The Best FPL Picks for Gameweek 1 – Our Watchlists

As the new season kicks off, it’s crucial to get your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team off to a flying start and to ensure your success, our watchlists bring you the best FPL picks for gameweek 1.

These lists have been meticulously curated to help you dominate your mini-leagues and climb the overall rankings.

This year, we thought we would try something fun and pit our watchlists of the best FPL picks for gameweek 1 against each other. We have barely spoken this pre-season in an effort to ensure some independent thinking and we want to know which watchlist you think is best!

So, buckle up as we dive into the best FPL picks for Gameweek 1 and get your squad primed for a triumphant start to the season.

James’s Strategy for Gameweek 1

For me, the most important thing to do at this moment in time is pick nailed players. None of these players below are not nailed. I am sure they will all start – I don’t want to have to make an emergency transfer in gameweek 2.

The second most important thing, is picking players who I think have good points potential. Naturally, FPL is about getting points. So, the best FPL picks for gameweek 1 should be getting points!

So, this watchlist is a list of guys who are safe to start and will score points.

The third most important thing, is spending as little as possible on my bench and as much as possible on my first eleven.

So, this list includes some players who will probably only score one or two points every week. But that is fine. I don’t want to start them anyway and I have faith my starting XI will play every week. So, these guys are just backups.

I haven’t finalised my squad but it will be some combination of these players unless something significantly changes before the start of the season.

When finalising the squad, I also like to think about flexibility. I am sure I will make some mistakes, but I want a well-balanced team that I can change fairly easily if a player emerges. You can read more about building flexibility in here.

And finally, I also think about ownership. Always Cheating have a good way of thinking about this. I want to be wary of players who have high ownership because if they go off, it will kill my rank. I will pick some of these players as a shield against this.

But, I also want to grab one or two players that are not so highly-owned. With them, I am trying to use them as by sword – to attack an increase in my rank. You can read more about using ownership to your advantage here.

James’ Watchlist of Best FPL Picks

Best FPL Goalkeepers for Gameweek 1

Pickford is currently the most selected 4.5 goalkeeper in FPL. The reasons are obvious, if a little hopeful. Firstly, they have four good fixtures to start the season with. Secondly, we all think that Sean Dyche will improve the Everton defence in the off-season.

Everton still aren’t great. But then none of the 4.5 goalkeepers in FPL are great. Pickford’s fixtures are pretty good up to gameweek 9 and we will probably end up wildcarding in the first nine weeks anyway so I think he’s good.

The key thing with him is that, unlike the rest of the 4.5s on reasonably good defences, he is nailed. At Brighton you have Steele v.s. Sanchez, at Palace Johnstone v.s Guaita and its still not clear if Raya is leaving so Flekken can’t be trusted… yet. If Raya leaves, then I like Flekken.

Raya potentially joining Arsenal also means we can’t trust Ramsdale right now. So, at the 5.0 bracket, I currently think Onana is the best pick. I’m still not 100% sold on the United defence which was the 8^th best defence in the league based on expected numbers. Somehow, they overperformed that to end up third best defence.

Regardless though, 5.0 for a slice of the Man United defence feels okay to me. And with the lack of certainty with many of the options in 4.5, I don’t mind spending a bit more here.

And, just to note, Areola appears to be in the running for first choice keeper at West Ham. You can’t trust him to start as your keeper but he’s fine to have as your backup to anyone else.

Best FPL Defenders for Gameweek 1

Trent Alexander Arnold is clearly the best defensive asset in FPL. He costs 8.0, which is expensive, but he is capable of breaking 200 points over the course of the season. No other defenders are capable of that.

This high upside means he hasn’t left my team since the game was announced.

I’m not a huge fan of any of the players from 6.5 to 5.5 to start the season. I don’t like Trippier’s fixtures, I don’t want to play Pep Roulette with the City defence, I don’t think Shaw’s/White’s attacking output justifies paying more for him than Martinez/Gabriel and I don’t want double Liverpool defence (Trent is almost 100% in my squad).

The only one that’s on the edge for me is Chilwell. He is really good, has potential for attacking output and plays for what I think will be a pretty good defence. But, I don’t like the first two fixtures and I don’t fully understand how Chelsea will set up so I will most likely avoid him in the short-term. Reece James is the same but also an absolute injury nightmare that I have no interest in.

But really, I’d rather just spend more money in midfield than get Chilly.

At 5.0, there are two standout picks for me. Gabriel is the most nailed Arsenal defender. They have good fixtures and were an excellent defence last season. Finally, he has attacking threat off set-pieces.

Estupinian is the other one. He is currently the most popular FPL defender in the game right now. With good reason too. Brighton have nice fixtures to start the season and he has a high ceiling thanks to his crossing ability.

4.5s That Rotate

None of the 4.5s defenders would play in my team every week. None of these teams have good enough fixtures that you can leave them in for four or five weeks.

So, its defensive rotations that I am looking at and here is the list:

• Botman – good defence, bad fixtures but rotates well with Henry or Pau Torres
• Henry – good defence, good fixtures and rotates well with Botman
• Pau Torres – good defence, good fixtures and rotates well with Botman or Guehi
• Guehi – good defence, good fixtures and rotates well with Pau Torres
• Wesbter – good defence, good first three fixtures and covers Estu clean sheets

4.0s For Your Third Bench Spot

And finally for the defenders, there are three 4.0 defenders that look nailed to start the season Baldock, Kabore, Bell and Beyer. They are only good enough to fill a bench spot.

Best FPL Midfielders for Gameweek 1

Salah is still the best FPL midfielder if you can afford him but if you can’t there are plenty of other options.

8.0-10.0 Best FPL Midfielders

In the 8.0-10.0 bracket, I like Rashford. An incredible finish to the season last year and United have pretty good fixtures. Fernandes is also on my mind but the thing that holds me back is that he will never be as good as three years ago when he was the main man – he isn’t that guy anymore. The signing of Hojlund gives me a little more faith in this attack.

Saka is my favourite Arsenal midfield pick. He is their talisman and is on penalties. Ødegaard hasn’t been near my team despite his great season last year and that’s because I don’t understand his new role yet with Havertz joining. However, with Jesus now injured, I am re-considering. If Nketiah starts, I think Ødegaard could be a better option than Martinelli. That’s just because Nketiah is a goalscorer and not a passer so I worry about Martinelli.

Regardless, Martinelli is also in my thoughts because he’s only 8.0. I expect some regression this year because he outperformed his expected stats for the only time in his career. Regardless, he should meet the value of an 8.0.

6.0-7.5 Best FPL Midfielders

The 7.5 and 7.0 guys on this list are all a little bit more risky than the 8.0-10.0 guys but if you need the money elsewhere then I think its fine to take a risk here. Maybe even just good and fun to take a risk here.

Maddison looks nailed on and focal to the Spurs attack. But, we don’t know how they play under this new manager and with Kane on the verge of leaving we just can’t feel super comfortable about Spurs attack.

Grealish is the most nailed on City midfielder and appears to have that left-wing spot locked. But, we just never know with Pep.

Sterling is an old FPL favourite and we know he is capable. But under a new manager we are unsure of his output and he apparently hasn’t been good in pre-season.

The 6.5 guys play for worse teams (in theory) but could be really good and they feel really good because I mind less about taking a risk.

Brighton has three options, but for me, Mitoma is the standout. He is nailed on, exciting to watch and very attacking. Gross will likely play right-back again and March just isn’t as good.

I also really like Mbeumo. His end product can be a little wayward at times but with Toney banned he looks likely to be on Penalties.

Eze is on the edge of this list but I am including him because of how good he is. The fixtures don’t seem anywhere near as good for him as they are for Mbeumo and Mitoma but his finish to the season was insanely good.

And to finish us off, there is one 4.5 for your bench spot: Nakamba at Luton looks nailed to start.

Best FPL Forwards for Gameweek 1

Haaland… obviously. But besides him, these guys are on my watchlist.

Jesus was the most obvious option for me but now he is injured AND Nkunku is injured too, then Watkins is my favourite pick in this price bracket. Jackson also interests me and is cheaper than Watkins but I think I will probably wait to see Chelsea actually play.

Wissa also makes my watchlist. His points per minute almost rivalled Toney’s last year and I am hoping he makes a mockery of that 6.0 price tag.

Nketiah is also well worth considering. 5.5 is so cheap. He is risky because we aren’t 100% sure he starts (read more here) but it enables me to get to Salah. I love that because I can captain Salah in week two as a differential.

If I wanted a fifth midfielder instead of a third striker, Mubama becomes my final bench player. Its unlikely any of the 4.5 strikers get good minutes but he at least seems to be a possibility.

James’ Full Watchlist

Joe’s Strategy for Gameweek 1

I hate the idea of having ‘built-in’ transfer plans to start the season. Something else will inevitably go wrong between Gameweek 1 and when you were supposed to make that transfer.

So, if a player’s in my Gameweek 1 team, I want him to be a keeper. He should have good, preferably great fixtures for the first 4-8 weeks. In almost all cases, I want him to be nailed as well (although there are sometimes gambles worth taking to start the season.

With that in mind, here are the players on my FPL watchlist for Gameweek 1

Joe’s Watchlist of Best FPL Picks

Best FPL Goalkeepers for Gameweek 1

I don’t spend on keepers. We can never be sure who the best keepers will be before the season. If you were going to spend last year, you’d have said Ederson was a sure thing. He finished 10th among FPL keepers, 40+ pts behind top pick Raya (much cheaper).

As such, I’m only looking at 4.0 or 4.5 keepers.

4.0, you say? Certainly, and it’s not going to be another Danny Ward pick. It’s going to be the Brentford goalkeeper, , which is almost certainly going to be Flekken.

The 4.5 keepers I like are:

• Pickford – Dyche defence, very good fixtures, did fine for a crap team last year
• Flekken – Assuming Raya leaves.
• Steele – Assuming he’s Brighton’s number 1, now that Sanchez has left

Best FPL Defenders for Gameweek 1

I also don’t like to spend on defenders, since we have no clue who will keep clean sheets (usually nobody), and hardly any of them get enough assists to make them worth targeting.

The 5.0+ defenders I’m currently considering are:

• Trent (8.0) – Toughest decision in my Gameweek 1 team… I still can’t decide if he’s worth it
• Arsenal Defender (5.0) – Gabriel first pick, Saliba second, but both are 5.0 and great options
• Ruben (5.5) – Probably too expensive, but one of the few nailed City players, and they have great fixtures (not that it really matters)

4.5s Defenders That Rotate

At most I’ll have two defenders worth 5.0+. The rest of my back line will probably be rotating.

Here are the 4.5s I’m looking at:

• Brentford Defender – Henry and Pinnock are both fine, play for a good team, and have solid fixtures
• Villa Defender – I’m not sure Mings will start again, now they’ve got Pau Torres. I’d trust Konsa most right now. They have good fixtures and a great manager
• Botman – Newcastle’s early fixtures are poor. But I’ll want one of their defenders for when those fixtures turn (Gameweek 4/5-ish), and Botman is still really cheap
• Tarkowski – A Pickford/Tarkowski double-up sounds like too much… but if I do have Flekken starting instead of Pickford, Tarkowski can start for me too

4.0s Defenders For Your Third Bench Spot

I don’t currently have a 4.0 defender in my draft. I’d prefer to have three 4.5s who I can actually start, and save the money up top, since forwards are rubbish this year.

Best FPL Midfielders for Gameweek 1

Midfield is loaded, as usual. This is where I’ll be spending all my money. There are so many good options here that I’ll definitely be running a 3-5-2, just so I can start five mids.

Here’s my watchlist (apart from Salah, who is an automatic inclusion on every watchlist).

8.0-10.0 Best FPL Midfielders

• Son (9.0) – He was better in the second half of last season, and is only 31. If Kane leaves, he’s probably not an option
• Arsenal Midfielders – I think an Arsenal treble is essential early on, with at least one midfielder. My order of preference goes Martinelli, Saka, Odegaard
• Fernandes (8.5) – I don’t love it… But I think he’s ridiculously underpriced at 8.5. He’s got 17 goal involvements in each of the last two seasons, is nailed to start, the team is better now than last year, and the early fixtures are fine

6.0-7.5 Best FPL Midfielders

• Grealish (7.5) – A gamble, since he plays for Pep. I’d back him to start the season, and – if he does – get points in some nice fixtures. He’ll get rotated eventually though… do we want the headache?
• Maddison (7.5) – Another gamble. I’m sure he’ll start, but he won’t be the main man any more. If Kane leaves he’s definitely off the table
• Sterling (7.0) – Amazing value. In my current Gameweek 1 draft, and feels like a lock
• Richarlison (7.0) – The one Spurs player whose value goes up if Kane leaves. If that does happen, I’d assume Richarlison starts up front, with Kulu, Maddo, and Son around him. At 7.0 that would be amazing value
• Mbeumo (6.5) – Again, just great value. Their early fixtures are good, and he did well without Toney last year. Currently in my team
• Brighton Mids (6.5) – I don’t really like it. I don’t really trust Gross or March. I like Mitoma’s talent but want to see if he can do it again before getting him in. I get it, since they’re all cheap at 6.5… but I’m probably staying away

4.5-5.0 for your bench spot

I really wouldn’t recommend punting on a midfield spot this year. If you really want to, I guess at least Enzo and Caicedo (whether he moves or not) start for good teams.

Best FPL Forwards for Gameweek 1

Sigh.

Well, obviously you have to have Haaland. Apart from that, the options are pretty poor. Here are the forwards I’m reluctantly considering, in price order:

• Watkins (8.0) – The best non Haaland (/Kane) option. Good player, good team, 23 goal involvements last season… good-not-great fixtures, but to an extent we saw he was fixture-proof anyway last year
• Gakpo (7.5) – He was in my first draft, and I’m still tempted. He’s not nailed… but I’d be surprised if he didn’t start as the centre-forward. Good fixtures, and great team
• Wissa (6.0) – Nice budget option. 11 goal involvements last year, despite starting fewer than half the games. Plays well with with Mbuemo, and fixtures are pretty good
• Nketiah (5.5) – Last on this list… first in my heart. I’m basically staking my reputation* on Eddie working out, now that Jesus is injured.

Joe’s Full Watchlist

That’s it!

Now you know who is on our gameweek 1 watchlists and who the best FPL picks for gameweek 1 are!

Feel free to use this table as a little cheat sheet if you have no idea what you are doing. Or, if you only have x amount left and one spot to fill then just take one of the names off the list.

And don’t forget to tell us which one you think is the best! Get in touch on Twitter.