By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-08-19 13:23:07 | Updated at 2026-08-20 05:57:10
17 hours ago
Looking for an under-the-radar gem to start the 2026-27 Premier League season? We’ve crunched the Opta data and picked out five potential FPL stars for Gameweek 1.
Strap yourselves in as the Premier League returns for the 2026-27 campaign, and so does Fantasy Premier League.
Double Arsenal defence? Erling Haaland or Bruno Fernandes? Who to captain? Forget all of that as we’ve got the column that could make all the difference against your mini-league rivals.
Using Opta data, we’ve identified five players to consider bringing in for the new season, despite our selections currently being picked by fewer than 10% of FPL managers.
GK – Matz Sels | 5.0m | 1.6% Ownership
With Oliver Glasner leaving Crystal Palace to take charge at the City Ground, Matz Sels and the Nottingham Forest defence may benefit from the Austrian’s appointment.
You only have to look at Palace’s backline, and specifically Dean Henderson, to understand the reasoning behind this selection. Only two goalkeepers kept more clean sheets than Henderson’s 11 in last season’s Premier League, despite Palace finishing 15th.
In fact, only six teams conceded fewer expected goals against (xGA) than Palace’s 51.9 in the competition last season. Forest ranked 16th for the same metric (57.3 xGA), suggesting Glasner will look to fix those issues with his trusted five-man defence.
And if Sels’ fantasy football history is anything to go by, we could be in for a treat. Starting at a £4.5m price point in the 2024-25 campaign, the Belgian kept the joint-most clean sheets (13, along with David Raya) and accumulated 150 points, ranking only behind Jordan Pickford’s 158 among all goalkeepers.
There should be some long-term caution with Sels, though. An opening meeting at home to Leeds United is inviting for a potential clean sheet, but Forest then travel to Liverpool and Aston Villa either side of hosting Tottenham.
But with Glasner at the helm, could Sels recreate his previous FPL heroics and prove his worth as an under-the-radar pick?
DEF – Dan Ballard | 5.0m | 4.7% Ownership
Fantasy Football managers around the world will be keen to make a fast start, and to do so, it may be worth taking advantage of Sunderland’s opening fixtures.
Travelling to newly promoted Ipswich Town in Gameweek 1 before welcoming Fulham to the Stadium of Light, Dan Ballard stands out as a top pick in Regis Le Bris’ backline.
With an additional two points on offer for defenders if they reach 10 defensive contributions, Ballard’s appeal becomes greater. He averaged 11 defensive contributions per 90 minutes last season.
Ballard scored points for that metric in 58.3% of his appearances, with only four current Premier League defenders reaching the threshold at a greater success rate in the previous campaign.
He offers haul potential at the other end of the pitch, too. Ballard scored twice in the competition last season, while no Sunderland defender managed more than his 25 shots from inside the box.
There are other options in Sunderland’s backline, but Le Bris has already suggested Nordi Mukiele (£5.5m) and Omar Alderete (£5m) could be benched due to fitness concerns. Robin Roefs is another alternative, but with only two goalkeeper slots available, Ballard is the man to lock in as a differential pick.
MID – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | 6.5m | 3.5% Ownership
With James Garner an injury doubt and Iliman Ndiaye already picked by 15.6% of managers, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall presents another option for an Everton side with ‘kinder’ opening fixtures.
According to the Opta Fixture Difficulty Rating data, Everton have the seventh-kindest start out of all Premier League teams, opening at home to Crystal Palace before facing Bournemouth (A), Manchester United (H), Tottenham (A) and Ipswich (H).
Although David Moyes’ team are hardly known for their attacking excitement, you’d expect much of Everton’s forward play will go through Dewsbury-Hall. He managed a team-leading 12 goal contributions in last season’s competition (8 goals, 4 assists).
His 37 chances created were also bettered by only two Everton players. However, Garner (56) is battling a pre-season groin issue, while loanee Jack Grealish (38) may not return to Merseyside.
Dewsbury-Hall’s routes to scoring become greater when considering that he also chipped in with 10 defensive contribution points and 18 bonus points, making him a threat from all angles.
At an affordable price point, Dewsbury-Hall’s inclusion creates space in the budget for the likes of Fernandes and Antoine Semenyo. Despite his lower price tag, the Everton midfielder still has the data behind him to make a flying start in your XI.
MID – Anton Stach | 6.0m | 1.1% Ownership
With last season’s addition of defensive contribution points, midfielders don’t always have to be scoring or assisting every week to score you points.
Anton Stach is a prime example of that. The Leeds midfielder collected 137 points last campaign, averaging a steady 4.9 points per start.
The German reached the defensive contributions threshold – 12 for midfielders and forwards – in 35.7% of his games and registered 20 points for doing so.
Having also scored five goals and supplied six assists, Stach could be another that sneaks past a few managers, despite his all-round attributes and set-piece responsibilities.
Harry Wilson’s arrival at Elland Road may see Stach play deeper and share corners, although Daniel Farke will still want him heavily involved going forward. Stach created 63 chances in last season’s competition, with Brenden Aaronson the next-best Leeds player on 34.
Leeds’ opening five fixtures are far from intimidating, either. They visit Forest in the aforementioned opener before hosting Brentford, Newcastle United and Palace, along with a trip to Brighton.
FWD – Oli McBurnie | 5.5m | 1.5% Ownership
In truth, few players fall into the 10% Club at the top end of the pitch. Last season’s top six forwards, based solely on points scored, are unsurprisingly all selected by more than 10% of managers.
The other four of the top 10 scoring attackers are either uncertain for minutes (Danny Welbeck and Richarlison), injured (Hugo Ekitiké) or have a tough opening fixture (Evanilson, Bournemouth away to Manchester City).
So, why not take a punt on Oliver McBurnie? He scored 18 times and delivered seven assists in the 2025-26 Championship, despite being injured for almost two months, showing that McBurnie certainly has an eye for goal.
His 18 strikes came from an expected goals total of just 13.4, suggesting McBurnie can make his chances count for Hull City, although whether we see him come back down to earth remains to be seen.
The Scottish striker is expected to be on penalty-taking duties for Hull, too, and is a man for the big occasion after his 95th-minute winner in the play-off final.
A Gameweek 1 meeting with Manchester United at home does appear daunting, but Michael Carrick’s side kept just eight clean sheets last season. Only the three relegated sides managed fewer in the Premier League, and Hull should have their tails up on their top-flight return.
Plus, with Haaland (£15.5m) already in almost three-quarters of all FPL teams, McBurnie’s selection will allow your budget to stretch further. And he could pay dividends against either United or Coventry City (A) the following weekend.
*FPL player values and ownership data accurate as of 19 August 2026
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
