Insurance Times provides some Fantasy Football tips ahead of kick-off later today
Attention all Insurance Times Fantasy Football League managers – there are just a few hours left to lock in your team for the upcoming Premier League season.
Scan the above QR code to join the Insurance Times Fantasy Football League, or click here to be added directly.
To join manually, use league code: hp2pu5
Returning players will be automatically included once they have logged into this season’ game.
The season kicks-off at 8pm this evening (21 August 2026), with Arsenal taking on Coventry City at The Emirates for the first game.
Managers have until 6.30pm tonight to create their fantasy teams – ahead of this deadline, Insurance Times is providing some tips to help competitors select their players.
Not a sprint
Remember, the season is a marathon not a sprint. Therefore, it is key to select a team that is optimised for the next few game weeks.
Doing this makes it less likely that managers will have to use the one free transfer they are given each week. And remember, if you don’t use your free transfer, it will be carried into the next game week.
And when changes need to be made later down the line, having all those free transfers banked could be key in helping you secure more points over rivals. You can accumulate up to five free transfers.
Captaincy
Captaincy choices are crucial, as it means double points for that player.
According to the official Fantasy Football page, 74% of managers own Erling Haaland, so plenty of managers may choose to captain Haaland for the opening gameweek.
Of course, there is no need to follow the trend. But it could be wise to do so in the opening week, given if you go against Haaland and your chosen captain fails, you run the risk of falling down the overall standings from the outset.
Key players
There are some key players who should be on your radar. Among them is Haaland, who has been the top-scoring player after the first six gameweeks in all four of his seasons at Manchester City.
He is priced very expensively at 15.5m, but home matches against promoted sides Coventry City and Ipswich Town over the first seven gameweeks could make Haaland a crucial pick.
Meanwhile, while Bruno Fernandes will set you back £12m, he was the top-scoring player after head coach Michael Carrick took charge of Manchester United in gameweek 22 last season.
Finally, while Gabriel is the most expensive defender at 8m, he is a huge threat at set-pieces, while he also collected 18 clean sheets to total 209 points.
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