📈 Most popular Fantasy Premier League picks for next season

Fantasy Premier League managers are locking in their squads ahead of the much-anticipated 2025/26 Premier League season and early ownership stats are revealing some surprising trends in the most-selected players across the game.

With just weeks to go before the opening whistle, several budget-friendly and breakout stars have emerged as early favourites, while familiar elite names continue to dominate midfield and forward lines. Here's a breakdown of the most-owned FPL players so far:

Goalkeeper

• Caoimhín Kelleher (29%) The new Brentford No. 1, following his summer move from Liverpool, Kelleher is proving extremely popular as a £4.5m budget option. With a favourable early fixture run, he’s become the go-to keeper for those going big in attack.
  

Defenders

• Rayan Aït-Nouri (30.3%) Ait-Nouri’s attacking threat from wing-back for Wolves has not gone unnoticed and earned him a move to Manchester City. He leads all defenders in ownership ahead of the new season. 
• Jeremie Frimpong (29.3%) Now with Liverpool, the former Leverkusen wing-back is expected to offer explosive returns on both ends of the pitch.
• Gabriel Magalhães (27.9%) A consistent starter for Arsenal, Gabriel remains a set-piece threat and a safe pick for those seeking clean sheets and occasional goals.
• Aaron Wan-Bissaka (27%) A potential rotation risk but still attracting attention from a lot of owners.

Midfielders

• Mohamed Salah (55.45%) The king is back. Salah tops the midfield charts, and his early ownership is the highest among all players. No surprise given his consistent FPL output.
• Cole Palmer (48.2%) Chelsea’s talisman last season, Palmer is still underpriced considering his central attacking role and set-piece duties.
• Florian Wirtz (37.4%) A marquee signing from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, Wirtz is already drawing attention thanks to pre-season form and a likely playmaking role.

Forwards

• João Pedro (58.5%) The most-owned player in the game. Chelsea's newest signing already hit the ground running at the Club World Cup and is priced attractively for FPL managers.
• Alexander Isak (39.2%) Newcastle’s attacking leader remains a popular choice, with many tipping him for a breakout Golden Boot campaign.
• Jarrod Bowen (22.8%) Listed as a forward this season, Bowen remains central to West Ham’s attack. His classification shift hasn’t deterred managers looking for value and consistency.

📸 Luke Hales - 2025 Getty Images