Gameweek 1 · April 14, 2026

GW1 Replay

Points: 82  ·  FPL avg: 54  ·  vs avg: +28  ·  Cumulative: +28  ·  Predicted: 57.3 xPts  ·  Chip: —  ·  Hits: 0  ·  Bank: £16.0m  ·  FT: 0

The model predicted 57.3 points but the squad delivered 82, a 25-point beat driven by Ballard’s 17-point haul and double-digit returns from Richarlison and Ekitiké — three players the model assigned near-identical mid-4s xPts, suggesting it correctly identified attacking upside but underestimated the variance in a season opener. Captain Henderson returned a modest 6 points, leaving significant value on the table given Ballard’s explosive performance, though the captaincy call was defensible given pre-GW information. Auto-subs did real work — Reijnders and Kudus each hit 10 after covering for blankers Banel and Reed — while Gyökeres, a notable xPts pick at 4.5, disappointed with just 1 point.

Transfers

(No transfers this week.)

Starting XI

Player Pos xPts Actual
Banel MID 4.7 0
Henderson © (×2) GKP 5.2 6
Reed MID 3.5 0
Bogle DEF 4.9 6
Robertson DEF 5.0 0
Dalot DEF 5.0 1
Hall (vc) DEF 5.2 0
Ballard DEF 4.9 17
Richarlison FWD 4.4 13
Ekitiké FWD 4.9 11
Gyökeres FWD 4.5 1
Total   52.0 55

Bench

Player Pos xPts Actual
Kelleher GKP 4.1 1
Reijnders ↑ MID 3.2 10
Kudus ↑ MID 3.1 10
L.Miley ↑ MID 3.1 1

Season

GW Chip xPts Actual Avg vs Avg Cumulative
1 57.3 82 54 +28 +28