Fantasy Premier League: Should you buy, back or bench Brighton players ahead of some tricky games? New York Times (Online) Holly Shand Brighton & Hove Albion have been arguably the best team to back in Fantasy Premier League at the start of the season, but their fixtures turning in Gameweek 8 might be about to cause a bit of a headache for managers. Maxim De Cuyper (￡5.3m) , Pascal Gross (￡6.2m) and Luka Vuskovic (￡5.1m) are among the highest-scoring players in the game, and De Cuyper and Gross have become the most-purchased players this season. But Fabian Hurzeler's team face a trip to Anfield next before taking on league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in Gameweek 9. So, should we still be looking to remain heavily invested in our Brighton assets, sign more with our free transfers to capitalise on their form, or bench or sell them with their upcoming fixtures in mind? It's fair to say the headache of what to do with Brighton assets is dividing fantasy managers, with plenty still buying them ahead of Liverpool in Gameweek 8, but plenty of owners 50-50 over whether to back them or bench them. Four Brighton players made the game's Team of the Week for Gameweek 7, while defender De Cuyper is the highest-scoring fantasy asset in the game this season, with a leading five goal involvements among defenders and over 180,000 transfers in this week at the time of writing. The Belgian, who has been playing in an advanced position, carries goal threat, having had three big chances on goal, plus a leading 15 key passes and four big chances created among defenders so far this season. Given his output, fantasy managers may need to change their mindset on De Cuyper and view him as an attacking winger for one of the best-performing teams in the Premier League this season, rather than focusing on his clean-sheet potential. Brighton have scored more goals than any other team in the league this season (23) and also lead the way for clean sheets with five, having conceded just five goals. In Gameweek 5, De Cuyper managed a six-point return in the 3-0 win against holders Arsenal, providing some evidence that Hurzeler's side could well be fixture-proof, with midfielder Gross scoring 14 points in that game, one of three double-digit hauls this season. It's clear to see why managers are still buying Gross, with another 200,000 transfers in for this week. No other player can better his nine goal involvements this season, with two goals and four assists in the last four gameweeks alone. The veteran German is among the most creative players in the league this season, ranking second for both key passes (19) and big chances created (six). It's difficult to bench a player of his calibre, especially when you consider that he's on the majority of Brighton's set pieces, including penalties. It feels like he's a must-own in the game, in over 45 per cent of teams at the time of writing. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen (￡4.6m) is another Brighton asset who is difficult to ignore, having kept a clean sheet in four consecutive games. He ranks third among goalkeepers over this opening spell of the season. It's still reasonable to be buying the likes of De Cuyper and Gross in FPL this week, or backing Verbruggen as your main goalkeeper if you're playing your wildcard. Brighton lead the form charts by some margin over the last four gameweeks, with four consecutive wins to nil and 15 goals scored, averaging 3.75 goals per game in this time. Even with their next two games being against Liverpool and Manchester City, they still rank second in my overall form vs fixtures charts going into Gameweek 8. 📌 Form vs Fixture Charts for #FPL Gameweek 8! https://t.co/nm2ijVGBvH — Holly Shand (@HollyShand) October 20, 2026 I'd have no qualms about starting Brighton assets against Liverpool, who have yet to win a game at Anfield in the Premier League this season. They've drawn two and lost one, scoring three goals and conceding five. Brighton will be coming into this game full of confidence, especially having beaten Arsenal in Gameweek 5, although admittedly, that game was on home turf. I own both De Cuyper and Gross, and plan to start them in this game — I believe them to be fixture-proof. The tougher test will be their Gameweek 9 fixture against Manchester City, but a result at Anfield could give them a boost going into that game. We may also get some insight in the week leading up to that fixture, with the two sides facing off at the Etihad in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, October 28,  ahead of their league clash on Saturday, October 31. As well as the template picks , there are plenty of differentials to consider from Brighton to complete a triple-up alongside Gross and De Cuyper. Centre-back Luka Vuskovic (￡5.1m) is second only to De Cuyper for fantasy points among defenders, picking up the two-point defensive contribution bonus in four of his seven appearances, along with two goal involvements. Further attacking returns are well within reach given the Croatian has registered more shots (13) and big chances (four) on goal than any other defender in the game. He's a key differential, in just 5.8 per cent of squads. He also has greater longevity than De Cuyper, who could be pushed deeper when Kaoru Mitoma (￡5.9m) returns from injury. He could be fit this side of the international break. Meanwhile, forward Charalampos Kostoulas (￡5.7m) has started six of seven games this season, with three goals and four assists to date. He just about fits into the differential category, in 9.9% of sides at the time of writing. He's unlikely to disrupt the forward template of Erling Haaland (￡15.7m) , Joao Pedro (￡7.9m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (￡6.1m) anytime soon, though, and can be prone to early substitutions. Keep an eye on his minutes as Brighton's European demands increase. There's also plenty of midfielders in form, including 3.9 per cent-owned Diego Gomez (￡5.0m) and Yasin Ayari (￡5.4m) , who is in 0.6 per cent of sides. Ayari has three goal involvements in his last four, while Gomez has two in the same period, as well as four defensive contribution points. Keep an eye, too, on Jack Hinshelwood (￡5.9m) , who returned from injury in Gameweek 7 to score from the bench, his third goal of the campaign from 82 minutes. He could be a key buy from Gameweek 10 onwards once he's regained fitness.