The new Premier League season is upon us – which also means a new opportunity to convince yourself this is the season your carefully researched Fantasy Premier League decisions will finally pay off!
This season, we have teamed up with Fantasy Football Scout to help bring you hints, tips and advice during the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season.
Scout will be using their expertise to provide advice and gameweek tips which should prove useful in ensuring you win your mini-leagues.
And remember: the Gameweek 1 deadline falls this Friday 21st August at 18:30 BST – so hurry to create your team, with the help of these tips below!
After a 2025/26 season capped by UEFA Conference League glory, Crystal Palace are preparing to compete on four fronts: from the Europa League to the domestic cups and the Premier League.
Midfielder Matheus França (£5.0m) - who spent last season on loan with Vasco da Gama – leads the way for attacking returns in pre-season with four goals, three of them in the summer’s opening game against Swindon Town.
Meanwhile, forward Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) also found the net twice in the same match, and both men were on target again in pre-season, with Nketiah against Al-Ula and França versus London rivals Fulham.
New manager Pierre Sage’s attacking options have new additions in the form of returning loanee Evann Guessand (£5.5m) and Dwight McNeil (£5.5m).
McNeil made his first Palace appearance against SC Freiburg last week, a match which saw England internationals Adam Wharton (£5.5m) and Dean Henderson (£5.0m) make their first pre-season starts.
McNeil has previous FPL pedigree from his time at Everton. McNeil’s best ever FPL season came in the 22/23 season, when he returned 126 FPL points.
Daniel Muñoz (£5.5m), Palace’s top scorer in FPL last season, also registered his first minutes of pre-season from the bench.
For FPL managers looking for a budget-friendly defender for the start of the new season, centre-back Jaydee Canvot (£5.0m) and left-back Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m) look good options.
Canvot has played the most pre-season minutes under Sage of any player so far, and could be set for a big campaign. The defender finished last season with the third-best rate of Defensive Contribution Points among defenders who played over 1,000 Premier League minutes. He has also registered a goal and an assist in pre-season.
Meanwhile, only Muñoz registered more FPL points than Mitchell across the Palace team during the 2025/26 season. Mitchell delivered four attacking returns last term and created 11 chances across the final three pre-season friendlies. He presents a budget friendly and secure option for FPL managers.
Reigning Palace Player of the Year Ismaïla Sarr (£6.5m) was a key asset for FPL managers last season and he looks set to be again in 2026/27.
Having delivered 21 goals in all club competitions last term – including nine in each of the Premier League and Conference League – the Senegal international also notched four more for his country at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, becoming the joint-leading African goal-scorer at a single edition of the tournament.
Sarr was soon back at it in pre-season too, scoring against Fulham, an opponent Palace will face once more in the early weeks of the coming campaign.
Despite his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations restricting him to just 24 league starts, Sarr finished the season as the third-best performing FPL midfielder for Opta-defined ‘big chances’ (19). He was also second for minutes per expected goal (xG) among all midfielders who played 1,000+ minutes in 2025/26.
Add in Sarr’s advanced positioning, familiarity with the type of system that Palace look set to continue in under Sage, and his position high up the penalty-taking pecking order, Sarr stands out as one of FPL’s most appealing mid-priced midfield picks.
His appeal is further boosted by Palace’s promising run of games to begin the season.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£15.5m) was the top scoring player in FPL last season registering 239 points. He is also the most popular pick for FPL managers heading into the new season with the forward found in over 70% of teams.
Chelsea’s João Pedro (£7.5m) and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) are also very popular. Fernandes registered 33 attacking returns during the 25/26 Premier League season, whilst Joao Pedro scored 15 goals and registered nine assists in his first season at Chelsea.
Arsenal’s David Raya (£6.0m) is the most popular goalkeeper in the game currently. However, budget friendly Antonin Kinsky (£4.5m) from Spurs and Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) from Brighton are also found, as a rotating pair, in a growing number of FPL teams.
Everton’s top FPL points scorer last season was James Tarkowski (£6.0m).
The defender scored two goals, registered three assists and 44 Defensive Contribution points during the 25/26 campaign.
During the early weeks of the season, FPL managers will clamber to make transfers to bring in players who start the season well. The transfer activity will mean that players will rise and fall in price.
This season, a new price projections page will be available on the official Fantasy Premier League site to enable Fantasy managers to monitor players who are set to rise and fall in price.
By staying on top of these changes and making some shrewdly-timed decisions where needed, you can avoid being priced out of your planned moves and protect your overall team value, which could be crucial in continuing to make your desired transfers as the campaign progresses.
This season, Season Ticket+ Holders and Gold Members can exclusively join Palace's 2026/27 Official Fantasy Premier League Mini-League, with the chance to WIN Monthly and Seasonal prizes.
If you're a Season Ticket+ Holder or Member, find out more here.
Everton v Crystal Palace