Introduction
Gameweek 22 is where mini-leagues get won: not by chasing last week’s points, but by buying control before it becomes headlines. The cleanest way to spot that control in FPL is the ICT Index—a blended measure of Influence, Creativity, and Threat that highlights who is shaping matches, accumulating repeatable actions, and sitting on the kind of underlying profile that often precedes a streak.
Below, we’re using only the available data to identify the top ICT performers and—crucially—flag the players whose underlying control looks stronger than their recent output.
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The ICT leaderboard (what it’s really telling us)
The standouts for overall involvement are clear:
•Erling Haaland (Man City) — ICT 200.4, xGI 19.73, 18.47 xG, 31 bonus, 7.8 PPG
•Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) — ICT 179.3, xGI 12.16, 7.07 xG + 5.09 xA, 19 bonus
•Igor Thiago (Brentford) — ICT 161.8, xGI 13.35, 12.59 xG, form 7.6
•Antoine Semenyo (Man City) — ICT 151.4, xGI 8.52, 6.0 PPG, selected 44.4%
•Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) — ICT 146.8, xGI 11.66, 7.79 xG + 3.87 xA
Interpretation for GW22:
•At the top, you’re not just seeing “good picks”—you’re seeing players who are persistently involved across multiple action types (shots, chances created, and decisive touches). That’s exactly the profile that survives variance.
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The Control Tier: Elite ICT, but the points/form don’t match yet
This is the GW22 sweet spot: players whose Influence/Creativity/Threat mix is screaming involvement, even if the last few gameweeks haven’t rewarded managers.
1) Bruno Fernandes — the “control without reward” archetype
•ICT Index: 179.3 (2nd highest)
•xGI: 12.16 (7.07 xG, 5.09 xA)
•Form: 1.6 (this is the key tension)
•Points: 106 | PPG: 5.9
•Transfers: 269,785 in vs 34,017 out
Why GW22 managers should care:
•An ICT of 179.3 with xGI 12.16 is a profile that typically belongs to a consistent FPL engine.
•The low form (1.6) suggests recent returns haven’t matched his involvement—exactly the sort of gap savvy managers exploit.
•Massive net transfers in implies the market is already reacting to the underlying signal.
FPL angle: if you want a midfielder who can spike via either goals (xG 7.07) or assists (xA 5.09), Bruno’s blend is one of the most complete in this dataset.
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2) Phil Foden — huge ICT, alarming selling, underlying still relevant
•ICT Index: 145.2
•xGI: 8.39 (4.95 xG, 3.44 xA)
•Form: 2.4
•Transfers: 34,350 in vs 597,216 out (major exit)
Why this matters for GW22:
•A midfielder with ICT 145.2 is not a passenger—he’s involved.
•The market is overwhelmingly selling, but the underlying contribution (xGI 8.39) says he’s still posting numbers that can turn into returns quickly.
FPL angle: Foden is a classic “data vs sentiment” decision. If you’re chasing rank and can handle volatility, this is the type of profile that can punish sellers.
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3) Enzo Fernández — quiet points, loud underlying involvement
•ICT Index: 146.8
•xGI: 11.66 (7.79 xG, 3.87 xA)
•Points: 92 | PPG: 4.6
•Selected: 10.7%
•Transfers: 142,500 in vs 49,211 out
Why he’s a GW22 control pick:
•xGI 11.66 is a premium-adjacent underlying total at a 6.5 price.
•The balance (meaningful xG and xA) suggests he isn’t relying on one route to points.
•Ownership remains modest, which can matter if you’re looking for structured differentials.
FPL angle: Enzo’s stats describe a player repeatedly arriving in valuable positions and contributing to chance creation—exactly what the ICT Index is designed to reward.
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4) Pedro Neto — creativity signal with suppressed output
•ICT Index: 128.8
•xGI: 7.57 (3.56 xG, 4.01 xA)
•Points: 88 | PPG: 4.2
•Selected: 6.5%
•Form: 2.4
Why he’s on the GW22 radar:
•Neto’s split leans slightly assist-ward (xA 4.01), a common reason returns can feel “late” (finishing variance, teammate conversion).
•Low ownership plus solid xGI makes him a clean “underlying stats” shout.
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The Game Controllers: Influence-heavy picks who keep stacking value actions
Not every strong ICT name is pure goal threat. Some players rack up Influence + Creativity contributions that stabilize minutes-to-minutes value and keep them close to points.
Declan Rice — reliability through control
•ICT Index: 132.8
•Points: 122 | PPG: 6.1
•Form: 7.2
•xGI: 6.44 (2.66 xG, 3.78 xA)
•Selected: 27.9%
Takeaway for GW22:
•Rice’s PPG 6.1 with a moderate xGI 6.44 hints at a player whose value is not just finishing—he’s generating repeatable contributions that ICT captures.
•18 bonus reinforces that his match impact is being recognized beyond raw goals/assists.
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Bruno Guimarães — influence profile with strong recent momentum
•ICT Index: 139.2
•Form: 7.0
•Points: 117 | PPG: 5.8
•xGI: 6.39 (3.88 xG, 2.51 xA)
•Transfers: 430,622 in vs 27,803 out
Why he fits GW22 “control” framing:
•The xGI isn’t massive, but the ICT 139.2 suggests consistent involvement.
•Huge net transfers in aligns with a market seeing a stable role and repeatable influence.
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The obvious king… and what to do with him in GW22
Erling Haaland — the ICT outlier
•ICT Index: 200.4 (clear #1)
•xGI: 19.73 driven by 18.47 xG
•Points: 163 | PPG: 7.8
•Bonus: 31
•Selected: 74.2%
GW22 note:
•Haaland isn’t just “good”—he’s an underlying stats monopoly. With 18.47 xG, the floor of expected involvement is enormous.
•At 74.2% ownership, the strategic decision is less “is he good?” and more “are you willing to play without the league’s highest ICT and xG profile?”
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The market movers (GW22 transfers as a sentiment check)
Transfers aren’t a metric of quality, but they do tell you where managers think the points are coming from.
Heavy buyers:
•Igor Thiago: 526,180 in (ICT 161.8, xGI 13.35, form 7.6)
•Bruno Guimarães: 430,622 in
•Declan Rice: 424,389 in
•Bruno Fernandes: 269,785 in
Heavy sellers (potential buy-low clues):
•Phil Foden: 597,216 out despite ICT 145.2
•Jarrod Bowen: 171,270 out (ICT 123.1, xGI 6.10)
•Bukayo Saka: 125,606 out (ICT 142.8, xGI 9.68)
•Morgan Rogers: 112,439 out (ICT 126.8)
GW22 takeaway: When the crowd is dumping high-ICT players, that’s often where you find the best “controlled” differentials—provided you’re comfortable with short-term variance.
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GW22 short list: “Controlling games” targets from the data
If the goal is to lean into deep metrics and bet on involvement:
•Bruno Fernandes — elite ICT (179.3) + strong xGI (12.16) despite weak form.
•Enzo Fernández — standout xGI (11.66) at a mid-price with modest ownership.
•Pedro Neto — balanced xGI (7.57) with a creativity-leaning profile and low ownership.
•Phil Foden — high ICT (145.2) while being heavily sold (classic contrarian data play).
•Declan Rice / Bruno Guimarães — control-centric profiles supported by strong form and bonus.
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Conclusion
Gameweek 22 is the moment to prioritize repeatable involvement over last-week variance. The ICT Index leaderboard highlights the obvious elite (Haaland), but the real edge comes from the players whose underlying control is clear even when returns aren’t.
If you’re building for sustainability, target the names with high ICT + credible xGI—especially where form is lagging. That’s where the next haul often comes from: not hype, but math.