Brentford's Strong Start in Fantasy Premier League 2026/27

Brentford’s flying start to the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season has come with a new ally off the pitch.

The club has joined forces with Fantasy Football Scout, who will be feeding managers data-led advice, trends and weekly tips across the campaign. For anyone chasing mini-league glory, Brentford are suddenly more than just a team to watch – they’re a resource.

Sangaré steals the show

On the grass, Keith Andrews’ side announced themselves with a statement.

By the 50th minute against Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford were 3-0 up and cruising, the kind of scoreline that lights up FPL dashboards everywhere.

New signing Mamadou Sangaré (£5.5m), tipped in last week’s piece for his potential to rack up defensive contributions (DefCon) points, delivered exactly that – and more. The 24-year-old didn’t just hit the DefCon threshold on debut, he laid on two assists.

His first came from a sharp one-two with Dango Ouattara (£6.5m), bursting through to square for Keane Lewis-Potter (£5.5m) to sweep in the opener.

The second wave came quickly. Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m) reacted first to a rebound after Mathias Jensen’s (£5.5m) effort, doubling the lead and joining Sangaré and Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) in ticking off those valuable DefCon points.

Early in the second half, the pressure finally told again. Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) could only push out Sangaré’s strike, and Michael Kayode (£4.5m) was alive to it, finishing from close range.

Even when Igor Thiago (£8.0m) clipped a penalty against the post, it barely dented Brentford’s dominance. The only real damage was felt by his 1.5 million Fantasy owners staring at their screens in disbelief.

Kayode in the spotlight

Sangaré’s 14-point haul grabbed headlines, but Kayode was only one point behind.

While fellow defenders Ajer and Nathan Collins (£5.5m) both had chances to add goals to their clean sheets, it was Kayode who kept arriving in the right areas at the right moments.

Brentford didn’t just edge Spurs. They overwhelmed them.

Their 13 set-piece efforts alone were more than the entire shot tally of half the Premier League sides in Gameweek 1. Inside the box, the numbers were brutal: 20 efforts for the Bees, just four for Spurs. Kayode accounted for four of Brentford’s attempts himself.

This wasn’t a one-off out of nowhere either. Last season, Kayode led all FPL defenders for take-ons (107) and successful long throws into the box (38). That blend of volume, territory and involvement screams Fantasy upside.

Big hauls elsewhere

While Brentford stole the tactical spotlight, the biggest individual scores came from the south coast.

Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) and Jack Hinshelwood (£6.0m) posted 17 and 16 points respectively, as the Seagulls ripped into Aston Villa. By half-time, Brighton were 4-0 up, with De Cuyper – listed as a defender – operating high on the left wing and punishing anyone who ignored him.

At the same time on Saturday, play-off winners Hull City were busy rewriting scripts of their own. Two goals from centre-backs Semi Ajayi (£4.0m) and Nobel Mendy (£4.0m) put them 2-0 up at home to Manchester United.

They held that lead. FPL favourites Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) returned nothing. The pain didn’t stop there for premium backers: Manchester City duo Erling Haaland (£15.5m) and Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m) also blanked.

City still found a way, though. Marc Guéhi (£6.0m) and Joško Gvardiol (£5.5m) came to the rescue against Bournemouth, salvaging a result and reminding managers that defensive assets can swing a gameweek on their own.

Early bandwagons and watchlists

The transfer market is already moving fast.

Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) didn’t score on opening night but still made a mark, supplying the first goal of the 2026/27 season on Friday. That single contribution, on top of his role at left-back, has pushed him into the group of most-bought players ahead of Friday’s 6.30pm BST deadline.

Arsenal’s second goal was crafted by Christos Tzolis (£6.5m), who arrived with serious creative pedigree: seven assists in pre-season and 23 in his final campaign with Club Brugge. He looks like he’s simply carried that form into the Premier League.

Martin Ødegaard (£6.5m) then made it 3-0, underlining why he remains a magnet for transfers in.

On Monday, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£9.5m) and João Pedro (£7.5m) both delivered double-digit scores, instantly re-entering the captaincy and premium conversations.

Sangaré and De Cuyper now sit alongside that group on countless watchlists. One gameweek in, and the template is already under threat.

Armbands under scrutiny

For all the chaos, the captaincy picture might not change much.

Despite frustrating their backers, Haaland and Fernandes – last season’s top two FPL scorers – are still expected to carry most of the Gameweek 2 armbands.

Haaland failed to score on a City opening day for the first time, but Crystal Palace arrive amid a difficult summer and remain a fixture that managers will find hard to ignore.

Fernandes, even in a blank at Hull, still carved out three chances and created three more. The underlying numbers stayed strong. Next up for him: a home clash with another promoted side, Ipswich Town.

Gameweek 1 has already shaken assumptions and exposed a few fault lines. The question now is simple: who blinks first – the managers who stick with the heavy hitters, or those who rip up the script and ride the Brentford and Brighton wave?