25/26 FPL GW1 - Don't panic!
Most elite managers had a rough week as well
Update: I made a free web app to track this data moving forward. You can use it here.
The Premier League’s 2025/26 opener has delivered all the classic FPL drama we know and (secretly) love. From big-name blanks to underdog heroes, Gameweek 1 has had fantasy managers laughing, crying, and double-checking the app in disbelief. I wanted to take some time to look at what top managers out there are doing before knee jerking into early trades. Although there is still one match to go, I have done some analysis using a list of Elite managers who have historically finished in top 10k. I grabbed the list of ID’s by scrapping data from LiveFPL who tracks elite managers season to season. I then made a script to download their GW1 teams, and have filtered out the top 50 players selected by these managers, there were 996 elite managers in total, as I didn’t get a team list from 4 on the list. The results are below.
So how did these Elite Managers do Gameweek 1
(So far - sorry Leeds and Everton)
10 of 12 double-digit scorers were owned by <10% of elite managers, lots of “who had that on their bingo card?” moments.
7 highly-owned elite picks didn’t make the GW1 best list (or scored modestly).
Pedro Porro, B.Fernandes, Andersen all owned much higher in elite circles, rather than the general public. João Pedro owned much less, although still popular.
Biggest surprises
These were the standout hauls among players with low elite ownership):
Ballard, Semenyo, Wood, Richarlison, Calafiori, Ekitiké, Rico Lewis, Kudus, Raya, O’Riley all clocked 10+ points while being largely ignored by elite managers.
How to read this: when double-digit returns come from <10% elite ownership, they’re not automatic buys. Check minutes, role, set pieces, and fixtures before you tear up your plan.
Why elite ownership says “hold”
Several heavily-owned elite picks didn’t appear in the GW1 best list or underwhelmed:
Palmer, Watkins, Wirtz, B. Fernandes, all 50–95%+ elite-owned.
Dúbravka, Estève and Marc Guiu are obviously elite bench warmers for the season.
Reasons for owning these players doesn’t vanish in a single week: nailed minutes, central roles, set pieces, good medium-term fixtures, underlying numbers, and value. If you picked them for those reasons, one game isn’t enough evidence to unwind that thesis. Wirtz would have me a little worried if I owned him though, as he is not a proven FPL asset like the others.
Some early trades
Although saving trades and waiting for some patterns to form is a safe path. Some players really stood out early and may be worthy of an early trade:
Ekitiké - Scored a goal and assist. He looks elite, and totally at home in the defending champions’ team. He is going to get minutes, and may even be taking attacking returns away from Salah - that’s a bigger picture concern for Salah owners.
Reijnders - Outstanding first game for city. Goal, assist and clean sheet. Rotation still a concern but at 5.5m looks like a great early gamble. He was in my GW1 team.
Aït-Nouri - With Gvardiol out, Aït-Nouri was the best premium defender at city. We know he can score goals. Worth the risk when compared to other premium options?
Semenyo - Two goals vs Liverpool and was very central to Bournemouth’s attack. He was great last year, and is a solid mid price midfielder.
Haaland - We all could see 2 goals coming vs Wolves, but is it sustainable at his price.
Wood - 2 goals - The kiwi lad continues to spit on his xG stats and opens the season at a sprint.
Practical guidance for GW2
Protect team structure. Don’t chase one-off hauls by breaking price balance or losing captaincy flexibility. You missed those points week 1. Deal with it.
Prioritise minutes & role. Prefer moves into 80–90’ players with clear attacking roles over low-xG spikes.
Use elite ownership as a sanity check. If a quiet GW1 asset is still massively owned by top managers, that’s signal to be patient.
Make steady upgrades. If you do move, target players who also fit elite logic (role + fixtures + minutes), not just last week’s points.
I will post next week when GW2 teams are out and see what players elite managers are offloading.