FPL GW5 Wildcard Team: Best Draft for Gameweek 5
Gameweek 5 is an interesting time to play the Wildcard, with several fixture swings developing and a three-week international break immediately afterward. The goal is to build a squad that works this weekend but is also well positioned for the fixtures that follow.
This FPL GW5 Wildcard draft prioritizes secure minutes, set pieces, penalties and players with favorable upcoming schedules, while leaving enough budget to cover the premium captaincy options.
For the full player order rather than an exact squad, see our FPL Gameweek 5 Rankings.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| GK | Raya, Palmer |
| DEF | Konsa, Van Hecke, Muharemovic, Antonio Silva, Neco Williams |
| MID | Palmer, Saka, Szoboszlai, Barnes, Gross |
| FWD | Haaland, Gonzalo Garcia, Barry |
Best Goalkeepers for an FPL GW5 Wildcard
David Raya (£6.0m) is the most reliable set and forget option in goal, playing behind the best defensive unit in the league and as consistent a starting point as any manager could ask for. The backup spot goes to Alex Palmer (£4.0m), and any £4.0m goalkeeper works here as a placeholder to keep the budget flexible elsewhere.
Best Defenders for an FPL GW5 Wildcard
Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) remains a steal at his current price with William Saliba out for a while and the Cristhian Mosquera injury situation still unresolved. Getting into the best defensive unit in the league at this cost is too good to pass up.
Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.9m) is completely nailed, solid for defensive contributions and brings aerial threat from dead ball situations. Spurs have kept back-to-back clean sheets and now face a Villa side who have scored just once in league play, with an appealing home fixture run beyond that making him an outstanding long-term hold at under £5.0m.
Tarik Muharemovic (£5.0m) has been the most impressive defender of the early season by some distance. He has adapted to Premier League football seamlessly, sits second among all defenders for defensive contributions accumulated and brings set-piece threat on top of that. He's the Rolls Royce of budget defenders right now.
Antonio Silva (£5.0m) is a defensive contributions machine with a strong run of fixtures coming up, making him a natural fit in this defensive setup.
Neco Williams (£5.0m) rounds out the five as a cheap and reliable defensive enabler, involved in set pieces and operating as a wing back with a good upcoming fixture run.
Best Midfielders for an FPL GW5 Wildcard
Cole Palmer (£9.7m) is back to his best with penalty duties and no European fixtures threatening his minutes, making him one of the most reliable premium picks in the game.
Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) is the Arsenal attacking option of choice, with no threat to his minutes, penalty duties and captaincy potential across several upcoming gameweeks.
Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) divides opinion, but for me he remains a set-and-forget hold. He will tick along reliably with defensive contributions, set piece involvement and penalty duties keeping his points accumulating week after week. He doesn't have a high ceiling, but he's fine for his price.
Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) is a shrewd addition with Anthony Elanga injured, meaning even more of a guarantee of minutes in the coming weeks ahead of fixtures against Coventry and Hull.
Pascal Gross (£5.7m) is an excellent enabler at his price. He's involved in set pieces and on penalties, giving him multiple routes to attacking returns on top of any defensive contributions he picks up.
Best Forwards for an FPL GW5 Wildcard
Erling Haaland (£15.5m) is essential cover for the captaincy in Gameweeks 5 and 7, where he looks comfortably the best armband option on paper.
Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) is a credible cheap forward option for Fulham, who have three fixtures against promoted teams between Gameweeks 6 and 8. He's getting good minutes and expected to be on penalties, making him an attractive budget pick for that fixture run.
Thierno Barry (£5.6m) rounds out the forward line as an interesting differential. With Iliman Ndiaye gone, he is in line to inherit penalty duties at Everton, and at his price he enables quality across the rest of the squad.
Best Wildcard Team for Gameweek 5 Pictured
Final Thoughts
This GW5 Wildcard is built around Haaland, Palmer and Saka as the premium core, with Arsenal defensive coverage and a collection of cheaper players whose fixtures improve over the next several Gameweeks. Barnes, Garcia and Barry provide the budget flexibility needed to make the premium structure work without sacrificing minutes or set-piece involvement.
With a three-week international break immediately after GW5, I would prioritize players with secure roles and good medium-term schedules rather than building too aggressively around one fixture.
