Gameweek 1 review · deadline Friday, 21 August 2026
Gameweek 1: the week the crowd's captain blanked
Millions of armbands went on Haaland and came back with 2 points. The week's real story was De Cuyper, who scored 17 while the crowd looked the other way.
The average manager scored 50 — the lowest of the season so far, 13 below the season average of 63. The highest score anyone managed was 131. 19 players reached double figures, led by De Cuyper.
The week's best
De Cuyper (BHA) was the top-scoring player with 17 points. Behind him came Hinshelwood on 16, Mendy on 15 and M.Sangaré on 14. The ten highest scorers, and how they got there:
| Player | Club | Pos | Pts | Mins | G | A | CS | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Cuyper | BHA | DEF | 17 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hinshelwood | BHA | MID | 16 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Mendy | HUL | DEF | 15 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| M.Sangaré | BRE | MID | 14 | 75 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ajayi | HUL | DEF | 14 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Palmer | CHE | MID | 13 | 82 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Stach | LEE | MID | 13 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Kayode | BRE | DEF | 13 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gakpo | LIV | MID | 12 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ødegaard | ARS | MID | 11 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
The best XI of the week
The highest-scoring legal line-up from Gameweek 1 — one goalkeeper, then the best defenders, midfielders and forwards within the game's formation rules — would have scored 148 points before captaincy, against a game-wide average of 50.
| Player | Club | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tzolakis | HUL | GKP | 10 |
| De Cuyper | BHA | DEF | 17 |
| Mendy | HUL | DEF | 15 |
| Ajayi | HUL | DEF | 14 |
| Hinshelwood | BHA | MID | 16 |
| M.Sangaré | BRE | MID | 14 |
| João Pedro | CHE | FWD | 11 |
| Palmer | CHE | MID | 13 |
| Stach | LEE | MID | 13 |
| Kayode | BRE | DEF | 13 |
| Gakpo | LIV | MID | 12 |
Captaincy
A bad week for the template. Haaland (MCI) was the most-captained player and blanked with 2 points — 4 doubled. The week's top scorer, De Cuyper, would have returned 34 as captain, a swing of 30 points against the majority. 250,816 managers played their Triple Captain this week, most of them on Haaland — 6 points tripled.
The transfer market
0 transfers were made before the deadline, and the most-bought player was Raya (ARS). He returned 6 points — fine, not the haul the market was buying.
Chips played: 0 Wildcards, 0 Free Hits, 814,606 Bench Boosts and 250,816 Triple Captains.
Results
The biggest margin was Brighton 4–0 Aston Villa. 29 goals in 10 matches, 1 draw; 32 goalkeepers and defenders kept clean sheets. Discipline and misfortune: 1 red card, 34 yellows, 1 penalty missed and 1 own goal. After Gameweek 1, Brighton top the table on 3 points, level with Arsenal.
How did your league do?
Every number above is game-wide. FPL Rivals turns the same data into your own story: head-to-head records against your mates, captaincy calls with receipts, and a weekly verdict for the group chat. Compare two managers, read the captaincy guide, or see how effective ownership decides who moves up on a week like this.