Pingreen’s FPL Gameweek 1 Tips: Armstrong Could Prove a Useful Bargain Pick

Hello FPL fans, my name is Pingreen, and I’m here to provide you with FPL Gameweek 1 tips ahead of the start of the new season.

Why should you listen to me? I’ve played this beautiful game for over 10 years and have achieved three top 10k finishes in the last five seasons, including finishing 700th in the world in 22/23 and 1330th last season.

Anyone who knows me from the Twitter community will tell you I’m incredibly humble and don’t like to bring that up often. Apologies in advance if you don’t like Expected Goals and Assists; if that isn’t your thing, my articles may leave you feeling nauseous.

For the first in a new series on Sportscasting, I’m going to give you my FPL Gameweek 1 tips, including a captain pick and one recommended pick per position.

Pingreen’s FPL Gameweek 1 Tips

Captain Pick – Alexander Isak (£8.5m)

• Fixture: Southampton, Home

I was torn between two names for my captain pick: Mo Salah and Alexander Isak.

Both are playing against newly promoted sides. Should I lean towards Isak at home to Southampton or the Egyptian King away to Ipswich? Ultimately, I realised Salah isn’t even in my Gameweek 1 team, and in the game’s current state, you can’t captain a player you don’t own.

Long story short, my captain this week is Isak. With Callum Wilson injured again, Isak will be the key man for Newcastle and should start the season with a bang against the Saints.

The Swede averaged an incredible 0.81 xG (Expected Goals) per 90 last season, second only to Erling Haaland. He will also be on penalty duty in Wilson’s absence, which is a big selling point for captaincy.

Defender – Pedro Porro – £5.5m

• Fixture: Leicester, Away

I hate the term “essential”; it’s stupid. No player is essential; you can build your team and spend your budget in multiple ways. That being said, Pedro Porro is essential.

Last season, the Spaniard provided seven assists in 35 appearances and also contributed three goals. His average position under Postecoglou was higher than my hairline, and it’s not surprising to see he averaged 0.29 xG + xA per 90 (Expected Goals + Expected Assists) across the season.

The only defenders who averaged more were Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, and Trippier, all of whom cost at least £0.5m more than Porro.

With opening fixtures against Leicester and Everton, he’s a fantastic pick to start the season.

Midfielder – Bruno Fernandes – £8.5m

• Fixture: Fulham, Home

There’s a theme with my three picks for Gameweek 1; I believe they’re all massively underpriced.

I take no pride in putting Bruno Fernandes on this list; he’s been an incredibly frustrating player to own over the years. That being said, I really can’t ignore him at £8.5m. When he’s not complaining to the referee or feigning an injury, he’s still an incredibly influential player for United, scoring 10 goals and providing eight assists last campaign.

I tried to avoid watching United as much as possible last year, but when I did, I couldn’t help but notice his teammates miss chance after chance created by Fernandes, which would’ve seen those assist numbers rise even more.

The fact he’ll likely be on penalties, free kicks, and corners makes him a shoe-in for my team.

Forward – Adam Armstrong – £5.5m

• Fixture: Newcastle, Away

I’ll be honest, I wrote this piece with João Pedro as my striker selection. Then, late at night on Wednesday Fabrizio Romano popped up with a “Here we go” announcing that Brighton are in advanced stages to sign Georginio Rutter from Leeds United.

I immediately updated my FPL team, replacing the Brazilian with Southampton’s Adam Armstrong, and I’m making the same swap in this article. Armstrong, priced at £5.5m, was always on my radar. He had an impressive 37 goal contributions in 49 games last season. The big question is whether he can maintain that level in the Premier League.

The last time the Saints were in the top flight, he managed only two goals and two assists in 17 starts. However, at £5.5m, he allows me to allocate funds elsewhere in my team. I’m backing Martin-ball to give the Saints and Armstrong a better shot this time around.

And there we have it. Good luck for the new season; I really believe this is the year you can finally topple your mother-in-law in the family mini league. Be sure to follow me at @FPLPingreen on Twitter for more FPL tips and tricks throughout the season. Maybe some satire too.