FPL Blank Gameweek 26 has been a mixed bag so far, with plenty of popular picks failing to deliver, while usually reliable assets from the likes of Liverpool and Spurs all blank.
Late goals and red cards have added to the week&#8217;s varied fantasy fortunes. Here&#8217;s the story of the gameweek so far, including key <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a>.

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<h2>FPL Blank Gameweek 26 captaincy: Watkins and Saka outscore Haaland</h2>
Erling Haaland (£14.4m) was the overwhelming choice for captain in Blank Gameweek 25, with 87% of the top 250,000 managers backing the Norwegian.
Second and third-placed captain picks Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.2m) scored 9 and 10 FPL points respectively, with Haaland picking up 5 points thanks to his assist for Phil Foden (£8.1m).
Outside of those three however, the popular captain choices largely failed to produce significant attacking returns this gameweek.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62233" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.10.25.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="644" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.10.25.jpg 796w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.10.25-300x243.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.10.25-768x621.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.10.25-610x494.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" />
<h2></h2>
<h2>FPL Blank Gameweek 26: Match Centre</h2>
Our gameweek reviews are not intended to provide details of every goal and assist. You can see this, plus bonus scores, FPL points and more in our slick <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-match-centre">Match Centre</a>.
The Match Centre is updated live, with the latest information as games happen, so be sure to bookmark it and follow the action in future gameweeks!
<div id="attachment_55901" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55901" class="size-full wp-image-55901" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre.png" alt="" width="1200" height="628" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre.png 1200w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre-300x157.png 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre-1024x536.png 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre-768x402.png 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre-610x319.png 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hub-match-centre-1080x565.png 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Hub Match Centre</div>
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<h2>FPL Blank Gameweek 26 injuries:</h2>
Pau Torres (£4.6m) remains out for Aston Villa, while Luke Shaw (£5.2m) and Lisandro Martinez (£4.7m) are out of action for Manchester United &#8211; as is in-form striker Rasmus Hojlund (£7.2m).
It remains to be seen whether Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) will return in time for Liverpool&#8217;s trip to Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 27, with neither making the bench for their Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday.
Ryan Gravenberch (£5.4m) and Wataru Endo (£5.0m) picked up injuries at Wembley, and with Jurgen Klopp&#8217;s side already missing players ahead of facing Southampton in the FA Cup on Wednesday, there will likely be some rotation over the next couple of gameweeks.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62238" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.55.24.jpg" alt="" width="794" height="646" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.55.24.jpg 794w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.55.24-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.55.24-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.55.24-610x496.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px" />
<h2></h2>
<h2>Key Blank FPL Gameweek 26 stats and key takeaways</h2>
Here are the gameweek&#8217;s player and team leaders in full.
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<h3>Opta stats leaders for FPL Blank Gameweek 26: Players</h3>
<ul>
<li>Shots &#8211; Mohammed Kudus &#8211; 6</li>
<li>Shots on target &#8211; Bruno Fernandes &#8211; 4</li>
<li>Shots in the box &#8211; Rodrigo Muniz and Simon Adingra &#8211; 5</li>
<li>Big chances &#8211; Erling Haaland and Harry Maguire &#8211; 3</li>
<li>Goals &#8211; Jarrod Bowen &#8211; 3</li>
<li>xG &#8211; Ollie Watkins &#8211; 1.4</li>
<li>Non-penalty xG (NpxG) &#8211; Ollie Watkins &#8211; 1.4</li>
<li>Key passes &#8211; Pascal Gross &#8211; 6</li>
<li>Big chances created &#8211; Gabriel Martinelli and Divock Origi &#8211; 2</li>
<li>Assists &#8211; Matheus Franca &#8211; 2</li>
<li>Expected assists (xA) &#8211; Gabriel Martinelli &#8211; 0.8</li>
<li>FPL points &#8211; Jarrod Bowen &#8211; 20</li>
<li>Expected points (xPts) &#8211; Leon Bailey &#8211; 9.9</li>
</ul>
Aston Villa players led the way for many of the goal threat metrics in an all-action affair against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, and until Monday&#8217;s West Ham United game, Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) was top for both shots and shots on target.
Only Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m) took more shots than the United skipper, despite Fulham claiming their first away win of the season in injury time at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers were also without key midfielder Joao Palhinha (£5.0m), so this level of shot output from Fernandes may not be sustainable in Manchester United&#8217;s coming fixtures.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62237" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.45.29.jpg" alt="" width="794" height="646" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.45.29.jpg 794w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.45.29-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.45.29-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.45.29-610x496.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px" />
Pablo Sarabia (£5.7m) was also in the mix for shots as well as scoring a goal, with many FPL manager opting for other Wolves midfielders ahead of an underwhelming 1-0 win against Sheffield United.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) was the beneficiary of this result however, banking 12 points thanks to his assist and clean sheet from his new advanced role.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62239" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-18.25.53.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="646" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-18.25.53.jpg 798w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-18.25.53-300x243.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-18.25.53-768x622.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-18.25.53-610x494.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px" />
Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) was the creative leader in Blank Gameweek 26, with the Brazilian sitting top for both expected assists and big chances created as Arsenal put Newcastle to the sword.
The Gunners midfielder also took four shots against Newcastle, with three of these coming from inside the box &#8211; although none were on target.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62243" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-19.02.57.jpg" alt="" width="794" height="648" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-19.02.57.jpg 794w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-19.02.57-300x245.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-19.02.57-768x627.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-19.02.57-610x498.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px" />
Mikel Arteta&#8217;s side were 4-1 victors, shipping a late goal to substitute Joe Willock (£5.3m), much to the disappointment of those backing Arsenal&#8217;s defence.
In terms of actual assists however, Crystal Palace midfielder Matheus Franca (£4.8m) managed to set up two goals for his side under new manager Oliver Glasner &#8211; although the Eagles did face a ten-man Burnley side for much of the game.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62236" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.40.20.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="648" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.40.20.jpg 796w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.40.20-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.40.20-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.40.20-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" />
Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz (£5.6m) scored a brace against Nottingham Forest, which was only to be bested by Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) who scored a hat-trick on Monday night.
Top for expected points overall this gameweek was another Aston Villa midfielder in the form of Leon Bailey (£5.6m), who was arguably unlucky to come away with just a goal and assist against Forest.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-62235" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.33.15.jpg" alt="" width="794" height="646" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.33.15.jpg 794w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.33.15-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.33.15-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-17.33.15-610x496.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px" />
<h3 class="mceTemp">Opta stats leaders for FPL Blank Gameweek 26: Teams</h3>
<ul>
<li>Most shots &#8211; Brighton &#8211; 23 (v Everton)</li>
<li>Highest xG &#8211; Aston Villa &#8211; 3.6 (v Nottingham Forest)</li>
<li>Lowest xG &#8211; Burnley &#8211; 0.1 (v Crystal Palace)</li>
</ul>
Burnley&#8217;s shocking xG is somewhat down to their first half red card, while Manchester City against Bournemouth was by some measures a tighter game than the xG suggests, with 15 and 13 shots for the two sides respectively.
Everton were perhaps fortunate to claim a late 1-1 draw against Brighton, with the Seagulls taking 23 shots this gameweek &#8211; the most of any side.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62261 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35.jpg" alt="" width="1134" height="602" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35.jpg 1134w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35-300x159.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35-1024x544.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35-768x408.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35-610x324.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-27-at-13.09.35-1080x573.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1134px) 100vw, 1134px" />
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FPL Blank Gameweek 26 review: Bowen hat-trick, Villa and Arsenal showcase home form

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