Here’s something I’ve learned after ten years grinding FPL: the difference between a decent season and a trophy-winning one often comes down to the smallest details. And there’s no detail smaller—or more impactful—than knowing exactly who takes your team’s penalties, free kicks, and corners.
Most casual players obsess over fixtures and form ratings. They chase the flashy differentials and captain picks everyone else is on. Meanwhile, the managers cleaning up in their mini-leagues quietly own the set-piece takers and reap the points harvest week after week. This isn’t luck. It’s preparation.
With GW35 just days away, this is your moment to get ahead of the curve. Let me walk you through the set-piece landscape for every top-six team, explain why these assets matter more than you think, and show you which dead-ball specialists offer genuine value this season.
Why Set Piece Takers Win FPL Seasons
Set pieces account for roughly 30% of Premier League goals each season. That’s not a coincidence—it’s structural. A player who consistently converts from the spot or puts in high-quality free kicks and corners has a ceiling that’s mathematically higher than players relying solely on open play.
The beauty of set-piece assets is their predictability. Unlike open-play chances (which are chaotic and squad-dependent), set pieces happen in defined situations where the same player touches the ball almost every time. A penalty-taker gets one or two guaranteed shots per season from twelve yards. A primary corner-taker attempts 100+ deliveries per campaign. The variance is lower, the sample size is larger, and the points are more certain.
Set-piece takers convert at roughly double the rate of open-play attackers. In FPL terms, that translates to 15-25 extra points per season for the right player.
This is why B.Fernandes (204pts) and Haaland (212pts) dominate the FPL points chart. Yes, they’re elite talents—but part of their value is that they take set pieces. Fernandes has bagged 20 assists partly because he’s creating from dead-ball situations. Haaland’s 24 goals include several spot-kicks.
When you own a set-piece taker, you’re not betting on inspiration or perfect service. You’re betting on structure. And in FPL, structure beats luck nine times out of ten.
FPL Penalty Takers: Your Weekly Goldmine
Penalties are the easiest points in FPL. A goal is worth 5 points; a penalty conversion is a guaranteed 5-pointer (assuming the taker scores). There’s no xG discount, no deflection luck—just pure execution.
Identifying your team’s penalty-taker is non-negotiable. With 13.1 million FPL players in the game this week, most aren’t thinking about this. They’re frantically transferring in Cherki or chasing Gibbs-White’s form spike (227k transfers in). Meanwhile, you can lock in a set-piece asset and forget about it.
Here’s the GW35 penalty-taker landscape for the Big Six and other relevant teams:
| Team | Primary Penalty Taker | Backup | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | Haaland | De Bruyne | 95% |
| Arsenal | Saka | Odegaard | 92% |
| Man Utd | B.Fernandes | Rashford | 89% |
| Liverpool | Salah | Van Dijk | 88% |
| Chelsea | João Pedro | Palmer | 86% |
| Aston Villa | Watkins | Rogers | 91% |
| Brentford | Thiago | Ajer | 87% |
Notice something? The best penalty-takers in the league are already owned at astronomical rates or priced accordingly. Haaland (59.5% owned), B.Fernandes (46.9%), and Saka (typically 35%+) are in nearly half of all FPL squads. They’re expensive for a reason—they take penalties.
But here’s where savvy managers find edges: João Pedro at Chelsea (166pts, 42.5% owned, £7.6m) is being transferred out by 148k managers this week. Yet he remains the penalty taker and plays against Nott’m Forest—a side that’s bleeding goals. Similarly, Watkins (Aston Villa, 8.8m) takes penalties and is hitting his form, but isn’t being overowned like the usual suspects.
The lesson? Don’t chase penalties blindly. Instead, look for penalty-takers with favourable fixtures and reasonable ownership who aren’t the obvious mega-captaincy picks.
FPL Corner Takers: The Assist Machine
Corners are where defenders and midfielders can accumulate serious points without being traditional scorers. A corner assist (when your delivery leads to a goal) is worth 3 points. More importantly, corners are frequent—each team attempts 4-6 per game.
I’ve been watching corner dynamics closely this season, and the pattern is clear: teams with clear corner structures (one player taking inswinging, one taking outswinging) have an edge. Here’s who owns them at the Big Six:
Arsenal
Timber and Odegaard handle most corners. Rice (171pts, 24.4% owned, £7.2m) is occasionally on set pieces, but don’t rely on him as a primary corner asset. The defensive corners from Timber (being transferred out at 165k this week) and the creative corners from Odegaard are where the value lies. However, with Timber leaving squads, this might be the week to benefit if he still plays and delivers.
Man City
De Bruyne takes the majority. When he’s fit, he’s arguably the best corner-taker in the league. Haaland benefits heavily from his delivery. At 59.5% ownership, Haaland’s ceiling is somewhat capped, but you’re essentially paying for both elite open play and set-piece creation.
Man Utd
B.Fernandes dominates corners (204pts, 46.9% owned, £10.4m). His 20 assists heavily lean on set-piece creativity. Casemiro (160pts, just 4.1% owned, £5.8m) is criminally under-owned as a set-piece asset—he’s a physical presence on corners and occasionally gets close to goals. Worth a long look at that price.
Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold is the primary corner-taker when fit. Salah sometimes takes them. Van Dijk (156pts, 33.4% owned, £6.2m) is a defensive cornerstone who benefits from set-piece play defensively.
Chelsea
Palmer and Madueke handle corners. João Pedro (being transferred out heavily at 148k) is still a threat on open play but isn’t your primary corner asset.
Aston Villa
Cash and Rogers handle corners. Rogers (154pts, 24.9% owned, £7.5m) has just risen to £7.5m and is attracting transfers. He’s both a corner-taker and a primary attacker, making him a dual-threat asset.
Free-Kick Specialists: The Differentiators
Free kicks are the ultimate FPL X-factor. A single well-taken free kick can swing a gameweek. The best free-kick takers in the Premier League tend to be elite midfielders with exceptional technical ability.
B.Fernandes, Odegaard, Saka, De Bruyne, and Maddison are the standout free-kick takers across the top six. Gibbs-White (168pts, 11.1% owned, £7.6m) at Nott’m Forest is an emerging free-kick asset who’s having a tremendous season (form 11.7) and is being piled into at scale (227k transfers in).
Free kicks are unpredictable by nature—you can’t forecast when they’ll occur or convert. But owning a player who takes them gives you a ceiling that non-free-kick takers don’t have. Over 38 gameweeks, that compounds into 10-15 extra points.
GW35 Set-Piece Recommendations
Based on current data, here’s my actionable GW35 strategy:
Highest Priority Transfers In:
- Casemiro (Man Utd, £5.8m) — Only 4.1% owned. He’s a set-piece presence, midfielder pricing, and plays against Liverpool. This is a tournament-winning differential if you can squeeze him in.
- Rogers (Aston Villa, £7.5m) — Plays Spurs (difficulty 3) in GW35. Takes corners, playing attacking football, and just rose in price. 24.9% owned means you’re not alone, but you’re not in a crowd either.
- João Pedro (Chelsea, £7.6m) — Being transferred out by 148k managers. But he’s the penalty-taker, Chelsea plays Nott’m Forest (struggling), and at 42.5% ownership, you won’t be lonely. This might be a buy-the-dip opportunity.
Avoid This Week:
- Timber (Arsenal) — Already on his way out. Even though he takes corners, the transfers out (165k) signal that the market has priced in potential rotation or departure risk.
- Semenyo (Man City, £8.2m) — Being transferred out despite 51.1% ownership. Form (2.3) is drying up, and he doesn’t take set pieces. This is a fade.
Set-Piece Assets by Value
Let me break down the best set-piece assets by price tier. Use our Stats page to verify current ownership and form before committing transfers.
| Player | Team | Price | Set-Piece Role | Value Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casemiro | Man Utd | £5.8m | Corners, Free-Kicks | ★★★★★ Best Value |
| Anderson | Nott’m Forest | £5.6m | Corners | ★★★★ Excellent |
| Rice | Arsenal | £7.2m | Corners (Secondary) | ★★★ Good |
| Rogers | Aston Villa | £7.5m | Corners, Free-Kicks | ★★★★ Excellent |
| Thiago | Brentford | £7.4m | Penalties | ★★★★ Excellent |
| B.Fernandes | Man Utd | £10.4m | Penalties, Corners, FK | ★★★★ Worth It |
Casemiro jumps out as the obvious pick here. He’s a midfielder at 4.1% ownership taking set pieces for Man Utd in a league-wide context where set-piece assets are rare at that price. If you have transfer budget left and a flex spot, seriously consider him.
Fixture Context for Set-Piece Takers (GW35)
Set-piece assets are only as good as the team’s underlying play. Let’s check who’s playing favourable matchups.
Best Fixtures for Set-Piece Takers This Week:
- Man Utd vs Liverpool (Sun 3 May) — Difficulty 4 for Man Utd. B.Fernandes and Casemiro both play. High-profile derby. Expect set pieces.
- Aston Villa vs Spurs (Sun 3 May) — Difficulty 3 for Villa. Rogers takes corners and free kicks. Spurs are vulnerable.
- Chelsea vs Nott’m Forest (Mon 4 May) — Difficulty 3 for both. João Pedro and Palmer handle set pieces. Forest are in the relegation zone.
- Brentford vs West Ham (Sat 2 May) — Difficulty 3 for Brentford. Thiago (penalties) plays a vulnerable West Ham side.
Use our Fixture Difficulty tool to map these matchups into your captaincy strategy. If you’re captaining a set-piece taker in a favourable fixture, you’re getting double value.
Key Takeaways: Set-Piece Assets in GW35
- Set-piece takers convert at roughly double the rate of open-play attackers and account for ~30% of Premier League goals.
- Penalties are the easiest 5 points in FPL. Know your team’s penalty-taker and you’ve locked in consistency.
- Casemiro (£5.8m, 4.1% owned) is the best set-piece value in GW35—midfielder pricing, elite team, rare ownership.
- B.Fernandes, Haaland, and Saka own penalties but are priced and owned accordingly. Look for cheaper differentiation instead.
- Corner frequency (4-6 per game) makes corner-takers more valuable than free-kick specialists over a season.
- Pair set-piece assets with favourable fixtures for maximum ceiling. Man Utd, Aston Villa, and Brentford have the best matchups in GW35.
FAQ: FPL Set Piece Takers
Who takes penalties for Arsenal in FPL?
Saka is Arsenal’s primary penalty-taker with a 92% conversion rate. Odegaard is the backup. Both are owned at 35%+ and priced at £8m+, so they’re already accounted for in most squads.
Who takes penalties for Man City in FPL?
Haaland is Man City’s penalty-taker (95% conversion, 24 goals this season). He’s 59.5% owned at £14.5m. De Bruyne takes some set pieces but isn’t the primary penalty option. If you own Haaland, you’re already getting penalty upside.
Are set piece takers worth the premium in FPL?
Yes, if you’re buying elite open-play players who also take set pieces (Haaland, B.Fernandes, Saka). No, if you’re paying extra just for set-piece duties alone. The real edge is finding mid-price set-piece takers like Casemiro (£5.8m) or Rogers (£7.5m) whom the market hasn’t fully priced in.
Which defender takes the most set pieces in FPL?
Full-backs dominate set-piece duties. Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) and Cancelo (Man City, when fit) are elite corner-takers. Gabriel (Arsenal, 185pts, £7.2m) is a strong defensive set-piece asset, though he’s defensive-focused and not a ball-taker.
How often do penalties happen in FPL?
On average, 3-4 penalties per gameweek across the Premier League. That means a penalty-taker expects 1 penalty every 10-13 gameweeks. Over a season, your penalty-taker will convert 3-4 spot-kicks, worth 15-20 points just from that duty alone.
Final Thoughts: Set-Piece Mastery
The difference between a good FPL season and a great one isn’t always about chasing form or captaining obvious picks. It’s about understanding the structural advantages in the game and exploiting them before the market catches on.
Set-piece takers are one of those advantages. They offer higher conversion rates, more predictable point flows, and less reliance on randomness. In a 13.1-million-player game where marginal edges compound into league-winning finishes, that matters.
Before you finalise your GW35 transfers, check who takes set pieces for your team targets. Is the player you’re buying a penalty-taker? A corner-taker? Or just another open-play attacker competing for the same scraps as everyone else?
Once you’ve identified set-piece assets, check our Captain Impact tool to see which set-piece taker offers the highest ceiling given their opponent’s weakness. Then check your FPL360 Dashboard to track your mini-league rivals—see who’s still sleeping on set-piece value and who isn’t.
The managers winning titles right now? They’re quietly owning Casemiro at 4.1% ownership. Don’t get left behind.
