Brentford's Early Fixtures Alert FPL Managers
Brentford’s early run puts FPL managers on alert. The fixtures are out, the spreadsheets are open, and Keith Andrews’ side sit right near the top of the watchlist.
A kind opening for the Bees
Ninth place in his first season was a solid platform for Andrews. Now the schedule hands him a chance to build momentum straight away in 2026/27.
Across the first five Gameweeks, Brentford avoid every one of last season’s top five. They host Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Chelsea, and travel to Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth. On the Fixture Difficulty Ratings, that run averages 2.8 – second only to Liverpool over the same spell.
For Fantasy Premier League managers, that’s the kind of green patch that demands attention. It points to value at both ends of the pitch, and it starts from Gameweek 1.
Igor Thiago: penalty merchant… and so much more
The headline act is clear. Igor Thiago tore through 2025/26 with 22 goals, one assist and 181 points. He began last season at just £6.0m. That bargain has gone. A price rise is coming.
Nine of those goals came from the spot, which will make some managers wary. Strip the penalties out, though, and the picture is still emphatic: Thiago is the beating heart of this attack.
His 41 big chances were a staggering 19 more than his closest team-mate, Kevin Schade. No one else in this Brentford side came close to seeing that volume of clear openings. Thiago didn’t just finish moves; he made them. He created six big chances for others, taking his total big-chance involvements to 47.
Next best? Dango Ouattara, with 30. Then Schade on 29.
The gap tells its own story. Thiago isn’t just the primary striker. He is the system.
Ouattara vs Schade: the second attacker
If Thiago is locked in as the premium Brentford pick, the real debate starts just behind him.
Ouattara and Schade finished almost neck-and-neck for big-chance involvement: 30 for Ouattara, 29 for Schade. On raw numbers alone, it’s tight. The clock changes the picture.
Ouattara produced a big-chance involvement every 77.1 minutes. Thiago did it every 69.8. Schade lagged behind at 94.6 minutes. That’s a significant gap over a season and a telling one when you’re hunting for value.
Ouattara’s 18 big chances and 12 big chances created show a more balanced threat profile, the kind of dual danger that can explode in the right fixture. Schade’s 22 big chances and seven created are strong, but the slower rate of involvement nudges him down the pecking order.
So the hierarchy is clear. Thiago first. If you want to double up, Ouattara looks the sharper play than Schade.
Kelleher’s dilemma at the back
At the other end, Caoimhin Kelleher quietly put together a standout Fantasy season. He finished as Brentford’s second-highest scorer and the second top-scoring goalkeeper overall on 143 points, starting at just £4.5m.
That price is unlikely to survive into 2026/27.
The question is whether his output will. Kelleher kept 10 clean sheets, a solid tally but one that five other goalkeepers surpassed. He finished nine shutouts behind Golden Glove winner David Raya. His score was inflated by three penalty saves – precious in Fantasy terms, but notoriously hard to bank on repeating.
If his price climbs, managers will have to decide whether they’re paying for a sustainable defensive platform or last season’s heroics from 12 yards.
Brentford’s fixtures suggest attacking investment first. The numbers from 2025/26 agree. The real test now is simple: can Andrews’ side turn this inviting early run into a launchpad for something bigger?
