Brentford’s Fantasy Premier League Opportunities in 2026/27

Keith Andrews could hardly have scripted it better. Fresh from hauling Brentford up to ninth in his first season in charge, he now walks into a 2026/27 schedule that quietly screams opportunity – for his side, and for Fantasy Premier League managers.

Across the opening five Gameweeks, Brentford avoid every one of last season’s top five. No Manchester City. No Liverpool. No Arsenal. Instead, the Bees open with home ties against Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Chelsea, wrapped around trips to Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth.

On the Fixture Difficulty Ratings, that run comes in at an average of 2.8 – second only to Liverpool over Gameweeks 1-5. For a mid-table side with a clear focal point in attack and a high-scoring goalkeeper, it’s the kind of stretch that shapes early Fantasy strategy.

Thiago, the penalty king – and more than that

Igor Thiago was the breakout star of 2025/26 Fantasy. Twenty-two goals, one assist, 181 points. He started the game at just £6.0m and ended it as one of the most reliable forwards in the league.

That bargain is gone. His price will rise. The question is whether he rises with it.

Nine of those 22 goals came from the spot, a number that will make some managers flinch. Yet the underlying numbers strip away any doubt about his importance to this attack. Thiago racked up 41 big chances – 19 more than his closest challenger in the Brentford squad, Kevin Schade.

He wasn’t just on the end of moves either. The Brazilian carved out six big chances for team-mates, taking his total big-chance involvements to 47. No one else at the club came close. Dango Ouattara, the next best, finished 17 behind on 30.

This is what matters for Fantasy: when Brentford create something clear-cut, Thiago is almost always in the frame. He averaged a big-chance involvement every 69.8 minutes, a relentless drumbeat of opportunity.

Penalty reliance is a concern for any forward, but these numbers show a striker who lives in the right areas, not one living off referees’ whistles.

Ouattara vs Schade: the second Bee in attack

If Thiago is the obvious first pick, the more interesting debate sits just behind him.

Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade ended last season almost neck and neck for big-chance involvement. Ouattara edged it 30 to 29, but the timing tells a deeper story.

Ouattara’s 30 involvements came at a rate of one every 77.1 minutes. Schade’s 29 arrived every 94.6 minutes. Over a season, that gap adds up. When Ouattara plays, the ball finds him in dangerous areas more often, and faster.

The split between finishing and creating is also revealing. Ouattara registered 18 big chances and 12 big chances created. Schade delivered 22 big chances and seven created. Both threaten the goal, both can supply the final pass, yet Ouattara carries a slightly more rounded profile for Fantasy – and, crucially, a tempo that sits closer to Thiago’s.

If you’re looking to double up on Brentford’s attack for that soft early run, Thiago plus Ouattara looks the sharper combination. Schade remains a viable option, but the numbers tilt the scales.

Kelleher: points on the board, questions in goal

At the other end, Caoimhin Kelleher quietly finished as Brentford’s second-highest Fantasy scorer with 143 points. For a goalkeeper who started the season at £4.5m, that return turned him into one of the game’s best-value picks.

Strip the headline away and the picture changes a little. Kelleher kept 10 clean sheets – a solid tally, but one that five other goalkeepers bettered. He finished nine shutouts behind Golden Glove winner David Raya.

His points haul leaned heavily on three penalty saves, high-impact moments that can’t be banked on repeating. If, as expected, his price rises, managers will have to decide whether they’re paying for sustainable returns or last season’s heroics.

The fixtures help his case. Spurs, Leeds, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Chelsea: none are straightforward, but none carry the fear factor of a title challenger either. For those chasing early value and save points, Kelleher will still tempt. The margin for error, though, narrows with every extra £0.5m.

A platform Brentford must seize

Brentford head into 2026/27 with momentum, a favourable opening run and a clear Fantasy hierarchy: Thiago as the spearhead, Ouattara as the supporting threat, Kelleher as the calculated gamble.

The fixtures give Andrews and his players a platform. For Fantasy managers, they pose a different question: how heavily do you want to bet on the Bees before the real storms of the season roll in?