Is Haaland worth the price? Pick Rogers or Palmer? Five key FPL questions
BBC Sport · C · trust 48/100
Here, BBC Sport's team of FPL experts - Pras, Holly Shand, Gianni Buttice and FPL Heisenberg - debate some of the big talking points to help you start the season with a bang.
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Manchester City 's Erling Haaland beat Bruno Fernandes by four points to be last season's top FPL scorer. His total of 239 points was still 33 shy of his best season, in 2022-23, yet his price has risen from £14m to £15.5m, making him the most expensive FPL player of all time.
Will he still be worth the money for FPL managers?
Holly: Haaland carries the potential to justify his high price tag. He generally makes a fast start to the campaign.
However, a busy World Cup could make a big difference in terms of how he starts the campaign, having not had his usual full pre-season.
Pras: At a record £15.5m he still looks essential because captaincy matters so much early on. He is the standout option for gameweek one and gameweek three and starting the season without him means you risk falling behind the template immediately.
The only real caveat is the World Cup hangover. He did look leggy in his 53-minute Community Shield performance on Sunday.
Gianni: In a season of very few premium options, you can have a balanced squad even after picking Haaland. Gone are the days of Mohamed Salah and several other players with double-digit price points.
Without Haaland, you give yourself a headache with the armband most weeks too. Of course, Bruno Fernandes (£12m) is an option but outside of the Manchester United playmaker you're struggling for reliable assets on a consistent basis.
Captaincy is such a major part of this game and more often than not, Haaland will be the best candidate.
Heisenberg: At £15.5m, it is a huge commitment, but I still think he's worth it. Going without him when he hauls points hits your rank way too hard if the majority of managers have him as captain.
I recommend having him to begin with. If his form dips and the fixtures get tough later in the season, then there could be an opportunity to jump off at this point.
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Bruno Fernandes was the second highest-scoring FPL player last season and is in nearly 50% of teams this time round. But is it worth having another Manchester United player in your line-up?
Gianni: Since the moment I drafted my team, I've had Bryan Mbeumo (£8m) alongside Fernandes to target the first couple of games, against Hull and Ipswich.
Mbeumo has had a full pre-season and I think that matters in the first couple of weeks where I hope he is half a yard sharper than the rest. He's also likely to start as the central striker.
Luke Shaw (£4.5m) is a cheap route to a good backline and, while fitness may become a concern when the Champions League kicks in, I'm happy to start the season with him.
Pras: The early fixtures make the defence interesting. Hull away and Ipswich at home offer genuine clean sheet potential, so Harry Maguire (£5m) and Shaw both look viable, along with Senne Lammens (£5m) in goal.
If you prefer to double up in attack rather than defence, Mbeumo remains the clear pick.
Holly: I'm all for tripling up at the start of the season, with promoted sides Hull City and Ipswich Town in the first two gameweeks. Mbeumo has the advantage over Matheus Cunha (£8m) for me for an attacking double-up, with his minutes more secure.
Goalkeeper Lammens makes my team, after eight clean sheets last season.
Heisenberg: Both Mbeumo and Cunha got 14 attacking returns last season, but the Brazilian edges it for me, given his versatility to play in numerous positions across the front line. However, it's a close call between them and I like both at £8m.
In defence, Maguire is probably worth the extra £0.5m over Shaw because of his greater goal threat - he's more likely to get defensive contribution points too.
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Chelsea have a new manager in Xabi Alonso and have spent £117m on Morgan Rogers. But how will he and Cole Palmer, both number 10s, fit into the same line-up? And will they both be able to be productive in FPL?
Holly: I'm expecting Xabi Alonso's Chelsea side to line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Palmer and Rogers in the middle and Joao Pedro (£7.5m) ahead of them.
We know Palmer (£9.5m) carries bags of potential, if he can stay fit, but we need to see form before investing.
Rogers (£7.5m) will look to hit the ground running following his transfer from Aston Villa , but I still think Joao Pedro could be the one to go with from gameweek one. He's had the summer off and finished last season as their highest-scoring fantasy asset.
Heisenberg: Alonso makes Chelsea one of the most intriguing teams to watch. His Leverkusen side was built around attacking wing-backs, so Chelsea 's wing-backs could offer significant attacking upside.
Palmer seems a little expensive at £9.5m after a disappointing season, but he has those all important penalties. If I had to pick one right now, I'd go for Rogers purely for the £2m saving.
Alonso has specifically spoken about getting the best from both players, and I think both will have good seasons.
Pras: This situation feels like one to monitor rather than go all in. Palmer missed one of the last friendlies with an injury and Rogers is still easing back after England duty, so Joao Pedro looks the sensible starting point for now.
There are three gameweeks to assess them properly before the more attractive Hull home fixture. The plan is simple: if Palmer or Rogers start showing clear upside, add one or both then. I won't be starting with either.
Gianni: In pre-season we have seen a mixture…
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