FPL Bargains 2026/27: 10 Best Value Players to Target

Fantasy Premier League is live for 2026/27, and the value tier is where most opening squads will be won or lost. Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes are the only players priced above £9.5m, but that doesn't mean managers can ignore budget. The best teams will still need cheap defenders, mid-priced midfielders and forwards who return more than their starting price suggests.

The 10 players below are the bargains to consider in the early stages. Some are ready for Gameweek 1, while others need their roles confirmed in preseason or the opening weeks. The point is not to own all 10. It's to identify which prices look wrong before the rest of the game catches up.

All prices are stale until Gameweek 1 begins, and each pick is based on expected minutes, role, defensive contributions and attacking upside.

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FPL 2026/27 Hub: Tips, Team News & Season Guide

FPL Top 400 Player Rankings for 2026/27

Premier League Predicted Lineups (updated all season)

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The 10 Bargains at a Glance

Best FPL Bargain Defenders

Marcos Senesi - £6.0m (TOT)

Senesi finished the 2025/26 Premier League season as the third highest-scoring defender in the entire FPL game, accumulating 175 points behind only Gabriel at Arsenal and Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace/Manchester City. He amassed more defensive contribution points than any other defender and contributed five assists as Bournemouth's primary defensive creative outlet, making him the fourth most-selected defender at the end of the campaign at 22 percent.

He's moved to Tottenham on a free transfer under manager Roberto De Zerbi, a manager who creates more attacking value from his defensive players than almost anyone in the game. De Zerbi's system asks his defenders to contribute actively to build-up and set-piece delivery, which suits Senesi's profile precisely. His DEFCON output may change in a new system, but it's hard to see those numbers completely falling off. At £6.0m for the third highest-scoring defender of last season in a more expansive system, the value is clear.

Piero Hincapie - £5.5m (ARS)

Hincapie's loan at Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen has been made permanent, and manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed him as part of the defensive rotation alongside Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera. He's priced the same as all three of those players at £5.5m, which reflects his position in the squad: a versatile option across left-back and center-back who provides quality cover rather than an automatic weekly starter.

The FPL case rests on Arsenal's defensive structure rather than guaranteed minutes. Arsenal were the best defensive side in the Premier League last season and their clean sheet record is the foundation of their defenders' points tallies outside of Gabriel. With William Saliba (back) carrying an injury concern into the early weeks, there is a realistic pathway to regular minutes for Hincapie, and if Arteta's rotation patterns keep him involved across the opening six gameweeks, his £5.5m price relative to the clean sheet floor makes him one of the better budget defensive investments available.

Of course, if words comes out that Mosquera or Calafiori are the starters, then they'll take Hincapie's spot.

Ian Maatsen - £4.5m (AVL)

Maatsen is the standout option at £4.5m. Aston Villa boasted the fifth-best defensive record in the Premier League last season, combining clean sheet security with an offensive identity that involves the full-backs consistently. Lucas Digne's imminent departure opens the left-back spot and coach Unai Emery's system relies on his wide defenders as supply lines for Ollie Watkins, which means Maatsen, who thrives as an overlapping presence in tight spaces, can produce attacking returns alongside his defensive points from Gameweek 1.

At £4.5m, he represents one of the clearest price-to-output arguments available. If Emery gives him the same license Digne had in his best Villa seasons, the ceiling from this price point is significant.

Best FPL Bargain Midfielders

Christos Tzolis - £6.5m (ARS)

Tzolis recorded 22 goals and 29 assists across 52 appearances for Club Brugge last season before signing for Arsenal as Leandro Trossard's direct replacement. His FPL price of £6.5m reflects the uncertainty around a first Premier League season rather than his demonstrated output level, and for managers willing to absorb that adaptation risk, the ceiling at this price is among the highest in the game.

The important context is that Arteta rotated his attacking midfielders heavily in the title-winning season, with only Bukayo Saka starting more than 21 games among the wide options. Tzolis enters a squad where Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli are all also priced at £6.5m, precisely because the rotation risk is real. If Arteta gives him consistent starts, his Brugge output suggests he justifies a price significantly higher. If the rotation bites, he is a bench asset at best. Given Martinelli's off-and-on relationship with Arteta and that no other player fits on the left wing, Tzolis makes sense as a Gameweek 1 starter.

Victor Munoz - £6.5m (LIV)

Munoz joined Liverpool from Osasuna to inherit one of the wings, specifically the one vacated by Mohamed Salah, and at £6.5m he is priced as a new Premier League arrival similar to Tzolis. His 2025/26 La Liga output of six goals and two assists at Osasuna is modest, and the honest FPL case for him is what possible upside looks like. If Bradley Barcola isn't added in the window (or someone else of similar talent), there will be real minutes available on both wings for Liverpool.

New manager Andoni Iraola built his Bournemouth identity around high-energy, direct wide players generating end product, and Munoz fits that profile. The adaptation risk from La Liga to the Premier League is the concern, and at £6.5m he needs to deliver attacking returns early to justify his price. Similar to someone like Tzolis and other Premier League newcomers, his playing time in the early weeks will be telling.

Dominik Szoboszlai - £7.0m (LIV)

Szoboszlai's price hasn't moved despite his best individual FPL season, which means the game's algorithm has done managers a favour. He scored four direct free-kicks last season, took corners consistently and assumed additional creative responsibility as Liverpool's campaign became increasingly difficult around him. With Salah gone, penalty duties are also in play for the Hungarian, and a midfielder who can contribute goals from set pieces, corners and potentially from the spot at £7.0m is outstanding value.

Szoboszlai's profile as an elite presser and set-piece weapon is precisely what Iraola's system demands, and his new contract signals Liverpool's confidence in his involvement under the new manager. He's the one Liverpool asset worth owning from Gameweek 1 outside of maybe Virgil van Dijk (£6.5).

Morgan Rogers - £7.5m (CHE)

Rogers produced 16 Premier League goal contributions for Aston Villa in 2025/26 before his British record £117m move to Chelsea, and his FPL price of £7.5m sits £2m below Cole Palmer despite Rogers outperforming him last season.

The risk is new coach Xabi Alonso's system, untested in the Premier League, and the unresolved question of how both Rogers and Palmer occupy the same central creative spaces simultaneously. Rogers as a wide attacking midfielder in any Alonso formation is a player who creates and scores at a level the FPL price doesn't reflect. He'll have a starting role, the question is where he fits in the new Chelsea XI.

Mateus Fernandes - £6.0m (TOT)

Fernandes was the 23rd highest-scoring Premier League midfielder in FPL last season, accumulating 135 points from West Ham despite operating in a relegated side. He also posted the eighth most defensive contribution points of all Premier League midfielders, confirming a two-way profile that suits the demands of manager De Zerbi's system. His FPL price of £6.0m reflects a player arriving from a relegated club, which means the system upgrade to Tottenham under De Zerbi hasn't mattered in FPL's eyes.

De Zerbi built midfielders into elite FPL assets at Brighton by giving them the license to press, carry and arrive into the box late. Fernandes, who operated in a similar two-way role at West Ham, is the player most structurally suited to inherit that output at a club with significantly greater resources. The ceiling from £6.0m if De Zerbi uses him in that mold is one of the best mid-price returns available in the opening months.

Estevao - £6.5m (CHE)

The most speculative pick on the list and the one with the highest ceiling may be Estevao, who is still only 19 years old with an almost full Premier League season behind him. He made 22 appearances for Chelsea in 2025/26, starting 12 times and scoring two goals to go with two assists. He became Chelsea's youngest ever Premier League goalscorer and scored in three consecutive Champions League games including a remarkable solo goal against Barcelona.

At £6.5m, the FPL case is grounded in reality rather than pure potential. He's shown he can score and contribute at this level. The question for 2026/27 is whether new manager Xabi Alonso integrates him more consistently into a starting role than Enzo Maresca did, because the production gap between 12 starts and 20 starts is substantial. There are still questions on formation, but no matter what Alonso lands on, Estevao should figure largely in his plans.

Best FPL Bargain Forward

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - £6.0m (LEE)

Scoring 14 Premier League goals in his debut season at a newly promoted club while managing a prior injury record that had written him off in the eyes of most FPL managers is the kind of campaign that moves prices significantly. Calvert-Lewin's increase of just £0.5m to £6.0m for the 2026/27 season is a clear under reaction in the game's opening price list.

He enters the new season as Leeds United's first-choice striker with renewed confidence after also drawing manager Thomas Tuchel's attention ahead of the World Cup squad selection process. His output at Elland Road comes from his movement and aerial ability rather than opponent quality, and at £6.0m he is the most reliable budget forward option on the list.

Final Word

The best FPL bargains are not always the cheapest players. They are the ones whose price has not caught up with their role or likely output.

Ian Maatsen, Dominik Szoboszlai and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have the clearest paths to early value. Christos Tzolis, Victor Munoz, Morgan Rogers and Estevao carry more risk, but they could quickly become popular transfers if their minutes and roles are confirmed.

That's the key distinction before Gameweek 1. Start with the players you trust to play, then react quickly when the uncertain situations become clearer. A bargain is only useful if he is actually on the pitch.

For the latest Premier League team news, injuries and predicted lineups heading into 2026/27, visit RotoWire's soccer hub and check the Premier League injury report throughout pre-season.