Fantasy Premier League – Gameweek 38: Who to start, who to drop and a dark horse to drive your team up the leaderboards

Gameweek 38 deadline: Sunday May 28, 3.0pm.

Who do I need this weekend?

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace ) £5.6m

Fresh from his first England call up, Eze will be looking to end his standout season on a high against Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Since the return of Roy Hodgson to the Palace hot-seat, Eze had shone with six goals and an assist in his last eight matches. That form earned him 65 points from Gameweek 29 onwards, with only Liverpool star Mohamed Salah earning more among FPL's midfielders.

The 24-year-old’s 25 shots and 13 on target are also team-leading tallies, while that 13 figure is more than double that of any of his team-mates. In that same run, his 13 shots on target joint-top with the Liverpool midfielder.

The Eagles host a Forest side who have struggled on the road this season, with two or more goals conceded in each of their last eight away games. and Eze could prove a smart buy.

Dark horse

Jamie Vardy (Leicester) £9.1m

With their Premier League status hanging by a thread, Vardy’s performance on the final day could prove pivotal and pay dividends if you want to take a gamble.

If the Foxes are to avoid relegation to the Championship they must defeat West Ham at home and hope other results go their way.

His influence cannot be underestimated, with the forward’s six big chances ranking higher than any of his team-mates, while he also is joint-top for shots on target (seven) since Gameweek 31.

With West Ham likely to rest some key players ahead of their Europa Conference League final on June 7, Vardy will look to find the net on the final day as his side look to pull off a great escape.

Who to captain?

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) £11.4m

With Manchester City star Erling Haaland likely to be rested ahead of their Champions League and FA Cup finals, and Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool having missed out on a top-four finish, this week’s captain’s pick is the England captain.

In what could well be his last game for the north London club, Kane will look to get on the scoresheet again and help his side jump to seventh and secure a Europa Conference League place.

Spurs are one point behind Aston Villa, and will only secure seventh should they win and Villa drop points at Brighton.

Despite Spurs’ capitulation in recent weeks, with two wins from their last 10, Kane has maintained his goalscoring run with 12 strikes in 11 games, taking him up to 28 goals this season, his best tally since the 2017/18 season.

With Spurs facing a Leeds side on the brink of relegation, with no wins in their last eight, Kane looks well placed to end the campaign with a goal.

Who should I drop?

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) £8.0m

After an impressive 18-point haul against Crystal Palace and 13 points against Southampton, Saka’s form has taken a sharp dip in recent weeks.

The England midfielder has managed just 11 points in his last five games combined, dispute starting each of those outings. He has also failed to contribute a goal or assist in his last five games, with the Gunners set to finish the season as runners-up.

Although they face a Wolves side who conceded six at Brighton last month before dropping more points to Manchester United and Everton, there are better options available in midfield if you are looking to finish the season with a flourish.

An Irish pick

Evan Ferguson (Brighton) £4.6m

With Seámus Coleman sidelined with Everton, and Gavin Bazunu (Southampton) and Nathan Collins (Wolves) out of favour, Ferguson is the Irish pick for Gameweek 38.

Ferguson comes into this game off the back of a fine brace against Southampton last weekend, which took him up to six Premier League goals this term, more than any other teenager in the top-flight.

That earned him a season-best 13 point haul, before he was rested in the Seagulls’ 1-1 draw against the champions in midweek, a result which sealed their first ever Europa Conference League qualification.

Ferguson faces an Aston Villa side who have kept just a single clean sheet in their last six, and will want to finish his breakthrough season on a high before Ireland’s Euro qualifying double-header next month.

Top player

'Bowen 747' was the best performing team of Gameweek 37 with 128 points. The decision to triple captain Manchester United’s Casimiro paid off with 48 points, as West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Brighton’s Pascal Gross scored highly from midfield too. David De Gea chipped in with 10 points in his double gameweek, while Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier added a further 19 points.

Gameweek 38 fixtures

Sunday May 28

Arsenal v Wolves 4.30

Aston Villa v Brighton 4.30

Brentford v Manchester City 4.30

Chelsea v Newcastle 4.30

Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest 4.30

Everton v Bournemouth 4.30

Leeds v Tottenham Hotspur 4.30

Leicester v West Ham 4.30

Manchester United v Fulham 4.30

Southampton v Liverpool 4.30