Fantasy Premier League Gameweek One is just a few days away. It seems only yesterday that last season finished but here we go again. Creating a balanced team this season seems harder than ever before. So, read on to try and find out the best ways to do it.
Fantasy Premier League Gameweek One Picks
Quick Tips
The new season starts with only eight fixtures. So, four teams will have blank weeks in gameweek one. Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Burnley are those four teams. Hence, those with fantasy assets from those sides should have proper cover on the bench. With so many uncertainties with the transfer window being open and the pandemic, it is probably prudent to have as many possible starters in your squad as possible. That is why this article does not consider the teams having a blank on gameweek one. One should have a plan to gradually bring those players in from gameweek two. Switching between the premium players could be a strategy to employ.
Goalkeepers
Nick Pope was the highest-scoring goalkeeper last season. Unfortunately, his price has been increased this season to £5.5. This makes it a bit difficult to fit him in. Will he provide the same value this season? Burnley have not been able to bring in anyone apart from third-choice keeper Will Norris. So, it could be a difficult season ahead for the clarets especially if they lose James Tarkowski, also. Ben Mee is also injured at the moment. However, Sean Dyche has always managed to overcome the odds and Burnley have been really solid at the back over the last few seasons. So, it is a tricky one to answer whether Pope is worth it at that price this season.
The best £4.5 unit keepers are arguably Mathew Ryan and Alex McCarthy. Southampton are tipped by many to have a good season as they look to push on from their great end to last season. Alex McCarthy ousted Angus Gunn as the number one last season and kept seven clean sheets in 28 appearances. Mathew Ryan was the highest-scoring goalkeeper from the current £4.5 unit options. The Seagulls have a mixed start to the season but the Australian has save potential in the tough games.
From the premium options, Alisson and Ederson are as always worth considering. However, better value can probably be found with Aaron Ramsdale, Vicente Guaita and Bernd Leno at £5.0 unit. Rui Patricio is another candidate at £5.5 unit as well.
It entirely depends on how one wants to organise his side. If one wants to rotate two £4.5 unit keepers then Ryan and McCarthy are probably the ones to have. No single team has an exceptionally easy start to the season this time so there are no real must-haves.
Best Options
Premium (>=£6.0) : Alisson
Mid-Range (£5.0-5.5): Rui Patricio, Aaron Ramsdale, Vicente Guaita, Bernd Leno
Cheap (£4.0-4.5): Mathew Ryan, Alex McCarthy
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold is undoubtedly the best defender pick despite his high price. He had an absolutely stellar season last time out, scoring 210 points. His Liverpool teammates Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk were the second and third highest-scoring defenders respectively. However, they scored considerably less than Trent. A Liverpool double-up is a decent strategy on paper considering the number of points they scored last season. However, that will restrict an FPL manager to only one Liverpool attacker. Never the less, Trent Alexander-Arnold should be in everyone’s side.
Matt Doherty was the best-scoring defender from the rest of the teams. The Irishman has joined Tottenham Hotspur this season. Will it enhance his FPL potential? Only time will tell but Doherty should do well this season also. Jose Mourinho’s men have nine matches in 24 days so there should be a lot of rotations. The presence of Serge Aurier complicates things as well.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka does not have a match on gameweek one but could be a good long term pick. At the same price, Kieran Tierney is also a good option. Joe Gomez is also worth considering at the same price range.
At £5.0 units, one could look at Roman Saiss, John Egan and Lewis Dunk.
A lot of options are available at £4.5 units. Charlie Taylor, Tariq Lamptey, James Justin, Adam Webster, Jamaal Lascelles and Kyle Walker-Peters seem to be the best options available.
Reece James could be a darkhorse if he gets to start for Chelsea whereas William Saliba or Rob Holding might provide a cheap option from Arsenal. One has to wait and see about them though.
Best Options
Premium (>=£6.0): Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Matt Doherty
Mid-Range (£5.0-5.5): Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kieran Tierney, John Egan
Cheap (£4.0-4.5): Charlie Taylor, Tariq Lamptey, James Justin, Adam Webster, Jamaal Lascelles and Kyle Walker-Peters
Midfielders
The reclassification of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marcus Rashford has increased to the wealth of options available in midfield. There are just so many great premium options available. According to the fixtures, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah seem to be the best options to have for your gameweek one side. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arguably the best two fixtures upfront but then things get tricky for him from gameweeks three to six.
With the Manchester sides having a blank, it might be better to bring their players into the side later on. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic could be considered from Chelsea. However, one has to monitor team news as there are doubts over Pulisic. Chelsea’s biggest signing of the summer Kai Havertz is in line to make his debut but as a new player to this league, he might just need a while to start performing.
Son Heung-min and Dele Alli are both decent options considering the fixtures that Tottenham have.
From Arsenal, Bukayo Saka and Willian are worth considering for the first two matches. Harvey Barnes from Leicester City could be good for the first few matches as well.
Stuart Armstrong and James Ward-Prowse should be considered for a Southampton side looking to kick on from their impressive end to last season. Ryan Fraser has joined Newcastle United recently. He had a great season two years ago but it might be better to wait and see how he performs for the Magpies. His teammate Allan Saint-Maximin is probably the better bet at this stage.
Jarrod Bowen could be worth considering also. He has looked good after joining West Ham United last season.
Everton‘s big signing James Rodriguez is someone to keep an eye on. The Colombian is a big star but he has not performed consistently for quite a long time. Will Carlo Ancelotti be able to get the best out of him?
Best Options
Premium (>=£10.0): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah
Mid-Range (£7.0-9.5): Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, Christian Pulisic
Cheap (£4.5-6.5): Bukayo Saka, Stuart Armstrong, James Ward-Prowse, Ryan Fraser, Jarrod Bowen
Strikers
Last season’s golden boot winner Jamie Vardy has a favourable looking fixture list to begin the season with. He has a great record against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns as well with four goals in his last four matches there.
Harry Kane missed most of pre-season due to his having to quarantine after coming back from vacation. Kane played for England and understandably looked a bit rusty. He might need a bit of time to get back to full sharpness but one can never rule someone with the quality of Harry Kane out.
Amazingly for a new signing, Timo Werner is the second-most selected player in the game at the moment. The German has the quality to perform well for Chelsea but Frank Lampard still has Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham at his disposal. It is unlikely that Werner will be benched but his minutes might be managed. New strikers sometimes struggle at the beginning too.
Danny Ings had a spectacular 2019/20 season and has decent fixtures to begin the season with. Will Ings reproduce that form or will he be just a one-season wonder? His strike partner Che Adams is also a good pick at a much cheaper price.
The ever-consistent Raúl Jiménez is a solid option. However, Wolverhampton Wanderers will have a few new signings to bed in. The departure of Matt Doherty and the injury to Jonathan Castro Otto might affect their overall play.
Aleksandar Mitrović is Fulham’s go-to man. The Cottagers play to his strength and try to feed him as much as possible. Available at a very cheap price, ‘Mitro’ has become very popular with FPL managers resulting in current ownership of 26.5%.
Callum Wilson, Jordan Ayew and Michail Antonio are the other good cheap options to consider.
Best Options
Premium (>=£9.0): Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane, Timo Werner
Mid-Range (£7.0-8.5): Danny Ings
Cheap (£4.5-6.5): Che Adams, Michail Antonio, Callum Wilson, Aleksandar Mitrović, Jordan Ayew
Fantasy Premier League Gameweek One Captaincy Picks
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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