Fantasy Premier League guide: FPL best-value gems, overpriced traps, and new-signing tips

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The Football Faithful

·20 August 2026

Fantasy Premier League guide: FPL best-value gems, overpriced traps, and new-signing tips

Fantasy Premier League is back with the new FPL season kicking off this Friday. If you’re still struggling with selection headaches, our writers have provided their pre-season predictions and tips for the 2026/27 campaign.

Must-have player for Gameweek 1:

Harry Diamond: Joao Pedro (£7.5m). Fresh from a summer break, Pedro has scored seven goals in pre-season for Chelsea. A nailed-on starter for a team expected to improve significantly.

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Ste McGovern: Bruno Fernandes (£12.5m). The Manchester United captain will drop off from last season’s incredible performances, but you have to have him against Hull City away on the opening weekend.

Mohon Chanda: Erling Haaland (£15.5m); there’s no way you ignore him in the first week based on the fixtures and form.

Highest-scoring FPL player in 2026/27:

Harry Diamond: Erling Haaland. Is is really a question?

Ste McGovern: Erling Haaland. He’s the most expensive player in FPL for a reason.

Mohon Chanda: Erling Haaland.

Best-value FPL player:

Harry Diamond: Iliman Ndiaye (£6m). A guaranteed starter and Everton’s penalty taker, he looks real value.

Ste McGovern: Joao Pedro (£7.5m). Despite scoring 177 FPL points while registering 15 goals and nine assists last year, the Chelsea forward has been set at £7.5m, which feels way too low for him.

Mohon Chanda: Florian Wirtz (£7.5m). This is going to be his season; no one is a better value pick than him.

Over-priced player to avoid:

Harry Diamond: Gabriel Magalhaes (£8m). £8m is an awful lot for a centre-back, even with Gabriel’s threat and Arsenal’s defensive record. William Saliba’s absence might mean Arsenal are not quite as formidable in the season’s opening weeks.

Ste McGovern: Gabriel Magalhaes (£8m). You have to make too many sacrifices to fit the Arsenal defender in your team, it’s simply not worth it.

Mohon Chanda: Bruno Fernandes (£12m). He will provide enough points, but not enough to justify his price point. Maybe get him in for a run of 4/5 fixtures, but keeping him for the long term is not the right decision.

New signing to consider:

Harry Diamond: I’m always cautious with new signings, but Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) looks like an option with real upside. Tzolis got 59 goals and assists for Club Brugge last season and, while it’s a big leap from Belgium, he’s looked good in pre-season. His ownership could hinge on whether Arsenal land a high-profile attacker before the deadline.

Ste McGovern: Christos Tzolis (£6.5m). A very cheap way into the Arsenal attack at the start of the season when they face Coventry City away, though he is not a long-term hold.

Mohon Chanda: Ronald Araujo. A top-class defender for 5.5m and for a team like Liverpool.

New signing to avoid:

Harry Diamond: Marco Palestra (£5.5m). Palestra impressed in Serie A last season, but his price point looks high for a return of one goal and four assists for Cagliari.

Ste McGovern: Marcos Senesi (£6m). One of the best value players to own last season, the defender is now a lot more expensive and not guaranteed to start every week at Spurs.

Mohon Chanda: Mateus Fernandes (£6m).

Promoted player to consider:

Harry Diamond: Bobby Thomas (£4m). I expect Coventry to be the best of the promoted sides and Thomas looks a good enabler. Three goals and four assists in the Championship from centre-back last season, and inside the league’s top 10 defenders for blocks – in a side that often dominated.

Ste McGovern: Issa Diop (£4m). The new Ipswich Town signing can be a cheap enabler on your bench to allow you put more expensive options in your squad.

Mohon Chanda: Milan Van Ewijke, a wing-back at 4m and set to be in the starting XI, cannot ignore.

Read – Every Premier League kit released ahead of 2026/27 season