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 Holly Shand is an FPL content creator and pundit, with two top 10k finishes in ten seasons of playing Fantasy Premier League.
In this article, Holly reveals high-ownership players you should avoid in FPL Gameweek 1.
See what all our experts are currently planning for their own Gameweek 1 teams via our team reveals page <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-team-reveals">here</a>.

<a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join">Win your FPL mini-league or your money back!</a> 
It's worth noting here that when looking at the ownership of current players, FPL managers appear more engaged than ever.
There are no huge anomalies in player ownership relative to our AI predictions and fantasy potential, and I've looked down to 5% ownership when considering my analysis here.
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<h2>Defenders</h2>
Arsenal centre-back William Saliba (£6.0m) is the most selected defender in the game, in over 40% of sides. He was second to team-mate Ben White (£6.5m) for fantasy points last campaign.
AI predicts Saliba to be the fourth highest scoring Arsenal defender over the opening four gameweeks of the season.
That places him behind Gabriel (£6.0m), White and new signing Riccardo Calafiori (£6.0m) with all of this trio carrying more attacking threat than Saliba.
Saliba hasn't yet joined up for Arsenal's pre-season following late involvement at the Euros with France. The Gunners have strengthened their defence in the transfer window too, which means more competition for places.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-65608" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FFStuffImage-2024-08-05T225420.237.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="650" />
Newcastle United defenders are very popular in the game right now, with the Magpies having kept ten clean sheets last season, and with Championship Play-Off winners Southampton at home in Gameweek 1.
Kieran Trippier (£6.0m) sits in 14% of sides, but has only just returned to Newcastle following the Euros, and he is heavily linked with a move away in this transfer window. It looks likely that Timo Livramento (£4.5m) will start the season at right-back.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-65611" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FFStuffImage-2024-08-05T225724.411.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="650" />
On the opposite flank, Dan Burn (£4.5m) has been the popular pick from the Magpies defence, in 22.3% of sides, but his long-term security of starts seems slim, with Lewis Hall (£4.5m) set to compete for this position.
Burn did showcase his versatility in defence last campaign, playing some games at centre-back, and with long-term injuries for Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles this trend could continue.
Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) is another budget defender with lots of early attention, in 17.3% of sides, but our AI predictions only place him ninth of the options at this price point.
Villa don't have the best fixtures for clean sheet potential over the opening four gameweeks, including facing Arsenal at home in Gameweek 2, while the departure of defensive midfielder Douglas Luiz will weaken their overall clean sheet potential.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-65609" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FFStuffImage-2024-08-05T225537.718.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="650" />
Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk (£6.0m) sits in 11.7% of sides, with clean sheet potential unknown under new manager Arne Slot. 2023/24 was Van Dijk's poorest FPL season in a Liverpool shirt, other than in 2020/21 where he had a significant injury.
AI prefers Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) at this price point, as well as Arsenal's £6.0 million defenders. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) is the best route into the Liverpool defence, and is likely to be worth paying the extra £1.0m over Van Dijk for his attacking potential.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-65610" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FFStuffImage-2024-08-05T225655.477.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="650" />
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi (£4.5m) and Chelsea's Marc Cucurella (£5.0m) each see significant FPL ownership having impressed for England and Spain at the Euros, but neither are back in pre-season training yet and so should also be avoided.
 Join the Hub to see the highly owned midfielders and forwards to avoid  
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Highly owned FPL players to avoid in Gameweek 1 2024/25

Highly owned FPL players to avoid in Gameweek 1 2024/25

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