Fantasy Premier League Tips 2026/2027: Top 3 Best FPL Players From Every Premier League Club Ahead Of Gameweek 1

Another season, another £100 million to spend.

In the build-up to Matchweek 1, I’ve gone team-by-team and picked out my top three Fantasy Premier League assets to have on your radar for the start of the Premier League season.

Three factors that matter most to me at the start of the season when identifying my favourite picks:

1. Price: Is the player actually good value relative to their expected points?
2. Route To Points: DEFCON, clean sheets, assists and goals. The more routes the player has for returns, the better the pick.
3. xMins (Expected Minutes): None of the above matters if the player isn’t nailed on to start. Pre-season, post-World Cup, new managers and fresh signings make expected minutes hard to predict.

There is an extra layer of noise in 2026/27.

There are several managerial changes, a World Cup that has left many key players short on pre-season minutes, and we’ve learned from last season that cheap FPL assets that regularly DEFCON are valuable squad enablers.

Arsenal

William Saliba and Jurriën Timber's injuries are a concern, but Arsenal are still the best defence in the league, and the underlying models reflect that.

Gabriel Magalhães at £8.0m is difficult to justify.

Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White (all £5.5m) look like great value picks.

At the start of the season, before the European schedule kicks off, I think all of Arsenal's defensive minutes are relatively secure.

David Raya (£6.0m) is difficult to fit if you're running an early Bench Boost strategy, but he's very likely to be one of the top-scoring goalkeepers again.

Midfield is a wait-and-see: Bruno Guimarães (£7.0m) has arrived, and both Declan Rice (£7.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) have had almost no pre-season minutes.

Martin Ødegaard at £6.5m is interesting.

If he finds form and secure minutes, he could be excellent value.

Viktor Gyökeres (£7.5m) against his old club Coventry City (H) in GW1 is very appetising indeed, but there will be competition for a starting place with Kai Havertz (£7.5m).

Top 3 FPL Picks From Arsenal:

(1) Cristhian Mosquera - £5.5m

(2) Riccardo Calafiori - £5.5m

(3) David Raya - £6.0m

Aston Villa

Unai Emery is a proven Premier League-quality manager who has shown he can get the best out of an evolving squad.

That said, Aston Villa have lost Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers this summer.

The latter are two big names in important positions.

Ezri Konsa is also being linked with a move away.

I'm not very bullish on Aston Villa for the start of the season, and I got stung hard by them at the beginning of 2025/26.

I'd suggest a cautious approach to see whether they find their feet and gel with new arrivals.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Aston Villa:

(1) Ollie Watkins - £8.0m

(2) Emiliano Martínez - £5.0m

(3) Ian Maatsen - £4.5m

Bournemouth

New manager, DEFCON monster Marcos Senesi gone to Spurs, and wonderkid Eli Junior Kroupi injured and out for several months.

They face Manchester City (A) in GW1.

I’d suggest wait-and-watch here.

James Hill (£5.5m) was incredible for FPL managers in the second half of last season.

Marcus Tavernier (£6.0m) was productive, but Justin Kluivert (£6.0m) is back in contention.

Alex Scott (£6.0m) is a good set-and-forget midfield option.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Bournemouth:

(1) James Hill - £5.5m

(2) Marcus Tavernier - £6.0m

(3) Justin Kluivert - £6.0m

Brentford

A prolific 22 goals for Igor Thiago (£8.0m) last season (albeit eight from the penalty spot) makes him hard to ignore.

Dango Ouattara (£6.5m) is good on the eye test and has proved a reliable FPL pick with multiple routes to points.

Defensively, Brentford fell off a cliff to close out last season, which doesn’t fill me with confidence over clean sheet odds to start this one.

However, an injury to Sepp van den Berg has made Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) an interesting prospect.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Brentford:

(1) Dango Ouattara - £6.5m

(2) Igor Thiago - £8.0m

(3) Kristoffer Ajer - £4.5m

Brighton & Hove Albion

Fabian Hürzeler has waved goodbye to Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck, which leaves important gaps to fill.

The departures raise Pascal Groß’s (£5.5m) stock, who will likely be taking most set-pieces and penalties.

Luka Vušković (£5.0m) comes in from Tottenham after a season on loan at Hamburger SV.

He is unproven in the Premier League, but could be a DEFCON monster if he gets minutes security.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Brighton & Hove Albion

(1) Pascal Groß - £5.5m

(2) Bart Verbruggen - £4.5m

(3) Luka Vušković - £5.0m

Chelsea

There has been a lot of change at Chelsea.

Xabi Alonso is in the dugout.

Notable signings include Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) from Aston Villa and Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) from Crystal Palace.

Cole Palmer is priced at £9.5m this season.

The obvious question is how Xabi Alonso fits Palmer and Rogers into the same team, and I'd want to see a gameweek or two before committing.

João Pedro (£7.5m) was the standout Chelsea FPL asset last season and heads into the season fresh after being left out of Brazil's World Cup squad.

No European football this season will increase the xMins for Chelsea's regulars.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Chelsea:

(1) João Pedro - £7.5m

(2) Cole Palmer - £9.5m

(3) Morgan Rogers - £7.5m

Coventry City

Frank Lampard did a fantastic job winning the EFL Championship with Coventry City last season.

A brutal start to the campaign awaits them as they face Arsenal at the Emirates on Friday night's curtain-raiser.

GW2 sees them up against Hull City (H), which is something to keep in mind for the GW2 bench boosters.

Every Coventry defender is priced at £4.0m, so there may be value in this department.

Milan van Ewijk and Bobby Thomas stand out.

Up front, Haji Wright (£5.5m) was Coventry's talisman in the Championship and looks like the designated penalty-taker, but his fitness will need to be monitored at the start of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Coventry City:

(1) Bobby Thomas - £4.0m

(2) Milan van Ewijk - £4.0m

(3) Haji Wright - £5.5m

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have a new manager in Pierre Sage, but a familiar squad.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (£6.5m) remains a proven predator in the box.

Ismaïla Sarr (£6.5m) was excellent for Senegal at the World Cup, and I’m excited about his FPL prospects.

Daniel Muñoz (£5.5m) offers great value in attack, but it is a wait-and-see how explosive he will be under the new manager.

Cheaper backline alternatives such as Chris Richards (£5.0m) or Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m) are expected to perform well in terms of DEFCON based on last season’s data.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Crystal Palace:

(1) Ismaïla Sarr - £6.5m

(2) Daniel Muñoz - £5.5m

(3) Jean-Philippe Mateta - £6.5m

Everton

Everton have quietly strengthened their midfield with Christian Nørgaard (£5.0m) and Championship Player of the Year, Hayden Hackney (£5.5m).

Jack Grealish has returned to Man City after his loan, so that door has sadly closed.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) was their standout player last season, and he’s likely to be productive again this season if he keeps his advanced role.

Iliman Ndiaye (£6.0m) appears to be the designated penalty taker.

He is a joy to watch, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to FPL points.

Important to monitor his transfer status, as he has been linked with moves away from Merseyside.

James Tarkowski (£6.0m) is the definition of a DEFCON monster.

He racked up 44 points from DEFCON last season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Everton:

(1) James Tarkowski - £6.0m

(2) Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - £6.5m

(3) Iliman Ndiaye - £6.0m

Fulham

I worry for Fulham's new head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa.

Losing Harry Wilson to Leeds United leaves a big gap to fill after his brilliant 2025/26 season.

Raúl Jiménez has also departed.

Joachim Andersen (£5.0m) is suspended until 30 August, which doesn’t help matters, but he is an excellent pick when he returns, ranking in the top six for total DEFCONs last season.

Antonee Robinson (£4.5m) looks potentially undervalued.

The marauding fullback always has decent prospects for attacking returns.

There will be competition up-front between Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m) and newcomer Gonzalo García (£6.0m) from Real Madrid.

If Arbeloa decides to slowly introduce Garcia to Premier League football, Muniz could be a bargain forward in the early part of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Fulham:

(1) Antonee Robinson - £4.5m

(2) Rodrigo Muniz - £5.5m

(3) Joachim Andersen - £5.0m   

Hull City

Hull City are the feel-good story of the promoted sides.

They were fighting relegation to League One twelve months ago, and went on to win a play-off final at Wembley in May.

They’ve signed goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis (£4.5m) to cover for the injured Jack Butland (£4.5m).

Whoever is starting in goal will be expected to make plenty of saves this season.

John Egan (£4.0m) stands out for DEFCON upside.

His CBIT (clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles) numbers in the Championship were the best of any defender across the three promoted sides.

Oli McBurnie (£5.5m) is their talisman up front and has Premier League experience.

Unfortunately, I’m not optimistic about their chances, and they should not be a team to target.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Hull City:

(1) John Egan - £4.0m

(2) Konstantinos Tzolakis - £4.5m

(3) Oli McBurnie - £5.5m

Ipswich Town

I have a feeling Gary O’Neil’s Ipswich Town may have some squad enablers to offer FPL managers this season.

Leif Davis (£4.0m) stands out at the back for his set-piece deliveries and his attacking potential.

Dara O’Shea (£4.0m) offers good DEFCON upside.

New signing Issa Diop (£4.0m) has Premier League experience, but with slightly less DEFCON upside.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Ipswich Town:

(1) Leif Davis - £4.0m

(2) Dara O’Shea - £4.0m

(3) Issa Diop - £4.0m

Leeds United

Daniel Farke’s Leeds United side tightened up considerably in the second half of last season.

They kept six clean sheets in the final 20 matches, joint fourth best in the league over that stretch.

Their talisman up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m), managed 14 goals in his first season at the club.

He does have an unfortunate knack for missing big chances, but with Harry Wilson (£6.5m) joining on a free transfer after a fantastic season with Fulham, there is likely to be better service for Calvert-Lewin, which should mean more goals. 

Their defensive options offer good value.

Joe Rodon (£4.5m) has a set-piece threat and decent DEFCON numbers.

New signing Tarik Muharemović (£5.0m) is also touted to rack up considerable DEFCON, but his xMins are harder to predict at the start of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Leeds United:

(1) Dominic Calvert-Lewin - £6.0m

(2) Joe Rodon - £4.5m

(3) Harry Wilson - £6.5m

Liverpool

The Reds have bid farewell to Arne Slot and FPL legend Mohamed Salah.

Now, Andoni Iraola is in charge after proving his quality at Bournemouth.

This should bring back the “heavy-metal” football we grew used to seeing from Liverpool

As a result, I’m excited about their attacking prospects, but I do feel they are slightly thin at the back.  

Alexander Isak (£9.0m) performed well at the World Cup with Sweden, has had a full pre-season and will be the starting striker as long as he stays fit and firing.

If Isak is finding the back of the net with regularity, it likely means Florian Wirtz (£7.5m) has something to do with it.

The German has that ability to make an incisive pass and is a good finisher too.

With some set-piece involvement to boot, he may be a bargain at his price.

I don’t expect Liverpool to keep many clean sheets, but I do expect Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) to start every game and tally up considerable DEFCON numbers.

There’s also no need to explain his proven set-piece threat.

Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) was Liverpool’s glimmer of hope last season.

He is a footballer with serious quality.

He will dominate set-pieces, could be the penalty taker if Isak isn’t on the field and gets DEFCON points now and again, meaning he has multiple routes to FPL points.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Liverpool:

(1) Alexander Isak - £9.0m

(2) Florian Wirtz - £7.5m

(3) Dominik Szoboszlai - £7.0m

Manchester City

The end of an era: Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City.

And in his place comes Enzo Maresca.

His preferred playing style is inspired by Pep, so we can continue to expect possession-based football and patient build-up to break down the opposition’s defence. 

Erling Haaland (£15.5m) was exceptional in the World Cup for Norway.

He’s returned to training with practically no pre-season.

Regardless of his preparation, he is undoubtedly the best number 9 in the league and a must-have for GW3 against Coventry (H).

The real question is whether he will be in your GW1 squad?

Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m), on the other hand, has had a full pre-season, and his position in the team seems fairly uncontested.

He is quick, two-footed and an excellent ball striker.

His price does make it difficult to fit into a two-premium squad.

How FPL managers allocate their funds to make room for Semenyo will be interesting to see.

Between Phil Foden (£7.0m) and Rayan Cherki (£7.5m), whoever nails down the number 10 role will be a great asset to own.

I expect Maresca to regularly rotate in this position at the start of the season to find his preferred choice, meaning xMins is not looking great for either player.

Nico O’Reilly (£6.5m) is a defender with some of the best attacking prospects in FPL this season.

He became a firm favourite under Pep last season, making 34 Premier League appearances.

He is a player who can thrive in Maresca’s system and is a versatile option able to play at left-back or in midfield.      

Top 3 FPL Picks From Manchester City:

(1) Erling Haaland - £15.5m

(2) Antoine Semenyo - £8.5m

(3) Nico O’Reilly - £6.5m

Manchester United

After a strong end to the season under Michael Carrick’s helm, Manchester United find themselves back in the Champions League for 2026/27.

They have arguably the best opening fixtures against Hull (A) in GW1 and Ipswich (H) in GW2.

But squad depth is an issue, and I expect them to struggle when midweek games kick in.

I suggest investing in Man Utd players to start the season and plan to shift them out as the gameweeks progress.

After breaking the Premier League assists record last season, Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) comes in as the second most expensive player in FPL this season, and justifiably so.

He is United’s designated set-piece taker and possesses considerable open-play threat. He is a must-have in your FPL squad.

Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) has had the benefit of a full pre-season and didn’t feature in the World Cup, so he has come back well-rested.

He is a midfielder playing striker, filling in for Benjamin Šeško (£7.0m), who is returning from injury.

Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) ended the season arguably better than Mbeumo, but has had minimal pre-season after representing Brazil at the World Cup.

Defensively, Manchester United do not have the most impressive options.

But several players come in with price tags hard to ignore.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens (£5.0m) is a good shot-stopper.

Luke Shaw (£4.5m) played every game in the Premier League last season.

And Harry Maguire (£5.0m) is likely to fill the role as target man for set-pieces, now that Casemiro has left the club.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Manchester United:

(1) Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m)

(2) Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m)

(3) Harry Maguire (£5.0m)

Newcastle United

It feels like a tornado has swept through Newcastle over the summer.

Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool last season, and now they’ve lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, and manager Eddie Howe.

And yet, there are still players in the squad that will intrigue FPL managers.

There will be competition at centre-forward between Yoane Wissa, Nick Woltemade and William Osula (all priced at £6.0m).

Osula has the best case on recent form: five goals in his final seven starts of last season and the best underlyings for shots in the box and big chances of the trio.

However, it will have to be a wait-and-see before committing to any.

Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) has a good chance of solidifying a starting place with Newcastle’s recent sales.

He has a great turn of pace and a good eye for goal.

Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) was Newcastle’s second-highest scoring FPL player last season behind Guimarães.

He scored four goals and earned the most DEFCON points in the squad in 2025/26.

He should remain the first choice under Newcastle's new manager, Matthias Jaissle.

FPL managers should assess how the team defends before bringing him in.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Newcastle United:

(1) Malick Thiaw - £5.0m

(2) Harvey Barnes - £6.0m

(3) William Osula - £6.0m

Nottingham Forest

Oliver Glasner may prove to be the signing of the summer if he can replicate the successes he achieved at Crystal Palace for his new club, Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White (£8.0m) was exceptional last season and is their standout FPL asset.

On set-pieces, likely to take penalties and a genuine open-play threat.

Neco Williams (£5.0m) produced good attacking numbers at fullback last season.

If Glasner implements his preferred back three, we may see Williams utilised as a wingback.

If that is the case, FPL managers will be hoping Williams can be the Welsh Daniel Munõz for Glasner.

The centre-backs were also good value at Crystal Palace in terms of DEFCON and set-piece threat.

Should we see similar stats for Nikola Milenković (£5.5m) or Murillo (£5.5m), they may be good assets to own.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Nottingham Forest:

(1) Morgan Gibbs-White - £8.0m

(2) Neco Williams - £5.0m

(3) Nikola Milenković - £5.5m

Sunderland

A seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification in Sunderland's first season back in the top flight is one of the best stories of last season, and the core of that squad is largely intact.

Enzo Le Fée (£6.0m) is the designated set-piece taker (including penalties) and is one of Sunderland’s most important attacking players.

Although the team’s underlying attacking numbers were not particularly strong last season, Le Fée exhibits enough routes to points to justify being one of the strongest options at his price point.

Up front, Brian Brobbey (£6.0m) looks like a good forward option for FPL managers.

He has physical presence and will be a threat in the opposition box. 

Dan Ballard (£5.0m) earned 28 DEFCON points in just 24 starts last season.

He also managed to keep 11 clean sheets in 2025/26 and contributed with two goals and two assists.

Those numbers suggest he’ll be a great option for FPL managers. 

Top 3 FPL Picks From Sunderland:

(1) Enzo Le Fée - £6.0m

(2) Dan Ballard - £5.0m

(3) Brian Brobbey - £6.0m

Tottenham Hotspurs

Last season will be one to forget for Spurs fans.

The club have come out spending this summer, bringing in several Premier League-proven players, including Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. 

Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) looks to be Roberto De Zerbi’s preferred goalkeeper.

He could prove to be the best ‘cheap’ goalkeeping option this season.

Pedro Porro (£5.5m) was immense for World Cup winners Spain, exhibiting his goal threat and set-piece quality.

His high ceiling justifies his FPL asking price.

Fitness has been a struggle for Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) of late.

But he’s a forward who has shown his quality before.

If he manages to secure a starting berth and Spurs find rhythm, you can expect Solanke to be amongst the goals.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Tottenham Hotspur:

(1) Antonín Kinský - £4.5m

(2) Pedro Porro - £5.5

(3) Dominic Solanke - £6.0m

Final Thoughts

It feels like we are in uncharted territory at the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

We have a number of new managers and many players returning to their parent clubs with almost zero pre-season after the World Cup.

Regardless, there are still several good picks to choose from to build your squad.

Remember to carefully consider a player’s price, route to points and expected minutes.

Target good fixtures and trust the process. 

Good luck with the draft, and see you at the GW1 deadline.