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Adewale (The FPL Manual) provides a preview of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 1 with tips, best captain picks, and top selections for the weekly Fantasy Challenge.
Hello, RotoBallers! The wait is almost over, and a new season is upon us. The 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League is just a few hours away, and it's time to select your favorite fantasy assets. I hope you're all excited for a new season!
This season features intriguing new rules, extra chips, and the addition of "DefCon" points. The FPL Challenge is also back for its third season, and we'll be analyzing our top fantasy picks for each weekly task.
The Gameweek 1 deadline for the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season is Friday, August 15, at 1:30 p.m. ET, when Liverpool hosts AFC Bournemouth. Check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every EPL and UCL slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the leagues and cups tab, and enter the RotoBaller league code: 7xqqnf.
The best way to enjoy #FPL is to play with those closest to you 🫶
Personalise and share this with your friends and family to get them involved in your mini-league 📲 pic.twitter.com/z55KsOvkmQ
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 29, 2025
RotoBaller 2025-26 FPL Preseason Coverage
Whether it's your first, second, or 20th season playing Fantasy Premier League, don't miss our How to Play Fantasy Premier League Guide for the 2025-26 season.
In addition, we offer comprehensive FPL preseason coverage on the best defenders, midfielders, and forwards to have, as well as the latest FPL updates ahead of the new season. Feel free to look up these pieces on the website.
Fantasy Premier League: Best Gameweek 1 Tips
Target Liverpool and Tottenham assets
After clinching their 20th Premier League title in May, the Reds are now on track to defend their crown, starting with the opening game against Bournemouth this Friday.
Liverpool has made solid signings with Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez joining the team. The 2024-25 champions are emerging as an unstoppable force.
Meanwhile, its opponent, Bournemouth, lost Kepa Arrizabalaga to Arsenal and three key defenders to top teams across Europe. Although the Cherries have made some signings this window, it will be tough to get a result away from home at Anfield.
The streets won't forget this Bournemouth defence, who have all moved on this summer 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/KwNzTKEoM1
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 12, 2025
Tottenham is embarking on a new era under Thomas Frank's leadership. Spurs signed Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel to bolster their attack, and Joao Palhinha on loan should help their defensive woes.
Gameweek 1 is the ideal time to invest in Spurs' assets, as they march on to face newly promoted Burnley. Pedro Porro, who is the primary set-piece taker for both free kicks and corners, is the one to have in your Fantasy Premier League team.
Ultimately, FPL managers are advised to prioritize selecting assets from Liverpool and Tottenham for Gameweek 1. According to market data projections, each club is expected to produce 2.67 xG and 2.22 xG (expected goals) against their respective opponents this week.
💹 PL GW1 matchups
A first look at sharp market projections for the opening round of PL fixtures, covering:
🔹 GW1 projected goals & clean sheet odds
🔹 GW1 teams to target
🔹 GW1 WDL odds pic.twitter.com/NeSKNb95dE— Rob T (@robtFPL) August 13, 2025
In defense, both Liverpool and Tottenham have a good chance of keeping a clean sheet, with projections capped at more than 40 percent for both teams.
Recommended FPL assets for Gameweek 1
- Liverpool: Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, and Virgil van Dijk
- Tottenham: Dominic Solanke (if fit), Mohammed Kudus, and Pedro Porro
Top FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks
The weekend fixtures present a list of fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Cole Palmer against Crystal Palace, Jarrod Bowen against Sunderland, and Mohammed Kudus against Burnley present strong cases. However, our top two captain picks this week are:
Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) - Liverpool vs. Bournemouth
The Egyptian king is back! Mohamed Salah broke his own FPL record with 344 points last season, and returns to do it again this season.
The 33-year-old has 11 goals in his last 12 appearances against Bournemouth. The Anfield winger also holds the record with nine goals in the opening game of the season. It looks like history is about to repeat itself once more, as Salah is our RotoBaller top captain pick of the week.
Will Mo Salah strike again on the opening day? ⚽ pic.twitter.com/FrEyy4P8yw
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 12, 2025
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) - Man City at Wolves
Erling Haaland, Man City's star forward, often starts the season on fire. Last season, he scored 10 goals in his first four matches. This is the dream scenario for FPL managers who captain the Norwegian striker this weekend.
According to market projections, Haaland is ranked first with 0.62 xG (expected goals) in Gameweek 1 and boasts eight goals scored in his last five matches against Wolves.
📊 25/26 | GW 1 - 6
⚽ Player Predicted Goals pic.twitter.com/t9BJsRuEiH— elevenify.com (@elevenify) August 13, 2025
This week, if you are going against Team Salah captaincy, you can be confident that Haaland will also grab you FPL points.
FPL Challenge: Reboot Series
The FPL Challenge section for the 2025-26 season is back, and RotoBaller remains your go-to source for valuable insights on selecting the right assets for any challenge.
Reboot is the tag given for the first three gameweeks, which will involve selecting a 6-a-side team each week. In this series, you will be given an unlimited budget and only allowed to select one player per team. Here are the tasks below:
- Gameweek 1: Instant Impact - New signings earn double points.
- Gameweek 2: The Promoted - Players from promoted teams are rewarded double points.
- Gameweek 3: The Shield - Defensive contributions are worth 10 points.
Fantasy Challenge is LIVE for 2025/26 and the first three challenges have been revealed 🤩
Read about the changes coming to Fantasy Challenge for the season ahead 👇
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 30, 2025
Gameweek 1 Fantasy Challenge: Instant Impact
RotoBaller's top six picks for this week's challenge are:
- In goal, Leeds' Lucas Perri is a solid shot-stopper to rely on for quality saves against Everton and is set to be the Whites' No. 1 this season.
- In defense, West Ham's El Hadji Malick Diouf has been solid in preseason and contributes a lot to the Hammers' attack. Diouf can produce huge attacking returns against newly promoted Sunderland.
- In midfield, a trio of Liverpool's Florian Wirtz, Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders, and Tottenham's Mohammed Kudus will be our top midfield options. Kudus takes the spotlight as our captain of the week.
- In attack, Chelsea's João Pedro completes the attack, rounding off our lineup in a 1-3-1 formation.
Best of luck to everyone participating in this week's challenge!
FPL Season-Long Tips: Four Dos and Don'ts for 2025-26 Season
FPL is a marathon (not a sprint) of carefully crafted decision-making. We have a 38-week season ahead of us, so it's essential to take note of these four season-long FPL tips to guide fantasy managers.
Avoid Players Involved in Transfer Speculation
The summer transfer window remains open, with more signings expected to move in and out. It's best to avoid FPL assets who are currently involved in a possible transfer move to another team (Alexander Isak, Yoane Wissa), as this could disrupt the balance of your team.
Select Players with Guaranteed Minutes
Don't select an asset likely to be benched in your main XI. Pick a player who is sure to play at least 60-75 minutes each week. Manchester City's "Pep Roulette" is a prime example of this, given that only Joško Gvardiol and Erling Haaland are nailed to start.
Beware of the Bandwagons
There is always a certain player you won't have who will hit double-digit numbers every week. It is natural to want to hop on in-form players before a price rise takes effect. Try to skip those early transfers to avoid any unexpected injuries that could likely occur before the next deadline.
Avoid Taking (Unnecessary) Hits
A hit is a four-point deduction for an extra transfer made after exhausting your available free transfer(s). It's not uncommon to see managers take a 12-point hit to secure the best team on paper; this strategy should be frowned upon in the new season. Plan wisely on the best time to activate your Wildcard to avoid unwanted hits.
Stick around for more 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
