Our team previews for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2026/27 continue with a focus on Fulham.
Here, we discuss their best FPL picks for the upcoming campaign, predict the line-up for Gameweek 1, review pre-season, detail their set-piece takers, assess the summer transfer activity and more.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
FRESH IDEAS
Alvaro Arbeloa, the newly appointed head coach of Fulham, should bring some much-needed fresh ideas to Craven Cottage.
With a clear intent to play attacking football and provide opportunities for young players, the proposed adjustments sound pretty good, at least in theory.
Marco Silva did a decent job at Fulham, with finishes of 11th, 11th, 13th and 10th in his four Premier League seasons in charge, but it was still probably the right time for a change.
A fluid, possession-based approach under Arbeloa, likely in a 4-3-3 formation, could work well for Fulham’s Fantasy assets, then.
A SUPERB RUN OF FIXTURES AFTER THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BREAK
Fulham will face local rivals Chelsea in their first match of the 2026/27 season.
A potentially tricky run follows, too, with Sunderland (a), Crystal Palace (h), Liverpool (a) and Manchester United (h) to come before the first international break.
But after that, Fulham have a superb three-match run, as they face all three of the promoted teams in succession:
Fulham could face difficulties early on, as they have to navigate a tricky schedule whilst adjusting to Arbeloa’s methods.
However, the above sequence should allow them to put some points on the board and relieve any early pressure on the Spaniard.
REASONS TO BE FEARFUL
REPLACING THE GOALS
This summer, Fulham have lost their two top goalscorers from 2025/26: Harry Wilson (£6.5m) and Raul Jimenez.
The pair accounted for just over 40% of the Cottagers’ Premier League goals last season, with 10 and nine respectively:
After Raul’s departure, Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m) and new arrival Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) are Fulham’s two main strikers, but the latter represents a significant gamble, given his age and the fact he is new to English football.
ARBELOA’S INEXPERIENCE
Arbeloa doesn’t have much experience in the hot seat.
Although he has spent some time with Real Madrid’s youth and reserve teams, he’s only had six months as a head coach.
How will Arbeloa handle a poor run of form, potentially in the first few weeks, given the fixtures, and is he a decent man-manager?
Time will tell, but it’s a clear concern as we head into the 2026/27 season, especially since Fulham perhaps don’t have the players to implement his attacking approach.
FULHAM: PRE-SEASON FPL REPORTS
| Jul 25 | Fulham 0-2 Norwich City (n) |
| Jul 28 | Fulham 1-1 Al-Ahli Saudi FC (n) | Sessegnon (Iwobi assist) |
| Aug 1 | Farense 1-2 Fulham (a) | Iwobi pen (Smith Rowe assist), Muniz pen (King assist) |
| Aug 7 | Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace (n) | Robinson (Bobb assist) |
| Aug 12 | Malaga 2-2 Fulham | Sessegnon (Castagne assist), Iwobi (Castagne assist) |
| Aug 15 | Fulham 1-0 Stuttgart (h) | Castagne (Iwobi assist) |
Form Players: Iwobi (2 goals, 2 assists), Castagne (1 goal, 2 assists), Sessegnon (2 goals)
FULHAM: SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY
Key Transfers In:
| FWD | Jonah Kusi-Asare | Bayern Munich (£5.2m) |
| FWD | Gonzalo Garcia | Real Madrid (£34.2m) |
| MID | César Palacios | Real Madrid (£8.6m) |
| MID | Shea Charles | Southampton (£30m) |
Key Transfers Out:
| MID | Harry Wilson | Leeds United (free) |
| FWD | Raul Jimenez | Wolverhampton Wanderers (free) |
| DEF | Issa Diop | Ipswich Town (£8.5m) |
| MID | Sasa Lukic | Ipswich Town (£9m) |
Wilson and Jimenez have, effectively, been replaced by attacking midfielder Cesar Palacios (£5.5m) and striker Garcia.
It’s a big gamble, with both youngsters short of much first-team experience. Palacios, indeed, has never started a competitive senior match.
They’ve both featured heavily in pre-season since reuniting with their old boss in west London, and at least one, possibly both, looks set to start in Gameweek 1.
As for the centre of midfield, the Cottagers have effectively replaced the Ipswich-bound Sasa Lukic (£5.0m) with Shea Charles (£5.0m). Charles wasn’t far off the required mark for DefCons per 90 minutes (11.3) in the Championship last season, but first has to crack the Fulham starting XI.
Jonah Kusi-Asare (£4.5m), third in line up top, has made his loan move permanent.
OPENING FIXTURES
As mentioned earlier, it’s the triple-header in Gameweeks 6-8 that whets the appetite. Fulham are the first team to play all three promoted clubs, and they do it all in a row.
Given the mostly tricky tests that precede this run, most FPL managers will be on a watching brief to see how a young-looking Cottagers side are faring under their equally inexperienced boss.
Gameweek 6 being a popular window for Wildcards will no doubt help swell the ownership figures.
PENALTY + SET-PIECE TAKERS
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