Sunderland FPL Guide 2026/27

• DEFCON: centre-backs and full-backs who rack up tackles, blocks, clearances and interceptions now have a second scoring route beyond clean sheets.
• Fixtures: check Sunderland's opening run on the FPL fixture list and the GW1 preview above before locking premiums.
• Prices: every Sunderland price is on FPL prices : then play free on Gameweek Fantasy.
• Differentials: looking for a low-owned Sunderland pick? Check FPL Differentials.

Sunderland have built a squad with far more Premier League and European pedigree than you'd expect from a newly-promoted side, and it shows in the pricing. Xhaka and Le Fée give the midfield real control, Brobbey and Isidor lead the line, and the recruitment of Mukiele, Reinildo and Meunier means the back line is stocked with names who've actually defended at this level before. For fantasy purposes, this is the rare promoted team whose players are worth owning on merit, not just as cheap filler.

There's no true premium bracket here — the squad tops out around £6.0m, which is genuinely the appeal. Le Fée and Brobbey (both £5.9m) are the headline picks: Le Fée the creative hub who dictates tempo and takes set pieces, Brobbey the physical focal point who occupies centre-backs and finishes crosses. Xhaka at £5.5m is the safest minutes bet in the whole squad, full stop.

This is where Sunderland actually earn a place in your team. Roefs at £5.0m in goal, plus a back line including Hume, Ballard and Seelt at £4.5-5.0m, gives you real clean-sheet exposure for almost nothing. O'Nien, Masuaku and Hjelde at £4.0m are pure enablers — the kind of bench fodder whose whole job is funding a premium forward somewhere else in your squad.

Not a captaincy side in most gameweeks — their ceiling sits below the sides above them, and the armband belongs on someone capable of a double-digit haul. The exception is a home fixture against a bottom-six side, where Brobbey or Le Fée become defensible punts if you're chasing differentials. Otherwise, keep the armband on a premium attacker elsewhere.

Talbi and Adingra (£5.0-5.5m) are the classic low-ownership Sunderland plays — wide attackers capable of a goal-and-assist haul out of nowhere. Rigg at £4.9m is the young midfielder worth tracking, and Diarra and Sadiki offer minutes-based value if either locks down a starting role. All of them sit at genuinely low single-digit ownership.

I'd avoid stacking Sunderland assets through away fixtures against the top six — clean sheets dry up fast and the attacking returns follow them down. Watch the wide-forward rotation too: Adingra, Talbi, Mundle and Angulo are all competing for the same berths, so confirm the lineup before trusting any of them. And don't pay a premium here for returns you could get more reliably from a mid-table side with better fixtures.