The Best Strikers for Draft Fantasy Premier League 2026/27
Erling Haaland is the first striker to draft in 2026/27, and there is a real gap behind him. João Pedro and Igor Thiago form the next tier, while Ollie Watkins is the best chance to beat the current consensus.
That is the short answer. The important part is knowing when to take each player.
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 your rival drafts a striker, you cannot simply buy the same one. That scarcity is why forwards should go earlier in Draft Fantasy Premier League than they do in many salary-cap teams.
Best Draft Fantasy Premier League strikers: the 2026/27 board
The table below uses Draft Fantasy's live 2026/27 model, captured on 3 August. Season xP is the projected total across 38 Gameweeks. Edge is the player's projected advantage over the best forward expected to remain undrafted in an eight-manager league.
Scoring note: every projection and ranking in this guide uses Draft Fantasy regular scoring, which matches official FPL scoring. Custom-scoring leagues produce their own player points from the values chosen by the commissioner, so the order and auction bids can change significantly.
| Player | Draft call | Season xP | Edge | First five fixtures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | First overall | 263 | +149 |
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| João Pedro | Top five overall | 194 | +80 |
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| Igor Thiago | Top six overall | 182 | +69 |
|
| Ollie Watkins | First round | 173 | +59 |
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| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Round three | 155 | +42 |
|
| Richarlison | Round four | 142 | +29 |
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| Viktor Gyökeres | Round five | 137 | +24 |
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| Jean-Philippe Mateta | Round six | 136 | +23 |
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| Igor Jesus | Round ten upside | 118 | +4 |
|
Draft Fantasy model snapshot from 3 August 2026. Edge is projected points above the replacement forward in an eight-manager league. Fixture difficulty: 1 is easiest and 5 is hardest.
What to bid in an eight-manager auction
Draft Fantasy auction leagues give every manager a £250 budget and a chance to bid on every player. That creates a different decision from a snake draft: Haaland can be available to all eight managers, but signing him may consume more than a quarter of your total budget.
The ceilings below assume an eight-manager league, a standard 15-player squad and regular scoring. They are limits, not fixed player prices. Nomination order, other managers' budgets and your existing squad should determine whether you stop earlier.
| Player | Current average bid | Suggested ceiling | Auction plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | £66.5 | £70–£75 | Accept one major spend for the largest positional edge |
| João Pedro | £20.0 | £25–£30 | Pay above the early market, but keep a balanced core |
| Igor Thiago | £8.7 | £18–£22 | The best current gap between our model and auction results |
| Ollie Watkins | — | £18–£22 | Use the market discount rather than chasing the top tier |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | — | £10–£13 | Price in the injury risk and stop before starter certainty |
| Richarlison | — | £7–£10 | Bid as a second forward, not as the squad's anchor |
| Viktor Gyökeres | — | £5–£9 | Buy role upside only after securing reliable starters |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | — | £5–£8 | A steady second-forward price rather than a bidding war |
| Igor Jesus | — | £1–£4 | Late upside; remain willing to leave the auction |
Average winning bids from qualifying completed Draft Fantasy auctions, captured 4 August 2026. A dash means there is not yet a sufficient sample. Suggested ceilings are editorial guidance for this eight-manager regular-scoring scenario.
Haaland is the exception worth structuring a budget around. For everyone else, the advantage comes from discipline. If Thiago remains near his early £8.7 average, the model says to keep bidding. If a room pushes Watkins or João Pedro beyond the ceiling, move to the next tier and preserve money for midfield and defence.
Open the free 2026/27 draft cheat sheet before your draft. Set the league size to match your room and filter to forwards to see the latest rankings, availability flags and tier breaks.
Create a Premier League draft league and choose a snake or auction draft. In an auction, players still have no fixed price: your league decides their value through live bidding.
1. Erling Haaland is in a tier of his own
Haaland is the number one pick because the cost of missing him is so high. Draft Fantasy projects 263 points, 69 more than the next forward and 149 above replacement level in an eight-manager league.
In a salary-cap game, managers can debate whether Haaland is worth using so much of a budget. That question does not exist in a snake draft. You take the largest positional advantage available, and nobody else can copy the pick.
His opening schedule strengthens the case: three of Manchester City's first five matches are at home, including Bournemouth, Coventry and Sunderland. If you have the first pick, do not manufacture a contrarian decision.
2. João Pedro and Igor Thiago are the other early anchors
João Pedro and Igor Thiago are the two forwards to target after Haaland. Both combine proven Premier League output with a large gap over the forward pool that will be available later.
João Pedro is second in our forward model at 194 xP and fourth overall on the eight-manager draft board. The Premier League's early 2026/27 Scout selection also identified him as the most popular forward alongside Haaland when the new game opened. Prices and popularity do not decide a draft pick, but they confirm that the wider fantasy market sees the same role and output.
Igor Thiago is close behind on 182 xP. He scored 22 goals in 37 league starts and produced 181 fantasy points in 2025/26, according to the Premier League's launch analysis. Brentford then open with Tottenham, Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth in the first four Gameweeks.
The choice is simple: take João Pedro first, but do not expect Thiago to survive the opening round in a competitive ten-manager league.
3. Ollie Watkins is the model-versus-market opportunity
Watkins is where our board disagrees most usefully with the early market.
Draft Fantasy ranks him eighth overall and projects a 59-point edge over an undrafted forward. The Draft Society's July standard-scoring rankings, which also account for positional scarcity, had him 39th overall behind Haaland, João Pedro and Thiago.
That difference creates an opportunity. You do not need to take Watkins eighth to benefit from our view. If your room follows the more cautious consensus and he reaches the turn, take him. A proven starting striker with four straight seasons of at least 15 league goals is exactly the kind of reliability that becomes more valuable after a World Cup summer.
4. Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are the middle-round starters
Once the first four forwards are gone, stop expecting another star to fall. Look for minutes and a clear route to goals.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fifth in our forward projections and 18th overall. Leeds have three home matches in their opening five, and the model gives him a 42-point edge over replacement. His injury history prevents a first-round recommendation, but Round 3 is a fair point to accept that risk.
Richarlison projects slightly lower but can be taken a round later. Tottenham's first five include three home fixtures, and a secure central role would make 142 xP conservative. Treat him as a second forward with upside, not the only dependable striker on your squad.
5. Gyökeres and Mateta complete the useful second-forward tier
Viktor Gyökeres and Jean-Philippe Mateta are separated by only one projected point. That means team news should decide the order, not conviction dressed up as precision.
Gyökeres has the better first fixture and the higher attacking ceiling in Arsenal's side. Mateta offers Premier League familiarity and a clearer history of producing in the scoring system. Take Gyökeres first if both roles look secure on draft day; take Mateta if you want the safer minutes.
Benjamin Šeško belongs close to this group on talent, but Draft Fantasy's latest snapshot lists him as a doubt with a shin issue. He becomes a Round 5 or 6 option when fit. Until then, do not pay for the healthy version of a player you may not have in Gameweek 1.
6. Igor Jesus is the late upside pick
The late rounds are for outcomes that can change your season, not players who are merely safe for two points.
Igor Jesus is 15th among forwards in our model, so he is not someone to reach for. The current preseason signal is interesting, though: a recent r/FantasyPL forward discussion highlighted his three preseason goals, and the Draft Fantasy model gives Nottingham Forest a home match against Leeds in Gameweek 1.
Take him around Round 10 if the preseason role holds. If he does not start, he is easy to release. That is the right shape for a late draft pick.
The forward rule for draft night
Do not leave the first two rounds without understanding what remains at forward.
In our eight-manager model, the replacement forward projects 113 points. The 2026/27 midfielder rankings show why that matters: the replacement midfielder is much easier to live with, so the best forwards rise even when a midfielder has a higher raw projection. Current r/DraftEPL discussion is making the same point: in a ten-manager room, waiting through the opening round can leave you without one secure starting forward.
Use these rules:
- take Haaland first overall;
- take João Pedro or Igor Thiago over a similarly projected midfielder;
- take Watkins when the room lets him fall;
- leave the first four rounds with at least one dependable forward;
- use later picks on role upside, then be willing to move quickly.
The draft cheat sheet updates as squads, injuries and fixtures change. Check it again on the morning of your draft rather than treating any August article as permanent.
Fantasy draft striker FAQs
Why do strikers go earlier in a draft league?
Because each striker can belong to only one manager and the pool of reliable starters is thin. The points lost when you miss an elite forward are usually larger than the points lost when you wait at a deeper position.
Do FPL prices matter in a fantasy draft?
No fixed FPL player prices apply in Draft Fantasy. A snake draft uses a pick order. An auction gives each manager a budget, but each player's value is set by your live bids rather than a published price.
How many forwards should I draft early?
In an eight- or ten-manager league, aim to secure one dependable forward in the first four rounds. Take a second early when a player from the top two tiers is still available, but do not force the position after the value has gone.
Should I draft an injured striker?
Only when the discount covers the missed matches. Hugo Ekitiké is currently flagged in Draft Fantasy with an Achilles injury and no known return date, so he should not be drafted at his healthy-season rank. Recheck the status close to draft night.
Build your 2026/27 league
Use the free Premier League draft board to plan your first rounds, then create your 2026/27 Draft Fantasy league, invite your managers and schedule the draft.