FPL 2026/27 · PRE-SEASON RANKING

Best FPL players 2026/27

The players to build your 2026/27 squad around, ranked by projected points per game — best captain, premium, value and differential picks by position, with projected prices. Season starts 14 August 2026.

QUICK ANSWER

Who are the best FPL players to buy for 2026/27?

By projected points per game, the top FPL picks for 2026/27 are Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka. Erling Haaland is the strongest captain anchor, and Hugo Ekitike (£7.5-8.0m) is the top value-for-money pick. Full position-by-position picks are below; projected prices firm up when FPL confirms them in early August. For gameweek-specific captaincy see /captain.
Updated moments ago

Best pick in each slot

BEST CAPTAIN PICK
Erling Haaland
Manchester City · Forward · £14.0-14.5m
Three consecutive GW1s with 26+ point hauls. Tier 1 default unless opener is at a top-six side.
BEST VALUE PICK
Hugo Ekitike
Liverpool · Forward · £7.5-8.0m
New Liverpool #9. 12-16 goal ceiling if he locks down the role under Iraola.
BEST DIFFERENTIAL
Phil Foden
Manchester City · Midfielder · £8.0m
Mid-bracket differential. The pick that breaks the Bruno/Saka/Palmer template.
BEST GOALKEEPER
David Raya
Arsenal · Goalkeeper · £5.5m
Most reliable premium goalkeeper. Best xGA defence in the league.
BEST DEFENDER
Gabriel
Arsenal · Defender · £6.0m
Only defender to break 200 pts last season. Set-piece target + bonus engine.
BEST MIDFIELDER
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United · Midfielder · £8.5-9.0m
New template-anchor premium mid post-Salah. Penalties + corners + direct free kicks.
BEST FORWARD
Erling Haaland
Manchester City · Forward · £14.0-14.5m
Three consecutive GW1s with 26+ point hauls. Tier 1 default unless opener is at a top-six side.

Top 18 by projected points per game

#PlayerClubPosProj £mProj PPG
1Erling HaalandMCIFWD£14.0-14.58.2
2Bruno FernandesMUNMID£8.5-9.07.5
3Bukayo SakaARSMID£9.5-10.07.4
4Alexander IsakNEWFWD£10.0-10.57.0
5Ollie WatkinsAVLFWD£9.06.8
6Matheus CunhaMUNFWD£7.5-8.56.4
7Igor ThiagoBREFWD£7.0-7.56.4
8Benjamin ŠeškoMUNFWD£7.5-8.06.2
9Florian WirtzLIVMID£8.0-9.56.2
10GabrielARSDEF£6.06.0
11Cole PalmerCHEMID£9.5-10.56.0
12Antoine SemenyoBOUFWD£7.0-7.56.0
13Bryan MbeumoBREMID£8.06.0
14Virgil van DijkLIVDEF£6.05.8
15Joao PedroBHAFWD£7.5-8.05.8
16Joško GvardiolMCIDEF£6.05.7
17Phil FodenMCIMID£8.05.6
18Hugo EkitikeLIVFWD£7.5-8.05.6

Projected points per game from Onside's 2026/27 model. Prices are conservative pre-reveal estimates.

Best captain picks
by gameweek ceiling
Best value players
budget enablers
Best differentials
sub-10% ownership
Best FPL app 26/27
tool comparison

FAQ

Who are the best FPL players for the 2026/27 season?

Ranked by projected points per game, the standout FPL picks for 2026/27 are Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka. Erling Haaland (Manchester City, £14.0-14.5m) is the strongest captain option, while the best budget-enabler and differential picks are listed by position below. Projected prices are conservative pre-reveal estimates and firm up when FPL confirms prices in early August.

Who is the best FPL captain for 2026/27?

Erling Haaland (Manchester City, projected £14.0-14.5m) is the top-projected captain for 2026/27 at 8.2 projected points per game. Three consecutive GW1s with 26+ point hauls. Tier 1 default unless opener is at a top-six side. Gameweek-by-gameweek captain guidance is at onsidearena.com/captain, which factors the specific opening fixture, not just season-long ceiling.

What are the best value FPL players for 2026/27?

Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool, £7.5-8.0m) tops the value-for-money picks by projected points — 0.52 xg/90 in ligue 1. The full value shortlist, including the sub-£5.5m budget enablers that free up cash for a second premium, is at onsidearena.com/fpl-picks/best-value-fpl-players.

When are FPL 2026/27 prices confirmed?

Official FPL prices for 2026/27 are confirmed by the Premier League when the game re-opens, typically in the first week of August ahead of the 14 August season start. Until then every price on this page is a conservative projection. Bookmark onsidearena.com/price-changes for live price-change probability once the game opens.

How are these FPL rankings calculated?

Players are ranked by Onside’s projected points per game for 2026/27, an ensemble model output validated across eight past Premier League seasons (cross-season MAE 0.86 vs FPL’s own expected-points baseline of 0.896). The methodology is at onsidearena.com/methodology; the model weights are private, the accuracy record is public at onsidearena.com/calibration.