Who to pick, who to avoid - your team's FPL assets analysed

Retold by Oddsrama · 14 August 2026

Fantasy Premier League managers have just days to finalise their squads before the season kicks off on Friday, 21 August. BBC Sport's expert panel—Pras, FPL Heisenberg, Gianni Buttice and Holly Shand—have ranked each of the 20 Premier League clubs' key Fantasy assets to help you make the right calls. Their framework is straightforward: identify the talisman (must-own star player), spot a differential (underowned gem with upside), and flag who to skip.

Arsenal's Gabriel stands out as the obvious premium defender pick at £8m after finishing last season as the league's top-scoring defender on 209 points. The Brazilian centre-back anchors the champions' iron-clad backline and remains essential if you have the cash. For a cheaper route into Arsenal's defence, Ben White at £5.5m offers both attacking thrust and realistic playing time while Jurrien Timber recovers from injury—a smart short-term play. Avoid new signing Christos Tzolis; despite pre-season goals, Arteta's rotation at left wing and the club's continued shopping in that position make consistent minutes unlikely. Across the midlands, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has dropped £1m in price and becomes their focal point following Morgan Rogers' Chelsea move—expect 16+ goal hauls annually, and he's now the penalty taker too. Matty Cash is a bargain at £4.5m: just 8% ownership, six goal involvements last season, and Villa's defence was rock-solid with nine clean sheets.

Bournemouth's Marcus Tavernier emerges as their chief creator at £6m with 11 attacking returns last season. Left-back Adrien Truffert at £5.5m is a steal at only 5% owned—he scored the second-most FPL points for the Cherries and ghosted into dangerous positions regularly. Skip Evanilson; at £6m, too many superior strikers exist at that price. Finally, Brentford's Igor Thiago is their undisputed talisman after netting 22 league goals and racking 181 FPL points, though his £8m tag reflects significant price inflation. Dango Ouattara offers Brentford's best differential value at £6.5m—quick average points per start and multiple double-figure hauls last term suggest he's primed for a breakout season.

Based on original reporting by BBC Football. Read the original at bbc.co.uk →

#Fantasy Premier League#Arsenal#Aston Villa#Bournemouth

Who to pick, who to avoid - your team's FPL assets analysed

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