After we Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers were teased with just a handful of price reveals, Monday’s game launch allows us to pore over all 650+ players in the price list.
In our position-by-position guides, we’ll analyse the leading players fighting to make managers’ opening squads.
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We start, slightly randomly, with the best forwards priced between £6.0m and £7.0m.
OVERVIEW
This bracket treated us to some exceptional 2024/25 options.
Chris Wood (£7.5m) and Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) ended in the overall top eight, securing 200 and 185 points respectively. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) was slightly behind but accumulated the fourth-most goal attempts (110).
At the time of writing, there are 15 players now within this price range. None of them are Wissa, Wood or Cunha, of course.
Of those, several are being repeatedly linked with transfers elsewhere and a couple can’t feature in Gameweek 1.
But four names (and one maverick pick!) immediately stand out as interesting enablers, allowing managers to splash out on others.
Evanilson (£7.0m)
Although Bournemouth’s defence has been decimated, all their high-performing attackers are currently still there.
These are the same ones that helped Andoni Iraola’s Cherries rank fourth for attempts (581), penalty area shots (391) and efforts on target (199).
While Antoine Semenyo (£7.0m) loved to shoot and Justin Kluivert (£7.0m) took their penalties, Evanilson bettered both when it came to big chances (23) and expected goals (xG, 12.46).
Indeed, that xG tally is the best of any forward in this article.
Likely free from rotation worries, the Brazilian bagged a solid 10 goals and five assists from 31 appearances.
And fixtures quickly improve after a nasty trip to champions Liverpool
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.5m)
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One side looking over their shoulders is Wolves, after selling both Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£6.0m). Even with the pair, they finished down in 16th, as the worst surviving team for big chances (70) and box shots (268).
Yet amongst all that was Jorgen Strand Larsen‘s impressive first season in England. A total of 18 attacking returns may have overachieved his expected goal involvement (xGI) by +6.69, but that final stretch of nine outings brought in seven strikes and two assists.
Admittedly, the opening-day fixture don’t inspire confidence, versus Man City. But our ‘jump on, jump off’ article recommends picking Wolves assets between Gameweeks 3 and 9. Given that Bournemouth are in a state of upheaval at the back, perhaps he’s also an option from Gameweek 2.
Interestingly, Vitor Pereira’s lot were the only team not to have a penalty last season, so we don’t know who’ll take them.
Cunha’s departure and the rarity of Hwang Hee-chan (£6.0m) starts could gift them to Strand Larsen.
Danny Welbeck (£6.5m)
Down on the south coast, Brighton ended 2024/25 joint-fifth for goals (66) and big chances (110). They were outright fifth for shots on target (190). Yet, none of their squad exceeded 145 FPL points.
Veteran forward Danny Welbeck netted six times in the first nine Gameweeks, an amount he hadn’t exceeded since 2013/14. An injury meant it took until Gameweek 27 for him to reach seven, though he was able to end as the Seagulls’ top player for shots (60).
Ageing like a fine wine, this was the 34-year-old’s best FPL campaign for goals, points and minutes on the pitch.
He should begin proceedings as Fabian Hurzeler’s favoured forward now that Joao Pedro and Evan Ferguson have gone.
Instead, young Greek pair Charalampos Kostoulas (£5.0m) and Stefanos Tzimas (£5.5m) are his threats. While those two rookies settle in, the veteran striker should be up top in the Seagulls’ opening run of games:
He may also inherit spot-kick duties, too, now that Pedro is gone.
Thierno Barry (£6.0m)
Thierno Barry‘s hold-up play and target man profile has the potential to be a good match for Everton, who remain a side with a penchant for crosses, long balls and through balls.
His underlying numbers were a decent match for Strand Larsen and Evanilson last season, as was his goal tally (11).
That came from just 25 starts and 10 sub appearances, so he was rattling along at a decent rate.
Barry and Everton have a decent run over the opening seven Gameweeks.
Before we get to that point, we need to ensure the summer signing is going to start over Beto (£5.5m).
Barry’s positional rival may have some credit left in the bank after a storming start to David Moyes’ tenure, although two goals in his final 12 appearances of 2024/25 perhaps showed him regressing to the mean. Some team-wide pre-season struggles in front of goal may hasten Barry’s promotion to the starting XI.
Igor Thiago (£6.0m)
Option number five is a bit left-field, especially when Brentford have already lost their manager, goalkeeper, captain and top goalscorer and could part ways with another star attacker.
Igor Thiago remains the Bees’ record signing, having arrived as the Ivan Toney replacement last summer. Yet we couldn’t amass much information on him due to a big injury picked up in a friendly against AFC Wimbledon, then another knee problem that kept him out until a few closing cameos.
So we’ll need to refer to last July’s Scout Report to see why these usually smart buyers forked out £30m.
The Brazilian gathered 29 goals in all Club Brugge’s 2023/24 competitions, is strong and good at link-up play.
He scored twice in his impressive (non-competitive) debut for the Bees, too, before injury struck.
Much may depend on if Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) stays. If not, Thiago enters this refreshed game as a legitimate FPL option.
According to our Fixture Ticker, Brentford’s first half-dozen encounters are the second-most attractive.
THE OTHERS
As mentioned, the other available individuals in this price bracket have question marks of various sizes against their names.
| Player | Price | Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Jesus | £6.5m | ARS | Picked up a long-term knee injury in January |
| Nicolas Jackson | £6.5m | CHE | Suspended in Gameweek 1 |
| Liam Delap | £6.5m | CHE | Tussling for game-time with at least Joao Pedro |
| Raul Jimenez | £6.5m | FUL | First-choice penalty taker but advancing in years |
| Darwin Nunez | £6.5m | LIV | Linked with a departure |
| Rasmus Hojlund | £6.5m | MUN | Linked with a departure |
| Richarlison | £6.5m | TOT | Linked with a departure |
| Joshua Zirkzee | £6.0m | MUN | Couldn’t nail down regular starts last season |
| Igor Jesus | £6.0m | NFO | Likely back-up to Chris Wood initially |
| Niclas Fullkrug | £6.0m | WHU | Potential strike partner for Jarrod Bowen |
Gabriel Jesus (£6.5m) won’t be back from injury until October-ish. Nicolas Jackson (£6.5m) is banned on the opening weekend and rumoured to be moving clubs, with Darwin Nunez (£6.5m), Rasmus Hojlund (£6.5m) and Richarlison (£6.5m) also potentially set to be jettisoned by their respective teams.
Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee (£6.0m) had two of the worst minutes-per-chance averages (M/C, below) among FPL forwards last season. Even if the supply line improves from Messrs Cunha and Mbeumo, neither forward looks capable of regularly turning chances into goals.
Elsewhere, while highly rated, Igor Jesus (£6.0m) will likely start as Wood’s backup at Nottingham Forest.
Unlike Jesus, Niclas Fullkrug (£6.0m) could be in his club’s starting XI from the off. He flopped last season due to injuries and a lack of starts but when he did make the side, he was a handful.
His name appears on the above hall of statistical shame, too, however, and Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) was shooting with not far off twice as much regularity.
Which brings us to our remaining 12-goal twosome: Liam Delap (£6.5m) and Raul Jimenez (£6.5m).
Were we to have written this article after the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup, Delap would have had his own section.
However, just when FPL managers were pencilling the England under-21 international in for Gameweek 1 – knowing Jackson is suspended – Joao Pedro (£7.5m) also decided to sign for the west Londoners. That’s a problem.
Starting over Delap in the Club World Cup semis and final, Pedro began his Blues career in style with three goals. Now, despite Jackson’s suspension and possible exit, bench duty may beckon for Delap.
Chelsea also have Champions League football from Gameweek 4 onwards, allowing Enzo Maresca to utilise his large squad. It’s a headache we can probably do without.
Finally, Jimenez, fresh from his best goal tally (12) and points haul (147) since 2019/20. Marco Silva clearly loves him, and he’s on penalties for the Cottagers. There’s also talk that positional rival Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m) could be lured away but even if that’s the case, Silva will surely recruit up top. Jimenez is now 34, so you wonder whether he has another full season of line-leading in him.
Regardless, the fixtures are iffy for the opening nine Gameweeks:
