Fantasy Premier League 2026/27: Key Player Reclassifications

The Fantasy Premier League game board has been shuffled for 2026/27, and a handful of emerging names now sit on very different squares. Eleven players have been reclassified, but three of them – Junior Kroupi, Patrick Dorgu and Omar Marmoush – could reshape how serious managers build their squads.

This isn’t admin. It’s opportunity.

Kroupi: From finisher to Fantasy gold

At Bournemouth, Junior Kroupi has been pushed back on the pitch but pushed up in Fantasy value. Listed as a forward last season, he is now a midfielder, reflecting his regular role as a No 10 behind Evanilson.

The numbers from his breakout campaign are hard to ignore. Thirteen goals in 33 appearances from a central support role is impressive enough. The rate is even better: a goal every 134.0 minutes. That was more than 50 minutes quicker than Antoine Semenyo, whose 188.2 minutes per goal was the best among regular midfield starters last season.

Now those same goals are worth more.

As a midfielder, Kroupi will collect an extra point for every strike compared with a forward, and he will also benefit from clean-sheet points. The same output suddenly becomes far more potent in the game’s scoring matrix. If he stays close to last season’s efficiency, he stops being an interesting differential and starts becoming a core pick.

For managers who like value in midfield and flexibility up front, Kroupi’s reclassification changes the shape of a squad.

Dorgu: Carrick’s winger gets a Fantasy promotion

At Manchester United, Patrick Dorgu’s shift from defender to midfielder tells the story of how Michael Carrick used him once he arrived in Gameweek 22.

Dorgu barely featured under the new manager, starting just three matches. But every time he did, he lined up as a left winger – and every time he did, he scored.

He struck against Arsenal. He struck against Manchester City. Against Brighton & Hove Albion, he went one better, producing both a goal and an assist. Three starts, three goals, one assist. Minimal minutes, maximum impact.

Dig into his output under Carrick and the attacking intent becomes clearer. When measured against midfield team-mates Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo over that spell, Dorgu held his own and then some. His 33.2 minutes per shot was the fastest of the trio, and he matched Cunha’s tally of three big chances, despite playing more than 800 minutes fewer than the Brazilian.

As a defender, those numbers were a luxury. As a midfielder, they start to demand attention.

The trade-off is obvious: he no longer benefits from clean sheets, and his baseline defensive points vanish. But if Carrick continues to trust him in that advanced role, Dorgu becomes the kind of mid-priced midfielder who can explode in short bursts – ideal for managers who like to jump on form and ride a hot streak.

Marmoush: Guardiola’s striker steps into the spotlight

Omar Marmoush moves in the opposite direction. For Manchester City, he has been reclassified from a midfielder to a forward, mirroring how Pep Guardiola used him in the Catalan’s final season in charge.

The Egyptian led the line, rather than drifting in from deeper areas, and his Fantasy tag now reflects that. He finished the campaign with three goals and three assists, steady rather than spectacular, but the positional change underlines his role as a central attacking option rather than a roaming creator.

In Fantasy terms, that makes his path clearer but also more demanding. As a forward, Marmoush loses the extra point per goal and the clean-sheet boost that came with his midfield status. To justify a spot in a frontline that usually needs to deliver heavy returns, he must turn those central minutes into a higher volume of goals.

Still, being recognised as a striker at Manchester City carries its own weight. If he nails down that role under the new regime and builds on last season’s contribution, he will sit right in the conversation whenever managers look for a City attacker outside the obvious premium names.

The wider reshuffle

Around them, other names have also been nudged into new categories. Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) and Lamare Bogarde (Aston Villa) step up from defence to midfield. Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford) makes the same move. Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion) drops back from midfield into defence, while Georginio Rutter at the same club moves the other way, from midfield into the forward line.

Rio Cardines (Crystal Palace) and Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) both transition from midfield to defence, potentially offering attacking threat from the back. Eric Moreira (Nottingham Forest) shifts from midfield into a defensive berth as well.

Each reclassification tweaks the puzzle. Some gain attacking upside in a more lucrative position; others lose the safety net of defensive points and must now justify their place with end product alone.

For shrewd Fantasy managers, though, the headline is clear. Kroupi’s new status, Dorgu’s attacking deployment and Marmoush’s formal elevation to City striker aren’t just cosmetic changes on a list. They are early clues about where the value might lie when the first squads are locked in for 2026/27.