Why it’s good to cover FPL price points + keep a spare £0.5m

A smart tactic for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers is to cover various price points with their initial Gameweek 1 squads, while leaving some budget spare.

Let’s explore why that is.

What is a ‘price point’?

Over the summer, each player is handed an FPL price that managers can use part of their £100m budget on. Some initial values are more crowded than others.

The temptation of premiums

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), Erling Haaland (£14.0m), Alexander Isak (£10.5m), Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) are expensive assets, far ahead of the rest.

As Gameweek 1 edges closer, you’ll tend to find a few online drafts that squeeze Haaland in alongside Salah. Or maybe even gathers three premiums.

• READ MORE: FPL 2025/26 first draft team reveals – Is a ‘threemium’ viable?

Yes, such names are reliable for big scores. But doing this most likely requires lots of cheap teammates, ignoring a bunch of good, mid-priced players.

Flexibility is good

This sacrifice lacks flexibility, should one or two mid-priced assets hit spectacular form. Jumping onto them would need an immediate squad restructuring.

Whereas, if your budget spreads out to include a £5.5m defender, a £4.5m defender, a £6.5m midfielder, a £9.0m forward and a £7.5m forward, picking the wrong individual can be quickly fixed by one simple transfer.

For example, maybe Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) is suddenly more desirable than Ollie Watkins (£9.0m). Perhaps Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) becomes a rotation risk, or Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) joins Newcastle.

Try to keep £0.5m spare

Another way to be adaptable requires being prepared for early price rises and falls.

Although players only shift £0.1m at a time, the first month is notoriously volatile and sees some of them change multiple times.

Having the luxury of a spare £0.5m or £1.0m in the bank instantly removes the pressure of price changes forcing you into quick decisions.

So, alongside the other general FPL advice of chasing good fixtures and avoiding too many new signings, try being as flexible as possible with your initial price points. Otherwise, things can quickly go wrong.