Gameweek 17: Ekitike Essential, Foden Flying, and Newcastle Assets Under Pressure

Welcome back to Who Got The Points! With Gameweek 16 nearly wrapped up and Saturday's 11 AM deadline for Gameweek 17 fast approaching, there's plenty to unpack. From Liverpool's Ekitike becoming an essential option to Manchester City's Foden hitting top form, here's everything you need to know to dominate your mini-leagues.

Transfer Activity: Over 349,000 managers brought him in before this gameweek, and he's rewarded them handsomely.

Gameweek 16 Performance: Started and played 77 minutes against Brighton, scoring twice for 13 points. That's back-to-back double-digit hauls.

Season Stats: 7 goals in 15 appearances, averaging 4.5 points per game. Total: 68 points.

Fixtures: Liverpool face Spurs away in GW17 (tougher), then Wolves at home in GW18.

VERDICT: ESSENTIAL. If you don't have him, you're losing ground fast. The form is undeniable despite a tricky fixture against Spurs.

Transfer Activity: 250,000 transfers in, now at 34.6% ownership.

Gameweek 16 Performance: Played the full 90 minutes against Palace, scored one goal, and grabbed 11 points with clean sheet bonus.

Season Stats: 7 goals this season with 7 clean sheets from 15 games. Total: 88 points.

Expected Points: 11.9 xP for GW17 against West Ham at home. City then face Nottingham Forest.

VERDICT: ESSENTIAL. With Doku potentially out, Foden becomes even more critical to Pep Guardiola's attack. The fixtures look great.

Transfer Activity: Over 147,000 transfers in despite United not playing yet this gameweek.

Season Stats: 4 goals and 6 assists this season, averaging 5.7 points per game.

Fixtures: United face Bournemouth tonight, then travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Expected Points: 7.0 xP next. Under Ruben Amorim, he's playing further forward and remains on penalties.

VERDICT: Good option. The fixtures improve after Christmas, but be aware United's form remains inconsistent.

Transfer Activity: Nearly 47,000 sold him after just 1 point at Sunderland on Saturday.

Recent Performance: The Brazilian played the full 90 but offered nothing attacking.

Season Stats: 5 goals and 4 assists this season, but his form has dipped.

Fixtures: Newcastle host Chelsea next, then have Manchester United away.

Expected Points: 6.4 xP, but the eye test says he's struggling.

VERDICT: HOLD if you have him. The underlying numbers are still decent, and selling premium midfielders now leaves you short of options. See our key tip below for more context.

Transfer Activity: Nearly 20,000 dumped him after Nottingham Forest's 3-0 demolition of Spurs.

Recent Performance: He played the full 90 but managed just 2 points.

Season Stats: 6 goals this season sounds decent, but he's averaged only 3.8 points per game and looks off the pace.

Fixtures: Spurs host Liverpool next, then face Crystal Palace away.

Expected Points: Just 2.9 xP against Liverpool.

VERDICT: SELL. At £6.4m, there are better options. Calvert-Lewin costs less and scores more.

Transfer Activity: 13,000 moved him on despite his assist at West Ham.

Recent Performance: Started and played 74 minutes, picking up 5 points.

Season Stats: That's just 3 goals all season. At £8.5m, he's massively underperforming expectations.

Fixtures: Villa host United next, which looks promising on paper.

VERDICT: SELL if you need funds. His underlying stats aren't terrible, but at this price, you need more than 3 goals in 16 gameweeks.

Looking to climb your mini-leagues? Here are three low-owned punts that could pay off big:

GW16: Scored against Villa for 8 points. Season total: 5 goals and 2 assists (74 points).

Fixtures: Travel to Manchester City next (horrible), but then they have Fulham at home in GW18. If you're chasing in mini-leagues, he's a calculated risk at this price.

Season Stats: 2 goals and 3 assists, playing 78 minutes against Burnley.

Fixtures: Fulham face Nottingham Forest on Monday night, then West Ham away. At £6.3m, he's an enabler who occasionally delivers.

Absolutely flying under the radar. The Brazilian played 84 minutes in their 3-0 win at Spurs, keeping a clean sheet. 1 goal and 1 assist this season doesn't scream excitement, but Forest's defence is solid, and at £5.8m, he's the ultimate bench fodder who might occasionally start and haul.

Erling Haaland is the obvious choice. His 13 points against Palace (2 goals, 135 total points) means 73.3% of managers already have him. West Ham at home in the early kickoff looks perfect for the Norwegian.

Differential Option: If you want to be differential, Phil Foden offers a similar fixture at lower ownership (34.6%).

My armband goes to Haaland. Sometimes boring is best.

Don't panic sell your Newcastle assets just yet. Yes, they lost to Sunderland, but they host Chelsea on Saturday. Eddie Howe's side at home is always dangerous, and if you've held Bruno Guimaraes or Alexander Isak this long, one more week won't hurt. The fixtures turn brutal after that with United away, so plan your exit then.

Gameweek 17 deadline is Saturday at 11 AM. Make your moves count, and remember: in FPL, the points don't lie. With Ekitike and Foden in red-hot form and Haaland facing West Ham at home, there are clear captaincy options. Don't panic on Newcastle assets just yet, and consider those differential picks if you're chasing in your mini-leagues.

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Good luck, and may your captain haul! Subscribe to Who Got The Points? for daily FPL updates delivered straight to your inbox.