Fantasy Premier League is back, and some of the game’s most consistently successful managers have already started building their first FPL 2026/27 drafts.
The 11 Elite XI: Team Reveal managers featured below have recorded an incredible 81 top-10k finishes between them.
Widely regarded as the world’s greatest FPL manager after five top-10k finishes in seven seasons, Tom Dollimore headlines an elite group. Dan Bennett and Tarek Balbaa have 10 top-10k finishes each, Philman has nine, and several others have six or seven.
Their early thoughts reveal strong agreement on two premium picks, but major differences over Arsenal defenders, goalkeeper spending, squad structure and mid-priced attackers.
Much will change before Gameweek 1, but clear themes are already emerging.
The clearest early theme is the popularity of Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes. Haaland features in 100% of Elite XI: Team Reveal drafts, while Fernandes is selected by 76.9%, with Lari Ahti and Daniel Boije among those currently going without the Manchester United midfielder.
Despite their premium prices, many managers believe their fixtures, secure minutes and captaincy potential justify the investment. Ten-time top-10k finisher Dan Bennett explained:
“Both Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes are very expensive, but they have good fixtures and provide great options for captaincy.”
Tarek Balbaa was even more decisive, describing the pair as “a lock”, while James Cooper called them “the only consistent captaincy options”. Corey Baker also views both as “must-haves to start”.
There are some doubts over B. Fernandes’ price, with Mark Mansfield currently struggling to justify the premium. Nevertheless, the pair both make the Consensus XI team reveal — a combined squad featuring the most-selected players across all the elite managers’ drafts.
There is far less agreement over Gabriel than Haaland or B. Fernandes. Arsenal’s defensive record makes coverage appealing, but his £8.0m price has pushed several managers towards cheaper alternatives.
Dan Bennett is willing to pay up and even double with Cristhian Mosquera, as shown in his Elite XI: Team Reveal:
“A double-up on the excellent Arsenal defence with Gabriel and Mosquera could be lucrative if they can rack up the clean sheets.”
Tarek Balbaa takes the opposite view, hoping to cover Arsenal through just Mosquera or another option. Mark Mansfield is also reluctant to pay the premium, while James Cooper called Gabriel “a shade too expensive”.
Walter Randazzo believes this could define many FPL defences:
“You have to decide if Gabriel is worth £8.0m or go with a cheaper route like Raya or the recently popular Mosquera.”
Tom Dollimore expects Arsenal defenders to be heavily owned, but believes the more interesting decisions lie elsewhere. The key question is whether Gabriel can justify the extra spend over Arsenal’s cheaper routes.
Copenhagen Wednesday intends to take a deeper look at defensive contribution points before finalising his Gameweek 1 squad. After six top-10k finishes, he believes overlooking the right DEFCON defenders proved costly last season:
“I didn’t nail my DEFCON defenders last season, and that clearly wasn’t the right call. It wasn’t just that they scored well — many comfortably outscored similarly priced forwards that everyone, me included, owned.”
His current Elite Team Reveal reflects that thinking, featuring several potential DEFCON options alongside an Arsenal defensive double-up.
He has also selected Antonín Kinský in goal, who featured in our Best Underpriced FPL Players article, suggesting he expects Tottenham to improve defensively.
However, predicting when defensive contribution points will arrive remains the challenge:
“Attacking fixture swings are usually fairly obvious; DEFCON feels a bit more nuanced.”
His comments introduce another important strategic question.
Should FPL managers continue to minimise spending in defence, or could the right combination of clean-sheet potential, attacking threat and defensive contributions provide better value than similarly priced midfielders and forwards?
Although the forward options have attracted plenty of discussion, several managers believe midfield will provide the greatest variety.
Dollimore described the forward pool as “a bit underwhelming”, which could push more of the available budget into midfield.
“The forward pool feels a bit underwhelming, which is naturally pushing more money into midfield, but even then there are plenty of different combinations that look viable.”
Bennett also expects midfielders to dominate transfer activity once the season begins.
“There are lots of well-priced midfielders that could provide great value. I can see us turning to the likes of Sarr and Wilson at £6.5m, and Ndiaye and Schade at £6.0m, when they have good fixture runs. I expect a lot of our transfers to be used on midfielders.”
✅ Brentford’s 2nd-highest scorer last season (8)
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✅ 0.33 xGnp per 90 — 4th among midfielders
✅ 2nd-most assists for the Bees (5)
✅ Priced at just £6.0m
Is Schade the budget midfielder your FPL team needs? 👀 pic.twitter.com/2IE1C57rgy
Philman is currently considering a 3-5-2 formation because he believes there are “far more good choices in midfield than defence and attack”.
Balbaa’s early strategy is to target as many penalty takers as possible. His initial squad includes Fernandes, Ndiaye, Szoboszlai, Haaland, Thiago and Calvert-Lewin.
He is particularly interested in Ndiaye:
“Iliman Ndiaye underperformed last year, but at just £6.0m and with penalties, it’s worth it.”
Randazzo highlighted the sheer number of possible midfield combinations. Alongside Fernandes and Szoboszlai, he is considering Mbeumo, Cunha, Saka, Palmer, Foden, Cherki, Sarr, Schade and Le Fée.
Matt Corbidge’s extended midfield shortlist contains many of the same names, including Fernandes, Saka, Szoboszlai, Anderson, Sarr, Schade and Mbeumo.
Pascal Groß has also made his latest Team Reveal and, with Danny Welbeck moving to Chelsea, the midfielder is likely to take over penalty duties.
The potential value of penalty takers was another recurring theme.
Balbaa has deliberately prioritised players who could be on penalties, while Philman's Team Reveal has taken a similar approach with much of his midfield.
“Elsewhere in midfield, I’ve gone for a set of penalty takers. Bruno Fernandes gives a good alternative captain to Erling Haaland, and the rest all appear good value.”
Szoboszlai is one player repeatedly mentioned, although his appeal could depend on Liverpool’s penalty hierarchy.
Ndiaye is another popular selection because of his £6.0m price and possible penalty duties, although Randazzo noted that his future may need monitoring with transfer speculation.
The managers are not selecting players purely because they could take penalties. However, at similar price points, spot-kick responsibilities may become an important tiebreaker.
João Pedro is one of the most frequently mentioned forwards in the Elite XI notes and appears in 61.5% of their teams.
Bennett believes both Pedro and Calvert-Lewin could offer value after scoring 15 and 14 goals respectively last season.
Philman is monitoring Chelsea’s attacking structure:
“In attack, I’m monitoring and hoping João Pedro will be the main Chelsea striker. In which case, João Pedro appears a great choice.”
Randazzo is also strongly tempted:
“I’m very much tempted by João Pedro — cheap enough, reliable and well rested.”
Corey Baker went even further:
“I think João Pedro is probably nailed in my team to begin with unless there are rumours of rotation.”
His lack of Club World Cup involvement is viewed as a possible advantage, particularly when compared with players who may require more careful management during the opening weeks.
It is therefore no surprise to see the Chelsea forward make the Consensus XI Team Reveal, forming a front three alongside Haaland and Calvert-Lewin.
João Pedro is not an automatic selection for every manager, though.
Balbaa considered João Pedro but currently prefers Thiago because of the fixtures and potential penalty duties.
“In attack, it was either Igor Thiago or João Pedro, but penalties and the easier early run made me favour him.”
The first thoughts from these 11 Elite XI: Team Reveal managers do not produce one definitive Gameweek 1 template.
Instead, they highlight five major themes:
With 81 top-10k finishes between them, the Elite XI: Team Reveal managers have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to navigate difficult FPL seasons.
Even this highly experienced group is divided over key Gameweek 1 decisions, from squad structure and midfielder choices to Gabriel and João Pedro.
Haaland and Fernandes may form the foundation of many drafts, but plenty could change before the deadline. You can follow every Elite XI: Team Reveal updates live as the managers continue to tinker throughout pre-season.
Follow first drafts and live team changes from our Elite XI: Team Reveal managers.
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