Best FPL Players to Buy for GW2 2026/27: Bruno, Szoboszlai, Gabriel & More

Gameweek 1 has already produced huge scores, unexpected blanks and several tempting transfer targets.

But the most important FPL lesson heading into Gameweek 2 is simple: don't chase last week's points.

One match is useful new information. It is not enough evidence to tear apart a squad you spent weeks building.

The GW2 deadline is Friday 28 August at 18:30 BST, before Crystal Palace host Manchester City.

The short answer

If your squad is healthy, rolling the transfer is a perfectly strong GW2 strategy.

If you do need to make a move, these are the players we like most.

Projection numbers referenced in the original GW2 analysis put Bruno at 6.8 projected points, Haaland at 5.8, Gabriel at 4.9 and Raya at 4.2.

1. Bruno Fernandes — the standout GW2 target

Bruno blanked in Gameweek 1.

That does not suddenly make him a bad FPL asset.

Manchester United now host Ipswich Town, one of the standout fixtures of Gameweek 2, and Bruno remains the central figure in United's attack.

At £12.0m, he is expensive. But if your premium structure already allows the move, he is arguably the strongest combination of:

• minutes
• set pieces
• penalties
• creativity
• goal threat
• captaincy

The underlying projections used in the video rank Bruno as the highest projected player for GW2 at 6.8 points.

And this is exactly why managers should avoid outcome-based thinking: a GW1 blank does not erase everything that made Bruno an elite pick seven days ago.

OneFPL verdict

BUY.

If you already own Bruno, keep him.

If you own both Bruno and Haaland, Bruno currently has a very strong case for the GW2 captaincy.

For managers considering the chip, OneFPL's early Triple Captain analysis also identified Bruno against Ipswich in GW2 as one of the first major opportunities of the season.

2. Dominik Szoboszlai — the £7.0m midfielder moving up the rankings

Szoboszlai may be the most important new piece of information from GW1.

Liverpool were awarded a late penalty at Newcastle and it was Szoboszlai — not Alexander Isak — who took it, scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 draw.

OneFPL has already updated its penalty and set-piece tracker after that competitive clue.

At only £7.0m, a midfielder with involvement across penalties and other dead-ball situations becomes extremely interesting.

Liverpool now host Nottingham Forest in GW2.

That gives Szoboszlai:

• a strong home fixture
• potential penalty duties
• other set-piece involvement
• a secure central role
• access to Liverpool's attack for only £7.0m

OneFPL verdict

BUY / STRONG WATCH.

We would still avoid assuming he owns every future Liverpool penalty after one kick, but the evidence has become significantly stronger.

At £7.0m, the upside is difficult to ignore.

3. Gabriel — still the premium defender to beat

Arsenal began the season with a 3-0 clean-sheet win over Coventry, reinforcing why their defence entered the season at the top of most FPL rankings.

Gabriel remains the safest route.

His £8.0m price is enormous for a defender, but you are buying more than clean sheets:

• strong minutes security
• defensive contribution potential
• major set-piece threat
• clean-sheet upside
• bonus potential

The alternative Arsenal defenders are cheaper, but the arrival of Ezri Konsa has increased uncertainty around the rest of Arsenal's back line.

OneFPL verdict

BUY if your structure can afford him.

Against Aston Villa away in GW2, Gabriel is not necessarily a one-week transfer. He is a move made because you expect to own him for months.

That distinction matters.

4. David Raya — expensive, but potentially set-and-forget

Raya sits at the top of the GW2 goalkeeper projections in the analysis at around 4.2 points.

Arsenal conceded very little against Coventry and opened the season with a clean sheet.

At £6.0m, Raya is not the goalkeeper for everyone. Spending heavily in goal reduces flexibility elsewhere.

But if you want a goalkeeper you can realistically leave in your squad every week, Arsenal's defensive strength makes him one of the strongest candidates.

Wildcard alternative

If Wildcarding now, we would be more tempted by a cheaper goalkeeper and use Arsenal slots elsewhere.

That could become particularly relevant if managers eventually want combinations involving Gabriel, Konsa and an Arsenal attacker.

OneFPL verdict

HOLD / LONG-TERM BUY.

Do not rip apart your team simply to upgrade goalkeeper in GW2.

5. Harry Maguire — hold, don't rage sell

Manchester United losing 2-0 at Hull was one of GW1's biggest FPL disappointments.

OneFPL has already downgraded United's defensive outlook after that result.

But selling Maguire immediately before Ipswich at home would be another form of chasing last week's result.

The original reason for owning him was the opening fixture run.

One bad defensive performance changes our confidence level, but the GW2 fixture remains excellent.

OneFPL verdict

HOLD.

We would not buy him ahead of several stronger defenders, but existing owners should give the pick another week.

6. Malick Thiaw — one of the more interesting medium-term defenders

Newcastle conceded twice against Liverpool, but the defensive scoreline does not tell the whole FPL story.

Thiaw recorded 15 defensive contributions according to the GW2 analysis and already demonstrated last season that he can combine defensive actions with attacking threat.

Newcastle's immediate trip to Tottenham is not ideal, so this is more of a medium-term transfer than a GW2 punt.

OneFPL verdict

WATCH / ROTATION BUY.

He becomes particularly interesting when paired with a defender whose fixtures complement Newcastle's.

7. António Silva — Bournemouth's new DefCon option

One of the less obvious names emerging from GW1 is António Silva.

The Bournemouth defender was highlighted as their only player to hit the defensive-contribution threshold in GW1.

At around £5.5m, he is also cheaper than James Hill and now has:

Everton (H) → Newcastle (A) → Brentford (H)

before two more difficult fixtures.

That is a usable short-term run.

OneFPL verdict

DIFFERENTIAL WATCH.

Not a priority transfer, but exactly the type of player worth adding to a watchlist before ownership catches up.

8. Bukayo Saka — premium upside without the ownership of Bruno or Haaland

Saka started GW1 and scored in Arsenal's 3-0 victory.

At £9.5m, fitting him alongside both Bruno and Haaland is difficult.

That is also what makes him interesting.

Managers choosing a more balanced structure can access an elite Arsenal attacker without paying Haaland or Bruno prices.

Arsenal travel to an Aston Villa side that conceded four times at Brighton in their opener.

One result does not make Villa a defence to target every week, but it certainly does not reduce Saka's appeal.

OneFPL verdict

BUY if your premium structure fits him.

He is particularly attractive for managers building without one of Haaland or Bruno.

9. Mbeumo remains a major GW2 option

Bruno is not the only Manchester United attacker with an elite fixture.

Bryan Mbeumo costs significantly less and also gets Ipswich at Old Trafford.

If £12.0m for Bruno destroys the rest of your team, Mbeumo offers a cheaper way into the same attack.

OneFPL verdict

BUY.

Bruno is the premium route; Mbeumo is the value route.

Owning both is also viable.

10. Haaland — do not sell because he blanked

Haaland blanked against Bournemouth.

Nothing about that changes his fundamental FPL profile.

Manchester City's £15.5m forward remains one of the best captaincy assets in the game and travels to Crystal Palace in GW2 before hosting promoted Coventry in GW3.

The GW2 projections still put Haaland first among forwards at around 5.8 points.

OneFPL's analysis of City's 2-1 opening win also reached the same conclusion: do not sell Haaland because of one blank.

OneFPL verdict

HOLD.

If you started without Haaland, buying him is a bigger structural decision. Do not take multiple hits simply because you fear one Gameweek.

11. Alexander Isak — patience should pay

Isak's return to St James' Park was always going to be one of Liverpool's more difficult fixtures.

He still produced encouraging underlying involvement, while Liverpool now have:

Nottingham Forest (H) → Ipswich (A)

in the next two.

The Ipswich fixture in GW3 is particularly attractive.

OneFPL verdict

HOLD.

Selling Isak before Forest and Ipswich would be extremely aggressive.

He is also a legitimate buy for managers moving away from a more expensive forward structure.

12. Calvert-Lewin and Igor Thiago — don't punish good picks for bad outcomes

Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an underwhelming opening Gameweek.

Igor Thiago had an even more frustrating one, missing a penalty against Spurs.

Neither event automatically makes the original selection wrong.

Penalty misses are especially important to treat correctly in FPL: a player getting a penalty is evidence of opportunity. Whether the ball goes in or hits the post can come down to centimetres.

OneFPL verdict

HOLD both.

GW2 is too early to convert every blank into a transfer.

Budget forwards to monitor

Two £5.5m forwards deserve attention:

Thierno Barry

Barry scored in GW1 and has some particularly attractive fixtures later in the opening run.

Oli McBurnie

Another £5.5m route who could make a three-forward structure easier without committing too much budget.

Neither needs to be bought immediately, but both can become useful enablers if their minutes remain secure.

Budget midfielders: Sangaré deserves attention

Mamadou Sangaré delivered an outstanding GW1 return with:

• two assists
• defensive-contribution points
• 14 FPL points

We should not project two assists every week.

What matters is the combination of attacking involvement and a route to defensive contribution points.

That can raise the floor of a cheap midfielder significantly.

OneFPL verdict

WATCH closely.

Do not buy purely because of the 14-point haul. Buy only if the underlying role continues to justify it.

Don't chase every GW1 haul

This is perhaps the biggest message of the entire article.

A player scoring 12, 15 or 17 points in GW1 does not mean those points are available again in GW2.

Before buying any GW1 star, ask:

1. Did his role change?
2. Were the underlying numbers good?
3. Are his minutes secure?
4. Did he gain penalties or set pieces?
5. Are the next fixtures good?
6. Would you still want him if you had not seen his GW1 score?

If the answer to the last question is no, you are probably chasing points.

Best GW2 transfer targets ranked

Tier 1 — priority

1. Bruno Fernandes
2. Dominik Szoboszlai
3. Gabriel
4. Bryan Mbeumo

Tier 2 — excellent picks, structure dependent

1. Erling Haaland
2. Bukayo Saka
3. Alexander Isak
4. David Raya

Tier 3 — value and differential targets

1. Malick Thiaw
2. António Silva
3. Mamadou Sangaré
4. Thierno Barry / Oli McBurnie

Should you Wildcard in GW2?

For most managers: no.

One bad Gameweek does not justify rebuilding 15 players.

Wildcard only if GW1 exposed genuine structural problems such as:

• several unexpected benchings
• multiple injuries
• major role changes
• poor squad balance
• players who are no longer first choice
• a team structure that prevents you reaching several high-priority assets

Interestingly, the reigning FPL champion used an early GW2 Wildcard last season, so there is no rule saying an early Wildcard is automatically wrong.

It simply needs a stronger reason than "my GW1 score was bad."

OneFPL GW2 transfer verdict

The best move this week may be no move at all.

If your Gameweek 1 squad still contains secure starters with strong fixtures, banking another free transfer gives you substantially more information before GW3.

If you do need to act:

Best overall buy: Bruno Fernandes Best captain: Bruno Fernandes Best mid-price midfielder: Dominik Szoboszlai Best premium defender: Gabriel Best premium forward: Erling Haaland Best forward hold: Alexander Isak Best differential defender: António Silva Best emerging budget midfielder: Mamadou Sangaré

FPL is rarely won by reacting fastest.

It is usually won by identifying which new information actually matters.

After GW1, Szoboszlai taking a Liverpool penalty matters.

Arsenal keeping another clean sheet matters.

Manchester United's defensive performance matters.

One player scoring from two low-probability chances does not necessarily matter.

Make that distinction correctly and Gameweek 2 becomes much easier.

Related on OneFPL

• FPL Triple Captain Strategy: Bruno GW2, Haaland GW3 or Save?
• FPL Penalty & Set-Piece Takers 2026/27
• Man City 2-1 Bournemouth: FPL Points and Lessons
• Best Arsenal Budget Defender After the Konsa Signing

FAQ

Who is the best FPL player to buy for Gameweek 2?

Bruno Fernandes is our top GW2 transfer target. Manchester United host Ipswich and his combination of minutes, penalties, creativity and captaincy potential gives him the strongest overall profile.

Who is the best FPL captain for GW2?

Bruno Fernandes is our current first choice, with Haaland the main alternative.

Is Szoboszlai worth buying?

Yes. His £7.0m price was already attractive, and taking Liverpool's GW1 penalty significantly increases his upside. We still need more evidence before declaring him the permanent penalty taker.

Should I sell Haaland after his GW1 blank?

No. One blank should not change a long-term Haaland decision, particularly with Crystal Palace followed by Coventry.

Should I sell Isak?

No. Liverpool host Nottingham Forest before travelling to Ipswich in GW3. Isak remains a strong hold.

Should I Wildcard after a bad GW1?

Usually not. A poor score alone is not enough. Use the Wildcard if competitive team news has exposed several genuine problems with your squad.

When is the FPL GW2 deadline?

The Gameweek 2 deadline is Friday 28 August at 18:30 BST.

Sources

• FPL Focal — The Best FPL GW2 Players To Buy, 24 August 2026
• PremierLeague.com — confirmed 2026/27 Premier League fixtures
• Liverpool FC — Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool match report
• OneFPL — Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool FPL analysis
• OneFPL — Arsenal 3-0 Coventry FPL analysis
• OneFPL — Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth FPL analysis

OneFPL analysis. OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.