Ranking the greatest all-time Fantasy Premier League icons
BBC Sport published a ranking of the greatest all-time Fantasy Premier League icons on 2026-09-16, assessing standout FPL performers from the game's 2002-03 inception through its 25-year history on its website. The piece combines statistical analysis and a degree of sentiment to identify the top 10 players who delivered exceptional value or unforgettable single-season returns in the official game.
The ranking was compiled with input from BBC Sport's resident FPL expert Thomas Woods and research by the Fantasy Football Scout, and it factors in both long-term consistency and one-season bargains. The article notes the difference between premium, high-scoring assets and lower-priced players who offered outsized value; it observes Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard and Cristiano Ronaldo among high scorers historically, while emphasising bargain finds such as Michu. The authors state that 52 players have reached 200 points in a season at least once, that Mohamed Salah has surpassed 200 points eight times and is the only player to top 300 points — doing so twice.
At number 10 is Harry Kane for 2014-15, starting price £5m; Kane scored his first Premier League goal that season in November with a 90th-minute winner at Aston Villa and finished with 21 league goals and 191 points, rising from £5m to a peak of £6.4m and ranking 11th on the all-time value list despite fewer minutes than many above him. Ninth-placed Charlie Adam (Blackpool, 2010-11, £5m) returned 192 points from 12 goals, taking penalties and set pieces, producing the highest score by a promoted player at that time and only trailing Manchester United's Nani that season. Michel Vorm (Swansea, 2011-12, £4m) is eighth after a campaign that produced 158 points, 14 clean sheets, a peak price of £5.3m and a period as the fourth-most owned player; he conceded four on his debut but made 11 saves at Manchester City and saved Clint Dempsey's penalty that season.
Stuart Dallas (Leeds, 2020-21, £4.5m) is seventh, prized for versatility and an FPL return of eight goals, 12 clean sheets, three assists and a total of 171 points, including a two-goal, 17-point performance against Manchester City; Woods said, "The Northern Ireland international's versatility played into the hands of FPL managers because, even though he was a classified as a defender, he played all over the place for Leeds in 2000-21 - more often than not as an attacking midfielder." Sixth is Michail Antonio (West Ham, 2019-20, £7m), whose post-restart form in July 2020 produced eight goals in seven appearances, four in a 4-0 win at Norwich for a 26-point haul — a joint-record for a player under £7m and three points shy of Salah's single-gameweek record. John Lundstram (Sheffield United, 2019-20, £4m) occupies fifth after a misclassification as a defender despite box-to-box midfield duties; he scored five goals, supplied four assists, registered 144 points and produced a two-goal, 21-point game in week 11, with Woods noting, "A £4m defender is usually the last spot on FPL managers' benches but Lundstram was misclassified by FPL towers and was actually a box-to-box midfielder."
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester, 2015-16, £5.5m) is fourth after a campaign that began with a 15-point haul in week one against Sunderland, produced double figures in five of the first six gameweeks, saw ownership climb past 50% by week seven and finished with 240 points as the season's top scorer; the article also notes Jamie Vardy's run of a goal or an assist for 15 consecutive weeks and that Vardy started £0.5m more expensive than Mahrez. Third is Michu (Swansea, 2012-13, £6.5m), a one-season phenomenon who rose £2m in price, scored twice on the opening day at QPR, ended the campaign with 18 goals and 190 points and was identified by Woods as arguably the biggest one-season wonder in FPL history: "A few savvy managers picked up on the fact the Spaniard had scored 15 goals in La Liga the season before and had him on the opening day when he scored twice at QPR." Second is Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 2024-25, £12.5m), whose record-breaking 2024-25 season yielded 344 points; the article records that Salah has topped 200 points in eight successive seasons, did so twice above 300 points overall, and that his 344-point campaign followed what was described as his lowest season the year before — "although low for Mo was still upwards of 200 points."
At number one is Cole Palmer for Chelsea in 2023-24, whose starting price of £5m and limited early ownership produced exceptional value after he left Manchester City for more gametime at Chelsea; he did not start a game until matchweek seven, was owned by 63,575 managers (0.6%) for his first double-figure return at Burnley, was held by 4.5% for a 12-point return at Tottenham in gameweek 12, and was owned by more than five million managers when he scored four goals against Everton in a 26-point haul in gameweek 33 while costing £6.1m. The Fantasy Football Scout concluded, "Based on starting price, Cole Palmer in 2023-24 is the best-ever value player in Fantasy," and Palmer finished the season as top scorer with 244 points and received the largest single-season price rise in FPL history of £5.5m, taking his starting value to £10.5m for 2024-25.
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