Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams

Last year, out of the top 10 FPL players (in terms of points), 6 of them came outside the traditional big six. Out of the top 15 FPL players, 10 of them came outside the traditional big six. With Tottenham and Manchester United having a lackluster season (to say the least) in the league last season, this list of the traditional big six feels outdated. It’s the gems from the other 14 who have carried our FPL teams and also ruined our entire week because they were in our co-workers team and not yours, and you cannot stop hearing about it 5 days a week (may or may not maybe personal). Anyhow, let’s look at new FPL Picks to look out for in the coming 2025/26 FPL season.

Link to all our 2025/26 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL Picks to Consider Outside the Traditional Big Six

Nottingham Forest

We start this list with last season’s surprise package, Nottingham Forest. Finishing 7th last season, they have qualified for the UEFA Europa League and will look to build on last season’s success. Having retained key players in Chris Wood, Murillo, Ola Aina, and Morgan-Gibbs White, among others (just about), there’s no reason to doubt they can match last season’s heroics or even build on it.

Chris Wood – 7.5m – 15%

Starting us off in the list of FPL Picks to Consider Outside the Traditional Big Six for your GW1 Drafts – 2025/26 is the big New Zealand international, Chris Wood. The experienced campaigner scored 6.05 pts/90, which was the 3rd highest among forwards.

He was the main man for Forest, scoring 20 goals and assisting 3, massively overperforming his xG of 13.42. He will continue being Forest’s main man this season, and with Morgan Gibbs-White staying, he could match or even surpass last year’s tally.

Elliot Anderson – 5.5m – 3%

Nailed. On Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
13.4 CBIRT/90 Last Season – Likely to get 2 extra points in most games
2 goals, 6 assists last season – Averages 0.27 Goal Involvement/90
2nd highest for defensive contribution points(36) amongst midfielders last season, he had 54.6% starts with DC points returns

Further Read: Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2025/26 PL Season

Morgan-Gibbs White – 7.5m – 4.5%

After the entire transfer saga, Morgan-Gibbs White is here to stay. The creative engine in Forest’s midfield scored 7 goals and assisted a further 11 last season. His consistent creativity was a big reason behind Forest’s success, as he averaged a xGI of 0.36 per 90 while also averaging around 4.11 passes into the final third.

Owned by just 4.5% of FPL players, Morgan-Gibbs White can be a great pick, especially due to Forest’s good run of fixtures at the start, where they play West Ham, Leeds, and Sunderland in the first 6 Gameweeks.

Murillo – 5.5m – 3.8%

One of the top scoring defenders from last year, the next player on the list is Murillo. Owned by just 3.8%, he scored 130 points. While he scored twice last season, his defensive actions are the one that will help him the most this season.

He averaged 7.03 Clearances/90, 1.95 Blocks/90, 1.02 Interceptions/90, and 1.50 Tackles/90, making him a great beneficiary of the new defensive action point system. Just 3.8% owned with a good run of fixtures, Murillo, too, can be a great differential early on.

Murillo was the 3rd highest amongst defenders for defensive contribution points(40), with 52.8% of the starts resulting in DC points. His DC Points/start(1.05) is also much better than CB Partner Milenkovic’s (0.7). Murillo is also on some indirect and direct free kicks for Forest.

Honourable Mentions: Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Matz Sels,

Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB)

**Fantasy Football Hub** is a high-quality FPL website offering a wide range of FPL content, tools, data, planners, and more. Memberships are available for the 2025/26 season at a **50% discount** along with a win-your-mini-league or get-your-money-back guarantee(T&C Applicable). (Click on the image above to claim the offer)

AFC Bournemouth

The next team we are going to focus on in this article are the Cherries. Finishing 9th last season, Bournemouth showed a lot of promise last season and can certainly match it or even do better than 2024/25.

They don’t have the best fixtures to begin with, playing Liverpool(A), Brighton (H), Newcastle(H), Spurs(A) in their first 5 gameweeks.

Adrien Truffert – 4.5m – 1.8%

With Milos Kerkez moving on to Liverpool in the summer transfer window, Bournemouth have signed the attacking left-back Adrien Truffert to replace him. Coming from Rennes, Truffert is an attacking full-back who showed great promise, he averaged 0.18 xGi, 0.75 shots, and 2.26 Progressive Passes per 90.

While he is an attacking full-back, he also had decent defensive numbers last season. Averaged 1.99 tackles, 1.83 clearances, 0.88 interceptions, and 1.44 blocks per 90. He has the potential to be a key differential this season.

Truffert in Pre-Season so far: ⚽⚽🅰️

Further Read: Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Djordje Petrovic – 4.5m – 5.6%

Next Bournemouth player on this list of FPL Picks to Consider Outside Traditional Big Six for your GW1 Drafts, we have their 4.5 million priced Goalkeeper, Djordje Petrovic.

Last season, playing in the Ligue 1 for RC Strasbourg, Petrovic had an impressive save percentage of 78.9% and kept 10 clean sheets in 31 appearances. He picked up the player of the season award and helped Strasbourg get European football. While Bournemouth don’t have the best fixtures to start with but you can rotate him with a fellow 4.5 goalkeeper like Kelleher.

Further Read: FPL Rotational Pairs & Combinations for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Honourable mentions: Evanlison, Antoine Semenyo, and Justin Kluivert.

Aston Villa

Finishing 6th last season, Aston Villa have gone from strength to strength under Unai Emery. They haven’t been busy in the transfer market yet, but with Ollie Watkins’ future remaining uncertain, there might be some shuffling.

Villa start their season with Newcastle(H), Brentford (A), Palace (H), Everton (A), Sunderland (A), and Fulham (H). A mixed bag of fixtures, but Villa can do well in some of these, and we could see them scoring a few goals.

Morgan Rogers – 7.0m – 23.5%

**Aston Villa pre-season summary until 31st July**

With 8 goals and 11 assists, Rogers had a breakout season last year. He played 3115 minutes, averaging 0.26 xA and 0.26xG and scored 161 points, all while starting at a price of just 5.0m. He’s been upgraded this season to a 7.0m, and I am finding him a little difficult to fit into, especially given Mohammed Kudus and Moises Caicedo’s fixtures being a bit better.

However, he’s a popular pick already with 23.5% ownership, and there’s good reason for that. With one year of Premier League experience under his belt, Rogers has all the potential to have another good season. He has already scored in the pre-season friendlies too, with him being the second scorer other than Ollie Watkins in their 2-1 win over St.Louis.

Further Read: Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2025/26 PL Season

Ezri Konsa – 4.5m – 24.3%

Another popular pick already is Villa’s Ezri Konsa. Konsa scored 103 points last season, playing 33 games and helping Villa keep 8 clean sheets. He also chipped in with 2 goals. While he was Villa’s 5th highest point scorer, his defensive actions and attacking potential are not the best.

However, if you remember, Aston Villa went on a brilliant run around the end of February, and Ezri Konsa was one of their top performers during that time period. He also has the security of being a more or less guaranteed starter as Villa have not made any significant moves in the transfer market.

He also rotates well with Nottingham Forest defenders, so if you happen to have Ola Aina, Murillo, or Milenković, you can benefit from their swings in fixtures. Also, he’s 4.5m for a nailed starter who will probably score upwards of 100, so just get him if you’re confused!

Ollie Watkins – 9.0m – 10.7%

Is Watkins going to Manchester United or somewhere else? I don’t know, but I do know that Watkins is one heck of a striker on his day. Scoring 186 points last season, he was not able to match his tally from 2023/24 when he scored 228 pts.

He scored 16 goals and assisted a further 8, while averaging an npxGI of 0.6. However, his price is just too high, especially considering the cheaper options like Chris Wood or Thierno Barry on the market, however, with decent fixtures from a striker’s point of view, Watkins could be a key differential with just 10.7% ownership.

Further Read: Best Budget FPL Midfielders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Donyell Malen(£5.5)

Good xMins with Rashford & Asensio not with Aston Villa any more
3 assists from 2 games in Pre-season
Good underlying data last season when he played – 0.69 xGI/90 & 0.91 GI/90
Good Fixtures for Aston Villa

Further Read: Underpriced FPL Assets at Each ‘Big Six’ Club | 25/26 Season

Crystal Palace

The FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace, finished 12th last season, but in Dean Henderson’s words, “who the **** cares”, because they will be playing the Europa League this season. Palace have a tricky start to the season, they play Chelsea (A), Nottingham Forest (H), and Aston Villa (A) in the first three, but it’s followed by Sunderland (H) and West Ham (A).

Daniel Munoz – 5.5m – 8.8%

Starting off the list for Crystal Palace in this piece about the best FPL Picks to Consider Outside Traditional Big Six for your GW1 Drafts is last season’s star, Daniel Munoz. Munoz played 3233 mins, scoring 4 goals and assisting a further 6. He created 6 Big Chances and scored a whopping 142 points last season.

In terms of defensive actions, he is not bad for an attacking-minded right back, averaging 3.43 tackles, 1.23 interceptions, 1.12 blocks, and 3.01 clearances per 90. With his price being raised to 5.5m and not having the best start to the season, Munoz has low ownership. Palace are also known to start slow, but if he continues his form from last season, Munoz can be a spicy differential.

Further Read: Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2025/26 FPL Season

Maxence Lacroix – The less than 1% TSB Differential:

10.01 CBIT/90– 4th among DEFs
5th for xG & 1st for Headed Attempts among DEFs
Palace- Top half of the Table for xGC, Goals Conceded & CS
Good combination of Attack Threat + CBIT + CS Potential!

Further Read: FPL Players To Avoid in Your GW1 Drafts | 2025/26 FPL Season

Marc Guehi & Chris Richards – 4.5m

Just like Ezri Konsa, Guehi offers the stability, the guarantee of playing most games and of scoring at least 100 points in the season. He’s priced at just 4.5m and has not that high of an ownership.

Guehi scored 116 points last season, scoring 3 goals and assisting a further 2. While he didn’t have the best defensive actions stats last season, he is a reliable pick who can be rotated.

Richards is a good alternative to Guehi, who is linked with a move to Liverpool. Richards is also priced at 4.5 million and is a nailed starter, he’s also better than Guehi in terms of defensive actions, Richards had 0.73 defensive actions points per start last season. Guehi managed only 0.41 defensive actions per start last season.

Further Read: Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 7.5m – 5.7%

Palace pre season summary until 1st August

The last Crystal Palace player in this list is Jean-Philippe Mateta. He has had two consistently good seasons in the Premier League and will look to make it a hat-trick.

In 2,654 minutes last season, he scored 14 goals and assisted 2. Scoring 150 points, he was the end of 28 big chances and created 7 further big chances himself. Low ownership and a decent price tag of 7.5m, he is another spicy differential in the making.

Honourable Mentions: Eberechi Eze, Ismaïla Sarr, and Dean Henderson.

Further Read: Initial FPL GW1 Drafts for the 25/26 FPL Season with Pros & Cons

Everton

Next team on the list is Liverpool’s fiercest rival, Everton. Finishing 13th last season, they showed moments of good play, but it never materialized into anything real. They have a good GW1 fixture playing Leeds (A), followed by trips to Brighton and Wolves, after which they play Aston Villa at home and then face Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby at Anfield.

James Tarkowski – 5.5m – 4.9%

The first Everton player on the list of best FPL picks to Consider Outside the Traditional Big Six for your GW1 Drafts is their second-highest scoring defender, James Tarkowski. He again is a player like Guehi and Konsa, offering that guarantee of minutes, but with that, he brings along those crucial defensive actions. He was top for defensive action points(44) last season, with a whopping 66.7% starts with defensive action points return.

Last season, Tarkowski averaged 1.97 tackles, 1.26 interceptions, 1.76 blocks, and 6.56 clearances per 90, while also scoring one and assisting on one, and looks solid to replicate those numbers this season. Despite the 5.5m price tag, Tarkowski is a player worth taking a punt on, especially with that 4.9% ownership.

Further Read: Best Budget FPL Midfielders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Thierno Barry – 6.0m – 1.5%

Everton’s new signing, a traditional target man with a good hold-up play to him, Barry can be a surprise package this season if he is able to beat Beto to the starting spot. Last season playing for Villareal, he scored 11 goals and got 4 assists.

Good in the air, able to score from long balls, and with a mysterious aura around him, Barry can really be one of the finds of the season. At 6.0m with an ownership of 1.5%, are you daring enough to go for Barry (given, of course, the fact that he starts over Beto)?

Honourable mentions: Jordan Pickford, Dwight McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye

Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB) Free AI Team Rating Tool

Get your team rated by **Fantasy Football Hub**‘s AI Team Rating tool for free (Click on the image above to get your team rated).

Brighton

De Cuyper – 4.5 Mil, 9.4%

Brighton’s De Cuyper is an interesting option, Estupinan is off to AC Milan, which most likely makes De Cuyper the first-choice LB, although Fredi Kadioglu, who was signed from Fenerbache last season, is also in the mix. De Cuyper’s has had 75 Goal Contributions from 220 appearances in his club career so far, which are seriously good numbers for a full back. One to monitor!

Further Read: Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Danny Welbeck – 6.5m – 7.9%

There are not many standout budget forwards(<=6.5 Mil) with Welbeck being the exception. The Seagulls forward scored 10 goals and picked up 5 assists in just 30 appearances(24 starts) with a healthy xGI of 0.5/90 last season. João Pedro is also no longer at Brighton, and this could lead to Welbeck potentially being on penalties as well.

Further Read: Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £6.0 Million) | 25/26 FPL Season

Sunderland Midfielders

Sunderland have three decent budget midfielder options in Adingra(5.5 Mil), Xhaka(5.0 Mil), and Le Fee(5.0 Mil). Adingra offers the biggest attacking threat amongst the trio, while Xhaka & Le Fee are good for defensive contribution points and can chip in with a few goals + assists during the course of the season.

Further Read: Best FPL Budget Enablers For The 2025-26 FPL Season

Marc Guiu – 4.5 Million

Marc Guiu is set to join Sunderland on loan, and he costs only 4.5 million. He might not be a guaranteed starter with Isidior and Mayeda also in the mix for the forward role at Sunderland, but regardless of whether he starts or not, Guiu could be the cheap 3rd forward in your drafts.

Other Best FPL Picks to Consider Outside Top 6 Teams

Anthony Elanga – 7.0m – 10.6%

Ex-Manchester United player Anthony Elanga had his best FPL season. He scored 153 points, scored 6 goals, and got 11 assists. He is a great crosser of the ball, averaging 6.6 successful crosses per 90, and if whoever replaces Isak is a good header of the ball, we might be in for a treat. Elanga and Wood did wonders last season.

While Newcastle have tricky starting two fixtures with Aston Villa (A) and Liverpool (H), after whom they play Leeds (A), Wolves (H), and Bournemouth (A). If he’s able to nail the starting spot and Newcastle are able to fill their Isak-filled hole, Elanga at 7.0m could be an important player.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 4.5m – 32.7%

Despite competition from Kyle Walker Peters, AWB is set to remain the first-choice right-back for the Hammers. 8 goal contributions last season for the ex-Manchester United and Crystal Palace defender, but what makes his ownership so high is his defensive numbers.

2.0 tackles, 1.88 interceptions, 1.06 blocks, 3.57 clearances per 90 last season. A defender who can defend and has an attacking threat to him? Plays Sunderland (A) first gameweek? Sign me up.

Further Read: Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2025/26 FPL Season

Caoimhín Kelleher – 4.5m – 32%

24 clean sheets to his name in 67 games, Caoimhín Kelleher is our last player on this list of FPL picks to consider outside the traditional big six. The penalty specialist is coming into a Brentford going through major changes with Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard, and Flekken leaving, hence it is a little bit of a tough call.

However, he is nailed and has a save percentage of 72% and most of all, he is just 4.5m. Despite tough fixtures, Kelleher can be a decent pick.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2025/26 FPL Season

If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.

Link to all our 2025/26 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Thanks for reading the ‘Best FPL Players Outside Big Six Teams‘ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs and updates. Also, follow our 230,000+ community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates throughout the pre-season.

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering team previews, FPL team structures, must-own players, player comparisons, differential picks, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, multiple FPL drafts with pros and cons, chip strategy, rules guide, beginners guide, FPL tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts, so follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook keep our notifications ON.

Our content is always free, and if you like our content, do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

**Link to all our pre-season content** in one place & for free!

Bio
Latest Posts

Aditya Kumar

Latest posts by Aditya Kumar (see all)

Best FPL Picks Outside Big 6 Teams | 2025/26 FPL Season - August 2, 2025
FPL Players To Avoid in Your GW1 Drafts | 2025/26 FPL Season - July 27, 2025
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2024/25 FPL Season - August 2, 2024

Best FPL Picks Outside Big 6 Teams | 2025/26 FPL Season

FPL Picks to Consider Outside the Traditional Big Six

Nottingham Forest

Chris Wood – 7.5m – 15%

Elliot Anderson – 5.5m – 3%

Morgan-Gibbs White – 7.5m – 4.5%

Murillo – 5.5m – 3.8%

AFC Bournemouth

Adrien Truffert – 4.5m – 1.8%

Djordje Petrovic – 4.5m – 5.6%

Aston Villa

Morgan Rogers – 7.0m – 23.5%

Ezri Konsa – 4.5m – 24.3%

Ollie Watkins – 9.0m – 10.7%

Donyell Malen(£5.5)

Crystal Palace

Daniel Munoz – 5.5m – 8.8%

Maxence Lacroix – The less than 1% TSB Differential:

Marc Guehi & Chris Richards – 4.5m

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 7.5m – 5.7%

Everton

James Tarkowski – 5.5m – 4.9%

Thierno Barry – 6.0m – 1.5%

Brighton

De Cuyper – 4.5 Mil, 9.4%

Danny Welbeck – 6.5m – 7.9%

Sunderland Midfielders

Marc Guiu – 4.5 Million

Other Best FPL Picks to Consider Outside Top 6 Teams

Anthony Elanga – 7.0m – 10.6%

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 4.5m – 32.7%

Caoimhín Kelleher – 4.5m – 32%

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2025/26 FPL Season

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?

Aditya Kumar

Latest posts by Aditya Kumar (see all)

2 thoughts on “Best FPL Picks Outside Big 6 Teams | 2025/26 FPL Season”

Related Posts