Double Gameweek 25 (DGW25) got off to a great start for 214,000+ Fantasy Premier League managers who directly sold Alexander Isak (£9.5m) for Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) as they benefitted from a seven-point swing.
Watkins scored and claimed maximum bonus for a nine-point as Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Ipswich Town, while Isak blanked in Newcastle United's 4-0 loss at Manchester City.
In total, more than 551,000 transferred in Watkins for his pair of matches in DGW25. His new owners will have a second opportunity to earn points when Liverpool visit Villa Park on Wednesday.
Encouragingly, the 29-year-old has an impressive home record against the Reds, producing returns in three of his four appearances including a 19-point haul from a 7-2 win in Gameweek 4 of the 2020/21 campaign.
GW25 most-bought players
| Player | Bought by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Kluivert | 1,044,896 | 5 |
| Rogers | 761,125 | 2 |
| Watkins | 551,722 | 9 |
| Wood | 449,627 | 9 |
| Kerkez | 422,091 | 2 |
There was less to cheer about for those who bought Morgan Rogers (£5.7m), however.
Despite registering five shots in the box and an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.62, both match-high totals, Rogers blanked for the fourth successive match.
Meanwhile, the most-recruited player, Justin Kluivert (£6.0m), allayed any fears he might miss AFC Bournemouth's encounter with Southampton following the birth of his first child by being named in the starting XI.
He supplied an assist for the more than one million Fantasy bosses who snapped him up ahead of the deadline, earning five points.
Bournemouth embark on a kind run of matches with four of their next six rated at just two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR). That includes a home meeting with Brentford in Blank Gameweek 29, when four teams don't play due to the EFL Cup final.
Kluivert's team-mate Milos Kerkez (£5.0m) was also a high priority as the most-recruited defender of the round. But he finished on two points after a goal from Southampton wiped out his clean sheet, disappointing the 422,000+ who added him to their squads.
Chris Wood (£7.1m) continued his fine season with a goal and nine points in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 defeat at Fulham. It's the first time in 11 seasons that he's recorded 20 attacking returns in Fantasy.
The New Zealand forward is now the fourth most-owned player, found in nearly five million teams.
How have the most-sold players fared?
None of the five most-sold players made their sellers regret their actions.
GW25 most-sold players
| Player | Sold by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon | 906,463 | 2 |
| Amad | 484,976 | 0 |
| Isak | 435,662 | 2 |
| Hall | 391,857 | 0 |
| Jackson | 319,376 | 0 |
Ditched by a combined +1.34m people, Anthony Gordon (£7.6m) and Isak have failed to return in successive Gameweeks and have fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool to come next.
Fellow Newcastle player Lewis Hall (£5.0m) has fared even worse of late with just seven points in his last four appearances. More than 391,000 made the correct decision to sell him for DGW25.
Completing the top five, Nicolas Jackson (£8.2m) has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and isn't expected to feature until April, while Amad (£5.5m) will be out for "some time" after picking up an ankle injury.
The Manchester United star has been the most-improved player in Fantasy this season, registering 84 points more than he did across the 2023/24 campaign.