RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8: captain picks and best buys

RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials

RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8 opens on 9 October after the international break, and it is a round to plan three weeks ahead rather than one. Al Hilal have the best run in the Saudi Pro League over Gameweeks 8–10 by a distance, Al Qadasiya own the strongest single fixture of Gameweek 9, and two of the most-owned defenders in the game are not in our predicted lineups for this weekend at all. Below: the programs worth owning, the best buys per position, the captaincy plan for the next three Gameweeks, the hidden gems and who to sell now. Every number comes from our model's current projections — the full table is on the RSL Fantasy player picks page, and last round's thinking is in the RSL Fantasy Gameweek 7 preview.

Gameweek 8–10 programs: whose next three Gameweeks are worth owning

Al Hilal's [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ is the standout: 8.08 expected goals and 1.28 expected clean sheets across the three, the best attacking and the best defensive total in the league. It is backed by what they have already done — 3.51 expected goals per game over the first seven Gameweeks, 1.14 conceded and four clean sheets. Behind them, Al Qadasiya's [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN carries 7.22 expected goals and 1.01 expected clean sheets, and Gameweek 9 at home to Abha (0.80 expected goals per game this season) is the week to plan their captaincy around. Al Nassr FC ([H]DIR → [A]AHL → [H]NEO, 6.71) are a mixed case: two strong home games bracket a trip to Al Ahli, so their assets are holds through that one week, not sells — and [A]FSL → [H]KLD → [A]HAZ behind it is the best Gameweek 11–13 run in the league.

Al Ittihad go to Al Hilal this weekend with an 11% win probability and a 7% clean-sheet chance, but [H]SHB → [A]ETT afterwards is far kinder — Al Ittihad players are a "wait a round", not a sell. At the other end, Al Hazem ([H]NEO → [H]FAT → [A]HIL, 3.20 expected goals) and Al Diriyah ([A]NAS → [H]TWN → [H]RIY, 3.39) have the two weakest three-Gameweek attacking totals in the league, and Al Hazem also carry the lowest expected clean-sheet count (0.47). Every club plays in Gameweek 8 — nine fixtures, no blanks — and kick-off times for every match are on the RSL Fantasy schedule.

Top ten teams by 3-round expected goals; every team plays three times in the window, so the totals compare like for like. The 3-round CS column is expected clean sheets out of three games. One defensive outlier sits below the cut: Al Fayha ([H]RIY → [A]KLJ → [H]AHL) carry 0.74 expected clean sheets, the fifth-best total in the league, which is why their goalkeeper features below.

Best goalkeepers for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

Yassine Bounou (5.5m, HIL) is the goalkeeper to own for the run, not just the round: [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ, a rising trajectory of 4.8 → 5.1 → 5.4 and 15.3 points over three Gameweeks, the most of any keeper. 31.9% of managers already have him, so he protects rank rather than gains it, but Al Hilal's 1.28 expected clean sheets make him the safest pick in the position.

The value option is Orlando Mosquera (5.0m, FYH), owned by just 1.7%. He tops the Gameweek 8 goalkeeper table with 4.9 at home to Al Riyadh, but his program [H]RIY → [A]KLJ → [H]AHL fades to 4.4 → 4.0, so treat him as a cheap second keeper who starts this week rather than a long-term number one. Over the three, Koen Casteels (5.5m, QAD) is second at 13.8 on [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN (4.8 → 4.9 → 4.1), and Bento Krepski (5.5m, NAS) third at 13.6 on [H]DIR → [A]AHL → [H]NEO (4.8 → 4.0 → 4.8). Bento Krepski is the keeper whose line holds beyond the window — 5.0 at Al-Faisaly in Gameweek 11 and 5.1 at home to Al Kholood in Gameweek 12 — so if you are buying one keeper and keeping him past Gameweek 10, he is the one after Yassine Bounou. Turki Ba Al Jawsh (4.1m, ETT) has the best points per million of any keeper this week (4.6 at home to Al Khaleej), but [A]NEO → [H]ITT drops him to 3.6 → 3.7 — a one-Gameweek filler, not a hold.

Best defenders for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

This round's ranking and the longer view disagree, and the longer view wins. Mohammed Abu Al Shamat tops the Gameweek 8 defender table with 6.7 at Al Kholood, but Kalidou Koulibaly (5.0m, HIL) has the most points over the next three at 17.1 (5.6 → 5.6 → 5.9) on [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ, and the best six-Gameweek weighted score in the position (19.6). Mohammed Abu Al Shamat is only 0.2 behind over the three, but his line is front-loaded and he costs 1.8m more. At 19.1% owned Kalidou Koulibaly is the defender to buy and keep; pair him with Yassine Bounou and the Al Hilal clean sheet pays twice.

The differential is Andrei Girotto (4.5m, FSL). Only 5.1% own him, he has the best points per million of any defender this round (1.20), and [A]ABH → [H]KLD → [A]SHB produces 5.4 → 5.5 → 4.7 — 15.6 over three, fourth in the position at the lowest price of the top four. Marin Petkov (5.0m, TWN) is the other low-owned name to know at 6.7%: [A]SHB → [A]DIR → [H]QAD runs 4.9 → 6.1 → 4.2, and his 6.1 at Al Diriyah is the best defender projection of Gameweek 9; [A]RIY → [H]ETT in Gameweeks 11–12 lifts him back to 5.3 → 5.8. Seydouba Cisse (4.5m, KLD) is the deeper budget pick at 0.5% ownership: [H]QAD → [A]FSL → [A]ABH climbs 4.2 → 5.6 → 5.1, and [H]ETT in Gameweek 11 holds him at 5.3.

Malang Sarr (5.2m, NEO) is a strong hold: [A]HAZ → [H]ETT → [A]NAS gives 5.7 → 5.6 → 3.9, and the trip to Al Nassr FC in Gameweek 10 is the dip. Neom SC host Abha in Gameweek 11 (5.9), so his six-Gameweek weighted score of 19.1 is third in the position — you can keep him through the Al Nassr FC week. Teammate Nathan Zeze (5.0m, NEO) is the cheaper route into the same run at 9.4% ownership, 5.2 → 5.3 → 3.4. Gaston Álvarez (5.0m, QAD) is the cheap way into Al Qadasiya's [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN at 6.3% ownership, projecting 5.9 → 4.9 → 4.1, with 1.18 points per million this week.

The Al Qadasiya template pair Mohammed Abu Al Shamat (6.8m, 43.3%) and Nacho Fernandez (5.6m, 41.6%) project 6.7 → 5.8 → 4.4 and 6.1 → 5.4 → 4.6. The Gameweek 10 trip to Al-Taawoun and the Gameweek 11 visit of Al Hilal (3.5 and 3.9) soften both, so owners hold and non-owners have no reason to buy in now — Gaston Álvarez gives the same fixtures for less.

One to plan for rather than buy today: Shaquille Pinas (5.0m, KLD), Al Kholood's penalty taker with 0.50 expected goal involvements per 90 this season. [H]QAD → [A]FSL → [A]ABH runs 3.7 → 5.5 → 6.3 — his 6.3 is the best defender projection of Gameweek 10 — then [H]ETT in Gameweek 11 projects 6.4, the best defender number of that Gameweek too. The Al Qadasiya game this week is the only poor one in four. He is worth bringing in for Gameweek 9, not before, and at 2.0% owned nobody will beat you to him.

Best midfielders for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

Julian Quinones (11.9m, QAD) is the best midfielder in the game for the next three Gameweeks: [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN, a trajectory of 8.5 → 8.8 → 6.4 and 23.7 points in total. His 8.8 against Abha is the highest single-Gameweek projection of any player in the window, and his 0.79 expected goal involvements per 90 over seven full games back it up. He is already 35.6% owned, so the question is less whether to own him than whether to captain him (below).

The Al Hilal midfield is where the next places are won. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (9.6m, HIL) projects 7.4 → 7.0 → 7.4 on [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ, 21.8 over three and second in the position. A flat line is exactly what you want from a hold, and only 14.1% of managers own him, against 37.9% for Ruben Neves (9.2m, HIL), who is on penalties, has three goals and three assists so far, and projects 6.5 → 6.6 → 6.9 on the same [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ run. Crysencio Summerville (40.5%, 6.5 → 6.3 → 6.5) has the best underlying numbers of the three (1.05 expected goal involvements per 90) but the lowest total in the window. With three players allowed per club, if you also want Yassine Bounou or Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves are the midfield pair — confirm both on the RSL Fantasy predicted lineups before the deadline.

Tijjani Reijnders (7.1m, QAD) is the mid-price way into Al Qadasiya's Gameweek 9: 6.0 → 7.1 → 5.1 on [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN, 18.2 over three. Musab Al-Juwayr (6.9m, QAD) is the less-owned version at 5.0%, level with him at 6.0 this week and projecting 6.0 → 5.7 → 4.5 on the same [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN. Over the three Tijjani Reijnders leads by 2.0, so if you are buying one and keeping him, buy Tijjani Reijnders. On a budget, Aschraf El Mahdioui (5.4m, TWN) has the best points per million of any midfielder this round (0.93) and one of the flattest lines in the game: 5.0 → 5.3 → 4.7 on [A]SHB → [A]DIR → [H]QAD, then 5.2 → 5.2 in Gameweeks 11 and 12 — 15.0 over three, at 2.4% ownership.

The hidden gem is Lukas Haraslin (6.9m, FAT), owned by 0.2%. His 4.4 at home to Al Ahli is unremarkable, but [H]AHL → [A]HAZ → [H]KLJ rises to 4.4 → 5.5 → 6.2 and [H]SHB in Gameweek 11 holds him at 5.5. This is a buy-early case: the program turns after this round and the trajectory climbs, so the transfer has to be in before the good run starts, not during it. Yannick Carrasco (9.0m, SHB) is the premium alternative outside the big two clubs: on penalties, 10.8% owned and a steady 6.1 → 5.1 → 5.5 on [H]TWN → [A]ITT → [H]FSL.

Best forwards for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

Ollie Watkins (10.1m, HIL) is the forward to own: [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ, 7.9 → 7.7 → 7.8 and 23.4 over three, the most in the position, plus the best six-Gameweek weighted score of any forward (25.8). He has three goals and two assists in 313 minutes (0.99 expected goal involvements per 90), and at 16.6% ownership, against more than half the game holding Ivan Toney, he is both the best pick and a differential.

Alexandre Lacazette (7.3m, NEO) is the value forward: 6.8 → 7.4 → 4.3 on [A]HAZ → [H]ETT → [A]NAS, then [H]ABH in Gameweek 11 lifts him to 7.6 — the best projection of any player that Gameweek. His points per million this round (0.93) are the best of any forward, and five goals in seven games say the projection is not built on hope. Mateo Retegui (9.0m, QAD) is on penalties and is the man for Al Qadasiya's big week: 6.0 → 7.6 → 5.5 on [A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN, with 7.6 against Abha his peak. Cristiano Ronaldo (12.6m, NAS) is a hold for owners on [H]DIR → [A]AHL → [H]NEO (7.6 → 5.6 → 7.5) — the Gameweek 9 dip at Al Ahli is one week, and Gameweeks 11–13 project 6.3 → 7.8 → 7.4. His six-Gameweek weighted score (25.1) is second only to Ollie Watkins.

For a differential up front, Roger Martinez (8.9m, SHB) is owned by 3.1% and projects 5.3 → 4.8 → 5.2 on [H]TWN → [A]ITT → [H]FSL — 15.3 over three, sixth in the position, and a steady line rather than a one-week spike. On a tighter budget, Alexandre Mendy (5.4m, FSL) takes Al-Faisaly's penalties and projects 4.4 → 4.7 → 4.2 on [A]ABH → [H]KLD → [A]SHB at 3.0% ownership. He has 3.31 expected goals from seven full games but only one goal to show for it, and 13.3 over three is the best return of any forward under 6m.

RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8 captain picks

Captain Julian Quinones (11.9m, QAD). He tops the Gameweek 8 projections at 8.5 at Al Kholood and follows it with 8.8 at home to Abha, so owning him and captaining him is one plan across two Gameweeks ([A]KLD → [H]ABH → [A]TWN). Ollie Watkins (7.9 against Al Ittihad) is the alternative for managers who want to differ from the 35.6% who own Julian Quinones; Cristiano Ronaldo (7.6) and Ivan Toney and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (both 7.4) are the next options.

Looking ahead: Gameweek 9 is Julian Quinones again (8.8), with Ollie Watkins (7.7) and Mateo Retegui (7.6) the alternatives. Gameweek 10 is a three-way call between Ollie Watkins (7.8) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (7.4) at home to Al Hazem, and Cristiano Ronaldo (7.5) at home to Neom SC. That is the argument for owning one Al Hilal premium and one Al Qadasiya premium together: between them they cover the best captain in each of the next three Gameweeks.

Who to sell before RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

Roger Ibanez (6.5m, AHL) is the most urgent sale in the game. 33.6% own him, he is not in our predicted lineup for Gameweek 8, and he projects 0.0 → 0.2 → 0.6 on [A]FAT → [H]NAS → [A]FYH. The why-now is simple: he is projected to score nothing this week. Abdulelah Al Amri (5.2m, NAS, 20.9%) is in the same position — no projected minutes this week and 0.0 → 0.8 → 1.1 on [H]DIR → [A]AHL → [H]NEO. Check the predicted lineups one last time before the deadline, but on current numbers both are out.

Ivan Toney (12.2m, AHL) is the big-money swap, and this is the round to make it. Ten goals in seven games are why 55.4% own him, and [A]FAT is a good fixture — 7.4 is the fourth-best projection in the game this week. But Ollie Watkins out-projects him in each of the next three Gameweeks (7.9 v 7.4, 7.7 v 5.6, 7.8 v 6.2), 4.2 more in total, for 2.1m less. A swap that gains in the very first Gameweek has no reason to wait: Toney's [H]NAS in Gameweek 9 is where the gap opens widest.

Eduard Spertsyan (7.2m, AHL) is the same shape one line back: 5.5 at Al Fateh FC this week, then 4.1 → 4.7 on [H]NAS → [A]FYH. 30.4% own him; sell into the good fixture rather than after it. Moussa Dembélé (7.0m, ETT, 25.2%) projects 3.3 → 2.6 → 3.2 on [H]KLJ → [A]NEO → [H]ITT on around 53 projected minutes, and his line falls further in Gameweeks 11–13 (2.9 → 2.7 → 2.1), so there is no better week coming to sell into. Merih Demiral (24.5%, 3.4 → 2.9 → 3.8 on [A]FAT → [H]NAS → [A]FYH) is low in all three Gameweeks, so the timing does not matter — move him on when you have a spare transfer.

Do not sell Al Ittihad players this week, even though [A]HIL looks ugly. Steven Bergwijn (21.7%) projects 2.8 → 5.0 → 4.5 and 5.1 at home to Al Diriyah in Gameweek 11 — the Al Hilal game is the low point and the run behind it is good. You can wait a round on him, and on George Ilenikhena (33.3%, 2.8 → 4.0 → 3.5). Joao Félix (37.3%, 6.0 → 4.9 → 6.4) is the same: one dip at Al Ahli, then a home game.

Best Loan Rangers team for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8

If you are playing Loan Rangers, RSL's one-Gameweek chip that lifts the three-per-club cap, the Gameweek 8 squad with the most projected points leans hard into Al Qadasiya and Al Hilal. Starting XI (1-3-5-2): Orlando Mosquera (FYH, 4.9); Mohammed Abu Al Shamat (QAD, 6.7), Nacho Fernandez (QAD, 6.1), Gaston Álvarez (QAD, 5.9); Julian Quinones (QAD, 8.5, captain), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (HIL, 7.4), Crysencio Summerville (HIL, 6.5), Tijjani Reijnders (QAD, 6.0), Musab Al-Juwayr (QAD, 6.0); Ollie Watkins (HIL, 7.9), Alexandre Lacazette (NEO, 6.8). The bench is the cheapest legal fill. It projects 81.2 points with the captaincy included. Gameweek 8 is not an obvious chip week — there are no double or blank Gameweeks in the window — so most managers are better off saving it. The exact live optimum is on the RSL Fantasy optimal teams page.

Compare bookmaker odds on the RSL Fantasy market probabilities page, and find every round's write-up in the RSL Fantasy preview hub.

FAQ

Who should I captain in RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8?

Julian Quinones is the captain for Gameweek 8. He projects 8.5 at Al Kholood, ahead of Ollie Watkins on 7.9 and Cristiano Ronaldo on 7.6, and follows it with 8.8 at home to Abha in Gameweek 9 — the highest single-Gameweek projection of any player in the window.

Which defenders are best for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8?

Kalidou Koulibaly (5.0m) is the best defender over the next three Gameweeks with 17.1 projected on [H]ITT → [A]RIY → [H]HAZ. Mohammed Abu Al Shamat tops this round alone with 6.7, Andrei Girotto (4.5m, 5.1% owned) is the best value this week, and Marin Petkov has the best defender projection of Gameweek 9.

Should I sell Roger Ibanez before Gameweek 8?

Yes — Roger Ibanez is not in our predicted lineup for Gameweek 8 and projects 0.0 → 0.2 → 0.6 over the next three Gameweeks, while 33.6% of managers still own him. Abdulelah Al Amri is in the same position.

Should I sell Ivan Toney before RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8?

Swapping Ivan Toney for Ollie Watkins is the move. Toney projects 7.4 → 5.6 → 6.2, Watkins 7.9 → 7.7 → 7.8 — more in every one of the three Gameweeks, for 2.1m less.

Best differentials for RSL Fantasy Gameweek 8?

Lukas Haraslin (0.2% owned, 4.4 → 5.5 → 6.2), Andrei Girotto (5.1%, 5.4 → 5.5 → 4.7), Roger Martinez (3.1%, 5.3 → 4.8 → 5.2) and Orlando Mosquera (1.7%, 4.9 this week) are the low-owned picks with the strongest projections. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at 14.1% is the premium differential.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI.