As the Premier League returns, so does the Fantasy Premier League. With new rules in place this year, many more players are looking like smart acquisitions for your team ahead of a fun Fantasy Football season.
The teams are taking shape, and anticipation has built for the Premier League to start again. The 2025/26 season is set to be competitive on the pitch and online for all those Fantasy Premier League (FPL) fans.
Each year, FPL managers look for those special players that are cheap but can give you good returns, the differentials and the hidden gems. Below, we look at who those players could be this season.
Elliot Anderson, £5.5m, 7% of teams
With the new rules that have come in around defensive contributions, defensive midfielders are suddenly viable picks in FPL. One such player to benefit from the new bonus points is Elliot Anderson for Nottingham Forest. If the defensive contributions points were in force last season, he would have got the second most points from it for a midfielder after Moises Caicedo. He played 37 out of 38 games, scored two goals and assisted six. He will get you points this season because of the new rules.
Declan Rice, £6.5, 7.6% of teams
Another who will get a buff in points from the inclusion of defensive contributions as bonus points. He was involved in 11 goals last season and is the majority of Arsenal’s set pieces. If he can make scoring from dead balls a trademark (see goals against Real Madrid), then Rice can be a decently priced differential for the season ahead.
Dwight McNeil, £6, 0.6% of teams
McNeil could be a true hidden gem in FPL. Whilst he is well known to watchers of the Premier League, he is overlooked for what he does. His delivery from set pieces is second to none, plus he had 10 goal contributions from 21 appearances last season. With players like Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye being the ones who will catch the eye for Everton this year, McNeil is a cheaper and less-picked player who could come up trumps in the long run. He even beat Ndiaye for goal involvements in 2024/25.
Neco Williams, £5m, 8.9% of teams
Neco Williams' appeal is simple: he is the cheapest and least picked player from the second-best defence of last season. What also says a lot about Williams is that he was not even the first choice left-back for Forest from the beginning, only starting 28 of 38 games overall and not nailing down the position until gameweek 13. He will get many more points this season if he plays more games, which he should.
El Hadji Malick Diouf, £4.5m, 6.4% of teams
New boy to the league and West Ham’s defence, El Hadji Malick Diouf is set to be an attacking force for the Hammers. During 2024/25, he produced 11 goal contributions from left-wing-back for Slavia Prague, and if he brings the same flair to the Premier League, he could be a great pick. He's chepaer than Aaron Wan-Bissaka and less picked too, making him more appealing.
Granit Xhaka, £5m, 2.7% of teams
Welcome back to the Premier League, Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder spent two seasons away in Germany and won an unprecedented double in his first season. Now back for newly promoted Sunderland, he will add some defensive grit and Premier League pedigree to their midfield. Playing for the Black Cats, who will be working hard defensively this season, you imagine Xhaka’s defensive contributions will rise, and he will take advantage of those bonus points. He has a goal and assist in him too, making the £5m price tag seem very reasonable.