Erling Haaland (£15.5m) is the most expensive player in Fantasy Premier League history—and the biggest decision facing FPL managers before the Gameweek 1 deadline.
The Manchester City forward finished last season as the top-scoring player in the game and is backed by the Fix Algorithm to dominate the forward rankings again. His huge ownership also means going without him could be extremely damaging if he starts quickly.
However, Haaland's record price restricts the rest of your squad. Some of the most successful elite managers, including ten-time top-10k finisher Dan Bennett, are currently prepared to begin the season without him.
So, is Haaland worth £15.5m—and should he be in your FPL Gameweek 1 team?
For most FPL managers, Haaland remains the safest Gameweek 1 pick.
He is comfortably the highest-projected forward over the opening six Gameweeks, has an exceptional early-season record and will be a popular captain. Starting without him creates an immediate risk every time Manchester City play.
Nevertheless, going without Haaland is a viable strategy rather than an automatic mistake. Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) provides a strong alternative captain, while the £15.5m saved can build a more balanced starting XI or a powerful Gameweek 1 Bench Boost squad.
Haaland earned his record price after finishing 2025/26 with a league-leading 239 FPL points. As shown in the Opta Comparison tool, he averaged 6.8 points per game—the consistency and scoring potential you want from a premium captain.
The Norwegian scored 27 goals, supplied eight assists and collected 43 bonus points. His underlying numbers were just as dominant.
According to the Opta Stats Sandbox, Haaland ranked first among forwards for:
Those numbers show that his returns were sustainable. Manchester City's attack consistently created high-quality opportunities for Haaland, and no other forward came close to matching his level of goal threat.
Haaland is projected to score 35.7 FPL points over the opening six Gameweeks, placing him comfortably ahead of every other forward.
Only Fernandes, on 38.0, is currently predicted to score more across all positions according to the Predicted Points & Stats tool.
Haaland leads the forward rankings in the Player Points Projections for the opening six Gameweeks.
The gap matters. Replacing Haaland with a cheaper forward may improve the rest of your squad, but it also means giving up the standout option in his position.
You can compare the leading alternatives in our guide to the best premium FPL forwards for Gameweek 1.
Haaland does not usually need time to find his rhythm.
He has been one of the top-scoring FPL players after the opening six Gameweeks in each of his four Premier League seasons. Across those starts, he has averaged 10.75 goals and 77.25 FPL points.
A reminder for managers considering going without Haaland… 👀
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) August 18, 2026
His first 8 Gameweeks in each FPL season:
22/23: 14 goals, 2 assists, 89 points
23/24: 8 goals, 1 assist, 68 points
24/25: 10 goals, 0 assists, 69 points
25/26: 11 goals, 1 assist, 83 points
Are you brave enough to… pic.twitter.com/FZ0khTU5mb
Manchester City begin 2026/27 with matches against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and newly promoted Coventry. That run gives Haaland an immediate opportunity to extend his remarkable early-season record.
Paying £15.5m for Haaland becomes easier to justify when you regularly hand him the armband.
Although goals are worth only four points for FPL forwards, Haaland’s ability to score two or three in a single match gives him a ceiling few players can match. When Manchester City are strong favourites, he will often be the standout captaincy option.
The latest Consensus data supports this. Among our elite managers—who have recorded more than 80 top-10k finishes between them—66.7% are currently captaining Haaland, with the remaining third backing Bruno Fernandes.
Owning both premiums also provides excellent captaincy flexibility. As the AI Rotation Planner image above shows, their fixtures offer several opportunities to rotate the armband across the opening eight Gameweeks.
Fernandes can cover Manchester United’s most favourable matches, while Haaland is ready for standout fixtures such as Coventry at home in Gameweek 3.
At the time of writing, data from the Insight Live tool shows that Haaland is selected by 70.1% of all FPL managers.
Insight Live shows Haaland's ownership across the overall FPL player base ahead of Gameweek 1.
His effective ownership is likely to be even higher when he is heavily captained. A double-digit return could therefore cause a significant early rank drop for non-owners.
Ownership alone should never determine an FPL decision, but it changes the level of risk. Starting with Haaland protects against the most obvious route to a damaging Gameweek 1 score.
Haaland and Fernandes cost a combined £27.5m, but several promising budget players make it possible to own both.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) and João Pedro (£7.5m) can provide cheap routes into the forward line, while value midfielders and defenders help release money elsewhere.
Our best FPL Gameweek 1 team shows how Haaland, Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo can all fit into the same squad without completely sacrificing balance.
Selecting Haaland leaves only £84.5m for the remaining 14 places in your squad.
Going without him does not simply allow you to replace him with another forward. The additional money can fund upgrades across several positions, creating a more balanced midfield, a stronger forward line and greater investment in defence.
That is particularly valuable for managers planning to Bench Boost in Gameweek 1. As the image above shows, ten-time top-10k finisher Dan Bennett’s no-Haaland draft contains a well-balanced midfield and forward line. Crucially, he has also been able to build a strong defence and bench for his planned Gameweek 1 Bench Boost.
Rather than tying a large percentage of the budget up in one player, Dan’s approach spreads the money across all 15 squad members—creating more potential routes to points in the opening Gameweek.
Haaland is not the only convincing premium option.
Fernandes finished just four points behind him last season and is projected to edge him for Predicted FPL Points across the first six Gameweeks. The Manchester United midfielder is also £3.5m cheaper.
United open the campaign against promoted sides Hull and Ipswich, giving Fernandes two excellent early captaincy fixtures. His penalties, set pieces, creativity and extra point per goal provide several routes to returns.
Managers willing to captain Fernandes can therefore use the Haaland money to strengthen the rest of their team.
This pre-season has been different from Haaland's previous preparations with Manchester City.
Norway reached the World Cup quarter-finals, delaying his return to club training. He played 53 minutes in the Community Shield, but neither Haaland nor City looked fully sharp.
One pre-season performance should not outweigh four years of elite Premier League output. However, reduced preparation time creates some uncertainty over his early fitness, minutes and explosiveness—particularly at a record £15.5m price.
Haaland remains extremely popular among the Fantasy Football Fix elite managers. He is currently selected by 84.6%.
However, the fact that two proven managers are prepared to start without him is significant.
Dan Bennett, one of only five FPL managers to record ten top-10k finishes, has removed Haaland from his latest draft. His current squad spreads the budget across all 15 players and is built around a potential Gameweek 1 Bench Boost.
Dan's no-Haaland Bench Boost draft shows the main attraction of the strategy: leaving out one premium can produce a much stronger squad from first choice to final substitute.
Seven-time top-10k finisher Mark Mansfield has also explored a Gameweek 1 draft without Haaland. Unlike Dan, one of Mark's possible routes also keeps the Bench Boost unused, allowing him to concentrate the extra money in a powerful starting XI.
If you decide to go without him, four principles can reduce the risk:
Unlock live Elite Team Reveals, AI transfer recommendations and all our Opta-powered planning tools with Premium Plus — now 63% off in our BIGGEST-EVER DISCOUNT.
Join 89% of members who won their main Mini-league last season.
Get 63% offAlready a Premium user? Login here
© fantasyfootballfix 2024 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
