FPL
Barnes Bags 12. Tavernier Hits 10. Who Do You Buy?
5 September 2026
In this guide: Barnes bags twelve points, Tavernier gives Bournemouth owners something to cheer, and Newcastle rescue a 2-2 draw. Both starting XIs' expected and actual points are below, followed by the question that matters now: which of these midfielders belongs in your GW4 side?
- Barnes: 12 points. Tavernier and Scott: 10 each. Barnes delivered a goal, an FPL assist and two bonus.
- Ramsey came off the bench to equalise in the 88th minute. Wissa played the full match but blanked.
- Bournemouth led 2-0 and created 1.37 xG to Newcastle's 0.71.
- Next: Leeds away for Newcastle; Brentford at home for Bournemouth. Newcastle then face Hull and Coventry.
Barnes pays you back. Ramsey rescues the afternoon.
Tavernier opened the scoring after nine minutes and Thiaw's own goal made it two. Newcastle were in trouble. Barnes pulled one back just two minutes later, curling in from Hall's pass, before substitute Ramsey found the late equaliser. Two Newcastle shots on target, two goals. Lovely finishing; hardly a constant battering of Bournemouth's goal.
Barnes owners got the full package: ninety minutes, a goal, an FPL assist and bonus. At £6.0m, that puts him firmly in the conversation for a midfield spot. The fixture run helps too. Leeds away, Hull at home and Coventry away give you a reason to assess him beyond the twelve points already banked.
Newcastle's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hornicek, top three expected points pick | 3.9 | 2 | -1.9 |
| Dedic | 3.6 | 1 | -2.6 |
| Thiaw | 3.7 | -1 | -4.7 |
| Botman | 3.7 | 1 | -2.7 |
| Hall, top three expected points pick | 4.2 | 4 | -0.2 |
| Nico Gonzalez | 1.4 | 2 | +0.6 |
| Miley | 3.3 | 2 | -1.3 |
| Elanga | 3.8 | 1 | -2.8 |
| Willock | 2.2 | 2 | -0.2 |
| Barnes, top three expected points pick | 3.9 | 12 | +8.1 |
| Wissa, top three expected points pick | 4.2 | 1 | -3.2 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Bournemouth's starting XI: expected points v actual points
| Player | xPts | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrovic | 2.4 | 1 | -1.4 |
| Adam Smith | 2.2 | 0 | -2.2 |
| Hill | 2.7 | 1 | -1.7 |
| Antonio Silva | 2.6 | 1 | -1.6 |
| Truffert | 2.7 | 0 | -2.7 |
| Adams | 0.5 | 4 | +3.5 |
| Scott, top three expected points pick | 3.2 | 10 | +6.8 |
| Rayan, top three expected points pick | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Kluivert | 2.9 | 1 | -1.9 |
| Tavernier, top three expected points pick | 3.4 | 10 | +6.6 |
| Evanilson | 2.9 | 2 | -0.9 |
Top three xPts picks, including ties. xPts = expected points; +/- = actual minus expected. Green: 1.5+ above. Red: 1.5+ below. Otherwise neutral.
Bournemouth made more of their possession
Newcastle had more of the ball, but Bournemouth had more than twice as many shots. Tavernier accounted for 1.01 xG himself. That is the strongest attacking evidence among the headline scorers here: he was getting chances, not merely finding a way onto the scoresheet from very little.
Tavernier or Scott? The ten points came differently.
Scott earned two FPL assists and two bonus points. Tavernier scored and took all three bonus. Both cost £6.0m, but Tavernier's 1.01 xG gives his return more support from shooting chances than Scott's 0.07 xG and 0.02 expected assists. The assists count in your team either way. When choosing a new signing, though, look at how the points arrived.
Barnes had only 0.11 xG, so twelve points should not become his weekly target. Wissa's blank deserves a different reading: ninety minutes with 0.00 xG is a quiet outing for your striker. His next fixtures still give owners a reason to hold, but another match without chances would be more concerning than the booking that reduced this return to one point.
GW4: the fixture run breaks the tie
| Player | Price | Expected points | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | £6.0m | 4 | Leeds (A) |
| Wissa | £6.1m | 4.1 | Leeds (A) |
| Hall | £5.1m | 4 | Leeds (A) |
| Tavernier | £6.0m | 4.4 | Brentford (H) |
| Scott | £6.0m | 4.2 | Brentford (H) |
Tavernier edges Barnes for GW4 expected points. But Bournemouth then face Liverpool and Chelsea, while Newcastle get Hull and Coventry. Barnes is the first one to examine for a longer hold. Put both into the planner and compare the whole run.
Hall's assist softened the loss of the clean sheet. Thiaw's own goal did the opposite. Neither is a reason to reshuffle your entire defence before Leeds. Ramsey's six points came in 27 minutes from the bench, so check whether he earns a start before treating him as a cheaper Barnes. For the other side of Bournemouth's next fixture, read our Brentford v Sunderland review.
