulham will also be motivated by this forward for the upcoming weekend.

Substitute players

Konstantinos Tzolakis (Hull)

Cost: 4.7 million

Joško Gvardiol (Man City)

Cost: 5.7 million

Kevin Schade (Brentford)

Cost: 6.2 million

Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham)

Cost: 4.9 million

When it comes to substitutes, there are plenty of reasons to expect a high number of points, as the opponents of all the players mentioned above are fairly modest, and the players themselves, whom we have selected for our “bench of substitutes,” are in good shape, consistently racking up a good amount of points for their owners in Fantasy EPL.

Overall, putting any of these four as the basis, you won't be far off, but we still decided to keep the configuration we mentioned. And here's what our ideal team looks like for Fantasy Premier League round 9.

Source: the article uses data from the official Fantasy Premier League website