Big Calls Shaping FPL 2026/27
The first whistle of the new Fantasy Premier League season has barely faded and managers are already ripping up drafts, binning big names and hunting for the next bandwagon. Gameweek 1 did not tiptoe in. It kicked the door down.
Here’s where the early fault lines are forming.
Panic at Old Trafford – but is it premature?
Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Hull City has triggered the first major rush to the transfer market.
Plenty opened the season with a triple-up on United, banking on those two opening fixtures against promoted sides. One shock loss later, the exodus has started. Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) are among the three most-sold midfielders ahead of Gameweek 2, shipped out by over 110,000 and 105,000 managers respectively.
The timing is curious. United now host Ipswich Town, and Fernandes remains arguably the standout captaincy option for the week. He hit eight double-figure hauls in 17 home matches last season. That kind of ceiling does not vanish overnight.
The real concern lies just beyond. An awkward trip to Everton in Gameweek 3 and a home derby against Manchester City in Gameweek 4 were already circled by many as the point to Wildcard. Unless United deliver a convincing response against Ipswich – at both ends of the pitch – the sales in midfield and defence will only accelerate.
Palmer reborn under Alonso
Cole Palmer (£9.5m) looks like a different proposition under Xabi Alonso.
Deployed centrally in a 3-4-2-1 at Fulham, he ran the game, finished with a goal and an assist, and walked away from Craven Cottage on 13 points. He only bettered that once in an otherwise disappointing previous campaign. The system clearly suits him, the confidence is back, and the Fantasy upside is obvious.
At £9.5m, Palmer is already being eyed as a straight swap by frustrated Fernandes owners. The temptation is real, but so is the risk. He carries a slight injury doubt for Gameweek 2 and then heads to champions Arsenal in Gameweek 3.
The fixture that really screams Palmer is Chelsea v Hull City in Gameweek 4. That looks the ideal entry point. Anyone jumping on earlier, for the home match against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, is gambling on both his fitness and his form holding immediately under Alonso. The reward, if he starts, could be huge.
Arsenal full-backs strike early – but Konsa clouds the picture
Plenty of managers dodged the £8.0m price tag on Gabriel and instead turned to his cheaper Arsenal colleagues. Those who did were instantly rewarded.
In the 3-0 win over Coventry City, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori (both £5.5m) each produced an assist. White collected 11 points, Calafiori nine. Gabriel, by contrast, picked up a yellow card and finished on five points, leaving his backers frustrated.
The clean sheet potential is still there, but the arrival of Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) throws a tactical spanner into the works. Versatile enough to play at right-back or centre-back, Konsa adds a layer of uncertainty to Arsenal’s defensive pecking order – Gabriel aside.
Until Mikel Arteta shows where Konsa will settle, investing heavily in the Gunners’ defence carries more risk than usual. Early winners White and Calafiori now have competition for minutes and roles.
Szoboszlai steps into Salah’s shadow
One kick from the penalty spot may have changed the shape of the FPL midfield template.
Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) converted a late penalty against Newcastle United, a moment that strongly suggests he is now Liverpool’s primary penalty-taker following Mohamed Salah’s departure. He was already expected to dominate set-pieces under new head coach Andoni Iraola, which helped drive his ownership beyond 42 per cent.
Now he appears to have penalties as well.
That combination – set pieces, spot-kicks, and an advanced role – makes him one of the most attractive mid-priced midfielders in the game. Home matches against Nottingham Forest and Fulham in the next three Gameweeks, plus a trip to Ipswich, give him a soft runway to build on his start. His ownership will not stop climbing.
Sangare explodes into view
The budget midfield slot has a new poster boy.
Brentford’s Mamadou Sangare (£5.5m) arrived with a reputation among keen managers as a defensive contribution (DC) magnet in the sub-£6.0m bracket. He delivered that – and a whole lot more – in his first outing against Tottenham Hotspur.
Two DC points. Two assists. A 14-point haul.
Over 204,000 managers have already moved for him ahead of Gameweek 2, more than any other midfielder or forward. At his price, Sangare is already shaping up as a “set-and-forget” starter, freeing up funds for heavy hitters elsewhere while still offering a genuine attacking threat.
Leeds’ quiet revolution: Stach and Bijol as differentials
Leeds United’s 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest may prove more significant in FPL terms than the scoreline suggests.
They now face three home matches in the next four Gameweeks, against Brentford, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. That schedule hands their overlooked assets a platform to shine.
Anton Stach (£6.0m) erupted with a double-figure haul at the weekend and looks underpriced given his varied routes to points. He offers creativity, set-piece involvement and the odd defensive contribution, all wrapped into a mid-range fee.
At the back, Jaka Bijol (£5.0m) stands out. Leeds kept six of their eight clean sheets at home last season, and Bijol carries strong DC potential on top of that defensive solidity.
The kicker? Both are barely owned. Stach sits in just 1.4 per cent of squads, Bijol in 0.6 per cent. Compare that with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m), in 29.9 per cent of teams, and the opportunity for a genuine differential edge is obvious.
Trust in Moyes’ Everton
Price rises have put many off Everton’s assets, but the early signs say that might be a mistake.
Under David Moyes, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) and James Tarkowski (£6.0m) both underlined their value in the win over Crystal Palace. Dewsbury-Hall, owned by just four per cent of managers, scored the opener and collected 11 points, immediately justifying his new bracket.
Tarkowski, one of the few premium defenders to deliver a clean sheet in Gameweek 1, also racked up nine defensive contributions – just one short of the 10 needed for DC points. That volume of involvement hints at regular bonus and DC potential across the season.
Moyes’ Everton look like a side Fantasy managers can lean on, not avoid.
Maresca’s Man City: talent, chaos and one clear option
Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League line-up as Manchester City head coach was anything but conventional.
Marc Guehi (£6.0m), a centre-back by trade, started in central midfield. Nico O’Reilly (£6.5m), a left-back, took up an advanced central role behind Erling Haaland (£15.5m). City still found a way, but only after a rethink from the bench in the 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth.
The game swung when Rayan Cherki (£7.5m) entered. The Frenchman changed the tempo, assisted both goals – one for Guehi, the other for Josko Gvardiol (£5.5m) – and instantly marked himself out as the one City midfielder worth serious consideration right now.
Haaland remains the obvious captaincy choice due to his huge ownership and proven scoring power. Beyond him, though, Maresca’s tinkering and unusual roles make the rest of City’s assets hard to trust at this stage. Cherki is the exception; everyone else looks like a wait-and-see.
Promoted bargains at the back
The promoted clubs have thrown a curveball into defensive planning this season: all their defenders are priced at £4.0m. That alone makes them attractive bench options. Some are already offering more.
Hull’s John Egan leads the way with 21 defensive contributions against Manchester United, a huge tally for a budget defender. Ipswich Town’s Dara O’Shea followed closely with 18. Even in defeat, there was value: Coventry’s Bobby Thomas produced 10 DCs against Arsenal, enough for two DC points and three total despite the 3-0 loss.
For managers hunting for a £4.0m defender who actually plays – and contributes – these names have put themselves at the front of the queue.
Villa exposed as a target
If there was one team that set alarm bells ringing, it was Aston Villa.
A summer of key departures left Unai Emery’s squad looking light, and Brighton & Hove Albion brutally exposed that fragility in a 4-0 win. Villa struggled both defensively and in attack, raising serious questions about their Fantasy appeal.
The uncertainty around Ollie Watkins (£8.0m), recently linked with a move away, only deepens the concern. Without reinforcements before the transfer window closes, Villa risk becoming a side managers actively target for goals and clean sheets, rather than one they mine for points.
For now, Villa are less a puzzle to solve and more an opportunity to exploit. The next few weeks – and the club’s transfer business – will decide whether that picture changes, or hardens into a season-long trend.
