Brentford's Strong Start in 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League

Brentford’s flying start to the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season has arrived with backup – from the analysts.

The club has joined forces with Fantasy Football Scout, who will be supplying data-driven advice, trend-spotting and Gameweek tips across the campaign, aimed squarely at helping managers squeeze every last point out of their squads and mini-leagues.

And on opening night, the Bees gave them plenty to work with.

Sangaré steals the show

Keith Andrews’ Brentford exploded out of the blocks, tearing into Tottenham Hotspur and cruising into a 3-0 lead by the 50th minute.

At the heart of it all: new signing Mamadou Sangaré (£5.5m).

Flagged in last week’s preview for his potential to churn out defensive contributions (DefCon) points, the 24-year-old delivered exactly that on debut – and then some. He hit the DefCon threshold and still found time to rack up two assists.

His first moment of quality came from a slick one-two with Dango Ouattara (£6.5m). Sangaré fed Ouattara, kept moving, took the return, and cut the ball back for Keane Lewis-Potter (£5.5m) to sweep in the opener.

Brentford’s second was about reaction and positioning. Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m) reacted quickest to a rebound after Mathias Jensen’s (£5.5m) initial effort was blocked, tucking it away to double the lead. Janelt, like Sangaré and Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m), also hit the DefCon benchmark, underlining just how active Brentford’s defensive unit was.

The third arrived early in the second half. Sangaré again drove the issue, his shot forcing a save from Antonín Kinský (£4.5m). The Spurs keeper could only parry, and Michael Kayode (£4.5m) pounced from close range.

Even when Igor Thiago (£8.0m) smacked a penalty against the post, the damage to Spurs was already done. The miss didn’t change the result – but it did sting the 1.5 million Fantasy managers who had backed him.

Kayode under the spotlight

Kayode finished just one point shy of Sangaré’s 14-point haul.

Where Ajer and Nathan Collins (£5.5m) both had opportunities to add a goal to their clean sheets, Kayode actually cashed in. He kept arriving in dangerous zones, timing his runs, and the numbers tell the story: four of Brentford’s shots inside the box came from the full-back.

It summed up a one-sided evening. Brentford’s 13 set-piece attempts alone outstripped the total shot count of half the Premier League sides in Gameweek 1. Overall, they outgunned Spurs 20-4 for efforts inside the penalty area.

Kayode’s threat was no one-off. Last season, he led all defenders for take-ons (107) and successful long throws into the box (38). Those long throws are effectively set pieces with his name on them. For FPL managers, that profile – clean sheet potential plus attacking volume – is gold.

Elsewhere: De Cuyper and Hinshelwood explode

The highest scorers of Gameweek 1 didn’t come from Brentford, though.

That honour went to Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) and Jack Hinshelwood (£6.0m), who posted 17 and 16 points respectively. The Seagulls ripped into Aston Villa, racing into a 4-0 lead by half-time, with FPL defender De Cuyper operating high up on the left wing and punishing anyone who left him on the bench.

At the same time on Saturday, newly promoted Hull City were writing their own story. The play-off winners stormed 2-0 up at home to Manchester United, with both goals coming from centre-backs: Semi Ajayi (£4.0m) and Nobel Mendy (£4.0m).

The Tigers held that lead. The fallout in Fantasy terms was brutal. Popular picks Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) blanked, as did Manchester City duo Erling Haaland (£15.5m) and Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m).

City still clawed something back against Bournemouth thanks to Marc Guéhi (£6.0m) and Joško Gvardiol (£5.5m), who stepped up when the forwards misfired.

Bandwagons building

Some of the most sought-after assets after the opening round didn’t necessarily headline the scoresheets.

On Friday night, Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) didn’t score but did deliver the first assist of the 2026/27 season, helping Arsenal strike early and pushing his transfer numbers sharply upwards before Friday’s 6.30pm BST deadline.

Arsenal’s second came via Christos Tzolis (£6.5m), who simply picked up where his previous campaigns left off. Seven pre-season assists followed the 23 he produced in his final season at Club Brugge, and he added another here. Martin Ødegaard (£6.5m) then stepped up to make it 3-0, reinforcing his own appeal as a mid-priced midfield metronome.

On Monday, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£9.5m) and João Pedro (£7.5m) both landed double-digit returns, instantly re-entering the conversation for early wildcard drafts and aggressive transfer moves.

Sangaré and De Cuyper now sit alongside that group on a growing number of watchlists. One is a midfield enforcer with creative upside; the other a budget defender masquerading as a winger. Both profiles tend to define seasons.

The captaincy question

Even after a bruising Gameweek 1, the armband picture is unlikely to rip up completely.

Haaland and Fernandes – last season’s top two FPL scorers – disappointed their backers, but their underlying roles haven’t changed. This was Haaland’s first failure to score on a City opening day, and Crystal Palace, City’s next opponents, are in the middle of a difficult summer.

Fernandes, for his part, still found ways to influence United’s defeat at Hull. He carved out three chances for himself and created three more for teammates, keeping his underlying numbers intact. Next up for him: a home clash with another promoted side, Ipswich Town.

Gameweek 1 belonged to the differentials. Gameweek 2 will show whether the heavy hitters are about to reassert their authority – or whether this season is going to belong to the brave.