Palmer Vs B.Fernandes: The Better FPL Pick

Palmer or Fernandes? My numbers say save the £2.3m

Here's the number that settles most of this debate: over the next six gameweeks, my projections have Cole Palmer scoring slightly more points than Bruno Fernandes — around 42 to Bruno's 41 — while costing £2.3m less. When the cheaper player is also the higher-scoring one, the argument gets short.

Palmer sits at £9.7m with roughly 3 in 10 managers on board. Fernandes is £12.0m and closer to 4 in 10 — he's the more template pick, which means owning Palmer instead actually gains you ground on the field when he hauls. And the fixtures give him every chance to: Chelsea's run is genuinely kind — BOU (H), EVE (A), TOT (H), MUN (H), SUN (A), LEE (H). Four home games, no trip that should scare anyone.

Bruno's run isn't bad either — TOT (H), LEE (A), BOU (H), CHE (A), AVL (H), LIV (A) — but it's a notch tougher, and it ends with Anfield. That's the difference between "favourable" and "very kind", and it shows in the projections.

The honest case for Fernandes: he's about as nailed as any player in the game, he's on everything for United, and with 4 in 10 managers owning him, going without him carries real pain on his big weeks. If he hauls and you don't have him, that stings more than missing a Palmer haul does.

But the maths still points one way. Both players are set for a strong return most weeks — call it 6-7 points on average — and both can go massive on their day. Palmer just does it for £2.3m less, against softer opponents, with fewer rivals already covered. That saving is a Brentford or Bournemouth defender, or the difference between a £6.0m and £8.3m forward elsewhere in your squad.

If you already own Fernandes and your team is otherwise set, holding him is fine — he's projected to score plenty and selling a nailed premium for a sideways move rarely pays. But if you're choosing between them fresh, or you need funds elsewhere, this isn't close.

My call: buy Palmer. Same points, £2.3m cheaper, better fixtures, and he's the sharper captaincy option in his three home games against Bournemouth, Spurs and United. Fernandes owners can hold — everyone else takes the value.