Welcome to our FPL GW1 Scout Picks blog! We’re back! It’s that time again – with the new Premier League season now just days away it is time for the final changes, the last bits of tinkering and the flip-flopping to stop. Having drafted, re-drafted, and then gone back to the initial draft time and time again, it is time to make a decision and finalise our teams for FPL GW1.
Every week we will bring you a team of 11 players that we think will be high scoring asset – sometimes we’re wrong, sometimes we’re right, but we always explain our picks in detail. Whether you are a new reader, or a Scout Picks veteran, I hope you find this series insightful and helpful throughout the season.
As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, analysis and in this case also Pre-Season. Let’s first take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW1.
Link to all our 2026/27 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, best drafts, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!
FPL GW1 Fixtures
Further Read: Top Mid Priced & Premium FPL Forwards(>6.0) for 2026/27 season
FPL GW1 Scout Picks
FPL GW1 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper
Kinsky (4.5m) is our FPL GW1 Scout Picks goalkeeper due to his affordability, security of minutes and fixture. Spurs finished last season in 17th just two points above relegated West Ham thanks to a final day victory against Everton. Had things gone differently, De Zerbi’s side may well have been playing championship football this weekend, but instead their goalkeeper is our pick for FPL GW1 Scout Picks – let me explain…
FACT: Between De Zerbi’s appointment in GW32 and the end of the season, Spurs had the best (lowest) xGA in the league.
Spurs are generally considered to be a decent side, with a good manager and a largely overhauled squad from the one that almost got them relegated last season. Their defence has been massively improved with the additions of Senesi, Van Hecke and Robertson, while their midfield has been radically altered by the club record purchases of Tonali and Fernandes. While their attack could still do with a bit of work, the foundations of a good side are there. Furthermore, De Zerbi is a capable, forward thinking coach who showed last season that he can get a tune out of these players.
Considering that many are tipping Spurs to end up in and around the top 6 places yet again this season, Kinsky represents excellent value as a 4.5m starting goalkeeper. Brentford away is by no means an easy game, but Spurs managed to limit opposing sides to less than 1xG worth of chances in 3 of their 5 final premier league games. Spurs conceded the third fewest goals in the league from De Zerbi’s appointment to the end of the season – a fact which illustrates how effective the new manager is at coaching a stubborn defensive unit (contrary to popular belief).
FPL GW1 Scout Picks – Defenders
Calafiori (5.5m), Mosquera (5.5m) and Maguire (5.0m) make up our backline for FPL GW1…
Arsenal were by far the best defence in the league last season, and with a fixture against a promoted sign at the Emirates in FPL GW1 it makes sense to go all in on their defensive assets from the get-go. With Gabriel coming in at an eye-watering 8.0m this year, we’ve decided to select the cheaper options of Calafiori and Mosquera to start the season. Our thought process here is to go for nailed Arsenal defenders, and as both of these guys started the Community Shield against Manchester City last weekend, it looks like they’re set to start in FPL GW1 also.
Calafiori actually had the second most points-per-game of any Arsenal defender (100+ minutes) last season, beaten only by Gabriel in that regard – but the issue was his availability, playing just 22 for the gunners in their 25/26 title winning campaign. Calafiori proved to be a nailed asset and a reliable source of points when fit, but failed to stay fit for long enough to become a real FPL gem. The Italian’s DEFCON potential is limited, averaging just 5.41 CBIT/90 last season, but it is his attacking output that sets him apart from his peers. As evidenced by his exciting display (and goal) against City in the community shield, Calafiori is given license to get up the pitch and help out in the final third when possible, making him an appealing FPL asset.
FACT: Arsenal conceded just 27 goals and 33.1xGA last season!
Our second Arsenal defender is Mosquera, who has become a popular pick due to Saliba’s injury – though it must be mentioned that Arsenal remain in the hunt for another centre back, a scenario which could push Mosquera out of the starting line-up. As things stand, however, Mosquera offers another cheap way into an Arsenal backline that proved to be a reliable source of clean sheet points last season – with the Gunners ending the season with a massive 19 clean sheets. Mosquera averaged 8.40 CBIT/90 last season in his limited game time, but this will likely decrease with more time spent on the pitch (he was often coming on late on in games to sure up the backline and was therefore a more active defender thus higher CBIT). With two Arsenal defenders we hope to effectively cover for Gabriel’s potential hauls, and with a very good fixture in GW1, it makes sense to target Arsenal anyway!
Completing the backline is Manchester United’s Maguire. United’s defensive assets have been talked up throughout much of pre-season due to their attractive first two fixtures against two promoted sides in Ipswich and Hull. Going into a new season it’s very hard to predict which fixtures should be targeted, especially with so many new managers in the league, and thus attacking the promoted sides early on is a safe strategy.
FACT: From Carrick’s appointment to the end of the season, Manchester United picked up the most points in the league.
Carrick’s side ended the season well and saw an uptick in both their attacking and defensive numbers under the new manager’s stewardship. Maguire’s season CBIT/90 average was around 8, but that figure jumped up to 9.48CBIT/90 during the final 8 games of the season. Shaw’s numbers also increased in this time, hinting at a system change and more active defensive roles for United’s backline. Shaw should be considered for our teams as he represents great value at just 4.5m, but Maguire is a better FPL asset due to his elevated goal threat and DC potential.
Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB) Free AI Team Rating Tool
FPL GW1 Scout Picks – Midfielders
We’ve selected a midfield four of Mbeumo (8.0m), Fernandes (12.0m), Szoboszlai (7.0m) and Tzolis (6.5m) for FPL GW1…
As mentioned in the defenders section, due to a lack of data the safest fixtures to target are the promoted teams and therefore United look like a very attractive proposition in FPL GW1. Bruno Fernandes is pretty much essential for these first two GWs, and we’ve decided to double up with Mbeumo also in our FPL GW1 scout picks team.
Last year Bruno scored 9 goals and provided 21 assists in the league, averaging a goal involvement every 102 minutes. It may surprise some to discover that Bruno over performed his underlying assist data last season – his 17.8xA is some 3xA under his actual tally (though he did under perform his xG by almost 3). Last season was undoubtedly the most creative campaign of his career, but the underlying numbers suggest it wasn’t entirely out of nowhere. His numbers were up on his United career average of 0.34xG/90 and 0.32xA/90 (0.66xGI/90 compared to last season’s 0.87xGI/90).
FACT: Bruno produced 10 goal involvements in Manchester United’s final 10 Premier League fixtures.
Bruno was taking fewer but far more valuable shots (xG wise) last season compared to previous seasons, averaging an xG/shot of 0.14 compared to the previous season’s 0.1. Since joining Manchester United Bruno has been taking fewer shots but creating more chances, illustrated by a sharp drop off in his Sh90 and a steady increase in both his KP90 over his time in Red. We could say, therefore, that Bruno is just continuing on this career trajectory, and that last season was a demonstration of the player he has become during his time at Manchester United (more creative, fewer shots). Fundamentally Bruno is a fantastic FPL asset even at his elevated price-tag and in my opinion he’s a must have for the first two GWs.
We’ve gone for the United double-up in GW1, with Mbeumo also selected for the FPL GW1 Scout Picks team due to the fact that he will be playing as an out-of-position striker and is priced as a 8.0m midfielder in FPL. Mbeumo scored 11 goals and provided 3 assists last season, averaging 0.45xG/90 and 0.17xA/90 (0.62xGI/90). Though he was outshone somewhat by Sesko and Cunha towards the end of the season, his underlying numbers actually saw an uptick under Carrick. In fact, Mbeumo had by far the highest xG/90 of any player (1000+ minutes) to play under Carrick at Manchester United, a stat which shows how critical he was to their attack.
Mbeumo ranks top for xG/90 amongst the semi-premium mids (7.0-8.5m midfielders) and second only to Cherki for xGI/90. Where he falls down, unfortunately, is his xG underperformance. Unlike many of the other players in this list Mbeumo actually underperformed his xG last season by about 2 goals – this may not sound like much but an additional 10 points in FPL across the course of a season can make all the difference to final rank! That being said, if you’re looking for a high upside attacker with great initial fixtures then Mbeumo is a great asset for FPL GW1.
Mbeumo in pre-season: ⚽⚽⚽🅰️ (Full Pre- Season Summary of all 20 Teams here)
Szoboszlai is another popular semi-premium midfielder, coming in at just 7.0m in FPL this year. Liverpool really underwhelmed last season but there is much more optimism around the club this year thanks in large part to the appointment of new manager Iraola (formerly of Bournemouth). Iraola will look to set Liverpool up in a 4-2-3-1 playing front-footed, direct attacking football. His philosophy is all about disrupting the opposition press, winning the ball high up the pitch and scoring from artificial transitions (either due to turnovers or through line-breaking passes). Szoboszlai will be central to this and will surely build upon the excellent individual season he had last year.
All Stats above are from FFHUB. For more Stats, Player Comparison, Points Prediction, Rate My Team AI Tool, AI Recommended Transfers, FPL Planners and much more to improve your FPL Game – Subscribe now for the 2026/27 season with an exclusive 50% off discount and with a win your mini-league or money-back guarantee!
FACT: Szoboszlai will be playing the ‘Alex Scott’ role at Liverpool this year. Scott returned 136 FPL points last season – 32 DEFCON points and a pretty good 0.21xGI/90.
The Hungarian midfielder is a popular FPL pick, currently sitting at around 40% ownership, and his appeal comes from his ability to score points in several different ways. Last season, 32% of his points came from goals and assists, while a further 13% came from bonus points, 12.5% from DEFCON and 6% from clean sheets. The remaining points were largely appearance points, with Szoboszlai playing 90 minutes in all but one of his appearances and missing just two fixtures overall. This makes him one of the safest options in the bracket. Unlike many of his competitors, he offers both attacking potential and a reliable route to DEFCON and bonus points, while his excellent minutes record gives him a high floor.
Finally we have Arsenal’s Tzolis. The new, exciting forward signing for Arsenal looks set to start FPL GW1 against Coventry (home) after an electric performance against City in the community shield over the weekend. The Greek forward, who signed for Arsenal over the summer for £34m, put in a man of the match worthy performance in the pre-season cup competition. Over the course of the 90, Tzolis created 3 chances, 2 big chances and came away with 2 assists to his name. If he can do that against City, imagine what he could do to Coventry in FPL GW1…
This stunning performance is a continuation of a great overall pre-season in which the Greek scored once and 6 times. Coming in at just 6.5m Tzolis is a fantastic, cheap way into a dangerous-looking Arsenal attack, which has been bolstered further by the midfield arrival of Bruno G. With Martinelli looking like he’s on the way out, Tzolis could be the long-term left-winger for Arsenal – even if they sign another option, at this point in the window it’s likely that Tzolis will start in the short term (GW1-GW4/5~).
Further Read: 2026/27 PL Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
FPL GW1 Scout Picks – Forwards
Brobbey (6.0m), Haaland (15.5m) and Joao Pedro (7.5m) complete our FPL GW1 Scout Picks team…
Haaland starts for our FPL GW1 Scout Picks team in spite of his massive price hike to £15.5m… Considering his form at the world cup, his talent and his hunger to better last season’s somewhat dissapointing campaign, Haaland looks to be a good option to start the season. Furthermore, his ownership and haul potential makes him a dangerous option to not own – not falling behind in the early weeks of the FPL season is critical for those of us looking for high final Overalls…
All Stats above are from FFHUB. For more Stats, Player Comparison, Points Prediction, Rate My Team AI Tool, AI Recommended Transfers, FPL Planners and much more to improve your FPL Game – Subscribe now for the 2026/27 season with an exclusive 50% off discount and with a win your mini-league or money-back guarantee!
FACT: Haaland’s xG/90 across his career in the Premier League is 0.95xG/90
While he did have a quiet game in the community shield and at times looked very isolated in the attack, there were a couple of moments where his personal talent shone through, and I have no doubt that he will easily score 20+ goals this season. Bournemouth have looked scary-good in pre-season, so I wouldn’t be doubling or tripling up on City assets going into GW1, but I do think that Haaland is a must-have to avoid early rank losses.
Another player who had an excellent world cup is Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey. For those managers looking to make an alliterative FPL team, Brobbey is a must-have along with Virgil Van Dijk, James Justin, Jeremy Jacquet, Van De Ven, Pedro Porro (I could go on)… Jokes aside, Brobbey scored 3 goals in 4 games at the world cup, and was a real handful for defenders. Last year in the league Brobbey scored 7 goals and assisted 1 across just under 2000 minutes of football – he looks set to start the season as the starting striker for the black cats and will be keen to better that record this time around.
Sunderland face promoted Ipswich in the first game of the season, which has rendered a few of their players popular FPL options going into the season. Le Fee comes in at around 12% ownership, which is only marginally lower than Brobbey’s ~15% ownership (at time of writing) – both are good options for attacking Sunderland’s opening two fixtures of Ipswich and Fulham, though their games get significantly tougher after that point. Outside of Brobbey, DCL is another popular choice at this price point; I prefer Sunderland’s opening two fixtures, but DCL looks like the better long-term pick.
Finally we have Joao Pedro, who, unlike the other two strikers in this team, did not travel to the world cup in America. His lack of world cup involvement does mean, however, that JP has had a full pre-season under new manager Xabi Alonso, meaning he will not only be in a far better position in terms of recovery and rest, but also in terms of fitness and understanding of the new system. JP has scored 7 goals and provided 2 assists across Chelsea’s 6 pre-season fixtures – he looks to be in majestic form going into the new campaign.
FACT: JP’s 0.52xG/90 was the 7th highest in the league last season!
Chelsea played a 3-4-3 in their most recent pre-season game, with Pedro, Rogers, Palmer as front 3 and Palestra and Neto as wingbacks. This is the front three that is likely to start GW1 against Fulham, though Welbeck, Estevao and others will surely be pushing fora starting spot too. Rogers looks to be an interesting option at 7.5m, but his lack of pre-season due to England’s involvement at the world cup and the competition for places in the team means that I would prioritise JP for the start of the season. It’s astonishing that JP’s price did not increase after a successful campaign last season in which the Brazilian scored 15 and provided 5 assists for Chelsea.
Further Read: FPL GW1 Bench Boost Drafts -BB1 vs BB2 vs Later | 26/27 Season
Full FPL GW1 Scout Picks Team:
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season
FPL Basics:
2026/27 FPL Season – New Rules & Changes | What’s New in FPL?
Best & Funny FPL Team Names for 2026/27 PL Season
GW1 Articles:
FPL GW1 Scout Selection based on Stats, Fixtures and Matchups
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW1 Deadline
2026/27 PL Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
FPL Gameweek 1 Bench Boost Drafts- BB1 vs BB2 vs BB Later Analysis
2026/27 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
2026/27 Premier League Penalty and Set Piece Takers for all 20 Teams
Top FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics | 26/27 Season
Must Read Articles:
FPL Team Structure Guide with Drafts, AI Team Rating, Formations, Pros, Cons and Key Notes
2026/27 Premier League Penalty and Set Piece Takers for all 20 Teams
Best FPL GW1 Drafts for the 26/27 FPL Season with Pros & Cons
FPL Chip Strategy Guide- Best Windows to Play Free Hit, Wildcard, Triple Captain and Bench Boost
Ultimate DEFCON Analysis: Top Players & Best Opponents to Target
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2026/27 FPL Season
Eight Simple FPL Tips to Secure a High Rank | 26/27 Season
2026/27 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL Fixture Analysis for 2026/27 Season- Teams with Best and Worst fixtures
Five Must Own Players in GW1 for FPL 2026/27 season
AK FPL’s Final GW1 Draft & Team Reveal | 3x Top 5K Finishes
How Chelsea could line-up under Xabi Alonso for 2026/27 season
FPL Players To Avoid in Your GW1 Drafts | 2026/27 FPL Season
Position Analysis:
GKs and Defenders Series:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target based on Stats and Fixtures
Best FPL Defenders at Each Price Point for the 2026/27 Season
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders for 2026/27 FPL Season
Best Premium Defenders for 2026/27 season based on Stats and Fixtures
Best £5.0-5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2026/27 FPL Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2026/27 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2026/27 FPL Season
Best Value for Money Defenders and GKs for 2026/27 FPL season
Midfielders Series:
Best FPL Premium Midfielders(8.0-12.0) for 2026/27 FPL season
Best FPL Midfielders at Each Price Point for the 2026/27 Season
Best Mid-Price FPL Midfielders for the 26/27 Season | £6.5 to 7.5M
Best Budget FPL Midfielders for 26/27 Season | £4.5m to £6.0m
Best Value for Money Midfielders for 2026/27 season
Forwards Series:
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £6.0 Million) | 26/27 FPL Season
Best £6m Forwards Comparison for the 2026/27 FPL Season
Best FPL Premium and Mid-Priced Forwards (6.5 million and above) for 2026/27 season
Top Forwards at every price point for the 2026/27 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 2026/27 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season?
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