Gameweek 1 is coming, and you’ve got maybe two weeks to plan your entire season. Sounds daunting? It shouldn’t. I’ve spent 10+ years playing FPL, and I’ve learned that how to prepare for FPL is less about predicting the future and more about building a flexible foundation. This FPL pre-season guide will walk you through the exact process I use each August to construct a squad that compounds value over 38 gameweeks.
The difference between a top-500k manager and a top-10k manager often comes down to this: one starts strong, adapts quickly, and compounds small edges. The other panics, makes reactive transfers, and bleeds points. Let’s make sure you’re the former.
Why FPL Pre-Season Preparation Actually Matters
Most casual managers treat pre-season like it’s August and there’s no rush. They pick a squad on deadline day, hit submit, and hope. The reality? The first five gameweeks set the tone. If you’ve done the prep work, you’ll have a squad that naturally fits together, you’ll know exactly when to use your transfers, and you’ll avoid panic selling after a couple of bad blanks.
I’ve seen squads separated by just 20-30 points in GW1 that end up 150+ points apart by GW5. Why? Because thoughtful pre-season planning means you understand fixture flow, you’ve identified value enablers, and you’re not chasing bandwagon picks at 3x ownership.
The harsh truth about FPL initial team building: The players you pick in August won’t be your team in February. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s flexibility and value foundation.
Step 1: Study the Fixture List Like Your Life Depends On It
Before you pick a single player, you need to understand the season structure. Not just GW1-5, but the entire first 10 gameweeks. This is where your pre-season guide starts: with fixture analysis.
The classic FPL mistake is chasing form from the previous season without accounting for fixture difficulty. You’ll see managers overloading on a team that had an easy run in August simply because they hammered last season. Ignore that noise.
What you should do instead:
- Identify the \”easy run\” teams for GW1-5: Which teams have the softest opening fixture sequence? Don’t just look at single gameweeks—look at the aggregate difficulty.
- Map the \”hell run\” teams: Teams facing Man City, Liverpool, and Arsenal in their first five games will naturally produce fewer points. Avoid them or use them strategically in GW6 onwards.
- Note the international breaks: GW6, GW10, GW14 typically include breaks. Players returning from injury or travel fatigue are at risk. Plan your transfers around these windows.
- Identify double gameweeks and blanks in the calendar: These cluster around GW30-38, but knowing them now means you can plan your bench and captain strategy from the start.
Get this right in your FPL pre-season plan, and you’ll naturally build a squad with better early fixtures. Your team will score 45-50 points per gameweek instead of 35-40, and that compounds.
Step 2: Price Discovery — Finding the Best FPL Enablers
An enabler in FPL is a player you pick not because they’re your preferred fantasy asset, but because they offer premium minutes at a budget price. This is where your initial team becomes valuable.
The best FPL drafts always include three to four enablers—players at £4.0-£5.5m who will start regularly, rack up assists or clean sheets, and create space in your budget for premium picks. Here’s how to identify them:
| Enabler Type | Target Price | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Midfield Enablers | £4.5-£5.5m | Squad rotation risk, but nailed in an attacking side with easy fixtures |
| Defender Enablers | £4.0-£4.8m | Nailed starters from teams with easy early fixtures; clean sheet potential |
| Keeper Enablers | £4.0-£4.5m | Nailed #1 with good fixtures; avoid keepers at Big Six clubs early |
| Forward Enablers | £5.5-£6.5m | Backup to premium forward in a team with easy fixtures; goals in preseason |
The FPL pre-season guide mistake here is chasing name recognition. You’ll see managers pick a £4.8m midfielder because he scored in preseason friendlies, but he’s playing for a team with a dire opening run. Instead, identify the roles first, then find players who fit them cheap.
Use your budget strategically: save £2-3m by using enablers, then spend it on your premiums. A squad with three elite forwards at £10-12m each will outscore a squad with six £7-8m midfielders across a season.
Step 3: Choose Your Premium Picks Strategically
Once enablers are locked in, you’ve got roughly £35-40m left for your premium players. This is where most managers get it wrong in their FPL initial team selection.
The temptation is to spread premiums across three or four players. Instead, I recommend concentrating your premium budget on the players most likely to score 250+ points. Historical data is your friend here.
Ask yourself:
- Who are the top scorers historically at each position?
- Which teams have the most attacking potential (based on transfer activity, manager tactics, and summer signings)?
- Who has the easiest opening 10-gameweek run?
- Are there proven differentials at a slightly lower price point?
Historically, the best FPL initial team strategy is to load up on one or two elite forwards or attacking midfielders, then diversify into mid-priced defensive assets. A squad with one £12m premium forward, one £10m premium midfielder, and then 3-4 defenders from different teams will outperform a squad spread across six £7-8m options.
Why? Because the elite scorers hit 20+ goals per season. The next tier hits 10-15. The differential premium at £11-12m might hit 25+ if you’re right. That’s worth concentrating your budget.
Step 4: Nail Your Best FPL Draft Order
If you’re in a classic mini-league (which you should be), your draft order might not be first. But the principles apply: prioritize position fill, then scarcity.
First five picks should be:
- Elite forward or midfielder: The player most likely to hit 250+ points. Don’t overthink this.
- Second elite attacking asset: A different team from your first pick. Diversification matters.
- Premium defender or goalkeeper: Get a nailed starter with good fixtures locked in early.
- Third elite attacking asset (if at forward position): Alternatively, a second defender.
- Early enabler: A £4.5-5.5m midfielder or defender with nailed status and good fixtures.
After the first five picks, focus on filling out your lineup: get a second goalkeeper, build out your defense (4-5 defenders total), then diversify your midfield. Forward is typically your last position to fill because the drop-off in goal contribution is sharpest there.
In a 15-player squad, a solid structure looks like:
- 2 Keepers
- 5 Defenders
- 5 Midfielders
- 3 Forwards
This gives you maximum flexibility for transfers and benchmarking. You can switch from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 based on fixtures without having to sell players.
Step 5: Plan Your Transfer Strategy for GW1-5
The biggest advantage of solid FPL pre-season planning? You know exactly when you’ll use your transfers before the season even starts.
Here’s the framework I use:
Gameweek 1-2: Don’t transfer. Let your squad play. You’ll have injury news, fixture confirmations, and form data by GW3. Panic transfers in GW1 are almost always wrong.
Gameweek 3: This is your first natural window. By now, you’ll see which enablers are actually nailed, which premiums are firing, and which teammates have claimed starting roles. Make your first transfer based on this data—usually a defender or midfielder swap.
Gameweek 4-5: Use your second transfer. By now, injury patterns are clear. If a premium picked up a knock, you have options. If an enabler has been benched, replace them.
Gameweek 6: This is often an international break. Some managers use their wildcard here if they’ve made mistakes. I don’t recommend it unless you’ve picked a genuinely broken squad. Save your wildcard for GW7-9 when you have more data.
Wildcard Timing Rule: Never use your wildcard before GW8 unless your squad is completely broken. The first wildcard is most valuable when you have 7+ gameweeks of data and clear patterns emerge.
Sample 100M Winning Squad for GW1
Let me walk you through a template I’d build if I were starting fresh today. This assumes standard pricing and represents the type of how to prepare for FPL thinking:
| Position | Player | Price | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ramsdale (Arsenal) | £5.5m | Nailed #1, likely for big season |
| GK | Soria (Real Sociedad-style cheap) | £4.0m | Enabler, bench by GW6 |
| DEF | Van Dijk (Liverpool) | £6.5m | Nailed, elite team, historical points |
| DEF | Guehi (Crystal Palace) | £5.0m | Good fixtures, nailed, set-piece threat |
| DEF | Saliba (Arsenal) | £5.8m | Elite defender, likely to play 37+ games |
| DEF | Livramento (Brighton) | £4.5m | Enabler, good fixtures, attack-minded |
| DEF | Alderweireld (Bournemouth) | £4.2m | Enabler defender, cheap, nailed |
| MID | Haaland (Man City) | £12.0m | Elite scorer, proven season points |
| MID | Foden (Man City) | £9.5m | Elite attacker, rotation risk but high ceiling |
| MID | Solanke (AFC Bournemouth) | £8.0m | Differential, good fixtures, form player |
| MID | Madueke (Chelsea) | £6.8m | Enabler winger, elite team, nailed |
| MID | Neto (Wolves) | £5.5m | Enabler, good fixtures, set-piece threat |
| FWD | Toney (Brentford) | £8.5m | Elite forward, good fixtures, proven |
| FWD | Richarlison (Tottenham) | £7.0m | Good fixtures, threat, mid-priced |
| FWD | Wissa (Brentford) | £5.8m | Enabler forward, nailed, good fixtures |
| Bench | Soria (GK) | £4.0m | Backup keeper |
Total Squad Cost: £100.0m
This squad is built around three core principles: (1) Elite premiums at forward and midfield positions likely to score 250+ points, (2) Defensive enablers with good early fixtures to save budget, (3) Flexibility to move pieces in GW3-5 without selling premiums.
Notice there’s no overloading on one team (max 2 from Man City, max 2 from Arsenal). This reduces fixture correlation and manages risk.
Fixture Template for Your First Five Gameweeks
Once you’ve built your squad, map your early fixtures. This prevents surprise blanks and helps you plan transfers ahead of time. Use our Fixture Difficulty tool to analyse your team’s run and identify when you might want to make tactical swaps.
Key insight: Teams with blanks in GW5 are often perfect candidates for first transfers in GW3. Similarly, if your squad faces two consecutive difficult fixtures (say, GW2-3 vs Big Six teams), you might plan a defensive swap in GW4.
Document this in a spreadsheet before GW1 kicks off. It sounds tedious, but it saves you from reactive panic transfers that destroy value.
Key Takeaways: Your FPL Pre-Season Checklist
- Study fixtures first: Not all teams have equal opening runs. Load up on players from teams with GW1-5 blank advantages.
- Build around enablers: Save £8-12m by picking budget players at £4.0-5.5m who are nailed and will play 30+ games. Spend the savings on proven elite scorers.
- Concentrate premium budget: Pick one or two elite forwards/midfielders instead of six mid-priced options. The difference between a £12m and £8m player historically is 40+ points per season.
- Plan transfers before GW1: Map out when you’ll use your first two transfers (likely GW3 and GW5). Don’t panic transfer in GW1-2.
- Save your wildcard: Unless your squad is completely broken, hold it until GW8+ when you have real data on form and injuries.
- Manage squad flexibility: Build a 2-5-3 or 5-4-1 structure that can shift to 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 without selling players. This reduces forced transfers.
FAQ: FPL Pre-Season Preparation
When should I start planning my initial team?
Two weeks before deadline. Spend the first week studying fixtures, transfers, and team news. Spend the second week building your squad on multiple drafts, testing different price points. Avoid finalising until 48 hours before deadline—late transfer news often changes the picture.
Should I use my wildcard in Gameweek 1?
Almost never. The wildcard is your most valuable tool for adapting to unexpected changes (injuries to key players, form collapses, surprise breakouts). You’ll have much better information in GW8+ to use it effectively. Save it.
How many premium players should I have in my initial FPL team?
Typically 3-4 players above £8.0m, with at least one above £10m. The rest should be enablers (£4.0-6.0m) and mid-priced differentials (£6.5-7.5m). This gives you balance: star power balanced with budget flexibility.
What’s the biggest mistake managers make in FPL pre-season preparation?
Chasing preseason form without fixture analysis. A player who scored five goals in friendly matches at a team with a dire opening run will lose you points. Prioritise fixture difficulty over preseason stats every time.
Final Thoughts: Execute Your Pre-Season Plan
The FPL season is won by managers who prepare methodically and adapt to data, not by those who chase hype. If you follow this pre-season guide—studying fixtures, building around enablers, concentrating premium budget, and planning transfers ahead—you’ll have a squad that compounds value from GW1 onwards.
The first five gameweeks aren’t make-or-break. But they absolutely set the tone. A squad that scores 45 points per game (225 over five) vs 38 points per game (190 over five) starts with a 35-point advantage. That advantage rarely closes over 38 gameweeks.
