Best FPL Players to Pick for Gameweek 1 (2026/27)

Right then, the deadline is creeping closer and your squad still needs a few names. Instead of chasing the biggest price tag or the loudest pre-season hype, let's split the opening gameweek into categories: premium picks, budget enablers, and defenders worth starting the season with.

Here is the gaffer's take on the players worth serious consideration before Gameweek 1 kicks off.

Start with the elite forward at home to a newly promoted side or a defence that leaked goals last season. If he is the penalty taker and played the full pre-season as the lone number nine, he is about as safe an opening-week pick as FPL gets. Big names away to other big names are coin flips; a premium striker with a soft home fixture is a far kinder afternoon.

Next, look for the midfielder who plays high up the pitch and takes set pieces. Corners and free kicks are not just aesthetics — they add assists, bonus points, and a higher floor on quiet days. A premium midfielder nailed for 90 minutes in a strong home favourite is usually a better buy than a premium defender who only offers clean-sheet potential.

The budget gems are where seasons are won. I am looking for the midfielder priced around 7.5 million who starts wide in a counter-attacking side with a kind opening fixture. He might be low ownership, but if he is getting 90 minutes and carrying the ball into the box, he will outscore plenty of bigger names early on.

Up front, a well-priced striker from a mid-table side can be a brilliant enabler. Check his pre-season minutes and expected goals: if he started every friendly as the clear first choice, he is a better buy than a rotation-risk forward at a top-six club. The same applies to cheap wingers from newly promoted teams who are on set pieces and have a clear run in the side.

Defenders should pay for themselves. A full-back in a side with a clean-sheet-friendly opener and genuine attacking threat is worth the money. Look for assists, crosses, and the odd shot from outside the box — those are the touches that turn a 6-point clean sheet into a 10-point haul.

Centre-backs are more useful when they are a goal threat from corners. If a centre-half wanders up for every set piece and his team has a run of home games to start the season, he is a bargain even at a moderate price. Pair him with a goalkeeper behind a reliable defence, and you have a solid foundation without blowing the budget.

Pre-season minutes matter more than pre-season goals. A player who has started every friendly as the same role is usually nailed. A player who came off the bench repeatedly, or was managed carefully after international football, is a risk. Add injury news, penalty-duty changes, and any transfer rumours into the mix, and you have a proper picture.

One last reminder: last season's points are history. Judge the fixture in front of you, the price you are paying now, and the minutes you can realistically expect. A strong opening run can fund your next big move later in the season.

If you would rather not weigh form, fixtures, penalties, and injury news by hand, that is what this site is for. Pop your team ID into the tool and I will look at your fifteen, check the numbers, and tell you who is worth the armband — plus any transfers and injury worries worth knowing about.