THT FPL Top Transfer Recommendations: Gameweek 16

The Hard Tackle lists the five best options to consider to bring into your team heading into FPL Gameweek 16 of the 2025/26 season.

Gameweek 16 feels like a fork in the road. Managers have just about seen enough of early-season experiments, enough of “punts”, and enough of watching the same template squads cancel each other out every weekend. This is the point in the campaign where fixture runs, underlying numbers, and team trends start to matter more than pre-season hype.​

With Chelsea travelling to an Everton side gradually losing their early attacking spark, Fulham walking into a broken Burnley, Arsenal taking aim at a leaky Wolves, and Aston Villa facing West Ham’s weekly identity crisis, Gameweek 16 throws up a handful of match‑ups that scream “target me”. In the middle of that sit five players who offer a neat mix of form, role, and opponent: Trevoh Chalobah, Joachim Andersen, Eberechi Eze, Harry Wilson, and Ollie Watkins.​

This is not a list of pure differentials for the sake of it. Each name brings a clear tactical angle: defensive reliability against blunt attacks, creative hubs versus shaky backlines, and a centre‑forward whose numbers are better than his headline returns. The goal here is simple enough for any manager (or middle‑school newcomer) to grasp: use Gameweek 16’s weaknesses – Everton’s misfiring front line, Burnley’s double‑sided chaos, Wolves’ soft centre, West Ham’s inconsistency – to squeeze out an edge before mini‑leagues fully wake up.​

So, who stands out, and why should they walk into your squad this week rather than “at some point soon”? Below, each section breaks down the logic behind the pick: the fixture, the player’s recent output, the kind of points they can realistically bring, and the risks you need to accept.​

Trevoh Chalobah: Chelsea’s quiet FPL gift

Chelsea visit Everton in Gameweek 16, and for all the praise Sean Dyche’s side earned early in the season, their attacking edge has started to dull. Everton’s goal tally has been heavily dependent on moments rather than sustained pressure, and in recent weeks their xG and shot volume have cooled off against more organised defences. When they face teams comfortable playing out from the back and compressing space, Everton often run out of ideas in the final third and drift into hopeful crosses and long shots. That profile suits a composed centre‑back like Trevoh Chalobah perfectly.​

Chalobah’s 2025/26 numbers underline why he is more than just a body in Chelsea’s back line. He has posted strong defensive metrics for tackles, blocks and interceptions, ranking highly in key involvement and build‑up effectiveness among Premier League centre‑backs this season. Fantasy-wise, he has quietly stacked up a solid points total – around mid‑60s already – thanks to regular minutes, clean sheets in Chelsea’s recent wins, and the odd bonus recognition when Chelsea keep things tight. Across his last five league outings, Chalobah has delivered a string of steady returns rather than blanks, making him that rare defender who can be started every week rather than just benched “for emergencies”.​

In Gameweek 16, the upside is clear. Chelsea’s improving defensive structure under pressure, combined with Everton’s fading cutting edge, sets up a high clean‑sheet probability. Chalobah’s style – aggressive in stepping out, comfortable on the ball – also helps with bonus points when Chelsea dominate territory and possession. At his price point, that blend of stability and sneaky ceiling makes him one of the best defensive transfers managers can make this week.​

Joachim Andersen: targeting Burnley’s blunt attack

Fulham travel to Burnley in Gameweek 16, and it is hard to find a more inviting opponent for a centre‑back right now. Burnley’s attempt to play front‑foot football in the Premier League has often left them looking naïve, and their attacking output has been wildly inconsistent. They rank towards the lower end of the table for goals scored this season and have struggled badly to create clear chances against set defences, often resorting to speculative shots from distance or hopeful balls into the box.​

Joachim Andersen walks into this with excellent underlying numbers of his own. Across the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, he has started the vast majority of Fulham’s matches, logging over 600 minutes with a strong average rating and impressive passing figures. Defensively, he has been central to Fulham’s structure, contributing a high volume of interceptions, clearances and duels, while also chipping in with build‑up involvement reflected in his expected threat metrics. Fantasy-wise, Andersen has picked up clean sheets in a decent share of his games and added bonus returns on days where Fulham have defended deep and soaked up pressure. His recent run of matches shows a pattern of regular 90‑minute outings with defensive returns and the odd attacking set‑piece involvement, making him more than just a “2‑pointer and done” defender.​

The Burnley fixture amplifies his appeal. Burnley’s possession game often breaks down before the final pass, meaning centre‑backs like Andersen can rack up clearances, headed duels and recoveries without facing a barrage of high‑quality chances. Fulham, meanwhile, have tightened up compared to the previous season, and when they do get a clean sheet, Andersen is frequently among the best performers on the pitch. Add in his set‑piece threat – he regularly attacks corners and free‑kicks – and there is a realistic route to double‑digit points if Fulham combine a clean sheet with a bonus‑point‑friendly defensive display in Gameweek 16.​

Eberechi Eze: Arsenal’s new flair engine

Arsenal host Wolves in Gameweek 16, and there are few midfielders better placed to exploit that fixture than Eberechi Eze. Since his move to Arsenal, Eze has quickly become one of the side’s main creative and goal‑scoring outlets, adding a new dribbling and shooting dimension between the lines. In the 2025/26 league season he has already produced 4 goals and 2 assists in 14 appearances, starting 11 of those and averaging a solid rating across nearly 950 minutes. His recent headline performance – a stunning hat‑trick in the North London derby against Tottenham – shows how high his ceiling is when he finds rhythm in big games.​

Looking at his latest run of matches, Eze has been steadily involved even when not directly on the scoresheet. He registered a goal at home to Crystal Palace, creative contributions against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, and maintained healthy shot and touch numbers in games away to Sunderland and Burnley. Across his last five league fixtures, Eze has picked up a mixture of explosive returns (the Spurs hat‑trick) and quieter but still solid outings, making him a reliable starter with genuine captain‑level upside in the right fixture. That combination of advanced role, set‑piece involvement and ability to rack up shots outside the box translates extremely well into FPL points.​

Wolves, for their part, have been defensively vulnerable throughout the campaign. They have conceded heavily on several occasions and rank among the more generous sides in terms of goals against and big chances allowed. Their back line struggles when dragged into wide and central overloads, particularly against teams with intelligent ball‑carriers who can drive at space between the lines. That is exactly the pocket where Eze lives: drifting inside from midfield, combining with forwards and firing off shots from the edge of the box or slipping passes into runners. For Gameweek 16, that makes him an outstanding transfer for managers looking to attack both form and fixture with one move.​

Harry Wilson: Fulham’s sharp left foot vs Burnley’s soft underbelly

If Andersen is the defensive play from Fulham, Harry Wilson is the attacking mirror on the other side of the pitch. Burnley’s biggest issue this season has not just been scoring goals; it has been keeping them out. They have shipped a high number of goals in the 2025/26 campaign, with their high‑risk, high‑line approach often leaving huge gaps in transition and on the flanks. Teams that move the ball quickly into wide areas and look for early shots or cut‑backs have found regular joy against them.​

Wilson’s profile is almost tailor‑made for that kind of opponent. Across 13 Premier League matches this season, he has scored 3 goals and registered a total of 4 goal contributions, leading Fulham’s scoring charts and ranking around the top 15 percent of attacking players in the league on a goals‑per‑90 basis. He has taken 25 shots in those games, averaging 2.5 shots per 90, with about a quarter of those efforts hitting the target. His recent form shows that this is not a fluke: Wilson has been heavily involved in Fulham’s attacking play, regularly starting and staying on the pitch long enough to influence games late on.​

Crucially for FPL managers, Wilson is more than a scorer; he is a volume shooter and a set‑piece threat, which gives him multiple paths to points even when Fulham do not score freely. Against Burnley’s fragile defence, his tendency to cut inside and shoot, combined with Fulham’s likely dominance in transition, makes him a prime candidate for returns. The risk is the usual one with wide forwards – occasional quiet games when Fulham struggle to progress the ball – but in this specific fixture, the balance of probabilities heavily favours Wilson being in the thick of everything good Fulham create.​

Ollie Watkins: better than his goals column

On paper, Ollie Watkins’ 2025/26 Premier League season looks underwhelming. He has just 1 league goal to his name in eight matches, with 12 shots and 3 on target across 629 minutes for Aston Villa. That works out to a modest goal‑plus‑assist total of 3 contributions across all competitions by mid‑October, far below the explosive returns of previous campaigns. Yet a closer look at his underlying involvement and Villa’s overall form suggests there is a buy‑low opportunity here that Gameweek 16 could unlock.​

Aston Villa sit comfortably in the upper half of the table, with a positive goal difference and an attack that continues to create chances at a healthy rate. Watkins remains the focal point of that attack, starting almost every match and playing close to full games, while posting decent expected goals and chance involvement numbers even when the finishing touch has deserted him. His recent match log shows a goal at home to Fulham, strong xG figures in games against Crystal Palace and Brentford, and regular touches in the box, suggesting the problem is variance rather than role.​

Gameweek 16 puts Villa up against West Ham, a side that has lurched between impressive wins and chaotic defeats throughout the season. West Ham have conceded heavily in several matches, particularly when facing teams that attack with pace and numbers, and their defensive record reflects that inconsistency. Watkins’ movement – darts into the channels, clever runs off the shoulder, constant availability for cut‑backs – is exactly the kind of profile that causes West Ham’s back line problems when their midfield screen is even slightly off. With Villa in good form and West Ham prone to blow‑ups, this is the sort of fixture where Watkins can suddenly convert steady involvement into a big FPL haul, and getting on board early could reward managers who trust the process rather than the headline numbers.

FPL transfer recommendations at a glance

Honourable mentions

A handful of other names deserve a nod for managers looking slightly beyond these five. Cole Palmer continues to be a key creative and scoring outlet for Chelsea, combining penalty duty with open‑play threat. Declan Rice offers steady minutes, bonus‑friendly defensive work and the odd long‑range strike in an Arsenal side dominating territory most weeks.​

Further afield, Nordi Mukiele has the potential to be a valuable defensive asset when starting regularly, thanks to his physical profile and attacking intent from the back. Xavi Simons brings flair, dribbling and final‑third output that can turn fixtures on their head, while Igor Jesus, Matheus Cunha and Dango Ouattara all have the kind of explosive traits that, with the right minutes and fixtures, can deliver short‑term purple patches for brave FPL managers. As ever, the key is balancing upside with security – but for Gameweek 16, Chalobah, Andersen, Eze, Wilson and Watkins look best placed to tilt that balance in your favour.​