Fantasy Football: This Weekend's FPL Top Picks

Fantasy Premier League is finally back this week. If you are anything like us, you will be on your 100th draft of the summer, and still finding a way to shoehorn all of the best assets into your side.

Ahead of the season kicking off on Friday night when champions Liverpool take on Bournemouth, we want to give you our best FPL picks for the opening weekend - to suit all budgets!

The rollercoaster of emotions returns this week! 😁😟

How are you feeling ahead of Gameweek 1? 😅#FPL pic.twitter.com/2XmXvJJutJ

— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 11, 2025

FPL GW1 - Must-Haves - Mohamed Salah (14.5m) & Cole Palmer (10.5m)

We will start with the obvious choices. The discourse within the FPL community this year is the decision to be made between either Mohamed Salah, or Erling Haaland, both of whom will cost at least 14 million. A big chunk of the budget.

The Egyptian is our selection, for the simple reason, Mo loves the opening day. He holds the Premier League record of opening day goals with nine, and with Liverpool's investment over the summer they look a force to be reckoned with. Salah will be expected to lead the goalscoring charts yet again.

No player has scored more Premier League goals on opening day than Mo Salah (9)

Clinical 🔴 pic.twitter.com/AZi7Rqn5CU

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 17, 2024

Our next pick will also cause no surprises, Cole Palmer, who looks set for another barnstorming season in West London.

The World Champions Chelsea kick off their campaign at home to Crystal Palace. Palmer enjoys playing against Palace, in his three appearances in this fixture while playing for Chelsea, he has notched three assists and a goal.

Injuries aside, we expect Palmer to be a mainstay in most squads throughout the season.

Preseason Goal involvements;

🥇 7 - Palmer 3⚽️4🅰️
🥈 6 - Mateta 5⚽️1🅰️
🥈 6 - Harry Wilson 5⚽️1🅰️
🥉 5 - J Pedro 5⚽️
5 - Watkins 4⚽️1🅰️
5 - Haaland 4⚽️1🅰️
5 - Bruno Fernandes 3⚽️2🅰️
5 - Gakpo 4⚽️1🅰️
5 - Malen 2⚽️3🅰️
4 - Welbeck 4⚽️
4 - Joel Piroe 4⚽️
4 - Bowen 2⚽️2🅰️ pic.twitter.com/4MCemQSPwh

— FPL Rookie (@FPL__Rookie) August 10, 2025

Now let's look at some more differential picks for the opening gameweek.

FPL GW1 - Differentials - Danny Welbeck (6.5m) & Iliman Ndiaye (6.5m)

These two picks are Premier League proven, and are on the back of impressive campaigns last season. Starting with Welbeck.

Welbeck scored over 10 goals last season for the first time in his career, and his Brighton side will be looking to him yet again, especially since the departure of Joao Pedro to Chelsea (another FPL pick we like).

At 6.5 million, Welbeck represents great value as he is guaranteed plenty of minutes, and his goal return last season and in pre-season makes for promising reading. Owned by only 6.2% of players, he could be the man to give you the edge in your mini-leagues. The former England man gets his season underway with a home fixture against Fulham, who have underwhelmed in the market and across the summer.

Our next selection, Ndiaye, is positioned as a midfielder on FPL, but his nine goals last season suggests that he provides attacker-style returns. Ndiaye is a fan favourite with the Toffees so gametime will not be an issue, and David Moyes' side have been active in the window so they will be hoping for a stronger season than the last.

Everton kick-off their campaign with an away trip to newly-promoted Leeds which is bound to be a lively occassion, but we back Ndiaye to spoil the party.

The player I am seeing in drafts that I absolutely did not expect pre-FPL launch is Ndiaye 🍬

£6.5m Midfielder 📌 #FPL

Moving to a MID & being on penalties combing with good fixtures makes for a perfect pre season bandwagon!

However, only 0.28 xGI per 90 last season 😕 pic.twitter.com/SZkr1greiz

— Harry (@FPL_Harry) July 23, 2025

FPL GW1 - 5.5m or Lower - Simon Adingra (5.5m) & Aaron Wan-Bissaka (4.5m)

Finally, for those cheap gems to fill out your squad. We have chosen a player from Sunderland's exciting window, who we think could adapt well to life in the Northeast, and a defender who will hopefully rack up the new defensive contribution points.

Starting with Adingra, signed from Brighton in the summer, he is highly rated and impressed in brief spells last season, but has swapped the south for the north in search of game time. In just 12 starts for the Seagulls, he scored twice and registered three assists. With guaranteed minutes now, can he take that up a level?

Looking at Adingra on FPL. The first 6 fixtures at 5.5M might be worth taking the punt pic.twitter.com/KRhhnBIWeq

— Plata O Plomo (@DejiCNO) August 12, 2025

One of the main reasons Manchester United signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50 million, was his incredible tackling ability and all-round defensive game. We acknowledge that it didn't work out at Old Trafford, but his second half of last season with West Ham showed what he is all about.

Now officially a Hammer, and FPL introducing more points for defensive actions, we think that Wan Bissaka is a no brainer for 4.5 million.

We know that our two choices face-off on the opening day, but couldn't choose between the both of them!