The international break has provided us with an opportunity to reflect on the biggest Fantasy Premier League (FPL) let-downs of the 2025/26 season so far.

Our rather unscientific approach evaluates factors such as overall score and points per match, in addition to cost and reputation/expectations coming into the season.

Let us know what you think in the comments – are there any glaring omissions, or have we included anyone unfairly?

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THE BIGGEST FPL LET-DOWNS XI OF 2025/26

GOALKEEPER: MATZ SELS

It has proved a tricky start to the season for Nottingham Forest under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou, with their performances coming in for regular criticism. Remember, Forest ranked fourth on our Season Ticker for fixture difficulty in Gameweeks 1-6:

Matz Sels (£4.9m), meanwhile, entered the new campaign as the joint-winner of the Golden Glove, having kept 13 clean sheets in the 2024/25 season. Five of Forest’s seven pre-season friendlies ended 0-0, too! However, Sels has produced just 15 points so far, fewer than 12 other goalkeepers, having failed to keep a single clean sheet in seven attempts. Furthermore, only one goalkeeper – Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) – has a higher total of goals conceded than his 12.

DEFENDERS: AARON WAN-BISSAKA, MURILLO, MILOS KERKEZ, ANTONEE ROBINSON

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m) feels like a good place to start in this section of our coverage. After a very decent debut season in east London, where he provided five assists in 17 matches following the arrival of Graham Potter, his ownership surged beyond 30% in pre-season. Nevertheless, he performed particularly poorly against Sunderland (0-3) and Chelsea (1-5) before he was eventually dropped and replaced by Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.4m) in the West Ham United XI. Nuno did reinstate him after his injury in Gameweek 7, however.

In truth, this position could be filled by either of Nottingham Forest’s centre-backs; however, we have opted for Murillo (£5.4m). The Brazilian failed to keep a clean sheet in any of his first four appearances, earning defensive contribution (DefCon) points in only one match, which coincidentally was when many of us had him on the bench (away at Arsenal in Gameweek 4). Remember, Murillo would have theoretically racked up 38 DefCon points last season, the joint-third highest tally of any defender! He then sustained an injury and subsequently missed the two matches we all acquired him for – Burnley (a) and Sunderland (h).

Above: Murillo’s defensive contributions (Tot) sorted by Gameweek in 2025/26

Milos Kerkez (£5.8m) has had a tricky start to his Liverpool career after joining from Bournemouth in the summer. He has been a starter in every league match for Arne Slot’s team; however, he has been substituted before the 60-minute mark on three separate occasions, averaging just 1.9 points per match across the first seven Gameweeks. Kerkez’s performances earned him a place in last season’s PFA Team of the Year, but it’s been a steep learning curve for him at Anfield thus far.

Antonee Robinson (£5.0m) is our fourth and final defender. A bit harsh, perhaps? The Fulham left-back registered 10 assists last season, the most of any FPL defender. He would have also been the top full-back for DefCon points in 2024/25. However, he spent the summer rehabilitating his knee and has missed a portion of the new campaign, playing only 61 minutes of Premier League football. He did complete the entire match against Cambridge United in the Carabao Cup, but it is clear he is not yet at full fitness. His replacement, Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m), scored against Bournemouth in Gameweek 7.

“Playing up at Fulham, obviously the gaffer knows that I’m not 100% myself yet, but even if that’s the case, he still sees me as a useful tool at some points. Sess has been doing really well, so even when I get back to full fitness, it’s going to be difficult for me to get my place back in the team.” – Antonee Robinson

MIDFIELDERS: MORGAN ROGERS, FLORIAN WIRTZ, ANTHONY ELANGA, MATHEUS CUNHA

After a superb season in 2024/25, it’s fair to say that Morgan Rogers (£6.9m) has failed to live up to expectations thus far. The Aston Villa midfielder proved to be excellent value last time around, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists in 37 appearances, which resulted in a well-deserved price hike (£5.0m > £7.0m) and significant pre-season interest in FPL. However, several uninspired performances marked the start of the season, as Rogers failed to return in his first five matches, a period which saw him produce only 12 points. Just four shots and four chances created arrived in that spell, too, with his passing accuracy in the final-third particularly poor (68%). Inflicting further pain on his sellers, he has subsequently delivered back-to-back assists and scored for England on Thursday night.

Florian Wirtz (£8.1m), meanwhile, was the first name in our let-down XI. The German arrived in the Premier League with significant expectations and managed to provide an assist in the Community Shield. However, he has not scored or assisted in seven league matches since, suffering four price drops along the way. Additionally, he has been benched in recent matches against Chelsea and Everton, as he struggles to adapt to the intensity of English football. Things haven’t quite panned out as he might have hoped so far, resulting in his place in this let-down XI; however, Wirtz still has ample opportunity to alter the narrative by the end of the season.

Above: Liverpool midfielders sorted by FPL points in Gameweeks 1-7

Zero attacking returns in seven league appearances tells it’s own story regarding Anthony Elanga (£6.8m), who has been in and out of Eddie Howe’s team this season. The former Nottingham Forest man produced five goals and nine assists in the 2023/24 season. There were another six goals and 11 assists last season, too, yet Elanga’s challenges began this term when he was named on the bench in Gameweek 3 as Howe opted for a winger-less 5-3-2 formation at Elland Road. He’s since started just one league match, reserving his best performances for Europe.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s just about staying focused. I know how good I am and how good I can be. When I get the chance, I have to take it. When a goal comes in, it will click. It’s a new system, new players, and they’ll get comfortable with me and I with them. I’ve played ten games, I think I’ve started six. We’ll have 60 games this year, and the coach is smart and knows what he’s doing. The way we play takes a lot of strain on the body. It requires intensity. He tries to keep everyone fresh and ready. We’ve won games, that’s the most important thing.” – Anthony Elanga

It’s perhaps unfair to include him given that he’s experienced an injury, but with six blanks from six matches, Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) has essentially underwhelmed from a Fantasy perspective. He was even demoted to the bench for Manchester United’s clash with Sunderland last week, with Ruben Amorim instead preferring Mason Mount (£5.9m), who went on to score his first league goal of the season eight minutes into the fixture. Cunha has taken 15 shots this season without scoring, the most of any player except Eberechi Eze (£7.6m, 17).

FORWARDS: CHRIS WOOD, OLLIE WATKINS

Only Alexander Isak (£10.6m) had a better campaign than Chris Wood (£7.4m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) among Fantasy forwards last season.

Arguably the bargain of 2024/25, Wood initially cost just £6.0m in FPL, but netted 20 goals to finish on 200 points. As the main striker for Nottingham Forest, who also takes penalties, with Brentford, West Ham United, Burnley and Sunderland in the first six Gameweeks, Wood felt like a reliable choice to start the season with. His start was indeed promising, with a brace of goals in Gameweek 1, but his form has since declined, resulting in six successive blanks and only 12 FPL points. Substituted after 63 minutes at St James’ Park last week, it might be time for Postecoglou to drop Wood and task Igor Jesus (£5.8m) with leading the line.

As for Watkins, the opening schedule, along with a lack of competition up front at Aston Villa, contributed to his popularity in Gameweek 1. After five goals in pre-season, it felt like he was building momentum nicely, yet goals were an issue for Unai Emery’s side in the early weeks, as they failed to find the net in their opening four matches. Watkins has since had just a solitary goal involvement in a slow start to the 2025/26 season, with his ownership plummeting to 9.3%.

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