Football Paparazzi Weekly Fantasy Fix: Best Picks for FPL Gameweek 18

Welcome back to Football Paparazzi’s Weekly Fantasy Fix, where we spotlight the players most likely to deliver when the margins are at their finest.

Gameweek 18 lands right in the heart of the festive grind, with fatigue, rotation, and fixture congestion starting to bite.

It’s a week where you should be using a chip if you have more than one remaining. Because remember, the first batch of Fantasy Premier League chips expires at the end of Gameweek 19.

And with the warning out of the way, here are the players best positioned to deliver big in Gameweek 18.

Michael Keane (Everton) – £4.7m

Everton’s fixture swing starts now, and it’s one of the best runs any defence will enjoy this season. From Gameweek 18 onwards, all of their next 10 matches rate three or lower on the FDR, beginning with a trip to Burnley.

That’s a Burnley side who have scored just seven home goals all season, joint-low in the league, making clean-sheet potential the minimum expectation here. Everton already have six shut-outs in 2025/26, with only four teams managing more.

What elevates Keane above the average budget defender is his added threat at the other end. Two goals already underline his set-piece danger, while only four defenders can better his 18 defensive contribution points this season.

Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) – £8.0m

If you’re moving on from Bruno Fernandes, the smartest solution may be staying exactly where you are, just sideways.

Cunha is hitting form at the right time, delivering attacking returns in three consecutive Gameweeks. Under the hood, the numbers are even more impressive: 22 shots across that spell, at least nine more than any other Premier League player.

Manchester United’s fixture run is tailor-made for Fantasy points. Newcastle have won just one away game all season, followed by three matches against bottom-five opposition.

With Mbeumo and Amad away at AFCON and Fernandes potentially sidelined, Cunha’s minutes look secure, and there’s even a chance he takes over penalty duties, something he handled flawlessly at Wolves.

Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) – £8.1m

It’s taken time, but Wirtz is starting to look like a Liverpool asset worth investing in.

The German has two assists in his last four Gameweeks, while quietly emerging as Liverpool’s main creative force. He’s created 10 chances in that period – a tally only four Fantasy midfielders can beat.

Perhaps more importantly, Wirtz leads the entire league for final-third touches between Gameweeks 14 and 17, highlighting just how involved he is in Liverpool’s attacking play.

With four of the Reds’ next five fixtures rated three or lower on the FDR, and rotation unlikely due to injuries elsewhere, this feels like the ideal moment to buy.

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) – £7.6m

In a period defined by rotation, Bowen offers something priceless: certainty.

He’s the only forward to have played every single minute of the Premier League season so far, making him a rare source of reliability during the festive chaos.

Despite a tough recent schedule, Bowen has returned in three of the last four Gameweeks and sits fourth among forwards for total points. Now, the fixtures flip, with all 10 of West Ham’s next matches rated three or lower on the FDR.

Ranking third among forwards for both shots and chances created, Bowen finally has the platform his underlying numbers deserve.

Note: Boxing Day may only have one fixture this year but the deadline for Gameweek 18 is on the 26th December, 18:30 GMT. Don’t miss it!