EPLNews Best FPL Picks
It’s a few hours before 22 men running after a ball begins to send our stress levels through the roof and we cannot be more excited about the prospect!
Fantasy football is back with the world’s most popular football league. This season, the Fantasy Premier League promises to be even more exciting thanks to the new rules that have been introduced to even the odds and make the game even more intense!
Managers will have a headache making selections as usual thanks to the transfer values of a lot of players soaring, but this is why EPLNews is here – to help you make the best selections to win your mini leagues and do well in the national and international FPL standings thanks to our FPL top picks for Gameweek 1.
You can also check out our guide by clicking here.
Gameweek Analysis
Patience, patience, patience – that is the watchword for every first FPL gameweek.
Although there are players who are considered must-haves like Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, patiently scouting out the teams’ performances is always the best strategy to adopt ahead of the new season in FPL.
If you’re worried about how your peers will move far ahead of you, remember that the season is 38 gameweeks and that they will surely drop points or become stuck thanks to the budgetary limits.
Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 season has some very interesting fixtures with lots of potential for your FPL team’s points. Newly promoted team Ipswich Town will battle Liverpool, while Manchester City will travel to a new-look-and-feel Chelsea. Arsenal will host Wolverhampton Wanderers who are now without key man Pedro Neto thanks to his transfer to Chelsea, and the Julen Lopetegui-led West Ham United will face Aston Villa.
This match in particular is an interesting match to scout players from thanks to the history between both managers. Lopetegui is Emery’s bogeyman. The Aston Villa manager has not been able to beat the new West Ham manager more than once in seven meetings.
Lopetegui also happens to be Emery’s most frequent opponent, which means that betting on an Emery team to falter against a Lopetegui one is more certain than the alternative.
Ange Postecoglou’s striker hunt has now culminated in Tottenham Hotspur landing 19-goal striker Dominic Solanke this summer. The former AFC Bournemouth man will line up with his new teammates to face Leicester City, which also presents an opportunity for managers looking for a striker with a higher likelihood of providing returns.
A key strategy to consider while lining up your team for the first week, especially with the elite picks costing an arm and a leg, is to transfer in one differential and one sub-£4.5m player into your squad. This should free up enough in your budget to sign as many elite picks as you can to be able to enjoy a fruitful first game week of the new Fantasy Premier League season!
Best FPL Players for Week 1
Alexander Isak (£8.5m) – Newcastle United
Newcastle United face Southampton in their opening Premier League 2024/25 fixture and there is no better deal for managers than Alexander Isak.
Priced at £8.5m, he presents a great value among elite players having ended last season as the second highest-scoring forward (behind Jean-Philippe Mateta) in the final ten weeks.
The Swede scored nine in 10 for Newcastle to finish with 21 goals in the 2023/24 season and in the top three goal scorers chart behind Cole Palmer and Haaland. He had 19 shots on target in the closing stages of last season and was top for expected goals (xG) with 10.08.
He has enjoyed a good pre-season and is raring to go against Southampton. It is advisable to get him in your FPL team before his price jumps to £10m.
Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) – Liverpool
This goes without saying.
Mohamed Salah is the best FPL asset in the world. He has amassed more points than any other player since the inception of the game and with another season coming where he will be playing as an “elder” in a team and a league that’s getting younger, the Egyptian will have a lot to prove.
Liverpool are facing newly-promoted Ipswich Town in their opening 24/25 match, which means that at least 8 points are there for the taking if you have Salah in your team.
Erling Haaland (£15.0m) – Manchester City
When his new price tag was revealed, every manager went up in arms. At £15.0m, the Norwegian takes up a huge chunk of the FPL transfer budget.
However, Erling Haaland’s must-have status is unshakeable. Manchester City may be facing Chelsea which presents a sort of uncertainty, but the Norway international has a habit of starting his season strong.
The Blues are truly unfortunate to be starting their season against the man who has had the strongest starts ever in the English top flight. Managers, do what you can to have him in your teams.