The Best Midfielders for Draft Fantasy Premier League 2026/27
Bruno Fernandes is the first midfielder to draft in 2026/27. Antoine Semenyo and Bruno Guimarães lead the next tier, while the depth behind them means you should not force a fifth or sixth midfielder ahead of a scarce striker.
That is the short answer. The useful answer is knowing which midfielder deserves an early pick, where the position becomes replaceable and when the auction room is paying for a name rather than an edge.
This guide is for draft leagues, where every Premier League player can belong to only one manager. There are no fixed player prices and no shared ownership. If a rival selects Fernandes, he is gone from your player pool. That makes the decision different from building a salary-cap fantasy squad. In Draft Fantasy Premier League, scarcity and replacement value shape every pick.
Best Draft Fantasy Premier League midfielders: the 2026/27 board
The table uses Draft Fantasy's live 2026/27 model, captured on 4 August. Season xP is the projection across 38 Gameweeks. Edge is the projected advantage over the best midfielder expected to remain undrafted in an eight-manager league.
Scoring note: these rankings use Draft Fantasy regular scoring, which matches official FPL scoring. Custom-scoring leagues calculate their own player points from the values chosen by the commissioner, so your order, replacement level and auction bids can change significantly.
| Rank | Player | Draft call | Season xP | Edge | First five fixtures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruno Fernandes | Top two overall | 258 | +116 |
|
| 2 | Antoine Semenyo | First round | 210 | +69 |
|
| 3 | Bruno Guimarães | First round | 203 | +62 |
|
| 4 | Declan Rice | Round two | 196 | +55 |
|
| 5 | Bukayo Saka | Round two | 196 | +54 |
|
| 6 | Morgan Gibbs-White | Round two | 194 | +53 |
|
| 7 | Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | Round two | 186 | +45 |
|
| 8 | Elliot Anderson | Round three | 181 | +39 |
|
| 9 | Anton Stach | Round three | 180 | +39 |
|
| 10 | Harry Wilson | Round three | 179 | +37 |
|
Draft Fantasy regular-scoring model snapshot from 4 August 2026. Edge is projected points above the replacement midfielder, currently 141 xP in an eight-manager league. Fixture difficulty: 1 is easiest and 5 is hardest.
Midfield is deeper than forward. The top ten all clear replacement by at least 37 projected points, but another twenty draftable midfielders sit behind them. That depth is why Fernandes deserves an elite pick while the rest of the position should be drafted by tier rather than chased one name at a time. The 2026/27 striker rankings explain why securing a forward can be more important than taking a similarly projected midfielder.
What to bid in an eight-manager auction
Draft Fantasy auction leagues give each manager a £250 starting budget and access to every player. There are still no fixed prices. The room creates the price through live bidding, and every pound spent on one midfielder is unavailable for the rest of your unique squad.
The table assumes an eight-manager league, a standard 15-player squad and regular scoring. Current average bids come only from players with at least five qualifying completed-auction samples. Suggested ceilings are our editorial limits for this specific format, not prices that Draft Fantasy assigns to players.
| Player | Current average bid | Suggested ceiling | Auction plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | £46.25 | £50–£55 | Pay for the only midfielder with an elite positional edge |
| Bukayo Saka | £25.67 | £28–£32 | Buy the ceiling, but do not price him like Fernandes |
| Antoine Semenyo | £21.00 | £28–£32 | The strongest current model-versus-market opportunity |
| Declan Rice | £31.67 | £25–£29 | Let another manager win if the room stays above £30 |
| Cole Palmer | £22.67 | £20–£24 | Pay for a rebound only if the role is clear before the draft |
| Bryan Mbeumo | £13.33 | £16–£20 | A balanced second midfielder rather than an auction anchor |
| Rayan Cherki | £13.00 | £12–£16 | Keep the bid tied to expected starts in a crowded attack |
| Matheus Cunha | £10.67 | £14–£18 | Use the opening fixtures, but avoid stacking United too heavily |
| Morgan Rogers | £10.33 | £14–£18 | A useful discount if Chelsea's starting role is secure |
Observed average winning bids from qualifying completed Draft Fantasy auctions, captured 4 August 2026. Suggested ceilings are editorial guidance for an eight-manager, 15-player, regular-scoring league with a £250 budget.
The early market has the right number one but not every gap right. Fernandes at £46.25 is expensive and still defensible. Semenyo at £21 is much easier to attack. Rice at £31.67 is the opposite: our model likes him, but not enough to keep bidding when a similarly projected Saka or a cheaper second-tier midfielder is available.
Open the free 2026/27 draft cheat sheet, set the league size to eight and filter to midfielders before your auction. The board shows the latest projection, replacement edge, tier and opening fixtures in one place.
Create a Premier League auction league and let your managers decide what every player is worth through live bidding.
1. Bruno Fernandes is the premium anchor
Fernandes is first among midfielders and second overall on our eight-manager draft board. Draft Fantasy projects 258 points, 48 more than the next midfielder and 116 above replacement.
The projection is supported by what already happened. Fernandes finished 2025/26 with 235 points, nine goals and 24 assists. The Premier League's season review also records 12 double-figure returns, twice as many as every player except Haaland and Bruno Guimarães.
His role improved after Michael Carrick moved Manchester United to a 4-2-3-1. Fernandes produced 129 points from Gameweek 22 onwards and was involved in 61 per cent of United's goals under Carrick. Hull away and Ipswich at home are then the best opening pair of fixtures among the premium midfielders.
There is no need to get clever. Take Haaland over Fernandes when both are available. Take Fernandes over every other midfielder, and do not expect him to return after the first three picks.
2. Semenyo and Bruno Guimarães belong in the first round
Semenyo is the best blend of ceiling, fixtures and current cost after Fernandes. He scored 17 goals and finished on 202 points last season, then moved into a Manchester City attack that opens with three home matches in five. Our model projects 210 points and a 69-point edge over replacement.
The uncertainty is role, not talent. City have several players who can occupy the wide and central attacking positions, so use the final friendlies to confirm who is likely to start. The Premier League's preseason guidance makes the broader warning clear: World Cup return dates and late friendlies matter more than usual before the 21 August deadline. Do not turn an August ranking into a guarantee of minutes.
Bruno Guimarães is the less obvious first-rounder. He projects for 203 points because his route to scoring is unusually broad: attacking returns, clean-sheet points, bonus and defensive contributions. He produced 154 points from only 27 starts last season, and his 5.4 points per start led Newcastle.
If your room treats him like a conventional holding midfielder, take the discount. Regular scoring now rewards some midfielders for defensive work, and those points count just as much as a glamorous assist.
3. Rice, Saka, Gibbs-White and Dewsbury-Hall form the second-round tier
Only ten projected points separate Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Gibbs-White and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Treat them as a tier, then use risk and draft-room behaviour to choose the order.
Rice is the model's highest-floor option. He played more than 3,000 league minutes, collected 18 clean sheets and benefits from defensive-contribution scoring. Saka has the better attacking ceiling and should move ahead when you are comfortable with his workload after the World Cup. Arsenal also begin at home to promoted Coventry.
Gibbs-White produced 15 goals and 188 points last season. Nottingham Forest's opening run is mixed, but home matches against Leeds and Coventry give him immediate value. Dewsbury-Hall is the quieter pick: 151 points from 30 starts, several routes to returns and two promoted opponents in Everton's first five.
In a snake draft, take whichever of these four reaches you in Round 2. In an auction, do not let the famous name turn a close projection tier into a ten-pound gap.
4. Anderson, Stach and Wilson are the Round 3 value picks
Elliot Anderson, Anton Stach and Harry Wilson are where the depth of midfield starts working for patient managers.
Anderson scored 180 points last season, despite producing only four goals and five assists. Defensive contributions did much of the work. His move to Manchester City raises the team ceiling but also introduces a new risk: a rotation-prone role can erase the minutes that made his profile valuable.
Stach and Wilson both project around 180 points for Leeds. Stach offers the stronger defensive floor. Wilson offers more direct attacking upside after ten goals and nine assists last season. They share the same opening fixtures, so the choice should come down to scoring and squad construction rather than schedule.
In regular scoring, take Wilson when you need upside and Stach when your first two picks already carry minutes risk. In a custom league that heavily rewards tackles, recoveries or chances created, recalculate the order using your league's own player points.
5. Palmer is the biggest model-versus-market decision
Cole Palmer is going around pick 5.5 in completed Draft Fantasy snake drafts, but our current season model ranks him only 15th among midfielders at 168 xP. That is the most important disagreement on the board.
The right response is not to declare the market or model wrong before preseason is complete. Palmer still owns an elite ceiling, while the projection reflects a weaker 2025/26 baseline and current uncertainty around Chelsea's attack. Draft him in the late first round if preseason restores confidence in the role. Do not take him ahead of Fernandes or pay an auction price built on his best previous season.
The same principle applies to Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Morgan Rogers and Rayan Cherki. They are attractive players in attacks with multiple options. Draft the role that exists in August, not the role you remember from a different club or manager.
The 2026/27 Bonus Points System adds another small reason to watch attacking roles. The Premier League removed the BPS penalty for being tackled, a change that may help frequently challenged attackers including Rogers, Semenyo and Jeremy Doku. It is a tiebreaker, not a reason to ignore minutes.
6. Late midfield picks should buy uncertainty with upside
Once you reach the final rounds, the replacement midfielder already projects around 141 points. A safe player who barely beats that level does not change your season.
Use those picks on players whose role could grow. Cherki becomes a major value if Manchester City's final friendlies point to regular starts. Enzo Fernández and Cunha offer proven routes to attacking returns. Ismaïla Sarr and Doku have enough goal threat to become weekly starters if their minutes rise.
Do not fill the bench with five versions of the same low-ceiling midfielder. Draft one stable fourth midfielder, then use the final spot on a role that could become much more valuable. If the bet fails, midfield is deep enough to repair through waivers.
The midfield rule for draft night
Bruno Fernandes is an early-pick decision. Most other midfielders are tier decisions.
Use these rules:
- take Fernandes in the top two overall;
- take Semenyo or Bruno Guimarães in Round 1 when the elite forwards are gone;
- work through the Rice-Saka-Gibbs-White-Dewsbury-Hall tier in Round 2;
- use midfield depth to avoid reaching over a scarce forward;
- check final preseason roles before paying for a crowded attack;
- spend late picks on upside because replacement midfielders will remain available.
The draft cheat sheet updates as projections, squads, injuries and fixtures change. Check it again on the morning of your draft rather than treating any preseason article as permanent.
Fantasy draft midfielder FAQs
Who is the best midfielder in Draft Fantasy Premier League 2026/27?
Bruno Fernandes. He is first among midfielders in Draft Fantasy's regular-scoring model at 258 projected points and has a 116-point advantage over the expected replacement midfielder in an eight-manager league.
Should I draft a midfielder or striker first?
Take Fernandes when he is available after Haaland. Otherwise, compare positional edge rather than raw projected points. Midfield is deeper than forward, so a slightly lower-scoring striker can be more valuable when the alternatives at his position disappear faster.
Do FPL prices matter in a fantasy draft?
No. A snake draft uses pick order, while a Draft Fantasy auction starts each manager with a budget and lets the room set every winning bid. A player's published salary-cap price is not his draft value.
How many midfielders should I draft early?
Aim for two reliable midfielders in the first five rounds of an eight-manager league. Add a third when a player falls through a tier, but do not ignore forward scarcity just to complete the position early.
Do these rankings work for custom scoring?
They are a starting point only. This article uses regular scoring, which matches official FPL scoring. A custom-scoring league creates its own player totals, so use your league's player stats and values before setting a snake order or auction ceiling.
Build your 2026/27 league
Use the free Premier League draft board to prepare your tiers, then create your 2026/27 Draft Fantasy league, choose snake or auction and schedule the draft.