In this article, we delve into the players to buy and avoid for the beginning of the season.

It’s so easy to overlook and miss a critical inclusion your squad doesn’t have but your rivals do. I’ve meticulously researched to give you all the critical info in bite-sized chunks, so you can make the best decision while most importantly, saving time. Let’s start building that winning squad!

You can also follow our Fantasy Premier League Football Tips throughout the season for weekly insights and opinions.

The 25/26 season is on its way, and our experts will begin to roll out their Premier League Predictions soon, so now is the perfect time to get involved. We will remain across all the action on the continent, the EFL, and in Scotland in our various Football Betting Tips & Predictions, with fresh tips available here on Andy's Bet Club every day.

✅ Players to Buy

🧤 GK: Robert Sanchez, Chelsea (£5.0m, 15%)

After a sensational Club World Club final performance against PSG & a solid preseason, it's looking like I will start the season with him. Even though at times last season he was at fault for a number of goals and struggled to play the way Chelsea wanted, he still kept 10 clean sheets.

They will improve their finishing position for the 25/26 season, and that means more clean sheets and(most importantly)more points for Sanchez. A fantastic opening five fixtures will see his ownership increase sharply before the start of the season, and though £5.0m seems expensive, he’s the perfect, solid selection for our teams.

An interesting fact I came across while researching is that Chelsea play all their opening four games inside London. Though on this surface this may not look important, the stability and reduced travel time in particularly at the beginning of the season this cannot be underestimated. I’ll be starting the season with him, will you?

🛑 DEF Virgil Van Dijk - Liverpool (£6.0m, 22%)

Solid as a rock! VVD needs no introduction to why he’s our Gem defender pick & first name on our team sheet. 37 starts, 14 clean sheets, 3 goals, 1 assist & potentially an extra 2 points per match for Defensive Contributions(DC); need I say more? 3.9 points per match last season, in the current best team in the league, so I expect this number to increase.

Again, fixtures are king in FPL, and though Liverpool do have Newcastle and Arsenal in the first three, a closer look provides a brighter view than first thought. Two of them are home games, Newcastle haven’t kept a clean sheet in preseason(4 games) & half of Arsenal’s defence hasn’t played yet due to injury(Gabriel). If they can navigate that well, Burnley, Everton, Brentford & the next 10 games look a breeze. We don’t have to worry about replacing him and can use those free transfers for more aggressive moves. Possibly even a surprise captaincy contender.

🤝 MID Cole Palmer, Chelsea (£10.5m, 52.5%)

Our second Chelsea player sees ice-cold Cole Palmer drafted in. Considering the poor second half of the season he had, 15 goals, 10 assists, and 10 clean sheets surpassed most midfielders for 24/25. Some managers lost faith in him, but an excellent preseason, perfect opening fixtures, and a viable alternative to no Haaland or Salah teams, Palmer is another locked player in my team.

We have to remember he’s most likely to improve again this year; the guy is only 23. A great captaincy option for GW1 & 2 that, quite honestly, you shouldn’t go without. Whatever your final squad selection and strategy is..just ensure Cole Palmer is in it.

🎯 FWD Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa (£9.0m, 13%)

Now, to round off our solid Gem picks, up next is Mr dependable. Year in, year out, Ollie Watkins delivers consistently, scoring over 15 goals for the last three seasons and even scoring more FPL points than the robot, Erling Haaland, last season. With not much option in the forwards category, Watkins is again that solid pick to start the season with, and due to his price of £9m being in the low premium bracket, you can easily manoeuvre to a different option if required.

This season, due to more free transfers on offer, more managers should hop on and off players depending on form and fixture, so this flexibility shouldn’t be downplayed. Aston Villa have arguably the best opening 9 fixtures, and he will score well in this period. Hopefully, he racks up plenty of goals and points to start our season off to a banger. Another lock for me, and can’t I see him leaving my team all season?

💎 Gem Pick – Consider Corner

Bruno Fernandes has been smashing preseason and should do well in a much-improved Man Utd side. Milenkovic isn’t far behind VVD for top defender pick, Joao Pedro is one to watch if he starts for Chelsea, and goalkeeper-wise & Sels is the default pick. I will keep adding players to my watchlist and narrow down as we get closer to deadline day.

❌ Players to Avoid

🧤 GK Jordan Pickford, Everton (£5.5m, 12.5%)

Yes, team, you are reading it correctly, I am saying avoid the top-scoring goalkeeper for the past two seasons. Now I’m not just saying this to improve clicks and views, I don’t see him being anywhere near his points of previous seasons.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, Everton are just overall a poor team & have not recruited any players of worth yet for their aging squad & secondly, the main axis of points for Jordan last season was clean sheets; and I don’t see this metric repeating anywhere close. With a paper-thin squad, their two main centre backs have not even played together in preseason yet!

Everton assets used to be highly selected due to their cheap price, but now they are premium assets, you expect premium returns, and for me, this isn’t likely. I foresee them conceding many more goals, keeping fewer clean sheets, and ultimately, Pickford will become a player who is rapidly transferred out.

🤝 MID, Mohammed Kudus, Tottenham (£6.5m, 26%)

Uncertainty is a rank killer. After his big-money move from West Ham, over the past few weeks, I have seen Kudus creep into a fair number of teams, even mine at one point. 0.33 expected goals per involvement per game(xGI) will see an increase at a new look Spurs side, but with more players on offer due to the Defence Contributions(DC) and players offering better attacking returns, I think Kudus will be a trap that some FPL managers fall into.

Now, due to the UEFA Super Cup taking place a few days before the opening weekend of the season, we will have more information before we finalise our teams and possibly give you the security in his selection you needed, but beware. If he plays 90 mins, he is then at risk of rotation for GW1, and we don’t want that. As the season progresses, he might emerge as a good asset to own, but for now, stay well clear.

🎯 FWD, Dominic Solanke, Tottenham (£7.5m, 13.6%)

As usual, he is injured! Before his move to Tottenham, Solanke played the vast majority of games for Bournemouth, but since then, he has spent much more time on the treatment table. I could have picked a few forwards for this list, due to either transfer speculation(Isak) or playing status(Welbeck), but they have at least have better chance of points than Solanke currently. 9 goals & 3 assists in 27 isn’t exactly overwhelming stats either, so he’s definitely one to consider, but not in your final squad.

With the legend Son Heung-Min departing for the US, perhaps adding penalties will see me consider him, but I don’t want to start the season with a headache, so he’s out for me. Sure, I will be looking to bring him in at some point, but only when I’m 110% sure he starts.

💎 Gem Pick – Consider Corner

Wait to see if the Isak saga is resolved, if not he is an expensive asset to have just sit on the bench, don’t consider James Maddison anymore as it looks likely he has pinged his ACL, stay clear of the expensive Everton defenders as they are not value for money and Trafford’s recent move to Man City makes him a non-option in FPL currently.

🔎 Veteran’s Value

Honestly, don’t worry too much about who’s currently in your squad, as more than likely, the majority of it changes. Over the next two weeks, before the FPL deadline, start to compile a list of players for your ‘watchlist’ that you would like to include. Then sit back, relax, keep up to date with preseason specials on the page & we will finalise our winning teams…this is our year!

Conclusion

For my FPL insights/analysis throughout the 2025-2026 season, follow me on X @FplVeteran_ for daily fantasy football content. Look forward to our next preseason article ‘FPL first 6 GW Strategy’