What time is the FPL deadline for Gameweek 1?

It’s that time of year again when people are scrambling to get their fantasy teams finished which they may or may not forget about entirely in about four weeks time.

Still, if the start of the season is good for anything it’s boundless optimism in football, and this is set to be a season like no other with a World Cup shoehorned into December. That means that it’s a good idea to consider who’ll get themselves a nice five week break (we’re looking at you Erling Haaland) and who might find themselves coming back to their clubs jaded come Boxing Day.

So with that all important deadline fast approaching, here are some picks that should be able to fill out any FPL side:

What time is the FPL deadline for Gameweek 1?

If you still haven't settled on a starting 11 for the first weekend of fantasy football, or your squad of 15 for that matter, then you have until 6.30pm on Friday, August 5, to make changes to your side. With Arsenal set to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, this is the usual one hour and 30 minutes before the kick-off in the first game of that gameweek.

If you’re looking to put some safe bets in there and time is of the essence, then following the wisdom of crowds is never a bad bet. Danny Ward is the most selected goalkeeper in fantasy football, and with Kasper Schmeichel out the door at Leicester and Ward priced at £4m, you can see why.

However, if Daniel Iversen (also £4m) starts instead then a good few people – 23% of players in fact – might be sitting there with egg on their faces. Unsurprisingly, Alexander-Arnold and Cancelo are the two most popular defenders according to fantasy football practitioners, but they will cost you £7.5m and £7m respectively so it might be difficult to get both in.

Ivan Perišić looks probably the best value for money at £5.5m, and we all know Conte likes his wing backs to predominantly spend their time in and around the opposition box. It’s hard to look past Mohamed Salah in the midfielder category, given that he’s essentially a forward, and £13m mightn’t be too much for a player who’ll get a nice five week break at World Cup time.

Up front, Gabriel Jesus has been selected by a whopping 76.4% of armchair experts, and his preseason form of seven goals in five games is testament to that. Ivan Toney for £7m also looks like daylight robbery, while hipsters might be tempted by Julián Álvarez for £6.5m, as even if he doesn’t start many games you know he’ll do damage against tired defenders from the bench.

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