The Scout RANKS the best premium-priced Fantasy players

A number of the premium-priced attackers have had strong starts in 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League, so how do you choose between them? Here, The Scout looks at the data and ranks the six most-expensive players in terms of how important they are to own.

Erling Haaland (£15.6m) has immediately shown why he is both the most-owned player and the most-captained in any Gameweek.

The Manchester City star, who is owned by 73 per cent of managers, sits atop the forward standings on 39 points, scoring five goals and blanking only once.

While Haaland continues to set the pace for premium picks, his rivals have all enjoyed relatively strong starts.

As you can see from the table below, only five points separate the other five, with Liverpool's Alexander Isak (£9.1m) and Haaland's Man City team-mate Antoine Semenyo (£8.4m) the next-best on 33 points each.

Another takeaway here is the inconsistent form of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£11.9m). Although he has amassed 31 points, all of the Portuguese's attacking returns - three goals and an assist - have come in a single match, at home to Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2.

In other words, Fernandes has blanked in four of the first five Gameweeks, twice the number of any other premium pick.

Player Pts G* A* Blanks

Haaland 39 5 0 1

Isak 33 4 0 2

Semenyo 33 2 3 2

Saka 32 3 0 2

Fernandes 31 3 1 4

Palmer 28 2 2 2

Scroll across to see the full table *G = Goals, A = Assists

Haaland 's underlying data is also far superior to his premium rivals.

He's had nine big chances (situations where a player is expected to score), and has created one more of them for his team-mates.

This means that Haaland has been involved in a total of 10 big chances, at least four more than any other rival.

In terms of goal threat, Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) and Isak have been the best of the rest.

Arsenal's Saka ranks second only to Haaland on six big chances, while Isak's 14 shots in the box are bettered only by the 19 of the Norwegian.

Although his total of 28 points is the worst of the premium assets, Chelsea's Cole Palmer (£9.7m) has boasted the best all-round threat.

Palmer has looked almost back to his best under the Blues' new manager Xabi Alonso. His 12 shots in the box are joint-third with Saka here, while his four big chances created equals the combined total of the other five.

Fernandes ' numbers are particularly concerning when assessed against his displays last season after Michael Carrick took charge in Gameweek 22.

The Portuguese created an average of 1.3 big chances per match during that period but, as the table below shows, he has created only one big chance over the first five contests of 2026/27.

Player Big-chance inv. Big chances BCC* Shots in box

Haaland 10 9 1 19

Saka 6 6 0 12

Palmer 6 2 4 12

Isak 5 5 0 14

Fernandes 5 4 1 8

Semenyo 2 0 2 7

Scroll across to see the full table *BCC = Big chances created

By comparing each player's impact on their own team, you can get a better idea of whether they have been over or underperforming.

For example, Haaland is by far the focal point of Man City's attack under new boss Enzo Maresca this season and has been involved in 59 per cent of their big chances.

But Haaland has only been involved in 38 per cent of their goals, which means there is actually room for improvement in Fantasy.

His team-mate Semenyo , on the other hand, is likely to struggle to continue his strong start.

Although he, too, has been involved in 38 per cent of Man City's goals, Semenyo has only been involved in 12 per cent of their big chances, a clear sign he has overperformed in terms of his Fantasy output.

Elsewhere, there's optimism that Saka and Palmer can both step up another level over the coming spell.

Saka has been involved in half of Arsenal's big chances this season, but has only been involved in 38 per cent of their goals.

Palmer's 11.8 per cent goal conversion, meanwhile, has the biggest margin for improvement.

Player Big-chance inv. % Goal inv. % Goal conv. %

Haaland 59.0 38.0 25.0

Isak 56.0 57.0 26.7

Saka 50.0 38.0 20.0

Palmer 46.0 40.0 11.8

Fernandes 33.0 50.0 15.8

Semenyo 12.0 38.0 28.6

Scroll across to see the full table

A recent update of the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) shows that Isak has the toughest schedule of all the premium picks.

Liverpool's average score of 3.4 across the next five Gameweeks is the joint-worst of any side in the league - they face Man City and Arsenal, as well as in-form Brighton & Hove Albion, over their next four matches.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd all average 3.0 in the FDR across that same spell, and each have one match which scores only two.

Club FDR ave. No. of matches scoring 2 in FDR

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd 3.0 1

Liverpool 3.4 0

The numbers show just why Haaland should be the first name in your squad. Owning him is the easiest decision you can make.

The return to fitness of playmaker Martin Odegaard (£6.8m) has helped Saka get back to his best, while he also looks to be on penalties, with Arsenal’s No 1 spot-kick taker Viktor Gyokeres (£7.1m) struggling for minutes, although positional rival Kai Havertz (£7.6m) is an injury doubt for Gameweek 6.

What's crucial to Saka’s lofty ranking here is his numbers relative to those of his attacking team-mates. His six big chances are twice the combined three of Odegaard and Havertz, while his 12 shots in the box are just one behind that duo’s total of 13.

If there’s any Arsenal player who looks the likeliest to score right now, it’s Saka.

His creativity is hugely impressive when compared with his premium counterparts, and Palmer’s lowly goal conversion rate is surely set to improve soon.

Chelsea’s lack of European football this season is another factor in the favour of their key assets, as their minutes are less likely to be managed during congested periods.

Unlike Saka, though, Palmer has strong competition for attacking returns in Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers (both £7.7m), which makes him a worse captain option.

The Swede has already surpassed his total of three goals from his injury-hit debut campaign for Liverpool in 2025/26.

As the club big-chance involvement data also shows, Isak ranks second only to Haaland and is clearly the focal point of the Reds’ attack under new boss Andoni Iraola.

Liverpool’s upcoming schedule does go against Isak, but with emerging budget midfield picks such as Pascal Gross (£5.8m) and Kevin Schade (£6.2m) to consider, bringing in the Swede alongside Haaland and Joao Pedro in a three-man frontline could pay off once the Reds' tough schedule passes.

A look at last season's prices can perhaps help steer your decision here.

Fernandes was by far the cheapest of the quartet in 2025/26 - priced at £9.0m, he was £1.5m less expensive than Palmer and Isak, and £1.0m cheaper than Saka.

But this time around, the Portuguese started at £12.0m, which was £2.5m more than both Palmer and Saka, and £3.0m than Isak.

And based on the performances of all four players in 2026/27 so far, you'd have to say that Fernandes is struggling to justify this.

Not only is he down on his own high standards of last season, but his three rivals have both the better underlying numbers and consistency of output in 2026/27 to indicate they can outperform him at markedly lower prices.

As shown by his 17-point haul against Sunderland in Gameweek 5, the Man City midfielder is always going to be capable of a huge score in Fantasy.

Semenyo is also the only premium player who gets to pass the ball to Haaland, so he always has the chance for assists in any match.

But there's no doubt that his numbers are the worst of all the premiums, and the funds may be better spent elsewhere.