Fantasy Premier League: Four Gameweek 1 Picks to Consider

The new Fantasy Premier League season always starts with the same mix of optimism and panic. Prices are tight, pre-season form is noisy, and every manager is hunting for that early edge before Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.

Four names stand out for Gameweek 1. Different positions, different price points – but all with the potential to blow open mini-leagues from day one.

Alexander Isak (Liverpool) £9.0m

A cut-price gamble with elite upside

Last season never really got going for Alexander Isak. Injuries pinned him down to just eight Premier League starts in 2025/26, and FPL managers quietly moved on.

They may want to look again.

Isak heads into this campaign fully fit, sharpened by World Cup minutes and a proper pre-season. In his penultimate friendly, he underlined that sharpness with a goal and an assist against Monaco, a reminder of the damage he can do when he strings games together.

The pricing helps. Dropped from £10.5m to £9.0m, he now sits in that sweet spot between premium and mid-range forward – with the track record of a top-tier asset. His last full league campaign, at Newcastle United, brought 23 goals, six assists and 211 FPL points. Those are captaincy-level numbers.

Liverpool’s attack has changed shape too. Mohamed Salah has gone, and with him the certainty over penalties. Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) was the deputy last season and will stake his claim, but if Isak gets the job, his ceiling climbs again.

Even without spot-kicks, he looks secure. Hugo Ekitike (£7.5m) is sidelined with a long-term injury, leaving Isak with little serious competition through the middle. The fixture list only strengthens the case: none of Liverpool’s opening five matches rate higher than three on the Fixture Difficulty Ratings scale.

Gameweek 1 brings a reunion of sorts. Liverpool face Newcastle, now in transition after the departure of Eddie Howe and several key players. It feels like the kind of chaotic early-season fixture where a confident striker can feast.

Isak is priced like a question mark. His history says he’s an answer.

Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd) £8.0m

A midfielder playing up front against soft defences

Sometimes FPL gifts you a reclassified gem. Bryan Mbeumo looks exactly that.

With Benjamin Sesko (£7.0m) still recovering from injury and missing the entirety of Manchester United’s pre-season, Mbeumo has spent the summer leading the line. Listed as a midfielder, playing as a striker, and finding form: three goals and one assist in his last three friendly starts underline his rhythm.

The schedule could hardly be kinder. United open against two of the promoted sides in their first two Gameweeks: Hull City and Ipswich Town.

Hull’s numbers from last season tell their own story. Despite winning promotion, they conceded 66 goals in the Championship – only three clubs let in more. That leaky record points towards chances, and plenty of them, for United’s front line in the 2026/27 opener.

Mbeumo also arrives fresher than many. Cameroon’s failure to reach the World Cup handed him a full summer off from international duty and a complete pre-season with his club. No late returns, no managed minutes. He should be trusted from the start.

Like Tzolis at Arsenal, he faces a newly promoted side in Gameweek 1. Unlike Tzolis, he’s already shown he can deliver in the Premier League. An out-of-position role, strong form, soft early fixtures – it’s exactly the cocktail FPL managers look for.

If United click quickly, Mbeumo won’t stay a “differential” for long.

Christos Tzolis (Arsenal) £6.5m

The new Arsenal winger with numbers that demand attention

Arsenal’s recruitment has been ruthless in recent years, and Christos Tzolis already looks like another sharp piece of business.

Signed from Club Brugge this summer, the Greek winger has wasted no time making his mark. Across pre-season he produced one goal and six assists – seven attacking returns, more than any of his new team-mates.

Crucially, he’s been there from day one. While many of Arsenal’s World Cup stars have filtered back late and had their minutes managed, Tzolis has trained with the squad since July. He featured in all six pre-season matches, including Sunday’s FA Community Shield, where he added another assist in a 3-0 win. Every time he has started for the reigning champions, he has contributed.

This isn’t a one-off hot streak either. His numbers in Belgium last season were outrageous: 17 goals and 23 assists in the league. Those are video-game figures, and although the Premier League is a step up, that kind of end product is hard to ignore at £6.5m.

The opening fixture helps him settle into FPL squads. Arsenal host promoted Coventry City in Gameweek 1, a matchup that should allow Mikel Arteta’s side to dominate territory and possession. If Tzolis keeps his place in that front line, he’ll see plenty of the ball in dangerous areas.

With the established Arsenal attackers carrying higher price tags and potential early rotation after the World Cup, Tzolis offers a cheaper, fresher route into the champions’ attack. For managers looking to attack Gameweek 1 without ripping up their budget, he ticks a lot of boxes.

Dan Ballard (Sunderland) £5.0m

The under-the-radar defender built for the long haul

Bench Boosters will naturally gravitate towards Luke O’Nien (£4.0m) as a bargain fifth defender. The problem comes after the first whistle.

Omar Alderete (£5.0m) and Nordi Mukiele (£5.5m) are expected back from injury soon, and O’Nien’s minutes could quickly become fragile once Sunderland’s defensive options fill out. For anyone planning beyond a one-week chip, that’s a headache waiting to happen.

Dan Ballard offers the opposite: stability and a steady stream of points.

Last season he averaged 10.9 defensive contributions per 90 minutes, hitting the required threshold in 58 per cent of his starts. That kind of volume underpins his baseline scoring and gives him a solid floor even when attacking returns don’t arrive.

He isn’t just a blocker, either. Ballard produced four attacking returns last season and ranked seventh among defenders for shots in the box with 25. Set pieces, second balls, scrappy situations – he’s involved.

Gameweek 1 brings promoted Ipswich Town, a fixture that gives Sunderland a realistic shot at a clean sheet on Saturday. Beyond that, the picture remains encouraging up to Gameweek 9, as long as managers plan around a rough patch in Gameweeks 4 and 5. A Leeds United defender, with two home matches in that spell, could dovetail neatly with him.

Ballard won’t headline many FPL threads. He won’t need to. If you want a defender you can pick now and largely forget about for the first two months, he fits the profile.

Gameweek 1 is often about playing it safe. But those who climb early usually back at least one name that others hesitate on. Isak, Mbeumo, Tzolis and Ballard all offer that blend of form, fixtures and opportunity that can turn a cautious opening into a statement start.