Fantasy Premier League 2026/27 Reclassifications: Key Player Changes

The Fantasy Premier League game board has been nudged again, and this time some of its most intriguing pieces are moving square.

A cluster of emerging talents – Junior Kroupi, Patrick Dorgu and Omar Marmoush among them – will line up in new positions for the 2026/27 season, with reclassifications that could reshape how serious FPL managers build their squads.

Kroupi: From finisher to Fantasy gold

At Bournemouth, Junior Kroupi has been quietly transformed from an out-and-out forward into a No 10 – and now Fantasy has caught up. He shifts from a forward to a midfielder after spending last season operating behind Evanilson in Andoni Iraola’s system.

The role suited him. Kroupi delivered 13 goals in 33 appearances in 2025/26, a ruthless return for a player supposedly stationed in a supporting position. His 134.0 minutes per goal was electric – over 50 minutes quicker than Antoine Semenyo, whose 188.2 minutes per goal was the best among regular starting midfielders.

Now the numbers get even more dangerous for opponents – and more tempting for managers. As a midfielder, Kroupi will collect an extra point for every goal and pick up clean-sheet bonuses. The same output, in a new category, suddenly looks like the profile of a potential must-own.

If he even holds his level, he becomes a midfielder with forward-like finishing. If he kicks on, he could be one of the most aggressively priced and aggressively bought assets in the game.

Dorgu: Carrick’s winger gets a new tag

At Manchester United, Patrick Dorgu’s change is less about volume and more about role. He moves from defender to midfielder after Michael Carrick pushed him higher up the pitch in the second half of last season.

The sample is small but striking. Dorgu started only three matches under Carrick after Gameweek 22 – all on the left wing – and he scored in every single one of them. He struck against Arsenal. He struck against Manchester City. He then produced a goal and an assist against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Those minutes were precious, and he used them well. When stacked up against midfield team-mates Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo under Carrick, Dorgu more than held his own. His 33.2 minutes per shot was the sharpest of the trio, and he matched Cunha’s tally of three big chances, despite playing over 800 minutes fewer than the Brazilian.

As a defender, he was a curiosity. As a midfielder, he becomes a different proposition entirely: less reliant on clean sheets, more judged on attacking threat. If Carrick trusts him with a regular role on that left flank, this reclassification could quickly become one of the most talked-about tweaks of the season.

Marmoush: Pep’s striker steps into the light

Omar Marmoush heads the other way. The Manchester City man is reclassified from midfielder to forward after Pep Guardiola used him as a central striker in his final campaign in charge.

Stationed up front, the Egyptian produced three goals and three assists. It wasn’t an avalanche, but it was enough to confirm his function in the system: the spearhead rather than the supporting act.

For Fantasy managers, that shift carries a familiar trade-off. As a midfielder, Marmoush offered the allure of attacking returns from a deeper slot. As a forward, he loses the extra point for goals and clean sheets but gains clarity. He is now judged against other strikers, and his appeal will hinge on whether he can turn that six-goal involvement base into something more substantial in a post-Guardiola City.

The quieter switches

Around those headline names, a series of tactical tweaks have been recognised by the game.

• Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) and Lamare Bogarde (Aston Villa) both move from defence into midfield, reflecting their more advanced roles.
• Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford) also shifts from defender to midfielder, while Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) and Eric Moreira (Nottingham Forest) make the same jump, their attacking duties now formally acknowledged.
• At Brighton & Hove Albion, Mats Wieffer drops back from midfield to defence, while Georginio Rutter goes the opposite way to Marmoush, stepping up from midfield into a forward slot.
• Crystal Palace’s Rio Cardines is reclassified from midfielder to defender, tightening up his profile as a player expected to contribute more to the back line than the final third.

Each move is a small adjustment on paper. In practice, they redraw the value map. Some players will suddenly offer more points for the same output; others will have to do more to justify their price.

The rules have not changed. But the pieces have. And for managers already sketching out their 2026/27 squads, the question is simple: who just became a bargain, and who now has to prove they belong in your XI at all?