FPL Gameweek 1 Analysis – FPL GW1 Tips For Fantasy Premier League Managers

A new season of Premier League football gets underway tomorrow night, and Fantasy Premier League managers are well and truly back in the FPL buzz ahead of the weekend opener.

As always, TFA will help you stay up to date with the world of FPL throughout the entire season.

In this article, we start by looking at the most-selected defensive asset ahead of the new campaign, compare two big summer signings to see which one might be the better pick, and lastly, look at the highest-owned players in each position.

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FPL Gameweek 1 Deadline

The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 deadline is Friday, 21 August 2026, at 18:30 BST

FPL Gameweek 1 Fixtures

Arsenal gets the season underway at home against Coventry.

Manchester United are away to Hull.

Everton will be hosting Crystal Palace.

Sunderland will travel to Ipswich.

Nottingham Forest welcomes Leeds.

Spurs have an away game against Brentford.

Brighton have a home game against Aston Villa.

Bournemouth will face Manchester City at the Etihad.

Newcastle will host Liverpool.

Chelsea are heading to Fulham to conclude Gameweek 1.

FPL Managers Expect Riccardo Calafiori To Deliver

The highest-scoring defender in FPL last season was Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães, who is currently priced at £8.0, making him the most expensive defender in the game.

However, despite Gabriel’s impressive campaign, it is his teammate Riccardo Calafiori who has emerged as the most-selected defender ahead of the new season, with a global ownership of 31.0%.

Calafiori started 22 Premier League games last season and finished the campaign with one goal and two assists.

Those numbers do not suggest that he should be the most popular defensive option in FPL heading into Gameweek 1.

However, much of the interest surrounding the Italian has come from his performances during pre-season.

Calafiori has scored twice and provided an assist, showing considerably more attacking threat than his numbers from last season might suggest.

That attacking potential becomes particularly interesting when combined with Arsenal’s defensive strength.

At just £5.5, Calafiori provides FPL managers with a relatively affordable route into one of the strongest defences in the Premier League, while also offering the possibility of attacking returns.

With a favourable opening fixture against Coventry coming up, it is easy to understand why his ownership has climbed so significantly.

At his current price, Calafiori looks like one of the most promising defensive options heading into the new FPL season.

Bruno Guimarães Vs Elliot Anderson

Two very high-profile midfield moves have taken place over the transfer window, as Bruno Guimarães moved from Newcastle to Arsenal in a move worth £75 million, and Elliot Anderson left Nottingham Forest for Manchester City, who spent £116 million to secure his services.

These midfielders have very different profiles, but which makes the most sense from an FPL perspective?

Last season, Elliot Anderson (now priced at £6.5m) started 37 games, accumulating a total of 3,332 minutes, during which he scored a total of 180 FPL points.

Bruno Guimarães (now priced at £7.0m) started 10 fewer games than Anderson, played a total of 2,456 minutes last season, and scored a total of 154 FPL points.

When converting that to PP90 (Points Per 90), Elliot Anderson averaged 4.86 FPL points every 90 minutes across 2025/26, while Bruno averaged 5.64.

Elliot Anderson made 515 defensive contributions last season, averaging an incredible 13.9 defensive contributions per 90 minutes.

Bruno Guimarães made a total of 251 defensive contributions, averaging 9.2 per 90 minutes.

Their xA (expected assists) figures are very similar, with Bruno having an xA of 4.96 and Anderson having an xA of 4.79.

When looking at their overall expected goal involvement, Anderson had an xGI of 7.73, while Bruno had an xGI of 10.55.

With Anderson picking up consistent DEFCON points for his relentless defensive contributions and Bruno offering a higher xGI, it will be interesting to see who finishes the season with more points, especially considering both of them are playing in better sides this season.

Top 3 Highest-Owned FPL Players In Each Position

Let’s take a closer look at the most popular FPL players across all positions ahead of the new FPL season:

Goalkeepers:

1) David Raya

Ownership: 35.8%

New Price: £6.0

Total Points Last Season: 162

2) Antonín Kinský

Ownership: 21.9%

New Price: £4.5

Total Points Last Season: 20

3) Martin Dúbravka

Ownership: 21.1%

New Price: £4.0

Total Points Last Season: 96

Defenders:

1) Riccardo Calafiori

Ownership: 31.1%

New Price: £5.5

Total Points Last Season: 109

2) Gabriel Magalhães

Ownership: 29.4%

New Price: £8.0

Total Points Last Season: 209

3) Pedro Porro 

Ownership: 22.8%

New Price: £5.5

Total Points Last Season: 117

Midfielders:

1) Bruno Fernandes

Ownership: 49.8%

New Price: £12.0

Total Points Last Season: 235

2) Dominik Szoboszlai

Ownership: 41.4%

New Price: £7.0

Total Points Last Season: 160

3) Bryan Mbeumo

Ownership: 33.4%

New Price: £8.0

Total Points Last Season: 148

Forwards:

1) Erling Haaland

Ownership: 69.5%

New Price: £15.5

Total Points Last Season: 239

2) João Pedro

Ownership: 61.7%

New Price: £7.5

Total Points Last Season: 177

3) Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Ownership: 28.6%

New Price: £6.0

Total Points Last Season: 142

Top 3 FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks:

1. Bruno Fernandes vs Hull
2. Erling Haaland vs Bournemouth
3. Gabriel Magalhães vs Coventry

Differential Captain Pick Of The Week

Christos Tzolis

Arsenal’s new winger has been looking fantastic in pre-season.

Christos Tzolis has provided seven assists and scored one goal since joining his new side.

With his minutes looking guaranteed for the opening weekend against Coventry, Tzolis will have the opportunity to properly introduce himself and reward the FPL managers who invested in him right from the start.

FPL Gameweek 1 Team Suggestion: 

Those who are looking for team suggestions might find some value in our FPL tips for GW1 below:

GK: Antonín Kinský (£4.5m)

DEF: Trai Hume (£4.5m)

DEF: Harry Maguire (£5.0m)

DEF: Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m)

MID: Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m)

MID: Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m)

MID: Christos Tzolis (£6.5m)

MID: Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m)

FWD: João Pedro (£7.5m)

FWD: Erling Haaland (£15.5m)

FWD: Dominic Calvert-Lewin  (£6.0m)

BENCH: Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m)

BENCH: Leif Davis (£4.0m)

BENCH: Diego Gómez  (£5.0m)

BENCH: Joe Rodon (£4.5m) 

Final Thoughts

With the new Premier League season finally getting underway, FPL managers now have to turn weeks of planning and tinkering into their final Gameweek 1 decisions.

The opening weekend always brings plenty of uncertainty, particularly after a busy transfer window and a pre-season period that has given managers a number of new options to consider.

Ownership percentages can provide a useful indication of where the FPL community is placing its trust, but they should never be the only factor behind a selection.

Price, expected minutes, fixtures and the different routes a player has to points all remain important when building a squad.

As always, one Gameweek will not define an entire FPL season, but a strong start certainly helps.

Make sure your team is locked in before the deadline, choose your captain carefully and enjoy the return of Premier League football.