FPL 2025/26 GW16: The end of an era? It’s time to drop FPL legend Mohamed Salah

FPL gameweek 16 arrives right before the chaos of AFCON, making this the perfect time to tidy up your squad and cut loose underperformers or rotation risks, writes Fantasy Premier League expert Blake Hurst. This is the week to be proactive – move early, sell players who may miss time over the festive schedule, and shift your funds into form picks with secure minutes. Here are five names I reckon it’s worth moving on from before they start causing you more headaches than points.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (8.2m)

If you’re still holding onto Mateta, it’s probably time to admit his run has dried up. Once an essential budget forward, he’s now struggling, playing past 65 minutes just once in his last four appearances. Two goals in six gameweeks isn’t great considering the quality of opposition he’s faced – including Burnley and Wolves. With fixtures turning and other strikers like Igor Thiago and Raúl Jiménez offering better output and stronger schedules, now is the smart time to cash out. He’s served his purpose, but there are simply better point-per-minute options available heading into the festive run.

Daniel Muñoz (6.1m)

A knee issue combined with a tough fixture run make Muñoz a sell. Palace’s defence still rates decently on metrics, but investing 6.1m in a defender with limited attacking returns and fitness doubts feels like poor value heading into a busy period. If you’re doubling up on Palace with cheaper options like Chris Richards, Marc Guehi, or Maxence Lacroix, they’re fine to hold – but Muñoz is the one to lose. Look instead towards Fulham’s Joachim Anderson or Brentford’s Sepp Van de Berg, both of whom boast stronger short-term fixtures and higher DEFCON potential at a lower cost.

Iliman Ndiaye (6.5m)

A talented player heading to AFCON, which immediately makes him a sell. But even before that, a trip to Stamford Bridge this week doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Now’s the perfect time to jump off early and reinvest in midfielders who’ll actually be around for Gameweeks 17-20. There are plenty of attractive budget enablers emerging – the likes of Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon, or even Dominik Szoboszlai – who offer better fixtures and availability. Don’t wait until he’s gone; move early while others deal with the AFCON scramble next week.

Mohamed Salah (14.0m)

The FPL king, yes – but even kings need to be benched once in a while. With uncertainty surrounding his relationship at Liverpool and reports suggesting he might not feature against Brighton, it’s a sensible time to move him on before he departs for AFCON duty with Egypt. His price tag is too big to sit idle on your bench. If you sell now, you can reinvest in the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka or even Cole Palmer, who have either form, fixtures or differential upside firmly in their favour. This is a justified Salah sell window and potentially a sad farewell to the FPL king. 

Yankuba Minteh (6.3m)

The hype has fizzled for Minteh. Once a promising differential, he’s now blanked in three straight games and sees a brutal run of fixtures coming – including trips to Liverpool and Arsenal. At 6.3m, there are simply better value midfielders emerging, especially with his side struggling to create consistent chances for the winger. His ownership has spiked recently, which makes this an ideal time to get ahead of the drop before casuals start shipping him out. Save yourself the frustration and reinvest in more reliable options – Minteh’s purple patch looks to have ended just as the fixtures turn nasty.