Ultimate FPL guide for GW1 – injury news, bargain buys, expert advice (original) (raw)

Fantasy Football Scout: FPL guide for GW1 – injury news, bargain buys, expert advice

The deadline for gameweek one of the new Fantasy Premier League season is almost upon us - so if you haven't yet got your team locked in, you're in the right place

Newcastle options are once again proving popular on FPL

The Premier League is officially back at 8pm on Friday evening - but for FPL managers, the season truly starts 90 minutes before.

That's when the deadline strikes for your team to be submitted for gameweek one, bringing an end to what for many will have been weeks of tinkering and planning to try and nail down the team that will secure the most points.

If you're not already caught up, the main change to this year's official game is you can now bank up to five free transfers instead of a maximum of two. That gives you more leeway to experiment with risks or correct an issue in your side.

But everyone would like to be flying high from the off, which is why Mirror Sport is bringing you the ultimate guide to GW1. Strap in for all you need to know to win your mini-league - or at the very least give it a good crack.

Injury news

While you have a bench of four for a reason, nobody wants to rely on their substitutes - especially at the start of the season. That's why it's wise to avoid any potential risks in your starting team.

As always, we'll learn more from the pre-match press conferences (or not in the case of Eddie Howe), but we already know about injuries to some key players. Manchester United, who get the 2024/25 campaign underway with the visit of Fulham, will notably be without Rasmus Hojlund.

He's sidelined for an expected six weeks, while Luke Shaw is also out until after the first international break. Newcastle won't have long-term absentees Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles as they welcome Southampton, with Fabian Schar touch-and-go.

Richarlison is likely absent for Tottenham's trip to Leicester City, while Everton will probably have to make do without Jarrad Branthwaite as they host Brighton. Jack Grealish is a doubt for Manchester City, who will also be without Oscar Bobb for the foreseeable future after fracturing a bone in his leg.

Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw could be options at some point, but not for now (

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Getty Images)

Bargain buys

Cheap enablers have arguably never been more important in FPL due to the mammoth £15m price tag on Erling Haaland, who combined with Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) will rapidly drain your budget. Thankfully, there's a few options who have been catching the eye in pre-season.

Brighton struggled to juggle their domestic and European commitments last season but could be back to their best under new boss Fabian Hurzeler. With Pervis Estupinan out injured for an unspecified period, Valentin Barco (£4m) has stepped up in his absence and impressed.

At the other end of the pitch, Joao Pedro (£5.5m) scored in their final pre-season outing against Villarreal and is one of the cheapest forward options, with Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz (£6m) another potential. Midfield is where real savings can be made.

Morgan Rogers (£5.0m) scored three times for Aston Villa over the summer and looks to be nailed. Now he's left Arsenal, Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) could well be underpriced for Fulham.

Newcastle have some favourable fixtures to start with and Jacob Murphy (£5.5m) could be more cost-effective than team-mate Anthony Gordon (£7.5m)

Valentin Barco could be set for a breakout season at Brighton (

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Getty Images)

Essential picks

There'll always be debate about whether a player is ever must-have in FPL, but given his record since moving to the Premier League, Haaland is as close as you'll get. Chelsea away isn't an optimal opener, but Ipswich at home in GW2 makes him the ideal captaincy option.

As it stands, he's actually not the most-picked player in the game. That's in fact Alexander Isak, who looks a no-brainer at £8.5m after 21 goals in 30 games last season.

In midfield, Eberechi Eze also appears to be great value at £7m. At Chelsea, meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku remains somewhat of an unknown entity, but it's a pick that could pay off big time at just £6.5m - why not?

Price changes

FPL managers have been able to pick their teams safe in the knowledge that prices are locked in until the first deadline - but the dreaded price changes will kick into effect come Friday night. They're never more volatile than in the first few weeks of the season when the most players are active.

However, nine times out of 10, the best course of action is to ignore the ensuing madness and wait for information that could change your plans later in the week. That's even more so the case now we can save transfers to manoeuvre from one strategy to another far more flexibly.

If you're very tight on budget and are desperate to get a player into your side, it could be a gamble worth taking, and at the end of the day, it's about doing what gives you the most enjoyment. But don't say you haven't been warned!

Erling Haaland remains amongst the top selected picks despite his record-breaking £15m price tag (

Image:

Fantasy Premier League)

Expert advice

The popular FPL saying goes 'you can't win fantasy football in the first few weeks, but you can lose it'. The best way to avoid that is, rather boringly, stick to popular and reliable options without taking too many punts early on.

A new season will always throw up surprises which you can adapt to in the coming weeks. But it's better to be part of the pack than trailing them.

Personally, I would advise going for Salah as well as Haaland, because you can always sell the Liverpool talisman to any other midfielder, and his record against newly-promoted sides coupled with his tendency to be quick out of the blocks bodes well for Ipswich away in Saturday's early kick-off.

You could give him the captain's armband, while Haaland's also in contention given how leaky Chelsea's defence were last season. Isak is the next obvious candidate, while those with Son Heung-min have another possibility at their disposal.

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