Four Fantasy Premier League Players to Target for Gameweek 1

Four names, one deadline. With the Gameweek 1 cut-off looming at 18:30 BST on Friday, Fantasy Premier League managers are already hunting for that early-season edge. The Scout has circled four players who look primed to explode out of the blocks in 2026/27.

Isak’s reset at Liverpool

Alexander Isak at £9.0m feels like a reboot waiting to happen.

Last season never really got going for him. Injuries restricted the Sweden striker to just eight Premier League starts in 2025/26, a stop-start campaign that never matched his talent. Now he arrives at Liverpool fully fit, sharpened by World Cup minutes and a proper pre-season.

The signs are there. In his penultimate warm-up match, Isak produced a goal and an assist against Monaco, a reminder of his penalty-box instincts and link play. Factor in his price drop — down from £10.5m to £9.0m — and suddenly he looks like one of the most tempting mid-premium forwards in the game.

We’ve already seen his ceiling. In his last full Premier League season with Newcastle United, Isak struck 23 goals, laid on six assists and racked up 211 FPL points. Those are elite numbers.

Liverpool have a vacancy from 12 yards too. With Mohamed Salah gone, the penalty baton is up for grabs. Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) deputised last season and will stake his claim, but Isak’s profile makes him a serious contender if he’s on the pitch.

Even without spot-kicks, the path looks clear. Hugo Ekitike (£7.5m) faces a long spell out, leaving Isak with little competition for the central role. The fixtures help as well: none of Liverpool’s opening five matches rate higher than three on the Fixture Difficulty Ratings scale.

Gameweek 1 brings a twist of narrative. Liverpool face Newcastle, a club in transition after Eddie Howe’s exit and the departure of several key players. It’s the kind of unstable backdrop that can be ruthlessly exposed by a confident striker. Isak has every chance to punish his former side from the very first whistle.

Mbeumo’s central role at Man Utd

Bryan Mbeumo has been here before: listed as a midfielder, playing like a striker. At £8.0m for Manchester United, that combination suddenly looks dangerous.

With Benjamin Sesko (£7.0m) sidelined and missing the entire pre-season, Erik ten Hag has pushed Mbeumo into a central attacking role for much of the summer. The response has been emphatic. Three goals and an assist in his last three friendly starts underline how comfortable he looks leading the line.

Crucially, Mbeumo has enjoyed a full pre-season. Cameroon’s failure to qualify for the World Cup meant no summer tournament, no late return, no managed minutes. He arrives at Gameweek 1 fresh, integrated and match-ready.

The schedule only sweetens the appeal. Like Arsenal’s new Greek winger Christos Tzolis, Mbeumo starts against a promoted side. United host Hull City in Gameweek 1, then face another newcomer, Ipswich Town, in Gameweek 2.

Hull’s defensive record last season in the Championship raises a flag. They conceded 66 goals, with only three clubs in the division letting in more. That fragility points to opportunities for United’s attackers, and Mbeumo, operating as an advanced focal point but scoring FPL points as a midfielder, sits right at the heart of it.

If you want early upside and a potential out-of-position gem, his case is strong.

Tzolis brings Brugge form to Arsenal

Arsenal moved quickly for Christos Tzolis this summer. On this evidence, they knew exactly what they were doing.

The £6.5m winger has lit up pre-season in north London. One goal and six assists make him Arsenal’s standout creator across their warm-up games, with no team-mate matching his seven attacking returns. He hasn’t blanked in any match he has started.

Timing has helped him. While many of Arsenal’s internationals returned late from the World Cup and had their minutes carefully managed, Tzolis has been with Mikel Arteta’s squad since July. He featured in all six pre-season fixtures, including Sunday’s FA Community Shield, where he supplied an assist in a 3-0 win for the reigning Premier League champions.

This is not a one-off purple patch either. Last season in Belgium’s top flight with Club Brugge, Tzolis posted a remarkable 17 goals and 23 assists. Those are playmaker and finisher numbers rolled into one.

Coventry City, newly promoted, await in Gameweek 1. Arsenal, at home, with a sharp, fully integrated new signing who has barely put a foot wrong all summer. It is the kind of scenario FPL managers look for when chasing an early differential. Tzolis has the form, the fitness and the fixture to turn pre-season promise into Premier League points.

Ballard the quiet Sunderland cornerstone

Bench Boosters eyeing a £4.0m defender have naturally gravitated towards Luke O'Nien at Sunderland. He fits the budget slot perfectly for Gameweek 1. The problem comes after that.

With Omar Alderete (£5.0m) and Nordi Mukiele (£5.5m) expected back from injury soon, O’Nien’s minutes look far less secure beyond the opening weekend. For managers who want a Sunderland defender they can leave alone for weeks, the smarter long-term play is Dan Ballard at £5.0m.

Ballard’s underlying numbers from 2025/26 tell the story. He averaged 10.9 defensive contributions per 90 minutes, hitting the required threshold for FPL bonus relevance in 58 per cent of his starts. He’s not just ticking over; he’s consistently involved.

There is more. Ballard also offers a hint of goal threat. Four attacking returns last season and a top-seven ranking among defenders for shots in the box (25) suggest he can chip in at the other end when set-pieces swing his way.

Gameweek 1 hands Sunderland a home meeting with promoted Ipswich Town, a fixture that carries clear clean-sheet potential. From there, the run is manageable if planned correctly. Managers who can navigate Sunderland’s trickier outings in Gameweeks 4 and 5 — perhaps by rotating with a Leeds United defender, given their two home matches in that spell — could ride Ballard as a reliable option all the way through to Gameweek 9.

While others chase short-term bargains, Ballard offers something rarer in FPL: a defender you can pick now and barely worry about for the first two months of the season.