Looking for the latest FPL tips for Gameweek 1?
Our FPL Gameweek 1 Guide brings together the key Fantasy Premier League tips you need before the deadline, including player picks, ownership, Elite manager team reveals, fixtures and chip strategy.
We’ll update it regularly with the latest FPL tips, Fantasy Premier League tips and Gameweek 1 news.
Last updated: 11 August 2026
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 deadline is Friday 21 August at 18:30 BST.
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The latest Fantasy Premier League news that could impact your Gameweek 1 team:
🔴 Bruno Guimarães (£7.0m) joins Arsenal for £75m. His role and minutes remain uncertain, so he may not be a top FPL pick just yet.
🤕 Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m) needs a scan after picking up an injury. That could boost Diego Gómez (£5.0m) as a budget FPL option.
⚠️ Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) appears to have picked up an injury, with Spurs reportedly looking at forwards in the transfer market.
Here are our latest FPL tips and Gameweek 1 articles ahead of the deadline:
👉 10 FPL Tips Every Fantasy Premier League Manager Must Know
👉 Best Value FPL Players 2026/27
👉 FPL Players to Avoid: Gameweek 1 Traps
👉 Best FPL Bargains: Underpriced Players for 2026/27
This section will be updated regularly with our newest Gameweek 1 content.
Which players are appearing in the most Fantasy Premier League squads?
Ownership can change quickly during pre-season, particularly following transfers, injuries and impressive friendly performances.
Here are the current five most-owned FPL players:
1️⃣ Haaland — 73.9%
2️⃣ João Pedro — 55.4%
3️⃣ B. Fernandes — 48.3%
4️⃣ Szoboszlai — 44.7%
5️⃣ Raya — 31.0%
High ownership does not automatically make a player essential.
However, understanding the FPL template can help when judging the risk and reward of going without one of the game's most popular players.
But what happens when we compare those selections with some of the world's best FPL managers?
Our Elite XI: Team Reveals tracks the squads of proven Fantasy Premier League managers throughout the season.
Here are the five most-owned players among the Elite managers:
1️⃣ Haaland — 92.3%
2️⃣ B. Fernandes — 84.6%
3️⃣ João Pedro — 76.9%
4️⃣ Calvert-Lewin — 69.2%
5️⃣ Verbruggen — 69.2%
Comparing Elite manager ownership with overall FPL ownership can reveal some fascinating differences.
Are experienced managers avoiding one of the game's most popular players?
Or are they backing a lower-owned option that the wider FPL community has overlooked?
👉 See Every Elite Manager's Latest FPL Team
One of the hardest parts of preparing for Gameweek 1 is turning all the available information into a balanced 15-man squad.
Seeing how proven managers are approaching the same decisions can provide valuable inspiration.
Fantasy Football Fix's Elite XI: Team Reveals lets you follow the latest squads from some of the world's most successful FPL managers.
🏆 Between them, the Elite XI have recorded more than 80 Top 10k finishes, including numerous Top 5k and Top 1k finishes.
Rather than relying on a team reveal published weeks before the deadline, you can track their latest moves as Gameweek 1 approaches.
👀 Latest Gameweek 1 drafts
🔄 Every squad change
📱 Notifications when managers update their teams
👉 See the Latest Elite XI Team Reveals
We've also spoken to individual managers about the thinking behind their early 2026/27 squads.
👉 No Haaland! Dan Bennett's Gameweek 1 Bench Boost Draft
Dan Bennett is considering an aggressive Gameweek 1 Bench Boost strategy, spreading his budget across all 15 players and currently going without Erling Haaland.
👉 Copenhagen Wednesday's Gameweek 2 Bench Boost Plan
The six-time Top 10k finisher is taking a different approach, with a possible Gameweek 2 Bench Boost followed by an early Wildcard.
👉 Elite FPL Managers Reveal Their First 2026/27 Drafts
See how several Elite XI managers approached their first squads and the players dominating their early thinking.
What could the best FPL Gameweek 1 team look like?
We used Fantasy Football Fix’s player projections to optimise a £100m squad around some of the biggest premium picks.
👉 See Our Best FPL Gameweek 1 Team
You can also use the Assistant Manager and Future Planner to experiment with your own squad structure, lock players you want to own and compare different drafts across the opening Gameweeks.
Finding the best FPL players for Gameweek 1 means balancing price, fixtures, minutes and points potential.
We’ve picked out the standout options across the key Fantasy Premier League price points.
Budget defenders can free up funds for premium picks while still offering strong FPL value.
Our guide covers the best £4.0m–£4.5m defenders for minutes, fixtures, DEFCON and attacking threat.
👉 Best Budget FPL Defenders for Gameweek 1
Our guide compares the best £5.0m–£8.0m FPL defenders for clean sheets, attacking threat, DEFCON and predicted points.
👉 Best FPL Defenders for Gameweek 1: £5.0m–£8.0m
Our guide compares the best £5.0m–£6.5m FPL midfielders for attacking threat, fixtures and predicted points.
👉 Best Budget FPL Midfielders for Gameweek 1
Finding a cheap forward with secure minutes and genuine attacking potential can provide valuable flexibility elsewhere in your squad.
👉 COMING SOON
The £7.0m+ forward bracket could be one of the most important price points when constructing a balanced Gameweek 1 squad.
👉 COMING SOON
Our Fixture Difficulty Ratings highlight the teams with the best opening fixtures for FPL.
👉 Best FPL Gameweek 1 Fixtures: Players You Need to Target
Our guide highlights the best FPL rotation pairings across the opening six Gameweeks.
👉 Best FPL Rotation Strategies for Gameweek 1–6
This section brings together some of the biggest Fantasy Premier League debates, trends and talking points ahead of Gameweek 1.
We’ve identified the best-value FPL picks who could outperform their starting price.
👉 Best FPL Bargains and Underpriced Players for 2026/27
Which players delivered the most value last season — and what can that teach us about building a 2026/27 squad?
👉 Best Value FPL Players 2026/27
High ownership does not always mean a player is a good selection.
Some popular Gameweek 1 options have concerns around price, expected minutes, fixtures or fitness.
👉 FPL Players to Avoid: Gameweek 1 Traps
Ownership data can help identify the players and squad structure being favoured by the wider FPL community.
👉 See the Latest FPL Template Team
When should you use your Wildcard, Bench Boost, Triple Captain and Free Hit?
Our complete FPL chip strategy guide for 2026/27 is coming soon.
👉 COMING SOON
Penalties, free-kicks and corners can give players extra routes to FPL points.
Our full FPL set-piece takers guide for all 20 Premier League teams is coming soon.
👉 COMING SOON
What can we learn from the very best Fantasy Premier League managers?
Our FPL Top 50 Tips series looks at squad structure, budget, formations, captaincy and chip strategy.
👉 Explore the FPL Top 50 Tips Series
Still tinkering with your Fantasy Premier League team?
Before the Gameweek 1 deadline, make sure you've checked:
✅ Latest injuries
✅ Predicted starting line-ups
✅ Pre-season minutes
✅ New transfers
✅ Penalty and set-piece takers
✅ Opening fixtures
✅ Overall FPL ownership
✅ Elite manager ownership
✅ Predicted points
✅ Captain and vice-captain
✅ Bench order
✅ Planned chip strategy
There is rarely one perfect Gameweek 1 team.
The aim is to build a squad with strong opening fixtures, secure minutes, reliable captaincy options, several routes to points and enough flexibility to react once the new Premier League season begins.
Keep checking our Ultimate FPL Gameweek 1 Guide for the latest FPL tips, Fantasy Premier League tips, player picks, team reveals and Gameweek 1 advice before the deadline.
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