FPL managers around the globe will be frantically tinkering with their teams ahead of the Premier League’s big kick-off on Friday.
While the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Martin Dubravka are proving to be popular picks, we’ve dived into the data to uncover five FPL sleeper picks.
Each is 10% or less owned &#8211; and they could make some serious noise in 2025/26.
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<h3>Midfielder: Tijjani Reijnders | £5.5m | 10% owned</h3>
We begin with perhaps the most intriguing name on the list: Tijjani Reijnders, last season’s Serie A Midfielder of the Year. 
A goal-scoring midfielder for a side like Manchester City available at £5.5m could turn out to be an absolute steal.
Reijnders scored 15 goals across all competitions for AC Milan last season, including 10 in Serie A (all from open play), and he has already given City fans an early dose of his goalscoring potential after he came off the bench to score twice in a 3-0 pre-season win over Palermo.
The Dutchman is certainly not afraid to shoot, accumulating 77 Serie A shots last season (10th most) with 28 on target. He was ranked in the Serie A top-5 for attempted through balls (4th), fast breaks (5th), and completed 467 passes in the final third (5th). 
There’s room for improvement on the assists front &#8211; five in all competitions last season &#8211; but expect this number to rise given the quality of his new teammates.
Rodri’s injury setback opens the door for Reijnders to start the season in a deeper midfield role, a position that FPL have for so long ignored.
 But thanks to the injection of new rules, this role now offers points potential as midfielders can earn +2 bonus points for recording 12 or more combined clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles, and ball recoveries in a match.
Pep Roulette could be in full flow at the start of the season given City’s summer shake-up, but Reijnders has all the ingredients to become this year’s standout FPL sleeper.
<div id="attachment_74051" style="width: 420px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74051" class="wp-image-74051 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/reijnders-1.jpg" alt="" width="410" height="512" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/reijnders-1.jpg 410w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/reijnders-1-240x300.jpg 240w" sizes="(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" />Tijjani Reijnders&#8217; <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> in Serie A</div>
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<h3>Midfielder: Jhon Arias | £5.5m | 1% owned</h3>
Matheus Cunha’s high-profile departure to Manchester United has opened up an attacking spot at Wolves, with new signing Jhon Arias inheriting the number 10 shirt. He ticks all the right boxes at £5.5m and just 1% ownership.
Arias, nicknamed &#8216;the Colombian Pele&#8217;, scored 47 goals and carved out 55 assists at Fluminense and got tongues wagging during the Club World Cup where he created more chances (18) than any other player. 
The versatile attacker also led the tournament in completed crosses (17), ranked second for total duels (80), and featured in the top 10 for final-third passes completed (100), take-ons completed (24), and shots (13). On top of that, he chipped in with a goal and an assist.
Arias, who scored on his Wolves debut in pre-season, is expected to be used as an inverted winger and could be a smart budget enabler for the likes of Salah and Palmer, while also injecting some pivotal points into your midfield.
<div id="attachment_74053" style="width: 856px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74053" class="wp-image-74053 size-large" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.03.05-846x1024.jpg" alt="" width="846" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.03.05-846x1024.jpg 846w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.03.05-248x300.jpg 248w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.03.05-768x930.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.03.05.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 846px) 100vw, 846px" />Jhon Arias&#8217; <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> at the Club World Cup 2025</div>
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<h3>Forward: Evanilson | £7m | 2.3% owned</h3>
Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke replacement, Evanilson, racked-up a respectable 128 points last season, averaging 4.1 points per match. 
He scored 10 goals and provided five assists across 31 games, with a particularly prolific spell in March and April, when he netted six goals in six matches across all competitions, which highlights his potential as a valuable player for your team when on song.
Digging into the numbers, Evanilson fired 73 shots, hit the target 32 times, won 118 duels, and earned 53 fouls &#8211; 15 of which came in the final third. 
He underperformed his expected goals by 3.71, so if he sharpens his finishing, he could rack up even more points this season.
Evanilson is the priciest player we’ve included in this feature, but when it comes to strikers, he’s out at 14th at an appealing £7m.
This is £0.5m cheaper than the likes of Yoane Wissa, Joao Pedro, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Chris Wood, Benjamin Sesko, and Solanke. With just 2.3% ownership, he remains a strong differential.
<div id="attachment_74057" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74057" class="size-full wp-image-74057" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Evanilson-bordered-1.jpeg" alt="" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Evanilson-bordered-1.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Evanilson-bordered-1-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Evanilson-bordered-1-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" />Evanilson&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
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<h3>Defender: Jake O’Brien | £5m | 0.5% owned</h3>
Everton’s favourable start to the season (Leeds, Brighton &amp; Wolves) combined with their proven defensive stability means they are a team to target from the off. 
Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski, and Jarrod Branthwaite are all priced at £5.5m, but you can save yourself  £0.5m by opting for Jake O’Brien, who is just 0.5% owned.
The versatile Irishman looks set to start at right-back after he rose to prominence under David Moyes to become a consistent starter from January onwards. 
In total, he accrued 65 FPL points, helped keep five clean sheets, and even scored two goals in the space of three games in February/March.
Overall, Everton kept 12 clean sheets last season and conceded just 44 goals &#8211; the fourth fewest in the league &#8211; and we can expect more of the same in 2025/26. 
Though he only became a regular starter midway through the campaign, O’Brien still managed 89 clearances (48 headed) and won 42 aerial duels. 
If he maintains that form, he could start stacking up CBIT points (clearances, blocks, interceptions, and tackles) early in the new season.
O’Brien’s attacking threat adds extra appeal and, standing at 6ft 6in, he poses a real danger from set-pieces, with both of last season’s goals coming from headers.
<div id="attachment_74056" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74056" class="size-full wp-image-74056" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-OBrien-bordered.jpeg" alt="" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-OBrien-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-OBrien-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-OBrien-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" />Jake O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
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<h3>Goalkeeper: Nick Pope | £5m | 3.6% owned</h3>
Nick Pope’s former Toon teammate Martin Dubravka, new Brentford shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher, and Matz Sels are all being jettisoned into teams ahead of the new season.
 However, Pope himself is flying under-the-radar with just 3.6% managers selecting the 33-year-old in goal.
Newcastle may have suffered a transfer window to forget but Pope offers stability, reliability, and experience between the sticks. 
He featured in 28 Premier League matches last season (missing the festive period due to injury) during which he recorded 102 points and eight clean sheets.
Pope’s standout FPL campaign came in 2022/23 when he amassed 157 points, including 14 clean sheets and 14 bonus points, which are elite numbers for a goalkeeper. 
With such proven pedigree, low ownership, and a knack for saving penalties &#8211; three of his last six faced &#8211; Pope could be an ideal set-and-forget choice for the new season.
<div id="attachment_49152" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49152" class="size-full wp-image-49152" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242645622.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242645622.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242645622-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242645622-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242645622-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Nick Pope. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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Five FPL sleeper picks for the new season | Squawka

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