Fantasy Premier League 2026/27: Key Player Reclassifications

The Fantasy Premier League game board has shifted before a ball is even kicked. Eleven players have been handed new positions for 2026/27, and a handful of them could redraw how managers build their squads.

At the heart of it: Junior Kroupi, Patrick Dorgu and Omar Marmoush – three names whose role changes carry real tactical weight.

Kroupi: From finisher to Fantasy goldmine

Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi is the headline act. Listed as a forward last season, he now moves into midfield after spending most of 2025/26 operating as a No 10 behind Evanilson.

The numbers back up the eye test. Kroupi scored 13 goals in 33 appearances in his breakout campaign, a return that would be impressive for a striker, let alone someone now reclassified as a midfielder. He struck every 134.0 minutes – over 50 minutes quicker than Antoine Semenyo, whose 188.2 minutes per goal was the best rate among regular midfield starters last season.

That shift in classification changes everything. As a midfielder, Kroupi will collect an extra point for every goal and pick up clean-sheet points too. The same output now pays out more heavily. For Fantasy managers, he stops being a useful forward option and starts looking like a potential cornerstone in midfield.

If he maintains anything close to last season’s productivity in that central support role, Kroupi won’t just be a clever differential. He’ll be a problem for anyone who goes without him.

Dorgu: Carrick’s winger gets a promotion

At Manchester United, Patrick Dorgu’s change feels like a correction to reality. Previously listed as a defender, he now becomes a midfielder, reflecting how Michael Carrick used him in the second half of last season.

Carrick arrived in Gameweek 22 and eased Dorgu in, handing him only three starts. But those three games told a sharp, clear story: Dorgu played as a left winger and scored in every single one.

He found the net against Arsenal and Manchester City, then delivered a goal and an assist against Brighton & Hove Albion. That’s not just versatility; that’s end product in big fixtures.

Stack his numbers up against United’s other midfield threats under Carrick and the picture gets even more interesting. Dorgu’s 33.2 minutes per shot was the quickest in the group when compared with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. He also matched Cunha’s tally of three big chances, despite playing over 800 minutes fewer than the Brazilian.

Those figures hint at a player who wastes very little time getting involved. Now that he’s classified in midfield, his attacking contributions become far more valuable in Fantasy terms. If Carrick leans into that winger role over a larger run of games, Dorgu’s new tag could make him one of the most explosive mid-priced options in the game.

Marmoush: Pep’s striker steps into the light

At Manchester City, Omar Marmoush heads in the opposite direction. He moves from midfield to forward, a nod to how Pep Guardiola deployed him in his final season in charge.

Guardiola used the Egyptian through the middle, and Marmoush responded with three goals and three assists. Those aren’t headline-grabbing totals by City standards, but they came in a clearly defined role: leading the line for one of the league’s most dominant attacking sides.

As a forward, Marmoush loses the extra point per goal and the safety net of clean-sheet bonuses. What he gains is clarity. Managers now judge him directly against the game’s strikers, not as a wide or supporting midfielder. If City’s new era keeps him central and the supply line remains as ruthless as ever, Marmoush could emerge as a mid-range forward who feeds off premium-level service.

The wider shake-up

Beyond the big three, the reclassification list is packed with subtle shifts that could reshape budget structures.

• Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) and Lamare Bogarde (Aston Villa) move from defence into midfield, stripping away clean-sheet appeal but potentially freeing them to be judged on attacking metrics alone.
• Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford) makes the same journey from defender to midfielder, a nod to his advanced deployment.
• Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion) goes the other way, from midfield to defence, which could make him a fascinating option if he combines out-of-position attacking involvement with defender scoring rules.
• Georginio Rutter (Brighton & Hove Albion) steps up from midfield to forward, aligning his Fantasy status with his attacking role.
• Rio Cardines (Crystal Palace) and Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) both convert from midfielders to defenders, a switch that could instantly increase their value if they offer attacking output from deeper starting positions.
• Eric Moreira (Nottingham Forest) also drops back from midfield into defence, another potential route to attacking returns from a defender slot.

Each of these tweaks forces managers to reassess where value lives. Some players lose a layer of safety; others gain a new ceiling.

The game has not changed its rules. But the pieces on the board have moved. The question now is simple: who spots the new angles first?