Value wins mini-leagues. The best value FPL players for 2026/27 are not always the cheapest — they are the names whose price undersells their routes to points (goals, assists, clean sheets and DEFCON). Use this shortlist with FootballDream’s live price tables before the Friday 21 August GW1 deadline.
Value defenders (£4.5m–£6.0m)
- James Tarkowski (Everton, £6.0m) — elite DEFCON history at a mid price with favourable early fixtures.
- Cristhian Mosquera / Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal, £5.5m) — cheaper routes into the league’s strongest defence than Gabriel/Saliba.
- Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest, £5.0m) — wing-back upside + DEFCON in Glasner’s system.
- Joachim Andersen (Fulham, £5.0m) — set-piece and defensive contribution package.
- Malick Thiaw / Dan Burn (Newcastle, £5.0m) — St James’ Park clean-sheet upside at mid price.
Value midfielders (£5.0m–£6.5m)
- Elliot Anderson (Manchester City, £6.5m) — multi-route midfielder if minutes stick after a big summer move.
- Iliman Ndiaye (Everton, £6.0m) — penalty upside at a bargain forward-mid price point.
- Enzo Le Fée (Sunderland, £6.0m) — creative hub for a promoted side with Xhaka alongside.
- Amad Diallo (Manchester United, £6.0m) — explosive returns if nailed on the right.
- Ryan Yates (Nottingham Forest, £4.5m) — pure enabler who still plays every week.
How we define value
We weight (1) likelihood of 60+ minutes, (2) number of scoring routes including DEFCON, (3) early fixture difficulty, and (4) price versus peers in the same bracket. Always re-check prices on /fpl-prices — they move overnight.
Turn value into points
Draft these names into a free Gameweek Fantasy squad on FootballDream, or build a Fantasy XI and captain your highest-upside value pick for double points.