Fantasy Premier League 2026/27 is open — millions of managers are picking their squads and the clock is ticking to the first deadline. Here are the dates that matter and what our rating engine is flagging ahead of GW1.
GW1 deadline: Friday 21 August, 18:30 UK (19:30 CEST). That’s your cut-off for your squad, captain and opening transfers — anything you change after kick-off only counts from the next gameweek.
Plenty is new this season: two sets of chips instead of one, defensive points staying, and live rank updates during matches. We broke it all down separately in our 2026/27 rule changes explainer.
What our engine says ahead of GW1
Our system rates every player from 0 to 100. Across the entire game there is currently only one Strong Buy: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, £12.0m, rated 90). He is the highest-rated player in the game and the natural foundation of a squad.
For the armband, our Recommended Squad captains Haaland (Manchester City, £15.5m) in GW1 — the most expensive player in the game, but with the highest ceiling. The simple split: build around Bruno, captain Haaland.
Looking for value? In midfield, Semenyo (£8.5m) and Szoboszlai (£7.0m) both stand out with a rating of 89, while at the back the best budget option is Guéhi (£6.0m, 88). Between the posts, our engine rates Kelleher (£5.0m) the highest.
Chips? There’s no Double or Blank Gameweek in GW1 — hold them for later.
Tools to check before the deadline
- AI Rankings — the top 50 with ratings and verdicts.
- Recommended Squad — a ready-made XI, bench and captain for GW1.
- Fixture Ticker and our GW1–5 fixture analysis — who has the easiest start.
The GW1 deadline lands on Friday 21 August — there’s time, but it pays to build that first squad calmly. Good luck.