How we begin the FPL season is vitally important to achieving a good finishing rank & overcoming our mini-league rivals for top spot. The key to this is breaking down the first six fixtures. Who has the best, worst & the most underrated that your rivals won’t even consider. After extensive research, let me take you on the journey of why fixtures are king in FPL and what teams we should be focusing on, even if they’re well and truly under the radar.

You can also follow our Fantasy Premier League Football Tips throughout the season for gameweekly 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.

🗒️ Why Have a Plan at All?

Everyone plays FPL differently, but as it's becoming far more popular and competitive, planning ahead is becoming a must. A well-thought-out plan affords us the freedom to make the right moves at the right time.

This 2025/26 season sees the most changes in FPL since its inception, and with it comes a degree of the unknown. I’ve profiled every single team's opening six fixtures, so let’s cover the two main strategies I have devised, and what I think is the optimal play to start your squad off with.

🗝️ Key Considerations

• Fixtures are King – Target the bottom 5 sides, especially those newly promoted 

• Plan for the duration – Make sure there are some weaker teams to play

• Ensure flexibility – Ensures player swaps without taking hits

• Attack & defence are separate  –  It is still beneficial to own a player from a poor side

I have considered the main factors above, and you should too when planning any strategy, using a chip or even a simple free transfer. Now the exciting part….

🅰️ Plan A - The Long Term

Pros 

• Solid Foundation

• Reduced need for early FT’s

• Flexibility to swap players

• Less risk
  

Cons

• Increased ‘template’ team

• Tied to a 6GW plan

This may seem boring, but FPL is often far from it! Setting up for six fixtures in a unique season could be the right play and our team below reflects that. With new defensive contribution(DC) points on offer, we don’t really know how this will affect our teams and players within it. The full term plan (max 6 games) would allow us to react rapidly & carry out changes without compromising our squad effectiveness. The table below is set up for the first 6GWs & there aren’t many quality sides near the top.

Chelsea have favourable fixtures, as do the solid Nottingham Forest & Brentford; you need at least one player from each of these sides. Aston Villa and Man City are also near the top of the ticker, but apart from the likes of Watkins & Ait Nouri being discussed, most players from these sides are going under the radar, providing us with a great opportunity to select high-value differentials.

Talking of differentials, Sunderland are top of the ticker, so if you need cheap enablers in your squad, the black cats look good to target. The likes of Newcastle, Arsenal & Man Utd have the least favourable, but big clubs can perform well against anyone, so leave them out at your peril. Below is a squad to reflect this strategy.

A solid concoction of premium players in VVD & Milenkovic, supported by what I think is immense value for money in VDV, Pinnock and the under rated Rodon, with a great opening fixture. A stacked midfield with big guns Bruno, Palmer, Wirtz & Saka. The only obvious omission is the king of FPL Mo Salah, which is likely to change if I’m honest as the FOMO is just to much to bear. Pedro is a lock with Chelsea’s prime opening games as is Watkins, but with Sesko & Gyokeres now in the league, it’s hard not to play a front three. Yes I agree, this isn’t the top squad bursting with all the household names, but they can’t all score highly every single week and we can’t fit them in with our budget anyway, try as we might.  

🅱️ Plan B - The Short Term

Pros 

• Best players in both opening 2 GWs

• Greater chance of rank boost

• Easily transfer players in/out

• Not tied to a plan if changes are required

• Ability to aggressively attack the game

Cons

• Increased risk

• Use two chips early on

• Bench Boost GW1 is hard to predict

Key– GW1 = Bench Boost, GW2 = Wildcard, GW6 Alternative Wildcard or BB

Definitely the more exciting route, but one fraught with high risk, though potentially offering a high reward. Bench Boost GW1 negates the issue of trying to line your team up for chip usage midseason & Wildcard effectively lets you analyse all the players before you plan for the medium to long term. GW6 is also a viable option for either chip. The fixture swing of many top teams in GW2 is the perfect time to Wildcard after using Bench Boost, but with that comes the pressure for both chips to score highly at the beginning of a unique season. We have also seen a more active transfer market for most teams, so I fear this could be a tough ask.

Quite a different side altogether, I’m sure you can agree. Man City are tripled up on, and Spurs, West Ham, Brighton, and Chelsea all have two assets included. It is very different but still filled with proven Premier League players. With so many assets from the same team in the squad, if one or two fixtures go our way, the gamble pays off, but if it swings the other way…then let’s just say it's lucky we have 2x Wildcards to use this season. It will be exciting to watch, especially with the likes of attacking defenders in Diouf & De Cuyper, that’s for certain. The balance throughout the team doesn’t seem compromised, so that’s another plus.

Top Tip – If it all goes wrong, whatever strategy you land on, just remember that’s certainly not your season over and there is always an opportunity to take advantage of. When it seems the ‘chips are down’ shall we say, I promise you, it's not. FPL is like a jigsaw; in fact we never have all the right pieces, but we can only make the best decision with the information available at the time. If you stick to that principle, you won't go far wrong and rank highly this season.

📖 Veterans Strategy

For me, currently, I will be playing option A. It's hard to resist the temptation to go for it in the opening GW, and though it has worked in the past, I think this season is like no other. I will still have a differential or two in my opening team, but the risk will be a calculated one backed by form, fixtures, and the trusted attributes of teams, i.e. Liverpool defence at Home. Whichever way you proceed, just ensure you go with your gut and trust your instincts. There is nothing worse than backing a player all the way up to the deadline, then taking him out to mirror other teams. Lastly, have fun and enjoy the journey… after all, that’s the basis of why we play the game.

Conclusion

Good luck & be sure to visit X for my final confirmed team & updated strategy, ahead of the GW1 deadline. Look out for my special articles and follow me on X @FplVeteran_ for daily fantasy football content.