Two teams that caught the eye in GW1 were Sunderland and Nottingham Forest. Sunderland impressed with a 3-0 win against West Ham, a team to consider due to a good set of upcoming fixtures. Forest managed a 3-1 win against the Bees at home, not a good start for new manager Keith Andrews. 

Here are the top three captaincy options: 

Saka 

Arsenal face promoted side Leeds at home in GW2. Saka is the most consistent performer for the Gunners due to maintaining a high level of output. Saka takes set-pieces and penalties; he should also be nailed to play 90 minutes. 

Salah 

Liverpool head to St James’ Park in GW2, Newcastle had a 0-0 draw in GW1 and couldn’t capitalise on Konsa getting a red card in the 66th minute. Salah has an excellent history against Newcastle; he’s had at least one attacking return in Liverpool’s last six fixtures against Newcastle (Premier League). 

Palmer

Chelsea go up against West Ham (A) in GW2. The Hammers conceded three goals to Sunderland on the opening weekend, and West Ham averaged 1.79 goals conceded per 90 at home last season. This led to the Hammers only keeping 11% of clean sheets at home (24/25 season).

Players to target: 

Tijjani Reijnders is currently owned by 26.8% of the game and looked brilliant in GW1 against Wolves, where he managed 1G/1A. This made him the second-ever Man City player to score and assist on their Premier League debut; Sergio Aguero was the first player in August 2011 against Swansea City. Reijnders should be nailed in the City starting XI, and they have a good fixture run. At only £5.5, he’s a brilliant option.

Semenyo was a standout player from GW1 due to an excellent performance against Liverpool, coming away with 2 goals. He was the first visiting player to score a brace at Anfield in the Premier League since September 2022.

Stats against Liverpool: 

1 Big chance missed 

3 Shots 

37 Touches 

4 touches in the opposition box 

2 passes into the final third 

3 Ball recoveries 

2 Goals 

Haaland is only owned by 27.8% of the game, which is much lower compared to previous seasons. He was brilliant in GW1 against Wolves, scoring two goals, and City have favourable fixtures. He’s definitely a player to target if you’ve got the funds to go there. In my opinion, he’s a better option than Salah for GW1-GW8.

Chris Wood scored two goals against Brentford from quite low xG opportunities. Forest looked really good last Sunday, creating a lot of opportunities. Despite Wood overperforming his xG massively last season, I still think he’ll have another big season during 25/26. Forest also has some brilliant fixtures within the first six game weeks, including West Ham (H), Burnley (A) & Sunderland (H). 

Lastly, let’s talk about differentials: 

Martin Ødegaard is currently my favourite differential heading into GW2. Arsenal face Leeds on Saturday, which is a good fixture to target. Ødegaard made 14 defensive contributions in GW1, so he managed the extra 2 points, and he should be nailed for 90 minutes against Leeds. From an attacking point of view against Man Utd, Ødegaard managed 1 shot on target, 1 shot off target, 1 chance created and had 4 touches in the opposition box. Overall, I think he’s the best differential Arsenal attacker who is likely to get 90 minutes. For example, Martinelli got subbed in the 60th minute against United (GW1).

Simon Adingra could also be a great differential to own. Sunderland looked brilliant in GW1 (3-0 win against West Ham), and Simon Adingra looked good down the left side. He provided a brilliant cross for Dan Ballard’s goal, and he missed one big chance. Adingra has a higher amount of experience compared to other Sunderland assets due to having over 60 appearances for Brighton, so he should be a vocal point in attack. Sunderland have good fixtures during the next six gameweeks, and Adingra looks to be a good option at only 1.8% ownership.