Essential FPL Assets to Build Your 2026/27 Fantasy Squad

That's not fan optimism — it's portfolio construction, and the rest of the Scout's four-player core reads like a pre-approved board list for anyone serious about a top-10k finish. Step off the Haaland consensus and you accept the structural penalty of ranking below the league's most-owned asset.

The anchor: Haaland by committee

The Norwegian is captaincy by default. The Scout's numbers show Haaland has been the top-scoring player after the first six Gameweeks in all four of his seasons at City, averaging nine goals and 61.3 points over that opening stretch. Add home fixtures against promoted Coventry City and Ipswich Town across the first seven Gameweeks, and an early Triple Captain chip stops looking like a gamble and starts looking like arithmetic. Sidestep the consensus here and the math punishes your rank before kick-off.

Fernandes and Gabriel: the institutional picks

Bruno Fernandes sits in 48.8 per cent of squads — the most-owned midfielder — and the data explains why without romanticising loyalty. Under Michael Carrick from Gameweek 22 last season, the Portuguese racked up 129 points at 7.6 per match, scoring or assisting in 14 of 17 outings and producing eight of his 12 double-figure hauls in that window. Back-to-back opening matches against promoted Hull City and Ipswich hand him a clean shot at poaching the armband before Haaland's fixtures settle.

Gabriel is the cheaper pick with the cleanest audit trail. The Arsenal centre-back's 209-point return in 2025/26 — third-highest by a defender in Fantasy history — came from 18 clean sheets plus three goals and five assists, with 22 defensive contribution points against the 30 combined for the rest of Arsenal's back line. He blanked in only six of 30 starts, and his 7.0 points per start at home and 6.8 away matched Haaland and Fernandes across the season. The Scout's instruction is simple: own him, don't armband him.

Joao Pedro: the speculative line item

This is where the Scout's pragmatism meets a calculated punt. A hat-trick and an assist in Xabi Alonso's first pre-season match in charge of Chelsea has pushed the Brazilian past 50 per cent ownership — 25 per cent higher than any forward other than Haaland, and enough to overtake Fernandes as the second most-selected player in Fantasy. The logic is obvious: he pairs with the City striker as a forward doublestack. The risk is just as visible. Joao Pedro blanked in 17 of his 31 starts last season, and his minutes under a new head coach remain an open variable. Run the Wildcard early and he's the line item built to absorb that volatility.

Anyone who's studied how the best TV series finales are constructed knows the smart calls happen long before the climax. Gameweek 1 works the same way — these four picks are your opening architecture, not your late-season punt.