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Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) analysts give their best picks for Gameweek 1 of the English Premier League fantasy game. Expert advice on Captains, Differential Captains, and Low-Picked Players in the English Premier League.
Happy Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1, RotoBallers! We did it! We survived the long, hot English Premier League-less summer. Now it's time to get back into the swing of things with our new content on RotoBaller for the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League campaign.
From Gameweek 1-38, Wale, Jamie, and Euan will give out their favorite captain, differential captain, and low-picked player for the upcoming gameweek. Don't forget to follow them all on X for up-to-the-minute and last-second Fantasy Premier League thoughts.
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.
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— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 29, 2025
How to Play Fantasy Premier League Guide
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. It covers squad building, transfers, and all the new strategies coming to this great game for the upcoming campaign.
Best Captains for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1
Each gameweek, Euan, Jamie, and Wale will provide their best Captaincy pick for the upcoming gameweek in the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season.
Wale (The FPL Manual): The Egyptian King always scores in the first Liverpool game of the season, and I'll be counting on Mo Salah to score a brace against Bournemouth.
Jamie: Nothing wild with this one. It's a new look City attack, but Erling Haaland (£14.0m) is back and with something to prove. Haaland still ranked 10th overall last season in total points, scoring 22 goals in 31 starts.
Haaland has scored eight goals in five EPL appearances against Wolves, although only one goal came at Molineux. I expect the Norwegian to open his account this weekend.
Euan: "Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Running down the wing!" Unfortunately, it's not a very exciting start to the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season as I give Mohamed Salah the captain's armband. Traditionally, the Egyptian King starts the season strong and is coming off the back of a FPL points record-breaking campaign.
Bournemouth lost 80 percent of last season's defense during the summer transfer window. Those losses will make it tough for the Cherries to avoid getting twisted at Anfield. As a result, there will be plenty of goal scoring and opportunities for Liverpool's leading man.
Mohamed Salah is currently the most-selected #FPL player for next season, in 55.9% of teams 🔥
Is he in yours? Manage your team now before the season starts on Friday 15 August👇
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 2, 2025
Differential Captains for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1
Everyone loves to get a little different with the Captaincy picks once in a while. Every matchweek, our FPL analysts provide their favorite outside shots for a huge haul.
Wale: Cody Gakpo is flying under the radar in 5.6 percent of FPL teams to start the season. The Dutch winger is a solid differential captain who can hit a double-digit return against Bournemouth. The Cherries have lost key defensive assets this summer and are yet to replenish those positions.
Jamie: I was tempted to go with Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) this weekend. Liverpool has won its last four games against Bournemouth, scoring 12 goals in the process. I'm concerned the Reds might ease their record signing in, which means he might not get enough minutes to warrant the armband.
Wirtz = £8.5m!
Will be hugely popular. pic.twitter.com/hafhpgCeHA
— Andy (@LetsTalk_FPL) July 20, 2025
Euan: If you took a siesta from soccer this summer, you'd be forgiven for missing the Club World Cup. Ultimately, Chelsea won it, but who knows how far it would've gone without its newest forward, Joao Pedro.
The former Brighton man made an instant impact for the Blues. In three games (two starts), the Brazilian played 163 minutes and bagged three goals for Chelsea, and enters the season as the favorite to lead the line.
Low-Picked Players for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1
Going with the herd can get boring from time to time. So from Gameweek 1 to Gameweek 38, Wale, Jamie, and Euan will give out their favorite FPL player picked in less than 5 percent of Fantasy Premier League teams.
Wale: Spurs' Brennan Johnson (3.6% TSB%) looks like a solid one-week punt who can pick apart Burnley's defense. The 24-year-old has the opportunity to prove himself as a regular under Thomas Frank and has the skill set to score the opener for Tottenham on Sunday.
Jamie: Although I'm not starting him this week, I love the fact that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (1.0% TSB%) has left Chelsea. He flashed his talent for Leicester City in the 2022-23 season when the Foxes got relegated.
Dewsbury-Hall then played a key role in their promotion the following season before his transfer to Chelsea. Now, he's likely to get regular playing time. I expect Dewsbury-Hall to remind FPL managers of his talents this season.
We have completed the transfer of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.
Welcome to Everton, Kiernan! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/oY7w1V4qKZ
— Everton (@Everton) August 6, 2025
Euan: Usually, starting your season with minutes monsters creates a solid foundation in FPL. However, West Ham's new wingback, El Hadji Malick Diouf (3.8% TSB%), is tempting me. I believe the 20-year-old is the more exciting Hammers defender, but also the riskiest.
Diouf's new teammate, Aaron Wan-Bissaka (31.2% TSB%), is the highest-picked defender and the sixth-highest-picked player in the game to start the 2025-26 Fantasy Premier League season. It'll probably come down to the wire for me, but the attacking prowess of the Senegalese defender might win me over.
It's our fourth season covering Fantasy Premier League, so reach out to @TheFPLManual, @Baseball_Jimbo, @F1FantasyEuan, or @df_solutions on X to let us know what you think about our coverage for the 2025-26 FPL season.
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