Holly Shand’s FPL Gameweek 1 team reveal: Final draft

Holly Shand is an FPL content creator and pundit, with two top 10k finishes in 12 seasons of playing Fantasy Premier League.

In this article, Holly reveals her final FPL draft ahead of Gameweek 1 of the 2026/27 season.

See our expert team reveals page for more drafts in the run-up to the first week of the season.

Please note, team reveals provide a general overview of our experts’ thoughts. With FPL managers increasingly making last-minute decisions, it is not always possible to update articles in time. Final transfers will be included at their discretion.

Last updated: 19/08/26

Holly Shand's FPL Gameweek 1 team reveal: Final draft

My reluctance to tinker has helped me stay true to my core squad, with just six changes to my final draft, retaining the same squad structure.

I am setting up for a Bench Boost in Gameweek 1 but building a squad I like for the opening five gameweeks takes priority over any specific gameweek optimisation.

There's been some significant price rises for 2026/27 but Erling Haaland (£15.5m) and Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) remain the first names on my team sheet.

Quality is worth paying for, with sound captaincy options against the promoted teams across the opening three gameweeks.

Fernandes was so consistent last season given his routes to points, including set-pieces, penalties, bonus and occasional defensive contributions.

Haaland tends to start the season strongly, although the impact of the World Cup against his traditional summer off and no Pep Guardiola at Manchester City does pose some question marks.

It's much easier to spend the funds on them and then transfer down than go without from the start. Haaland being in the starting 11 in the Community Shield was enough for me to warrant investment.

If they bang in Gameweek 1, you'll be playing catch up and likely need to Wildcard to get them in.