Last refreshed
FPL Wildcard Draft GW35 · 2025/26
GW35 Wildcard Draftthe squad to copy
Benchmark proof
How the AI squad scored
33GW35 points
-25.3vs Top 1k
11%Win rate
The thesis
This week's optimal build plays a 5-3-2 with Gibbs-White as captain and Mavropanos as vice. The AI values expected points, form, minutes reliability, and an ownership-differential edge over the template.
5-3-2
C · Gibbs-White
V · Mavropanos
The squad — 5-3-2
Full squad
| # | Player | Club | Pos | Price | xPts | Pts | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bowen |
 WHU |
FWD | £7.8m | 9.7 | 2 | XI |
| 2 |  Watkins |
 AVL |
FWD | £8.8m | 7.4 | 1 | XI |
| 3 |  Thiago |
 BRE |
FWD | £7.4m | 5.7 | 6 | Bench |
| 4 |  Rogers |
AVL |
MID | £7.5m | 5.4 | 1 | Bench |
| 5 |  Verbruggen |
 BHA |
GK | £4.5m | 6.8 | 2 | XI |
| 6 |  Donnarumma |
 MCI |
GK | £5.6m | 5.7 | 1 | Bench |
| 7 |  Mavropanos |
WHU |
DEF | £4.5m | 12.7 | -1 | (V) |
| 8 |  O'Reilly |
MCI |
DEF | £5.2m | 10.7 | 1 | XI |
| 9 |  Justin |
 LEE |
DEF | £3.9m | 9.4 | 2 | XI |
| 10 |  F.Kadıoğlu |
BHA |
DEF | £4.4m | 9.2 | 1 | XI |
| 11 |  Khusanov |
MCI |
DEF | £5.4m | 8.9 | 3 | XI |
| 12 |  Gibbs-White |
 NFO |
MID | £7.6m | 14.1 | 8 | (C) |
| 13 |  Okafor |
LEE |
MID | £5.6m | 11.5 | 10 | XI |
| 14 |  Casemiro |
 MUN |
MID | £5.8m | 9.7 | 4 | XI |
| 15 |  Groß |
BHA |
MID | £5.5m | 8.6 | 2 | Bench |
How this benchmark is tracked · win rate 11% (n=9)
Every gameweek the AI locks a budget-legal 15-man squad before the deadline and scores it on official FPL points afterwards. Running advantage vs the Top 1k average this season: -167.9 pts. See the wildcard hub for the full gameweek-by-gameweek table and methodology.
Rate your GW35 squad
See how your 15 stack up against the AI benchmark build — and where a transfer would move the needle.
Rate my teamFAQ
What is the Wildcard Draft?
FPLai's AI builds the optimal 15-man FPL squad every gameweek using the same engine that powers our fast analysis. The squad is locked before the deadline and scored after the gameweek finishes.
How is the squad selected?
The engine evaluates every FPL player on expected points, form, minutes reliability, ownership differential, and correlation penalties. It builds a budget-legal 15-man squad (£89.5m used) with a valid 5-3-2 formation.
When is the squad locked?
The squad is locked up to 24 hours before the gameweek deadline. Once locked, no changes are made — this ensures a fair, pre-committed benchmark.
How does it compare to Top 1k managers?
This gameweek the AI scored 33 points, which is -25.3 compared to the Top 1k average of 58.3.
How is the captain chosen?
The captain is the highest-projected outfield player in the starting XI. For GW35, Gibbs-White was selected.
What formation does the AI use?
The AI evaluates multiple valid formations (3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, etc.) and picks the one that maximises projected points. GW35 uses a 5-3-2 formation.