Seven-time Top 10k manager Mark Mansfield has revealed a bold new FPL Gameweek 1 draft — and this version contains neither Erling Haaland nor a Bench Boost.
Mark is one of the most proven managers in the Fantasy Football Fix Elite XI: Team Reveal. His latest draft explores one of the biggest decisions facing FPL managers ahead of the new season:
Is it possible to start strongly without Haaland?
This is only one of several strategies Mark is considering, and he is almost certain to change his team numerous times before the Gameweek 1 deadline.
You can follow every update live on the Elite XI Team Reveals page. Set your notifications to be alerted whenever Mark changes his squad.
Mark currently has three possible routes in mind:
Plenty of drafts have been built around the first two approaches, so Mark has used his latest team reveal to explore the less common third option.
It is a high-risk strategy, but it creates a very different squad structure.
Leaving Haaland out releases a significant amount of money, while saving the Bench Boost means Mark does not need to spread his budget across 15 strong Gameweek 1 options.
“The logic is that skipping on Haaland and not having to spread money for Bench Boost allows for a strong 11 with cheap bench support.”
At this stage, the squad is more about finding the right price points than finalising every player. Mark explained that selections such as Nørgaard (£5.0m) and Muharemović (£5.0m) are placeholders within the structure rather than guaranteed Gameweek 1 picks.
“At this stage it’s about price points and not so much whether Nørgaard or Muharemović are the best players for that price.”
The wider plan would be to use the Free Hit in Gameweek 3 before either bringing Haaland (£15.5m) in with free transfers for Gameweek 5 or playing the Wildcard one week later.
“The wider strategy then would be to Free Hit in Gameweek 3 and either use transfers to bring in Haaland for Gameweek 5, or Wildcard in Gameweek 6 depending on which way the wind is blowing.”
That flexibility is a major part of the strategy. Mark would not be committing to an extended period without Haaland, but he would be backing his stronger starting XI to outperform Haaland-based squads over the opening Gameweeks.
Mark has used Kinský (£4.5m) and Verbruggen (£4.5m) in his other draft structures, but skipping both Haaland and the Bench Boost gives him enough money to consider a £5.5m goalkeeper.
“All of my other strategies have Kinský and Verbruggen in goal, whereas this one allows a £5.5m goalkeeper. Maybe Donnarumma is good here — certainly not a keeper I’ve seen in many drafts.”
Maguire (£5.0m) remains one of Mark’s preferred defenders across all three strategies, while the additional funds allow him to double up on the Arsenal defence.
“In defence I like Maguire regardless and will likely have at least one Arsenal defender, so the extra cash allows two Arsenal here.”
O’Shea (£4.0m) is another useful enabler who currently features in all of his drafts. Mark would then look for the best £5.0m defender to complete the group.
The structure is not fixed, however. As Mark added: “I can also consider Pedro Porro or Gvardiol for an Arsenal slot too.”
B. Fernandes (£12.0m), Wirtz (£7.5m) and Mbeumo (£8.0m) are the three midfielders Mark is attempting to include in every draft.
“I’ve tried to get Bruno, Wirtz and Mbeumo into every draft. Semenyo comes in both on his own merits and also to get a piece of the City attack.”
João Pedro (£7.5m) is another player who appears in all of Mark’s current plans.
“The forward line always contains João Pedro and, awash with cash, it feels remiss not to spend the money on Isak and Thiago, who would be template differentials.”
Without Haaland absorbing a large share of the budget, Mark can afford both premium alternatives. They provide a different route into the early template and could offer differential potential against the wider player base.
It produces an extremely strong forward line and shows exactly where the extra money can be invested when Haaland is left out.
Mark is not yet committed to this strategy.
“I can’t say I’m committed to this plan, but going into the final weekend of friendlies I like to have some solid ideas on the various paths I could take.”
He believes there is a logical argument for starting both with and without Haaland, meaning the final decision could come down to risk tolerance and the fear of falling behind if the Manchester City forward starts quickly.
If Haaland doesn’t start for Man City in Sunday’s Community Shield, is he straight out of your FPL draft? 👀 pic.twitter.com/YwMtjK9dOW
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) August 12, 2026
“It seems perfectly logical to either go with or without Haaland, so it comes down to the risk/fear factor. All eyes on the Community Shield!”
Mark also believes the case for a Gameweek 1 Bench Boost is strong. An early Wildcard would remove the need to keep two playing goalkeepers or invest heavily in a third forward, making the opening Gameweek an appealing time to use the chip.
“I think the argument for Bench Boost in Gameweek 1 is very strong, since a Wildcard will not need two playing keepers or a third forward. However, at the same time, I don’t feel my Gameweek 1 Bench Boost drafts are particularly compelling.”
That uncertainty is exactly why Mark’s team is likely to change several times before the deadline.
At the time of writing, Dan Bennett (10× Top 10k finishes), Tareck Balbaa (10×), Matt Corbidge (6×) and Copenhagen Wednesday (6×) have all activated the Bench Boost for Gameweek 1. That is four Elite XI managers with a combined 32 Top 10k finishes backing the early chip strategy.
If you are still deciding whether to follow them, check out their latest drafts on the Elite XI Team Reveals page for inspiration.
Their teams are updated live, so you can also switch on notifications to follow every change before the deadline.
Mark’s uncertainty is exactly why his team is likely to change several times before the deadline.
This draft gives us a fascinating look at how an elite FPL manager could attack Gameweek 1 without Haaland, but it should not be treated as Mark’s confirmed team.
The final weekend of friendlies and the Community Shield could lead to several changes — and Mark is almost certain to revise his squad numerous times before the deadline.
With the Elite XI Team Reveals tool, you can:
Don’t rely on an old screenshot. View Mark Mansfield’s latest draft and switch on notifications to follow every move.
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