In this article, we will look at the best goalkeepers to pick for your Fantasy Premier League team in the Gameweek 1 of the 2025/26 season.
Let’s dive in and look at our watchlist. Here are the goalkeepers to pick from, with our comments and ratings of each.
Read more about GW1 in our guide: FPL Gameweek 1: Tips, Captain, Transfer Targets & Team Selection
Best goalkeepers to consider in Gameweek 1 and beyond: Our watchlist and rating
Budget goalkeepers (4m – 4.5m)
Dubravka (4m, Burnley) – 7/10 <- currently my bench GK
- likely the best 4m goalkeeper (for your bench, not your number 1)
- historically good at saves (in Newcastle)
- Good option for GW2 bench boost
- our high rating is mainly due to his potential as your bench GK
Jose Sa (4.5m, Wolves) – 4/10
- One of our go-to options in the 4.5m bracket
- mainly because he has 4 penalty saves over the last 3 seasons, which could add a few extra points over 4.5m GKs with the similar expected output
- GW1 fixture is tough, but after that, a good run
Mid-priced goalkeepers (5m)
Sanchez (5m, Chelsea) – 7.5/10 <- currently in my team
- Currently seems to be the best 5m GK in the game, mainly due to fixtures
- But do not have unrealistic expectations, he is averaging 2.8 saves per 90 over the last 3 seasons – so that might not be enough for getting points from save points, you would have him mainly for clean sheet points (realistically, you should expect 1 CS in every 3/4 matches)
Sels (5m, Nottingham) – 5/10
- He could be an option if Nottingham replicates their defensive performance from last season
- However, if you also have Murillo (due to his defensive contribution potential), you would be too reliant on Nottingham keeping clean sheets
Premium goalkeepers (5.5m)
Pickford (5.5m, Everton) – 8/10 <- would be in my team if I did not have Tarkowski
- Two seasons in a row top scoring goalkeeper – that should not be overlooked
- many routes to points – clean sheets, saves, bonus points
- However, if you have Tarkowski (due to his defensive contribution potential), you would be too heavily weighted on Everton’s defense.
- If I did not have Tarkowski in my team, Pickford would likely be my set and forgea t GK, despite higher price
Alison (5.5m, Liverpool) – 6/10
- He is one to consider, but might block you from having a potentially better Liverpool trio (Salah, Wirtz, Frimpong)
- Over the last three seasons, he was getting more save points than Raya
Raya (5.5m, Arsenal) – 5.5/10
- He is not getting so many save points
- The issue with goalkeepers from the top 6 teams is that usually clean sheets are their only source of points, so they lack the points from saves and bonuses
Goalkeepers I am avoiding
- Ederson – just so few save points, that unless Man City gets 20 clean sheets in a season, he is not going to be among top scoring GKs
- Kelleher – I just do not trust Brentford’s defense
- Areola – West Ham had just 7 clean sheets last season
- Brighton, Tottenham GK’s
Tips for picking the best goalkeepers for your FPL team
- With goalkeepers, you always want a keeper that has a very high chance of a clean sheet. You can use our Premier League Clean Sheets Odds to find goalkeepers, who are most likely to keep a clean sheet in the next gameweek of FPL.
- Also, when considering a goalkeeper for your fantasy team, you always have to take a look at fixtures and asses whether a certain goalkeeper has the potential for a clean sheet. Does he have a tough or easy fixture? And as we mentioned, our clean sheet odds will help you with that.
- Check FDR to find goalkeepers with a great fixture run that could be good for clean sheets
- Also, asses the save potential of a goalkeeper you would like to pick. Make sure you check which goalkeepers have the most saves and bonus points.
- Goalkeepers who are bonus points magnets can get double-digit haul when they keep a clean sheet. So when they keep a clean sheet in every 5th or 6th match, it is ok, as they deliver a big amount of points on those occasions.
- Do not forget to pick a playing goalkeeper to your bench, in case your first-choice GK gets injured. But your bench goalkeeper does not have to be an expensive one, as you will likely not need him many times. Choose a goalkeeper from the 4-4.5m price bracket as your backup
Strategies for picking a goalkeeper in FPL
King and the heir
You pick a starting 4.5 million goalkeeper and a 4.0 million backup goalkeeper from the same team. So, when the 4.5m number one gets injured, you will automatically have his replacement on your bench.
That way you will have coverage for 38 gameweeks for just 8.5 million in total. The disadvantage is, that 4.5m goalkeepers might not deliver so many points as you would need.
- Total costs = 4.5 + 4 = 8.5m
- Expected points output during the season = 115 – 130 points
Rotating goalkeepers
In this strategy, you pick two 4.5m, or 5.0m goalkeepers that rotates very well. So, when the first one has a home fixture, the other one has an away fixture. And the other way around.
Or when the first one has an easy fixture, the other one has a tough fixture. The idea is, that you will exploit this rotation (of H/A, or fixtures), to maximize the point output from your goalkeepers, as you will always play the one with the better fixture.
This strategy looks great on paper. But when put in practice, you will leave many points on the bench too many times. It is hard to predict where the points come from – sometimes, you bench goalkeepers with a tough fixture, but that could be the fixture with a surprising clean sheet, 6 saves and 3 bonus points.
The expected output of this strategy varies. You could score even 180+ points through the season with this strategy if your goalkeepers score points in fixtures when you want them to score. But if not, you might be actually losing points, as you might bench the big hauls.
- Total costs = 4.5 + 4.5 = 9m
- Expected points output during the season = 100 – 190 points
Premium set and forget
You pick one premium goalkeeper (like Raya or Alisson) and do not worry about them the whole season. Premium goalkeepers have high clean sheet potential, although they rarely collect points for save points.
You would pick a 4.0 million goalkeeper to the bench – either a starting goalkeeper or a non-starting.
- Total costs = 4.0 + 5.5 = 9.5m
- Expected points output during the season = 130 – 160 points
Switching goalkeepers based on fixtures
The most common strategy in FPL. You pick one goalkeeper with a very good fixture run and when his fixtures turn red, you transfer him out for another goalkeeper whose fixtures improve.
- Total costs = 4.0 + 4.5/5.5m = 9.5m – 10.5m + transfers made
- Expected points output during the season = 110 – 190 points
FPL Goalkeepers with stable points output in the previous 3 seasons
How many points should you expect from your goalkeeper in Fantasy Premier League?
Do not have unrealistic expectations from your FPL goalkeepers.
- At best, the top teams can keep around 14-20 clean sheets per season. So, when you select a premium goalkeeper, expect he gets a clean sheet in every second or third match at the best.
- Mid-table teams tend to keep around 8-13 clean sheets per season. So, with mid-priced goalkeepers, expect a clean sheet in every fourth match
- Bottom table teams usually keep around 0-7 clean sheets per season. So when picking budget enablers from bottom-table teams, do not really expect more than a clean sheet in every 6th match.
- So, usually, a top-scoring goalkeeper can get around 140-160 points per season. On some occasions, the top-scoring goalkeeper can get even 170 points or more in a season – but it is hard to predict who it is going to be.
- So, 140-160 points is the number of points you should aim to get from your goalkeeper during the whole FPL season
Of course, you will never get a distribution of a clean sheet that is so symmetric – CS in every 2nd match, CS in every 4th match, etc…
Because of the Law of Large Numbers (when we are stretched too far from the mean, the values tend to return to the mean over time, and regression happens) and the Theory of Clusters (extreme values tend to be concentrated in the clusters), you will likely see a concentration of clean sheets in few matches, then a large strike of blanks, etc.
That’s why you should look at average clean sheet count when selecting a goalkeeper, and not just at his “form” – how many clean sheets he kept in the last few matches – as this can be just a cluster of extreme values (either a cluster of returns or a cluster of blanks).
