FPL’s biggest disappointment in 2025/26 – so far…

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The international break gives us a chance to reflect on the biggest disappointments of the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season so far.

Our somewhat unscientific approach evaluates factors such as overall score and points per game, in addition to costs and reputation/expectations heading into the season.

Let us know what you think in the comments – are there any glaring omissions, or have we included anyone unfairly?

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BIGGEST FPL SHORTAGE XI YEAR 2025/26

GOALKEEPER: MATZ SELS

It proved to be a difficult start to the season for Nottingham Forest under Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou, with their performances often coming in for criticism. Remember, Forest ranked fourth on our Season Ticker for match difficulty in Gameweeks 1-6:

Matz Sel (£4.9m), meanwhile, enters the new season as a joint Golden Gloves winner, having kept 13 clean sheets in the 2024/25 season. Five of Forest’s seven pre-season friendlies have also ended 0-0! However, Sels has so far managed just 15 points, fewer than the other 12 goalkeepers, having failed to keep a single clean sheet in his seven attempts. Additionally, only one goalkeeper – Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) – had a higher total conceded than his 12 goals.

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BUYERS: ADA DAN-BILITY, MUILT, MOLOS KERKEZ, WHAT IS THERE

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m) feels like a good place to start this part of our coverage. After an excellent debut season in east London, where he provided five assists in 17 games following the arrival of Graham Potter, his possessions soared beyond 30% in pre-season. However, he performed very poorly against Sunderland (0-3) and Chelsea (1-5) before being dropped and replaced by Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.4m) at West Ham United XI. However, Nuno brought it back after being injured in Gameweek 7.

In fact, this position could be filled by one of Nottingham Forest’s central defenders; However, we have chosen it Murillo (£5.4 million). The Brazilian failed to keep a clean sheet in his first four appearances, picking up defensive contribution points (DefCon) in just one game, which coincidentally came when many of us had him on the bench (away to Arsenal in Matchday 4). Remember, Murillo would have theoretically racked up 38 DefCon points last season, the third-highest tally of any defender! He then got injured and then missed the two games we all played – Burnley (a) and Sunderland (h).

Above: Murillo’s (Tot) defensive contributions ranked by Gameweek in 2025/26

Milos is coming (£5.8m) endured a difficult start to his Liverpool career after joining from Bournemouth in the summer. He has started every league match for Arne Slot’s team; however, he has been substituted before the 60th minute on three separate occasions, averaging just 1.9 points per game in the first seven Gameweeks. Kerkez’s performances earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year last season, but it has been a tough study so far at Anfield.

Antonee Robinson (£5.0m) is our fourth and final defender. Maybe a bit harsh? The Fulham left-back recorded 10 assists last season, the most of any FPL defender. He will also be the top fullback for DefCon points in 2024/25. However, he spent the summer rehabilitating his knee and missed part of the new season, playing just 61 minutes in the Premier League. He did complete the entire match against Cambridge United in the Carabao Cup, but what is clear is that he is not yet at full fitness. His replacement, Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m), scoring against Bournemouth in Matchday 7.

“Playing at Fulham, obviously the gaffer knows that I’m not 100% myself yet, but despite that, he still sees me as a useful tool in some ways. Sess has done so well, that even when I’m back to full fitness, it will be difficult for me to get my place back in the team.” – Antonee Robinson

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Midfielders: MORGAN ROGERS, FLORIAN WIRTZ, ANTHONY ELANGA, MATHEUS CUNHA

After an incredible season in 2024/25, it’s fair to say that Morgan Rogers (£6.9m) has so far failed to live up to expectations. The Aston Villa midfielder proved to be excellent value last time out, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists in 37 appearances, which resulted in a decent price increase (£5.0m > £7.0m) and significant pre-season interest in FPL. However, some uninspiring performances marked the start of the season, as Rogers failed to return in his first five games, a period that saw him produce just 12 points. Only four shots and four chances were created in that period, with his passing accuracy in the final third being very poor (68%). Inflicting further pain on his salesman, he then provided back-to-back assists and scored a goal for England on Thursday night.

Florian Wirtz (£8.1m), meanwhile, is the first name in our disappointing XI. The German arrived in the Premier League with high expectations and managed to provide an assist in the Community Shield. However, he has not scored or provided an assist in seven league games since, and has suffered four price drops. Apart from that, he also sat on the bench in the last few games against Chelsea and Everton, as he struggled to adapt to the intensity of English football. Things haven’t gone his way so far, resulting in his place in this disappointing XI; However, Wirtz still has plenty of opportunities to change the narrative in the offseason.

Above: Liverpool midfielders ranked by FPL points in Matchweeks 1-7

An attacking return of zero in seven league appearances tells its own story Anthony Luna (£6.8m), who has been in and out of Eddie Howe’s squad this season. The former Nottingham Forest player produced five goals and nine assists in the 2023/24 season. There were also six goals and 11 assists last season, but Elanga’s challenges began this season when he was dropped to the bench in Gameweek 3 as Howe opted for a wingless 5-3-2 formation at Elland Road. Since then, he has only started one league game, and maintained his best form for Europe.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s just about staying focused. I know how good I am and how good I am. When I get an opportunity, I have to take advantage of it. When a goal goes in, it’s going to go in. It’s a new system, new players, and they’re going to be comfortable with me and I’m with them. I’ve played ten games, I think I’ve started six. We’re going to have 60 games this year, and the coach is smart and knows what he’s doing.” do. The way we play requires a lot of body stress. It requires intensity. He tries to keep everyone fresh and ready. We have won the game, that is the most important thing.” – Anthony Elanga

It might not be fair to include him considering he is currently injured, but with six absences from six games, Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) is essentially a disappointment from a Fantasy perspective. He was even demoted to the bench for Manchester United’s clash with Sunderland last week, and Ruben Amorim was preferred instead Mount Mason (£5.9m), who then scored his first league goal of the season eight minutes after kick-off. Cunha has taken 15 shots this season without scoring, the most of any player except Back seat (£7.6m, 17).

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FORWARD: CHRIS WOOD, OLLIE WATKINS

Only Alexander Isaac (£10.6m) had a better campaign than Chris Wood (£7.4 million) and Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) among Fantasy forwards last season.

Arguably a bargain in the 2024/25 season, Wood initially cost just £6.0m in FPL, but scored 20 goals and finished with 200 points. As the main striker for Nottingham Forest, who is also the penalty taker, with Brentford, West Ham United, Burnley and Sunderland in the first six Matchweeks, Wood feels like a reliable choice to start this season. His start was promising, with two goals in Gameweek 1, but his performance declined, resulting in six blanks in a row and just 12 FPL points. Substituted after 63 minutes at St James’ Park last week, it may be time for Postecoglou to drop Wood and put him in charge Igor Jesus (£5.8m) leading the line.

As for Watkins, the opening schedule, coupled with the lack of competition in Aston Villa’s front line, contributed to his popularity in Gameweek 1. Having scored five goals in pre-season, he seemed to be building momentum well, but goals were a problem for Unai Emery’s side in the early weeks, as they failed to score in their opening four games. Watkins has since been involved in just one goal in a slow start to the 2025/26 season, with his possession plummeting to 9.3%.

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