Introduction
Building a Gameweek 1 Fantasy Premier League squad is not only about finding the players who could score the most points.
It is also about removing avoidable risk.
A brilliant footballer can still be a poor FPL pick for one particular Gameweek. A player might be returning late from the World Cup, carrying an injury, fighting for a place under a new manager or facing a fixture that simply does not justify his price.
That is particularly important at the start of 2026/27.
The Premier League season begins on Friday 21 August, only a few weeks after the World Cup final. Players from England, Spain, France and Argentina who went deep into the tournament have had a much shorter preparation period than many of their club team-mates.
This guide therefore does not label players as permanently bad picks.
Instead, every player falls into one of four categories:
AVOID – there is currently enough uncertainty that I would leave the player out of a GW1 squad.
CAUTION – a perfectly viable pick, but there is a meaningful risk you need to accept.
MONITOR – we need more pre-season evidence before making the decision.
SAFE TO PICK – a player who is sometimes being questioned but whose situation does not currently justify putting him on an avoid list.
FPL Assistant GW1 Risk Board
The supplied editorial risk ratings for the players most likely to create avoidable Gameweek 1 problems.
Cristian Romero
Spurs
Transfer uncertainty · Reconsider when his future and starting role are resolved
Emiliano Martínez
Aston Villa
Late World Cup return and difficult opening fixtures
Reece James
Chelsea
Fitness and minutes uncertainty · Look for a final-friendly start
Declan Rice
Arsenal
Preparation and opportunity-cost concern despite the GW1 fixture
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Shortened preparation · Not an automatic avoid
Junior Kroupi
Bournemouth
Hardest opening fixture run and a premium mid-price commitment
Morgan Rogers
Chelsea
New club and uncertain role under a new manager
Marcos Senesi
Spurs
New defensive hierarchy and a £6.0m minutes commitment
Enzo Fernández
Chelsea
Late return and tactical-role uncertainty
Article-specific comparison graphic · generated from current verified FPL data and the existing editorial analysis. This is not a live app screenshot.
Quick answer: the biggest FPL Gameweek 1 risks
| Player | Main concern | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Cristian Romero | Transfer uncertainty | AVOID |
| Emiliano Martínez | Late World Cup return + fixtures | AVOID |
| Declan Rice | Late preparation + £7.5m opportunity cost | CAUTION |
| Reece James | Fitness/minutes uncertainty | MONITOR |
| Bukayo Saka | Late preparation despite excellent GW1 fixture | MONITOR |
| Junior Kroupi | £7.5m + Bournemouth fixtures | CAUTION |
| Morgan Rogers | New club and uncertain Chelsea role | CAUTION |
| Marcos Senesi | £6.0m and uncertain Spurs defensive hierarchy | CAUTION |
| Enzo Fernández | Late return + tactical-role uncertainty | MONITOR |
Popular player who is NOT a trap: Erling Haaland.
The aim should not be to build a completely risk-free team. That is impossible.
The goal is to avoid spending transfers in Gameweek 2 fixing problems you could already see coming.
Compare the best opening fixtures before allowing one difficult match to decide a player verdict.
What does “avoid” actually mean in FPL?
There is an important difference between:
“I don't want this player in GW1.”
and:
“This is a bad FPL player.”
Many of the names in this guide could become excellent selections very quickly.
A difficult fixture run can change. A late-returning player can regain full fitness. A new manager can reveal his preferred starting XI. A transfer saga can end.
That is why every major risk below also includes a reconsider when point.
Your initial FPL squad does not need to contain the best 15 players for the entire season.
It needs players who are ready to score points now.
1. Cristian Romero – £5.0m
Verdict: AVOID
Romero is one of the easiest Gameweek 1 decisions for me at the moment.
This has little to do with his football ability.
The issue is that there is substantial uncertainty about whether he will even remain a Tottenham player.
As of 7 August, Tottenham and Atlético Madrid are in talks over a possible transfer, while Romero is reported to favour a move away.
That makes investing £5.0m in him unnecessary when FPL offers numerous defenders whose club and starting status are much clearer.
Tottenham also have serious competition at centre-back. Their official FPL price list includes Romero, Marcos Senesi, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke among the senior centre-back options.
Even if Romero stays, there is no reason to gamble before his future becomes clearer.
Main risk: Transfer uncertainty
Reconsider when: The transfer window situation is resolved and Romero's position in the starting XI is clear.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 9/10
2. Emiliano Martínez – £5.0m
Verdict: AVOID FOR NOW
Martínez remains one of the Premier League's strongest goalkeepers, but goalkeeper is usually the position where I want the least uncertainty.
Argentina reached the World Cup final, giving Martínez one of the shortest recovery periods of any Premier League player involved in the tournament. Current FPL analysis has therefore highlighted him as a potential GW1 availability risk.
Even if he is available, Aston Villa's opening schedule does not make the gamble particularly attractive.
Villa begin away at Brighton before facing Arsenal in GW2. Their opening five were rated among the more difficult schedules when the Premier League assessed the fixture list.
At £5.0m, you are not buying a cheap emergency goalkeeper. You are committing to him as your first choice.
I'd rather begin with certainty.
Reconsider when
Martínez has returned fully to training, is confirmed ready to start and Villa's schedule improves.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 8/10
3. Declan Rice – £7.5m
Verdict: CAUTION
Rice was one of the standout FPL midfielders of last season, and defensive-contribution points have made his game far more relevant to Fantasy.
But £7.5m changes the argument.
At that price, I don't just want reliable defensive-contribution points. I want attacking returns as well.
Rice was involved deep into England's World Cup campaign, and both specialist analysis and supporter discussion have questioned whether he will be completely ready to begin the league season at full intensity.
The frustrating part is the fixture.
Arsenal host promoted Coventry in GW1.
On paper, that is exactly the sort of game in which you would like an Arsenal attacker. But it is also precisely why managers could talk themselves into ignoring Rice's preparation.
There are enough midfield options around this price that I do not think we need to gamble.
Rice is not a season-long avoid. Far from it.
Reconsider when
He has returned to full team training and gets meaningful minutes before the GW1 deadline.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 7/10
4. Reece James – £5.5m
Verdict: MONITOR
Reece James is one of those FPL players who becomes extremely tempting the moment he appears fit.
At £5.5m, an attacking Chelsea defender with set-piece involvement could be excellent value.
But we should not draft the version of James we hope to see. We need to draft the player Chelsea are actually ready to start.
James was one of the players identified as carrying a post-World Cup fitness concern, while Chelsea have plenty of alternatives. Their current squad includes Malo Gusto and new £5.5m defender Marco Palestra among the competition on that side.
There is also a new manager in Xabi Alonso and therefore a new tactical structure to understand.
This doesn't make James an avoid for the season.
It means there is no benefit in guessing on 7 August.
Reconsider when
James starts one of Chelsea's final friendlies and there is a positive fitness update from Alonso.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 7.5/10
5. Bukayo Saka – £9.5m
Verdict: MONITOR – NOT AN AUTOMATIC AVOID
This is probably the most important decision in the article.
Saka has one of the best individual GW1 fixtures possible:
Arsenal v Coventry.
Yet he was also involved deep into England's World Cup campaign and has had a shortened club preparation. Specialist FPL analysis has additionally highlighted a reported Achilles issue that deserves monitoring.
That creates a classic FPL conflict:
Outstanding fixture. Outstanding player. Uncertain preparation.
At £9.5m, Saka is expensive enough that I want to captain him occasionally and expect reliable starts.
If he is confirmed fully fit and starts Arsenal's final meaningful pre-season match, I would be very comfortable removing him from this list.
Until then, he is a monitor rather than an automatic selection.
This is also why you should check the Most Nailed FPL Players guide and the Gameweek 1 Final Checklist immediately before locking your team.
Reconsider when
Saka returns to full training and starts a meaningful pre-season fixture without restrictions.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 6.5/10
6. Junior Kroupi – £7.5m
Verdict: CAUTION
Junior Kroupi is exactly the type of player who can hurt an article called “players to avoid”.
He is good.
Very good, in fact.
Kroupi scored 13 goals in 33 appearances last season and has been reclassified as a midfielder for 2026/27. His new £7.5m price reflects that breakout campaign.
The problem is Bournemouth's schedule.
They begin away to Manchester City, then face Everton, Newcastle, Brentford, Liverpool and Chelsea across the opening six.
The official FPL Fixture Difficulty Ratings give Bournemouth the hardest average schedule of any Premier League club across GW1–GW6.
Kroupi could absolutely score against City.
That is not the point.
At £7.5m, you have a huge number of alternatives. Why deliberately begin with the league's hardest fixture run?
Reconsider when
Bournemouth's schedule improves or Kroupi shows that last season's output is continuing regardless of opposition.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 6.5/10
7. Morgan Rogers – £7.5m
Verdict: CAUTION
Morgan Rogers is another excellent footballer whose FPL situation has changed dramatically.
Rogers has completed a £117m move from Aston Villa to Chelsea and remains priced at £7.5m in FPL.
At Villa, his place and tactical importance were easy to understand.
At Chelsea, we are starting again.
Cole Palmer remains the main premium attacker. João Pedro is also £7.5m. Chelsea have added attacking talent and Xabi Alonso needs to fit Rogers into a new system.
Even Chelsea supporters discussing the move have been debating whether Rogers plays from the left, as one of two No.10s or in another attacking role.
That uncertainty does not make Rogers a poor purchase.
It makes him a risky GW1 purchase until we know more.
Reconsider when
Chelsea's final pre-season matches clearly show Rogers' position and expected minutes.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 6/10
8. Marcos Senesi – £6.0m
Verdict: CAUTION
Senesi is one of my favourite examples of why last season's points should not automatically dictate this season's squad.
He scored 175 FPL points for Bournemouth last season and registered more defensive-contribution points than any other defender.
He is now a Tottenham player and costs £6.0m.
That is a substantial price for a defender whose new defensive partnership is still being established.
Spurs currently have Senesi, Romero, Van de Ven, Danso and Van Hecke among their centre-back options, while Romero's transfer situation adds another moving part.
Senesi could ultimately become an outstanding FPL asset.
But £6.0m means we do not need to speculate.
For similar money you can buy defenders with clearer roles and better-established defensive systems.
Reconsider when
Tottenham's preferred centre-back pairing becomes obvious.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 6/10
9. Enzo Fernández – £7.0m
Verdict: MONITOR
Enzo finished last season strongly enough to receive a new £7.0m starting price, but Chelsea have changed significantly around him.
Morgan Rogers has arrived. Xabi Alonso is the new manager. Chelsea have a large attacking squad. And Enzo was another player whose World Cup involvement shortened his summer preparation.
The biggest FPL question may actually be his position.
If Palmer and Rogers occupy the more advanced roles, Enzo could spend more time deeper in midfield.
That could make him a perfectly important Chelsea player but a less interesting Fantasy asset.
This is exactly the type of tactical question that pre-season should answer for us.
Don't guess.
Reconsider when
Chelsea's first-choice shape and Enzo's position become clear.
FPL Assistant GW1 risk: 6/10
Manchester City attackers: don't confuse a great fixture with safe minutes
Manchester City host Bournemouth in Gameweek 1.
It is arguably the most attractive attacking fixture on the opening weekend.
But City are beginning a new era under Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola this summer.
Their attacking options include Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Jérémy Doku and others.
The important distinction is this:
Manchester City are a good team to own.
That does not mean every Manchester City attacker is automatically a good GW1 pick.
Foden at £7.0m is particularly interesting because he missed the World Cup and has therefore had the opportunity for a full pre-season. The Premier League itself has highlighted him as a potential beneficiary.
Community discussion remains divided about exactly where he will play alongside City's other attackers.
So I would not put Foden in the “avoid” category.
I would put City's secondary attackers in Monitor until Maresca's final pre-season line-ups give us stronger evidence.
The most nailed FPL players guide adds useful minutes-security context to this risk assessment.
Players from promoted teams: cheap does not mean trap
Coventry and Hull have difficult opening fixture runs.
Coventry face Arsenal away in GW1 and Manchester City away in GW3. Hull begin at home to Manchester United before facing Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle within their first five.
That sounds like a reason to avoid them completely.
It isn't.
The role in your FPL squad matters.
A £4.0m Coventry or Hull defender sitting third on your bench is very different from an attacker you plan to start every week.
The Premier League has specifically highlighted £4.0m defenders Bobby Thomas of Coventry and Charlie Hughes of Hull for their defensive-contribution potential.
Reddit discussion makes a similar point: promoted players used as cheap bench enablers should not automatically be called “traps”.
My approach:
Starting promoted defender every week: caution.
£4.0m promoted defender as bench cover: completely reasonable if he starts.
Popular players who are NOT FPL traps
An avoid article becomes useless if it simply attacks popular picks.
Some players are popular because they are excellent selections.
Erling Haaland – SAFE TO PICK
Haaland costs a record £15.5m, but that alone does not make him overpriced.
The official FPL analysis points out that he has been the highest-scoring player across the first six Gameweeks in each of his four Manchester City seasons.
City also begin at home to Bournemouth and host promoted Coventry in GW3.
You can absolutely build a strong team without Haaland.
But he is not a “trap”.
Bruno Fernandes – SAFE TO PICK
£12.0m is enormous.
But Manchester United begin against promoted Hull and Ipswich.
Bruno accumulated 235 points last season and was the highest-scoring player in FPL following Michael Carrick's appointment.
There is an opportunity-cost debate at £12.0m.
There is not currently enough evidence for an “avoid Bruno” argument.
Cole Palmer – SAFE TO PICK / SQUAD-STRUCTURE DECISION
Palmer costs £9.5m following a disappointing 114-point campaign.
However, unlike several players in this article, he did not have a deep World Cup run. Chelsea also have no European football this season, potentially helping his Premier League minutes.
Whether Palmer is worth £9.5m is a legitimate debate.
Calling him a GW1 trap simply because he disappointed last season is not.
FPL Assistant editorial risk rating — not an official FPL metric.
Use the Gameweek 1 final checklist before locking in your final squad.
How to build a safer Gameweek 1 FPL squad
There is always temptation before GW1 to find the clever differential nobody else has noticed.
The problem is that Gameweek 1 is the point of the season when we know the least.
We don't yet know every manager's preferred XI.
We don't know every new signing's role.
We don't know which World Cup players will immediately return to 90 minutes.
We don't know which pre-season experiments will survive once competitive football starts.
So there is nothing wrong with being slightly boring.
Prioritise:
Players who are fit. Players who start. Players with secure roles. Players with favourable fixtures. Players you are happy owning for several Gameweeks.
Then use transfers once actual Premier League evidence arrives.
A player with a theoretical 10-point ceiling but a 50 per cent chance of starting may be a worse GW1 selection than a slightly less explosive player who is almost certain to play 90 minutes.
Final verdict
My strongest current avoids are Cristian Romero and Emiliano Martínez, although for completely different reasons.
Romero has a transfer situation that simply does not need to be gambled on.
Martínez has a combination of shortened preparation and an opening schedule that makes a £5.0m goalkeeper commitment unnecessary.
For players such as Saka, Reece James and Enzo Fernández, the correct answer is not “avoid”.
It is wait.
We still have two weeks before the Gameweek 1 deadline.
That is valuable information-gathering time.
And that is probably the biggest lesson of this guide:
You do not get extra FPL points for making your final decision early.
If a player's fitness, role or minutes are unclear today, leave the space flexible and revisit it when we know more.
Gameweek 1 is about scoring points.
It is also about avoiding obvious fires that force you into unnecessary early transfers.
Frequently asked questions
Cristian Romero and Emiliano Martínez currently present two of the clearest avoid cases because of transfer uncertainty and preparation/fixture concerns respectively. Several others, including Bukayo Saka and Reece James, are better classified as players to monitor rather than outright avoids.
Not automatically. Arsenal's home match against Coventry is excellent. The issue is Saka's shortened post-World Cup preparation. If he is fully training and starts Arsenal's final meaningful friendly, his risk drops substantially.
Potentially, but his fitness and role need to become clearer first. At £5.5m there is no reason to commit before we have stronger pre-season evidence.
No. Judge them individually. Tournament minutes, injuries, position, recovery time and pre-season involvement all matter. A player who barely featured is very different from someone who played deep into the knockout stages.
Official FPL Fixture Difficulty Ratings currently put Bournemouth at the bottom across the first six Gameweeks, followed by Coventry and Leeds, with Hull also among the more difficult schedules.
Not automatically. A £4.0m defender used as bench cover can still be useful even with difficult fixtures. Be more careful about promoted-team players you intend to start every week.
Not necessarily. He is an excellent player, but his exact role under Xabi Alonso needs to become clearer. At £7.5m, waiting for that information is reasonable.
Possibly for some squad structures, but expensive does not mean trap. His early-season FPL record and Manchester City's fixtures make him one of the strongest GW1 options.
When the reason you avoided him disappears. That may mean returning to full training, starting a final friendly, securing a first-team role, completing or abandoning a transfer, or reaching a favourable fixture swing.
Final verdict
My strongest current avoids are Cristian Romero and Emiliano Martínez, although for completely different reasons. Romero has a transfer situation that simply does not need to be gambled on. Martínez has a combination of shortened preparation and an opening schedule that makes a £5.0m goalkeeper commitment unnecessary. For players such as Saka, Reece James and Enzo Fernández, the correct answer is not “avoid”. It is wait. We still have two weeks before the Gameweek 1 deadline. That is valuable informationgathering time. And that is probably the biggest lesson of this guide: You do not get extra FPL points for making your final decision early. If a player's fitness, role or minutes are unclear today, leave the space flexible and revisit it when we know more. Gameweek 1 is about scoring points. It is also about avoiding obvious fires that force you into unnecessary early transfers.
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