Fantasy Premier League 2026/27: Key Players to Consider
The Fantasy Premier League itch is back. Screens glow, drafts are torn up, and with the first deadline of the 2026/27 Premier League season looming at 18:30 (UK) on Friday 21 August, managers have been handed the annual gift: unlimited changes until the whistle blows on Gameweek 1.
And as ever, Manchester City assets sit right at the heart of the chaos.
Haaland: The £15.5m Problem You Can’t Ignore
Erling Haaland has broken FPL before. Now he’s breaking the game’s pricing model.
After racking up 239 points last season – more than any other player – and delivering 35 attacking returns, the Norwegian has been installed as the most expensive FPL asset in history at £15.5m. It’s a figure that forces uncomfortable compromises across the rest of a squad. But managers are not blinking.
An enormous 75.2% of teams currently contain Haaland. Three out of four drafts have built their structure around him, not the other way round. He is no longer just a premium forward; he is the template. Go without him, and you’re not being clever – you’re gambling against the majority of the game.
The price is brutal. The ownership is louder. For many, there is no decision to make.
Guehi: The Rock at the Back
If Haaland is the obvious headline, Marc Guehi is the quieter, calculated play.
The England defender produced 179 points last season, a total bettered by only one defender in the entire game. His numbers underline why FPL managers are paying attention: 14 clean sheets, three goals, five assists, 22 defensive contribution points and 14 bonus points.
That blend of reliability and threat has pushed his starting price to £6.0m, and yet he still feels underpriced for what he offers. At the moment, 24.7% of FPL managers have moved early, backing him as a cornerstone of their back line.
Guehi doesn’t carry the glamour of a marauding wing-back, but his output belongs in that company. He looks like the kind of set-and-forget pick that survives wildcards and weathered gameweeks.
O’Reilly: From Punt to Premium
Nico O’Reilly arrives at this season’s launch in a very different place to a year ago.
In 2024/25 he was a fringe fantasy name. In 2025/26 he erupted. Five goals, four assists and 14 clean sheets delivered a haul of 160 points – a staggering jump of 129 points on his previous campaign. That sort of leap doesn’t go unnoticed by FPL’s pricing algorithm.
He now comes in at £6.5m, a clear step up, but one that reflects his new status as a serious option. The ownership numbers tell their own story: 24% of managers have already found room for him in their squads.
O’Reilly offers something managers crave: a defender who scores like a midfielder. Those attacking returns, layered on top of clean sheet potential, turn him from a differential into a core pick.
Three City players, three very different dilemmas. Haaland, the immovable premium. Guehi, the steady, high-ceiling defender. O’Reilly, the fast-riser whose price now matches the hype.
The clock is ticking towards that Friday night deadline. The question isn’t whether City players will shape the FPL season. It’s how many you dare to go without.
