- FPL Gameweek 1 goalkeeper guide: discover the best premium and budget picks, rotation options, differentials and goalkeepers to avoid.
Picking a goalkeeper for FPL can be surprisingly tricky, especially in Gameweek 1 when there is no new-season league form to judge.
How to choose an FPL goalkeeper for Gameweek 1?
The best choice is not always the keeper from the strongest defense, but fixtures, save potential, bonus points, and price all need to be considered. Here are the goalkeepers worth considering for your Gameweek 1 squad, along with the options that could offer the best value beyond Gameweek 1.
The official FPL guidance suggests looking beyond just the opening fixture and assessing the first 4–6 gameweeks when building your initial squad.
Best premium goalkeeper for GW1
David Raya
In the last campaign, David Raya was the highest-rated goalkeeper in the league with 162 FPL points and 19 clean sheets, finishing 19 points ahead of the next-best goalkeeper.
He can also be a long-term option while analyzing the strength of Arsenal's defense and his shot-stopping ability.
Best mid-price goalkeeper
Antonín Kinský
Tottenham goalkeeper Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) can be considered a mid-price goalkeeper at least until match week 8. De Zerbi has preferred Kinsky over Vicario since his arrival at the club, and according to fixture difficulty ratings, Kinsky will have a majority of favorable fixtures until matchweek 8.
He delivered a decent performance last season, and De Zerbi fully believes him behind the bolstered defense this summer.
Best goalkeeper rotation pair
David Raya and Kinsky are considered the best goalkeeper rotation pair until match weeks 6-8, but Carlos Rushford can also be taken into consideration while assessing his potential and tactical fit in Coventry's system.
The question is whether Rushworth's impressive Championship numbers translate to the Premier League. His save volume could make him interesting for FPL, but Coventry's defensive strength will be tested at a much higher level.
Who should you avoid?
Matz Sels
Matz Sels (£5.0m) is a goalkeeper I’d avoid for the opening weeks of the Premier League. Nottingham Forest has a difficult run of fixtures, with Liverpool, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Arsenal all coming within their first eight league matches. That makes clean-sheet points harder to rely on, so there are likely to be better FPL goalkeeper options to start the season