World Cup years break the usual FPL rhythm. Players who go deep into the tournament come back late, under-trained and a yellow card away from a rest — and the GW1 price you pay rarely reflects that risk.
Our fatigue tracker has Saka and Palmer both in the red: 420 and 360 tournament minutes respectively, with England projected to reach at least the quarter-finals. Mbeumo (Cameroon) sits amber. Haaland and Isak, whose nations are out or absent, are the fresh-legs exceptions.
Fade the stars whose first three fixtures are tough AND whose minutes are sky-high. That overlap is where the red arrows live.
The play is not to ban every World Cup name — it is to be selective. Pair the fatigue read with the fixture ticker and you have a shortlist of premiums worth delaying by a gameweek or two.