TEN lessons from the season so far in Fantasy

The Scout on the key takeaways, including why clean sheets are as important as ever

The Scout picks out the main lessons from the first seven Gameweeks of 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League.

Haaland is back to his best

Nine goals and an assist have taken Erling Haaland (£14.5m) to the top of the player standings on 70 points. 

Manchester City’s talisman has blanked just once in his seven outings, with his average of 10 points per match making the captaincy decision a very easy one in every Gameweek right now.

Almost 4.6million managers have bought the Norwegian since the season started, and with his ownership now at 60 per cent, it’s only a matter of time before Haaland overtakes the 61 per cent-owned Joao Pedro (£7.7m) as the most-popular player in Fantasy.

Semenyo’s goal threat makes him a must-have 

AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) has also emerged as a must-have on his way to the top of the midfielder standings on 66 points.

The Ghana international has scored six goals and supplied three assists to establish a 21-point lead in his position in Fantasy.

The underlying statistics show his output is no fluke. Semenyo’s 17 shots, 15 shots in the box and seven big chances – situations where the player is expected to score – all rank first among midfielders.

Managers parting ways with Salah

Liverpool’s move away from their familiar 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1, added with the influx of a host of new players, has forced a major reassessment around the appeal of Mohamed Salah (£14.4m) as a premium pick.

In contrast to Haaland, Liverpool’s Egyptian is struggling to merit his price tag, with just two goals and two assists to his name. Indeed, his 34 points are less than HALF the 70 of Haaland.

As a result, Salah was the most-sold player in Gameweek 7 and is again the most transferred-out ahead of Gameweek 8, with a combined 1.1million FPL managers parting company during that period.

Forest among the big disappointments

In a similar vein, Nottingham Forest’s early-season struggles are a reminder that there’s only so much patience you can afford your underperforming players.

After finishing last season with 13 clean sheets – second only to the 14 of Liverpool – members of Forest's backline were highly owned for their kind opening schedule. Fast forward seven matches and they’ve yet to keep a single clean sheet, with Ange Postecoglou struggling to make his mark after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo. 

The underlying statistics also show why it’s time to move on from members of Forest's rearguard. They have conceded 22 big chances, the most in the league.

Clean sheets remain the best gauge of defenders

Arsenal and Newcastle United’s resilient displays have shown why clean sheets remain the likeliest source of returns for goalkeepers and defenders. Only eight players across those two positions have produced 40+ points, and FIVE of them are from those two clubs.

Nick Pope and Dan Burn (both £5.1m) have helped the Magpies to a league-high five clean sheets, while Jurrien Timber (£5.9m), Gabriel (£6.3m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m) have been part of an Arsenal side who have four shutouts. 

Again, the "big chances" numbers show just why – Arsenal and Newcastle are the two best defences for this metric, allowing only five and seven respectively.

Popular attackers are underperforming

While Haaland and Semenyo set the pace and soar in ownership, a host of other highly owned attackers are failing to justify their popularity.

Among the 10 most-selected midfielders and forwards, Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres (£9.1m), Man City's Tijjani Reijnders (£5.8m) and Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) have each blanked in FIVE of their seven starts. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur's Mohammed Kudus (£6.7m) and Joao Pedro (£7.7m) have four blanks in seven matches.

Bukayo Saka’s (£9.9m) recent return to action – and converted penalty against West Ham United – looks a very timely one, while managers will be hoping Cole Palmer (£10.3m) is fit for Chelsea’s kind schedule from Gameweek 9.

Up front, Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade (£7.2m) and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) are among the form picks, scoring in three of the last four and five Gameweeks respectively.

Is 4-4-2 the best formation?

A breakdown of the top-scoring players by position in Fantasy shows why a 4-4-2 formation could prove the most productive.

Of the 53 players to have accumulated 30+ points this season, only SIX of them are forwards. By comparison, 20 defenders and 22 midfielders have achieved this feat, highlighting the wealth of options across those two positions. 

Assessed against the previous campaign, it’s clear to see that defenders have been markedly better in 2025/26 and merit more attention. As mentioned above, 20 of them already have 30+ points, whereas a mere FIVE defenders had achieved this feat over Gameweeks 1-7 in 2024/25 Fantasy.  

Promoted stars are viable starters 

Over the last two seasons in particular, promoted clubs were largely viewed as teams to earn points AGAINST, rather than sides to invest in.

It’s fair to say, though, that this season’s contingent have bucked the trend, with Sunderland and Burnley offering genuine starting options.

For Sunderland, Robin Roefs (£4.6m) is the joint top-scoring goalkeeper on 41 points, while centre-back Omar Alderete (£4.1m) has amassed 39 points, just nine off top spot among defenders. 

Meanwhile, Burnley pair Jaidon Anthony (£5.7m) and Josh Cullen (£5.0m) both place among the top seven midfielders on 41 and 37 points respectively – each outscoring the 34 of Salah. 

All-rounders Caicedo and Rice among the most reliable picks

The multiple routes to returns offered by Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo (£5.7m) and Arsenal star Declan Rice (£6.5m) has driven the pair's successful starts to the campaign.

They are both among the five midfielders who have delivered 40+ points across the opening seven Gameweeks, and they have each blanked just ONCE this season.

Caicedo has scored three goals, earned seven bonus points and got another eight points for his defensive contributions. Notably, his all-round impact means the Blues midfielder has produced a minimum of four points in six of the first seven Gameweeks. 

Rice, meanwhile, has combined one goal and three assists with seven bonus and four defensive contribution points. As a set-piece taker for the Gunners, the England international’s all-round output means he is making a convincing case for inclusion.

Andersen, Senesi and Tarkowski lead the way for defensive contributions

Defenders – and centre-backs in particular – have proven the main beneficiaries of the new defensive contributions metric, with Fulham’s Joachim Andersen (£4.5m), Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi (£4.9m) and Everton’s James Tarkowski (£5.5m) the top performers.

All three have earned defensive contribution points in six of the first seven Gameweeks, earning an extra 12 points each.

Senesi has added two assists and three clean sheets, taking him joint-third in the defender standings on 46 points. Andersen, by contrast, has just one clean sheet to his name, meaning his defensive contributions account for a hefty 41 per cent of his points. 

Burnley’s Cullen also merits another mention here as the top-performing midfielder. He has amassed 10 points through defensive contributions, earning extra in five of his seven outings. Similarly to Caicedo, this has raised the floor in terms of the minimum number of points that FPL managers can expect from him, with Cullen earning at least four points in five of the first seven Gameweeks. 

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