These eight players will help you win FPL

August 17, 2026 No Comments

These eight players will help you win FPLPublished50 minutes agoHave you settled on your Fantasy Premier League team yet, or are you still at the tinkering stage?Either way you may want to consider one of these players in your team, according to our FPL experts.

Here are the eight players – aside from the obvious premium picks such as Bruno Fernandes and Erling Haaland – we think can help you have a successful season.

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Florian Wirtz, Liverpool, midfielder, £7.5m

Wirtz at £7.5m with around 14% ownership looks like one of the better mid-priced differentials available right now. While nearly half the game has locked in Dominik Szoboszlai, far fewer managers are backing the German, which creates useful rank upside if he delivers.

Under new manager Andoni Iraola, the picture is getting clearer. Pre-season has seen Wirtz deployed as a proper number 10, operating close to striker Alexander Isak.

Iraola has spoken openly about wanting Wirtz in that central role behind the striker rather than pushed wide, and the early friendlies have reflected that. Playing higher up the pitch should mean more touches in the final third and a greater share of Liverpool’s goal involvement.

Last season, Wirtz showed quality without fully maximising his output. A second year in the Premier League, combined with a manager who seems determined to get the best out of both him and Isak, improves the outlook. At this price and ownership level, he offers a cleaner route into Liverpool’s attack than many of the more popular midfield options.

Florian Wirtz of Liverpool — Image caption,

Florian Wirtz could be the perfect fit for Andoni Iraola’s system and the Spanish manager’s Bournemouth produced several attacking FPL assets worth picking last season

Pascal Gross, Brighton, midfielder, £5.5m

Gross is one of the more compelling budget midfielders available, and is currently owned by fewer than 11% of teams. He is not flashy, but his underlying role and importance has improved significantly this summer.

With Danny Welbeck now at Chelsea, Gross should take over penalty duties. He converted a spot-kick in pre-season against Strasbourg and also delivered a free-kick assist in the same match. Add his existing involvement in corners and other set-pieces and you have multiple routes to returns that most £5.5m midfielders simply do not possess.

Brighton under Fabian Hurzeler continue to generate chances, and Gross remains central to how they progress the ball and attack dead balls. He is trusted for minutes when fit and offers a reliable floor plus occasional ceiling at a price that helps fund the big hitters elsewhere.

For managers building around expensive premiums, Gross is a practical enabler who can quietly accumulate points without demanding a large slice of the budget.

FPL Heisenberg’s picks you need for your FPL team

Antonin Kinsky, Tottenham, goalkeeper, £4.5m

Kinsky looks like one of the standout budget goalkeeper options this season, particularly if he can hold on to the starting place at Tottenham. The Czech goalkeeper finished last season strongly, starting every game under Roberto de Zerbi and producing several excellent performances.

There is still some uncertainty, with Guglielmo Vicario still at the club. However, Kinsky is seemingly De Zerbi’s first choice. He stuck with Kinsky for Tottenham’s run-in last season, even after Vicario returned from injury, which showed how highly he was regarded.

At £4.5m, Kinsky doesn’t need to produce huge returns to justify his place in your FPL team. If he can remain Spurs’ first choice, the combination of clean sheet potential, save points and a low price makes him an excellent option.

Tottenham keeper Antonin Kinsky — Image caption,

Antonin Kinsky won the Spurs starting spot towards the end of last season

Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool, midfielder, £7m

Szoboszlai is an intriguing option at £7m after an excellent individual campaign last season. He finished as Liverpool’s second highest-scoring FPL player with 160 points – only Virgil van Dijk had more with 175 points.

Liverpool have a very appealing opening five gameweeks, starting with Newcastle followed by Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Fulham and Bournemouth, and the Hungarian has plenty of routes to points.

He scored 13 goals in all competitions last season, including four direct free-kicks, while also offering assist potential from set-pieces. His impressive work off the ball lead to defensive contribution (defcon) points too.

There are some question marks over exactly where he will play under new Liverpool boss Iraola, particularly with Wirtz likely to slot into the number 10 position. However, Szoboszlai’s versatility could actually work in his favour, meaning his minutes should be reasonably guaranteed.

Who are the cheap essentials for your FPL team?

Joao Pedro, Chelsea, striker, £7.5m

The Brazilian is a key pick for our fantasy forward lines, following an impressive debut season for Chelsea, where he racked up 15 goals and nine assists.

He finished the season as the fourth highest-scoring forward in the game, having had 63 shots in the box and 26 big chances on goal.

Having had the summer off, he’s well-placed to replicate this output under new boss Xabi Alonso, with Chelsea also having the freedom of no European football to contend with.

He comes in £2m cheaper than Cole Palmer, and as the clear focal point in the Chelsea attack. The only concern is that summer signing Danny Welbeck could compete with him for minutes.

Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest, defender, £5m

The Wales right-back is an intriguing defensive selection for fantasy managers going into this campaign, with a potential change in formation giving him a huge advantage.

We expect to see some defensive solidarity under new manager Oliver Glasner, with this Nottingham Forest side keeping 13 clean sheets in the 2024-25 campaign.

Williams ranked third for fantasy points among Forest players last season, with five goal involvements, leading the way for shots (46) among defenders.

He has the potential to play more advanced this campaign if Glasner adopts his favoured wing-back system, with Daniel Munoz producing eight goal involvements on the left for Palace last season.

Why Haaland should be in your FPL team

Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal, defender, £5.5m

The Italian doesn’t come without risk and Piero Hincapie (£5.5m) is a quality challenger for the left-back position, but Calafiori is a cheap route to the elite Arsenal defence, with Gabriel (£8m) now out of most managers’ budgets.

First choice left-back for most of last season, Calafiori’s place in the XI feels secure if he can stay fit. Early substitutions are likely but rarely come pre-60 minutes and, with a full pre-season under his belt, many will expect immediate rewards from the attacking-minded full-back who plays for the best defence in the league by some distance.

Cristhian Mosquera (£5.5m) is also expected to start the season with the absence of William Saliba (£6m) but Arsenal have been linked with a centre-back and Saliba’s recovery timeline is vague, so Mosquera’s run in the team could be short-lived.

Calafiori is the better long-term hold.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin the Leeds striker taking a shot — Image caption,

With 142 points, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had his best FPL season since 20-21

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Leeds United, striker, £6m

Calvert-Lewin is the third most-owned forward in the game behind only Erling Haaland (£15.m) and Joao Pedro (£7.5m) who complete the template front three.

Leeds impressed last season but they under-achieved on their expected values and some would argue they should have comfortably finished mid-table.

Calvert-Lewin’s finishing was responsible for some of that under-performance, where he scored 14 goals from 15.57 expected goals and earned 33 big chances, the fourth highest in the division.

Nevertheless, he gets the chances and is a handful for any back line. He’s on penalties, rarely substituted, with good fixtures and arguably under-priced at £6m.

Leeds are a well-oiled machine under Daniel Farke and have had an impressive transfer window in adding to their creativity, which will only benefit Calvert-Lewin. Harry Wilson (£6.5m) earned nine assists last season and will surely link well with his new target man.

These eight players will help you win FPL

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