The early FPL template for 2026/27 is beginning to take shape.
Our Elite FPL Team Reveal tool show which players are being selected by managers with more than 80 top-10k finishes between them, helping highlight the best combinations of fixtures, value, expected minutes and FPL potential.
Several also featured in our FPL template team for 2026/27, but there are notable differences between elite and overall ownership. Luke Shaw and Cristhian Mosquera, in particular, are far more popular among elite managers.
Here are the five (well, actually six) most-owned players in the current Elite: XI Team Reveals, counting down to the only player selected by every manager.
João Pedro is already one of the most popular players in FPL, but his ownership rises even further among the elite managers.
The Chelsea forward recorded 15 goals, nine assists and 177 FPL points across 2,674 minutes last season. As shown in the Opta Comparison Tool, he started 82% of matches and averaged 5.1 FPL points per game.
João Pedro was included in our selection of the best underpriced FPL players for 2026/27, and it is easy to understand why so many elite managers have placed their trust in him.
João Pedro should remain Chelsea’s first-choice forward, but Welbeck’s arrival adds an interesting minutes risk. Under Alonso, could we see João Pedro regularly withdrawn early, even if his starting place remains secure?
Dominik Szoboszlai offers a relatively affordable route into the Liverpool midfield at £7.0m.
The Hungarian produced six goals, seven assists and 160 FPL points last season. He was also one of Liverpool’s most reliable players for minutes, featuring for 3,233 minutes across 36 matches.
It is no surprise to see Szoboszlai as the fourth-most-owned player in FPL, with almost half of all managers selecting him, according to the Insight Live tool.
His creativity was particularly encouraging last season, while four of his six goals came from direct free-kicks. With Salah now having left Liverpool, the Hungarian could also be in contention for penalties.
That combination of attacking potential, set pieces, secure minutes and defensive contributions helps explain why his ownership is 13.7 percentage points higher among elite managers than across FPL as a whole.
Other midfielders may offer greater explosive potential, but few provide as many different routes to points at this price.
Cristhian Mosquera’s popularity is largely driven by the appeal of Arsenal’s defence rather than his attacking potential.
Arsenal kept 19 clean sheets last season, the most in the league, and Mosquera offers a possible £5.5m route into that back line. With William Saliba managing a back issue during pre-season, he has emerged as a potential Gameweek 1 starter.
Mosquera is currently selected by eight of the elite managers, compared with just 17.4% of FPL squads overall. Dan Bennett, who has recorded 10 top-10k finishes, is so confident in Arsenal defensively that he is backing a double-up with Mosquera and Gabriel.
However, not every elite manager is convinced. As discussed in our recent look at the first elite-manager drafts article, some feel Gabriel is simply too expensive to justify selection.
Mosquera could therefore provide the compromise. At £2.5m less than Gabriel, he allows managers to access Arsenal’s clean-sheet potential without committing such a large portion of their budget to defence.
His place in the early template will still depend on team news, but regular starts could make him one of the best-value defensive options in FPL.
Luke Shaw has the largest gap between elite and overall ownership of any player on this list.
The Manchester United defender is owned by just under a quarter of all FPL managers, but nine of the elite managers currently have him in their squads.
Price and fixtures are central to his appeal.
Shaw costs only £4.5m, while Manchester United begin the season with matches against Hull, Ipswich and Everton. United sit at the top of the Fixture Planner for the opening three Gameweeks, giving Shaw immediate clean-sheet potential.
There will inevitably be questions surrounding his long-term fitness and security of starts. Nevertheless, at £4.5m, elite managers appear willing to accept that risk.
He can operate as a starting defender during United’s favourable opening fixtures before becoming part of a wider rotation. That strategy is explored in more detail in our guide to the best FPL defensive rotation strategies.
Bruno Fernandes is selected by 10 of the elite managers, making him the clear second-most-popular player within the current FPL Team Reveals.
The Manchester United midfielder produced an outstanding 235 FPL points last season, finishing only four points behind Haaland.
Fernandes scored nine goals, supplied 24 assists and collected 41 bonus points last season, but his creativity was where he truly stood out.
As shown in the Opta Stats Sandbox, he recorded nine more FPL assists than any other player. He also registered 136 attempted assists, 58 more than his nearest rival, and created 33 Opta-defined big chances — 14 more than anyone else.
His £12.0m price is a considerable investment, particularly for managers also selecting Haaland. However, penalty duties, creativity, secure minutes and several routes to points make him easier to justify.
Manchester United’s opening fixtures against Hull and Ipswich have strengthened his appeal further. Fernandes also features in the first draft of Dan Bennett, who has recorded 10 top-10k finishes, which we explored in a recent article.
With his elite ownership almost 30 percentage points higher than his overall ownership, the game’s most experienced managers appear far more convinced by Fernandes than the wider FPL community.
Despite being the most expensive player in Fantasy Premier League, Erling Haaland is the only player selected by every elite manager in the current sample.
The Manchester City forward scored 27 goals, supplied eight assists and finished with 239 FPL points last season. He also leads the line alongside Calvert-Lewin and João Pedro in the Consensus XI — a team created by combining the selections of elite managers with more than 80 top-10k finishes between them.
Starting without a player owned by 100% of this group would be an extremely aggressive strategy. Around 24.7% of all FPL managers currently do not own Haaland, although some of those squads will inevitably be incomplete or auto-selected.
Alternative team structures may look stronger on paper, but one major Haaland captaincy haul could quickly punish those going without him.
The early FPL template team may continue to change before Gameweek 1, but Haaland currently appears to be its most secure component.
Haaland’s position at the top of the list is not particularly surprising. The more interesting information can be found further down the rankings.
Shaw and Mosquera are both owned by fewer than 25% of all FPL managers, yet appear in more than 60% of the elite drafts. Their low prices allow managers to invest heavily in Haaland, Fernandes and other attacking players.
João Pedro and Szoboszlai provide the mid-priced value required to balance those expensive selections, while still offering strong individual points potential.
These drafts will continue to change as transfers, injuries and pre-season line-ups provide new information. You can follow every change live through Elite Team Reveals, receiving the latest squads from our elite managers as their Gameweek 1 plans develop.
Follow first drafts and live team changes from our Elite XI: Team Reveal managers.
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