Top FPL midfielders to help you win your mini-league, plus the best budget pick at £5.5m
The top five midfielders to add to your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team have been chosen, and one player really stands out as a great pick for managers wanting a fun gamble to kick off the season.
Even though the World Cup feels like it just ended, the 2026/27 Premier League season is almost here, with only eight days left until Arsenal face Coventry City in the opener.
With that in mind, many managers are putting the final touches on their FPL teams, while others are quickly making their first drafts.
Wherever you are with your FPL planning, SPORTbible has you covered with articles ranking the best players to include and some hidden gems to watch in the last pre-season games.
We’ve already looked at the best forwards, so now it’s time to focus on midfielders — a very important position in the game.
Here are five top midfielders that stand out right now, including one who’s a bit under the radar but is one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.
Just like Erling Haaland is a must-have forward, Fernandes is no surprise as a top midfielder pick.
Although Fernandes is the second most expensive player, skipping him could be risky.
Last season, Fernandes had one of the best FPL performances ever, with nine goals and 24 fantasy assists, breaking the Premier League assists record.
In the last 17 matches, he was the highest-scoring FPL player, averaging 7.6 points per game.
He also created 30 big chances last season — more than any other player.
Manchester United start with two games against promoted sides Hull and Ipswich, and their first eight games look pretty good.
So having two United attackers could be a great way to start the season.
Both Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, priced at £8.0m, are solid options, but Mbeumo’s stats look slightly better.
Unlike others on this list, Mbeumo is a forward but counted as a midfielder in FPL, giving you a chance to score more points.
Only Fernandes had a higher expected goal involvement than Mbeumo, who actually recorded more expected goals than Fernandes and Cunha.
Mbeumo had 14 goal involvements in 31 starts.
Though doubling up on Fernandes and Mbeumo might be tricky on your budget, it’s definitely a strategy worth considering.
Szoboszlai’s popularity has jumped to 44.1% ownership since the game launched, making him the fourth most-owned player.
Last season, the Liverpool midfielder scored 160 points with six goals and seven assists under Arne Slot and is seen as one of the best value picks this season.
He created 15 big chances — the fourth most among midfielders — and with new attacking manager Andoni Iraola, those numbers may rise.
Szoboszlai is also very reliable, starting 36 of Liverpool’s 38 league games, taken off early only once, and takes most of their set-pieces.
At the same price as Szoboszlai, Manchester City’s Phil Foden offers a big chance for managers looking for a differential pick.
Only 6.6% of managers own Foden, which seems low given his potential, even though last season was a bit quiet.
He averaged about 4 points per game with seven goals and five assists in 23 starts, earning 131 total points.
Rotation is a concern, though. Cherki is currently a more popular pick at 9% ownership.
However, new manager Enzo Maresca sees Foden as one of City’s “three central pillars,” alongside Haaland and Gvardiol, so now might be a great time to take a chance on him.
The Community Shield game against Arsenal on August 16 should give us a clearer idea of Foden’s role this season.
Every FPL team needs at least one budget-friendly player that you can count on most weeks.
For the start of the season, Brighton’s Pascal Gross looks like a reliable choice.
With Danny Welbeck leaving, Gross is expected to take all set-pieces, including penalties, which is a big plus.
Gross is in 10.3% of FPL teams and has been a regular starter, playing 85+ minutes in 18 of 19 games.
Since returning to Brighton in January, he averaged nearly 8 defensive contributions per 90 minutes, earning bonus points and DEFCON points in several games.
All in all, these five midfielders could give your FPL team a great boost as the new season kicks off!