FPL Pre-set Squads: Allocating Funds Evenly Without Haaland or Salah

The Scout offers a strategy for assembling a balanced Fantasy Premier League squad by avoiding the two most expensive players, Erling Haaland (£15.0m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.5m).

With Haaland currently owned by 36% of managers and dealing with injury concerns, this approach might be particularly advantageous. The forward has been substituted at halftime in his last two pre-season matches, raising doubts about his fitness.

Building a squad around the most popular players can be a prudent strategy. This approach minimizes risk by aligning your team with the choices of a large portion of Fantasy managers, potentially reducing the impact of a poor start to the season.

Alexander Isak (£8.5m) is the most popular pick at the moment, featuring in over 55% of squads. He has scored in all three of Newcastle’s pre-season games and is a strong captaincy choice for Gameweek 1 against Southampton.

Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) is also a top pick, appearing in 54% of squads. Last season, he was the highest-scoring forward in Fantasy, accumulating 228 points, just behind Haaland’s 217 points.

Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and William Saliba (£6.0m) are the most-owned midfielder and defender respectively. Palmer had an outstanding season last year, with 22 goals and 13 assists, while Saliba was a key part of Arsenal’s defense, contributing to 18 clean sheets.

Palmer and Watkins benefit from favorable fixtures in the early part of the season. According to Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), Chelsea and Aston Villa have an easy start, with five of their first six matches rated as 2 in difficulty.

Saliba, owned by 41% of managers, offers a reliable option in defense. Arsenal’s strong defensive record from last season and Saliba’s consistent presence make him a solid choice.

Six captaincy options are highlighted based on their past performance: Palmer, Watkins, and Isak, as well as Son Heung-min (£10.0m), Phil Foden (£9.5m), and Kai Havertz (£8.0m). Son and Foden each had eight double-figure returns last season, matching Haaland and outperforming Salah. Son faces Leicester City in Gameweek 1, while Foden takes on Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2. Havertz’s move to a forward role last season saw him involved in 18 goals, making him a strong alternative to more expensive players.

Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.5m) is included for his penalty duties and favorable early fixtures.

For budget defenders, Saliba is the priciest at £6.0m, with the remaining defenders priced at £4.5m. Options include Pau Torres (Aston Villa), Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), and Leif Davis (Ipswich), all offering good value with favorable fixtures.

In goal, managers can choose between Mark Flekken (£4.5m) of Brentford and Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) of Chelsea, taking advantage of their schedules. Sanchez’s spot may be in flux due to competition from new signing Filip Jorgensen.

For the bench, Morgan Rogers (£5.0m) of Aston Villa has been impressive in pre-season, scoring three goals and providing an assist while playing as a second striker.