In this article, five-time top 1k finisher Tom Freeman shares his Fantasy Premier League (FPL) tips ahead of the 2026/27 season.
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1. PLAY YOUR OWN GAME
Firstly, I’d say ‘play your own game’.
In the early weeks, player recommendations are often short-sighted. They probably won’t consider your chip strategy, either.
So, try to avoid getting drawn into FOMO, whilst always keeping your own team’s approach firmly in mind.
2. HAVE A PLAN…
Planning is always key in FPL, especially after the introduction of ‘double chips’ in 2025/26.
Now is the time to lock in that early chip strategy, which will then help narrow down your pool of viable player picks.
For example, if you are on a Bench Boost 2 approach, you’ll likely own a £4.0m Coventry City defender for their home encounter with Hull City, so that’s one slot sorted.
Alternatively, if you intend to Wildcard in Gameweek 4, you could potentially steer clear of Chelsea assets initially.
3. … BUT DON’T LOOK TOO FAR AHEAD
But this season, I’m not looking too far ahead with my planning.
Gameweeks 1-3 are my primary focus, but the maximum I’d look at is the first five Gameweeks, given the three-week international break that follows.
In the past, I’ve always had a much longer outlook. However, a good start in FPL feels more important than ever nowadays, given how competitive it is.
4. ROLL TRANSFERS WHEN YOU CAN
Having transfers banked can be a real advantage, as it gives you added flexibility.
Just because you have a transfer, it doesn’t mean you have to use it, so I’d try and accumulate as many as you realistically can as quickly as possible.
At the start, I’d try not to pencil future transfers in either; it rarely goes to plan.
5. AVOID MINUTES RISKS
There are loads of really tempting picks for Gameweek 1, but try and limit the amount of minutes risks in your team.
Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) is in fine pre-season form for Arsenal, with one goal and four assists in four friendly matches. He subsequently looks well placed to start against Coventry next Friday, and could do very well. Beyond that, however, there is quite a bit of uncertainty, especially with a tricky trip to Villa Park in Gameweek 2 and the transfer window still open.
If you choose to take a punt on Tzolis, I think that’s fine, but I’d pair him with players like Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m), who are reliable starters with solid xMins.
While taking calculated punts is important in FPL, overloading your squad with too many risky picks initially will likely cause problems further down the line, i.e. forced transfers or a Wildcard.
This also applies to players who are late back from the World Cup. If they don’t get sufficient playing time ahead of Gameweek 1, either in a pre-season friendly or the Community Shield, I’d avoid them.
6. INFORMATION IS KEY
Soaking up as much information as possible each week is really important.
Watch games, read the post-match analysis/interviews just to check if there are angles you might have overlooked, and certainly keep up to date with all the team news – a lot can change over the course of a week, particularly when there’s midweek football on.
The later you make a transfer, the more information you have.
Although it’s tempting to act quickly when a price change is imminent, in most cases, it’s probably better to ride it out.
7. PAY ATTENTION TO PRE-SEASON
In pre-season, I think we can learn a lot about teams/managers.
It’s not about the results, nor the players really, but it can offer valuable insights into how each manager plans to set up.
It could be especially important this season, given the influx of new head coaches.
Already in pre-season, we’ve seen Enzo Maresca start to build a system that focuses on wingers, with Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m) one of the standout performers.
Andoni Iraola’s 4-2-3-1 should accommodate Florian Wirtz (£7.5m) as a No 10.
Xabi Alonso, on the other hand, played with wing-backs in a back three over the weekend, a system he successfully used to secure the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. Additionally, they netted two goals from corners after the appointment of new set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, so his methods could have an immediate impact.
8. LOOK FOR FIXTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Sit down, look at the Fixture Ticker and identify when teams are worth investing in.
Manchester United and Liverpool both have decent early runs, but further down the line, Chelsea kick off a really nice sequence of fixtures in Gameweek 4:
Beyond that, Fulham face the three newly-promoted teams in succession from Gameweek 6.
Bournemouth’s run in Gameweeks 9-15 could be the time to pounce on their assets, too:
9. KNOW YOUR SET-PIECE/PENALTY TAKERS
Set-pieces are more important than ever now, so understanding which players are taking corners and free-kicks is crucial.
It’s one of the reasons why Szoboszlai is so popular right now, with four of his six goals in 2025/26 from direct free-kicks.
Penalty takers carry even more appeal, so monitoring early developments and reacting to them could be key.
- READ MORE: FPL 2026/27: Premier League Set-Piece Takers
10. DEFCON PROJECTIONS
Finally, a quick work on defensive contributions (DefCon), and the fact that last season’s output isn’t necessarily a projection of future DefCons.
Marcos Senesi (£6.0m), for example, was the number one defender for DefCon points in 2025/26.
He’s subsequently risen to £6.0m, but has since switched clubs to Tottenham Hotspur, a different team with different tactics.
Many Fantasy bosses underestimate just how much will actually change this season, especially with so much manager upheaval, which could create opportunities to find value in the early weeks.
