Fantasy Premier League 2026/27: Key Players to Consider

The ritual has begun. Screens glow, drafts pile up, and Fantasy Premier League managers everywhere are tearing up perfectly good teams for the fifth time this week.

With the 2026/27 Premier League season about to open and the Gameweek 1 deadline set for 18:30 (UK) on Friday 21 August, FPL bosses have been handed the annual gift: unlimited transfers before a ball is kicked. No hits. No regrets. Not yet, anyway.

And as the tinkering intensifies, three Manchester City assets are already shaping the template.

Haaland: The £15.5m question nobody’s really asking

Erling Haaland has broken another record before the season has even started.

After racking up 239 FPL points last term – more than any other player – and delivering 35 attacking returns, the City striker has been installed as the most expensive FPL asset in history at £15.5m.

That number is eye-watering. It’s also being largely ignored.

Despite the hefty price tag, a staggering 75.2% of managers have already locked him into their early drafts. The logic is blunt and unforgiving: if Haaland hauls and you don’t own him, your season can unravel before August is out.

He remains the default captain, the cornerstone around which the rest of the squad must be bent and compromised. Cheap defenders, budget midfield punts, rotating goalkeepers – all of it exists to make room for one man in sky blue.

You don’t pick Haaland. You build around him.

Guehi: Premium price, premium returns

At the other end of the pitch, Marc Guehi has quietly turned into one of the most reliable defensive options in the game.

Last season he amassed 179 points, with only one defender in the entire game outscoring him. That’s not a purple patch; that’s elite consistency.

The numbers behind it are just as strong: 14 clean sheets, three goals, five assists, 22 defensive contribution points and 14 bonus points. It’s the kind of all-round profile that justifies his £6.0m price tag in an instant.

He’s not a hidden gem anymore. Owned by 24.7% of managers, Guehi has become one of the go-to picks for those willing to invest a little extra at the back in search of steady, bankable returns.

If Haaland is the explosive captaincy play, Guehi is the steady drumbeat that keeps a season on track.

O’Reilly: From fringe pick to FPL mainstay

Then there’s Nico O’Reilly, a name that has gone from differential whisper to mainstream option in the space of a year.

The 2025/26 campaign was his breakout in FPL terms. Listed as a defender, he produced five goals, four assists and 14 clean sheets, finishing on 160 points. That’s not just improvement – that’s a leap.

To put it into context, he scored 129 more points than he managed in 2024/25. Unsurprisingly, the game has reacted. His price has climbed to £6.5m, nudging him firmly into the mid-to-premium bracket at the back.

Managers have still flocked. O’Reilly currently sits in 24% of squads, a clear sign that FPL players believe last season was the start of something, not a one-off spike.

He now carries expectation, not curiosity.

As the countdown to Friday’s deadline ticks away and squads are ripped up and rebuilt in search of that perfect balance, one thing is already clear: in FPL terms, Manchester City are once again at the heart of the conversation.

Haaland, Guehi and O’Reilly are not just popular picks. They’re early markers of how aggressively managers plan to chase points in 2026/27 – and how much of their season they’re willing to stake on City delivering yet again.