Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has launched for the 2026/27 season, so let the first draft team reveals begin!
This time, we hear from FPL Meerkat, who you can find here on X.
- READ MORE: FPL General’s first 2026/27 draft: 3-4-3 with Odegaard
- READ MORE: FPL Focal’s team reveal: 3-5-2 + double Arsenal defence
The 2026/27 FPL pre-season is well underway, and I’m getting stuck in with creating drafts. Changes will happen regularly, but so far my current team has a big difference to most…
NO DEFCON DEFENDERS?
I think FPL have done a fantastic job of pricing this season. Players such as James Tarkowski (£6.0m), Marcos Senesi (£6.0m) and Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m), who were easy picks last season due to the addition of defensive contribution (DefCon) points, have received huge price rises.
This has made fitting in these players a lot trickier. Especially with the two attacking standouts from last season, Erling Haaland (£15.5m) and Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m), being extremely expensive!
GOALKEEPERS
I’ve changed a lot between expensive set-and-forget keepers and rotation pairings over the years. However, this season I’m feeling pretty comfortable with Senne Lammens (£5.0m).
Manchester United boasted the third-lowest expected goals conceded (xGC) over the course of last season. They have some great opening fixtures, too. It makes Lammens a standout in the £5.0m bracket. I didn’t have enough funds for the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.5m) or David Raya (£6.0m), and I couldn’t find a £4.5m rotation pairing that I liked the look of long term.
My £4.0m goalkeeper could be anyone – hopefully a starter emerges. It’s currently Martin Dubravka, but he is never going to play, which might impact my Bench Boost later on.
DEFENDERS
I’ve prioritised team strength over DefCon potential in the defence.
Josko Gvardiol (£5.5m) and Cristhian Mosquera (£5.5m) speak for themselves. They are cheap ways into the two best defences in the league. Enzo Maresca has reportedly said he views Gvardiol as a “central pillar” to the team, hinting that his place looks nailed on. His attacking threat has been monstrous in previous seasons – even when not playing as a left-back he has scored from set pieces. Mosquera should be a regular starter with Willian Saliba (£6.0m) out long term, as long as Arsenal don’t sign another centre back.
Michael Kayode and Vitalii Mykolenko are two £4.5m defenders who will rotate in and out with each other. Kayode is the favoured one due to his attacking potential. Ideally, I would like players such as Nathan Collins (£5.5m) and Tarkowski, but the pricing makes them difficult to acquire in this strategy.
Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) is a short-term option for Coventry City’s Gameweek 2 fixture against Hull City, but he will sit on the bench most weeks. I also like Issa Diop (£4.0m), but for my current team, I prefer the fixtures Thomas gives me.
MIDFIELDERS
