Big Man Bakar’s 7 FPL Pre-Season Mistakes To Avoid Before GW1

By: BigManBakar

 

🚨 7 FPL Pre-Season Mistakes To Avoid Ahead of GW1 🚨

Every FPL manager starts the season with high hopes and fresh optimism. But as any seasoned player knows, pre-season is filled with pitfalls that can undo all your best-laid plans before a single ball is kicked. Here are some of the most common mistakes to watch out for as you put together your Gameweek 1 squad.

 

1. Secure Minutes, Secure Points:

One of the classic traps is over-investing in rotation risks. The start of the season is not the time to gamble on players whose minutes are uncertain. Managers often convince themselves that a cheap new signing or a promising youngster will nail down a spot, only to find them benched by GW2.

With the ability to save up to five free transfers, it’s crucial to prioritise players with guaranteed minutes. That doesn’t mean your squad should be boring—but building a strong, reliable core gives you flexibility and confidence in the early weeks.

 

2. Overreacting to Pre-Season Form:

Every summer, there’s a pre-season “hero” who racks up goals and assists in friendlies, sparking a surge of interest among FPL managers. But pre-season matches often see experimental lineups, uneven opposition, and little tactical resemblance to what we’ll see when the real stuff starts.

Don’t get caught chasing points that won’t count. Use pre-season to monitor minutes/fitness, positions, and possible set-piece roles, but always weigh up the quality of opposition and manager comments before letting friendlies dictate your squad.

 

3. Ignoring the Fixture List

It sounds basic, but fixture swings are often underestimated. Some managers get locked into picking the “best” players, regardless of their opening schedule. A great player with a poor run of fixtures can easily start slow, while a mid-priced asset with a soft opening can help you gain early ground.

Take time to review each team’s first five to six games. Early fixture planning can make or break your start—especially with the Bench Boost chip potentially in play sooner than usual.

 

4. Picking Too Many New Signings

There’s always excitement around new arrivals—both promoted teams and Premier League debutants. But FPL is full of cautionary tales about hyped imports taking time to adjust. It’s rarely worth filling your squad with unknowns just because they’re new and shiny.

A punt or two is fine if the role and minutes look assured, but be wary of building your squad around unproven assets with no Premier League experience.

 

5. Forgetting About Flexibility

The best-laid FPL plans rarely survive contact with the first few Gameweeks. Price changes, early injuries, and breakout bandwagons can force rapid changes. Managers who lock themselves into rigid structures or awkward price points often find it hard to adapt.

Try to keep a little cash in the bank, or leave room for an easy move to an emerging asset. Flexibility is your friend.

 

6. Getting Swayed by Ownership

It’s tempting to cram your team with highly owned “template” players, purely to avoid missing out if they haul early. But building a squad based solely on ownership numbers rarely ends well. You should pick players because you believe in their points potential—not because you’re scared of what others are doing. High ownership shouldn’t override sound judgment or your own strategy.

 

7. Being Afraid to Take a Calculated Punt

While playing it safe has its merits, being too conservative can also cost you early rank. The opening Gameweeks are often unpredictable, and the right calculated differential—chosen for solid reasons—can help you get ahead. The key is balance: don’t fill your squad with wild punts, but don’t be afraid to back a gut feel on one or two players you believe is underpriced or under-the-radar.

 

Final Thoughts:

Pre-season is a time for optimism, but also for discipline. By focusing on nailed-on starters, planning for fixtures, and keeping your squad flexible, you’ll give yourself the best chance of a strong start—and fewer headaches down the road. Learn from last year’s mistakes, stick to your process, and remember: you don’t have to win FPL in Gameweek 1, but you can certainly lose it early on.

 

 

Now that you have taken a look at Big Man Bakar’s pre-season mistakes to avoid, check out our Haaland, Salah, Isak & Palmer GW1 draft and see if that high risk high reward type of team build suits you.

Some other great prep ahead of GW1 is our best FPL players series – every Premier League team’s players to target and players to avoid. We started with Liverpool and Arsenal and will be covering all 20 teams ahead of GW1. We also covered every Premier League team’s penalty, free kick and corner taker so that you don’t have to!