Gameweek 9 review · deadline Saturday, 31 October 2026
Gameweek 9: the week the crowd's captain blanked
Millions of armbands went on Haaland and came back with 2 points. The week's real story was Van Hecke, who scored 15 while the crowd looked the other way.
The average manager scored 47, 9 below the season average of 56. Last week's average was 45. The highest score anyone managed was 122. 7 players reached double figures.
The week's best
Van Hecke (TOT) was the top-scoring player with 15 points. Behind him came McBurnie on 12, Verbruggen on 11 and Fofana on 11. The ten highest scorers, and how they got there:
| Player | Club | Pos | Pts | Mins | G | A | CS | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Hecke | TOT | DEF | 15 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| McBurnie | HUL | FWD | 12 | 90 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Verbruggen | BHA | GKP | 11 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Fofana | CHE | DEF | 11 | 90 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Konsa | ARS | DEF | 10 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Van den Berg | BRE | DEF | 10 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ayari | BHA | MID | 10 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Havertz | ARS | FWD | 9 | 83 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Evanilson | BOU | FWD | 9 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Thiago | BRE | FWD | 9 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
The best XI of the week
The highest-scoring legal line-up from Gameweek 9 — one goalkeeper, then the best defenders, midfielders and forwards within the game's formation rules — would have scored 115 points before captaincy, against a game-wide average of 47.
| Player | Club | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbruggen | BHA | GKP | 11 |
| Van Hecke | TOT | DEF | 15 |
| Fofana | CHE | DEF | 11 |
| Konsa | ARS | DEF | 10 |
| Ayari | BHA | MID | 10 |
| Rudoni | COV | MID | 9 |
| McBurnie | HUL | FWD | 12 |
| Van den Berg | BRE | DEF | 10 |
| Havertz | ARS | FWD | 9 |
| Evanilson | BOU | FWD | 9 |
| Acheampong | CHE | DEF | 9 |
Captaincy
A bad week for the template. Haaland (MCI) was the most-captained player and blanked with 2 points — 4 doubled. The week's top scorer, Van Hecke, would have returned 30 as captain, a swing of 26 points against the majority. 67,122 managers played their Triple Captain this week, most of them on Haaland — 6 points tripled.
The transfer market
17,105,252 transfers were made before the deadline, and the most-bought player was N.Jackson (AVL). He repaid the faith immediately with 9 points.
Chips played: 333,085 Wildcards, 333,140 Free Hits, 107,179 Bench Boosts and 67,122 Triple Captains.
Results
The upset of the week: Bournemouth (13th before kick-off) beat Leeds (7th). 19 goals in 10 matches, 2 draws; 34 goalkeepers and defenders kept clean sheets. Discipline and misfortune: 4 red cards, 42 yellows, 1 penalty missed and 2 own goals. After Gameweek 9, Arsenal top the table on 24 points, 3 clear of Man City.
How did your league do?
Every number above is game-wide. FPL Rivals turns the same data into your own story: head-to-head records against your mates, captaincy calls with receipts, and a weekly verdict for the group chat. Compare two managers, read the captaincy guide, or see how effective ownership decides who moves up on a week like this.