The SPFL table for William Hill Premiership Fantasy starts to matter before Friday, because the opening picks are already being narrowed to clubs with the best early runs. Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Motherwell are the first names fantasy managers are being pushed toward for Gameweek 1.
Before Friday, managers can use the Beginner's Guide, Fixture ticker, Historical data deep dive and SPFL Fantasy Tips on X to shape their Gameweek 1 plans. That matters because the season starts on Friday, and the opening five fixtures are where small edges can be built before the schedule turns.
Celtic and Rangers Lead
Celtic and Rangers have the strongest opening fixture runs on paper, which makes them the safest starting points for managers who want early stability. Hearts also begin with a favourable run, and Motherwell's opening five fixtures make several of their assets appealing rather than speculative.
The same logic is driving the budget calls. Goalkeeper is one of the few positions where the writer is looking to save money this season, preferring to put more of the budget into forwards and midfielders than spend £5.5m between the sticks.
Reus and Müller Value
Reus is listed at £4.0m and is viewed as a potential starting goalkeeper for one of the best teams, which gives him a low-cost route into a strong defence. Müller is listed at £4.5m for Aberdeen and is described as Aberdeen's number 1, with clean-sheet potential and a healthy number of save points built into the case for selecting him.
That budget approach leaves room for the more expensive outfield choices while still keeping a live goalkeeper on the bench. For Gameweek 1, that is the trade-off fantasy managers have to make before the first deadline bites.
St Mirren and Hibernian
St Mirren and St Johnstone are useful budget enablers because their fixtures are attractive before their schedules become more difficult from Gameweek 3. Samuel Ramos and Jamie Gullan are named as excellent short-term options, which gives managers cheaper ways to cover those early weeks without chasing every premium pick.
Hibernian add the complication. They have several excellent fantasy assets, but their opening fixture run is tougher than many of the clubs above, so managers have to separate quality from short-term fixture value. Jamie McGrath and Passlack are not necessarily being avoided altogether, but they sit in a more selective tier than the sharper early targets.
That leaves the opening week with a clear split: load up on the clubs with the best runs, use the cheaper goalkeeper spots to protect the budget, and treat Hibernian's stronger names as longer-view picks rather than automatic starts. The first real test comes on Friday, and the opening SPFL table of fantasy value will be built from those choices.
