The obvious names will dominate most first drafts.

The premium attackers.
The template defenders.
The players everyone is already posting on social media.

But Matchday 1 is also where the first real edges appear.

Not by forcing random punts — but by finding low-owned players with:

These are 8 low-owned players I’m watching closely for Matchday 1.

Before we get into the full breakdown, here’s how I’m currently grouping the low-owned Matchday 1 picks based on fixture, upside, ownership and role.

Now let’s go through the names one by one.

Fixture: Iraq

Norway’s opening fixture against Iraq immediately makes their attack interesting — and while most managers will naturally look at Erling Haaland first, Sørloth should not be ignored.

He had a very productive qualifying campaign, finishing with 5 goals and 2 assists in 8 Qualifier matches. That is exactly the kind of output that makes him interesting as a lower-owned route into a strong Norway attack.

The appeal is obvious: Norway have a favourable Matchday 1 fixture, and Sørloth gives them another major box presence alongside Haaland. If Norway dominate territory and create volume, he has the profile to benefit.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
The main concern is whether he becomes slightly overshadowed by Haaland in fantasy terms. If Norway score heavily, though, Sørloth absolutely has a route to returns.

Verdict:
🟢 High-upside Matchday 1 differential.

Fixture: Iraq

Ryerson might be one of the more exciting low-owned defensive picks for Matchday 1.

On paper, he is “just” a defender. But his attacking output this season makes him much more interesting than that. For Dortmund, he produced 15 Bundesliga assists and delivered 118 crosses in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season.

That matters a lot in this specific fixture.

Against Iraq, Norway should have the chance to attack. And if Ryerson is given licence to get forward, his crossing volume could be extremely valuable with targets like Haaland and Sørloth attacking the box.

This is exactly the kind of fantasy profile I like: a defender with clean sheet potential and a realistic assist route.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
The only real concern is whether Norway’s setup allows him to attack as freely as he does for Dortmund.

Verdict:
🟢 One of the most interesting low-owned defenders for Matchday 1.

Kobel is not a flashy fantasy pick — but he could be a very smart one.

Switzerland are generally one of those teams that rarely collapse defensively. They are organised, experienced, and usually difficult to break down.

That showed clearly in qualifying, where Switzerland conceded only 2 goals in their Qualifiers campaign.

They were also defensively solid at EURO 2024, conceding only 3 goals across the tournament.

For fantasy, that gives Kobel a very simple route to points: clean sheet potential, save points, and a low-owned goalkeeper slot that does not require much budget commitment compared to premium outfield options.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
Goalkeepers rarely have massive ceilings unless they combine saves with a clean sheet.

Verdict:
🟡 Solid differential goalkeeper option.

Fixture: Haiti

Robertson becomes much more interesting because of the fixture.

Scotland’s Matchday 1 meeting with Haiti looks like one of the more appealing defensive matchups on paper, and Robertson offers more than a normal clean sheet defender.

He has crossing threat, set-piece involvement, leadership, and the ability to create chances from wide areas. If Scotland control the game, Robertson could be heavily involved in their attacking structure.

The important thing here is that he does not need Scotland to be an elite attacking team to become useful. With a favourable fixture, even a few dangerous deliveries plus clean sheet potential can make him a strong fantasy option.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
Scotland are not always the easiest team to trust for clean sheets, even in better fixtures.

Verdict:
🟢 Strong low-owned defender if you want attacking upside from the back.

Porro is the type of player fantasy managers love — if he starts.

His attacking upside from defence is obvious. He can cross, create chances, get forward, and contribute in the final third. In the right matchup, he could easily outscore more conservative defensive picks.

The big question is minutes.

If Porro is confirmed as a starter, he immediately becomes one of the more exciting low-owned defensive options for Matchday 1.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
Starting spot uncertainty.

Verdict:
🟢 Very interesting if he starts.

Valverde is not always the perfect fantasy profile, but he is a brilliant tournament player.

He has ball-striking, minutes security, long-shot threat, and a huge role for Uruguay. In Matchday 1, that combination can be very valuable — especially if he is being ignored because he is not a classic penalty-box attacker.

He may not be explosive every game, but he has enough upside to punish managers who overlook him.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
He can sometimes be more important in real football than in fantasy.

Fixture: Curaçao

Schlotterbeck is a really interesting one.

Germany open against Curaçao, which immediately puts their defenders into the conversation. But Schlotterbeck is not just interesting because of the clean sheet.

He is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in Europe. His progressive passing numbers are elite, and that could matter a lot depending on how World Cup Fantasy rewards defensive actions and build-up involvement.

He also brings set-piece threat. In the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, he scored 5 goals, had 32 shots, and won 76 aerial duels.

That gives him multiple fantasy routes:

Against Curaçao, that combination is very appealing.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
Centre-backs always rely heavily on clean sheets unless they get an attacking return.

Verdict:
🟢 Sneaky high-upside defender for Matchday 1.

Fixture: Haiti

McGinn is the kind of pick that will not look exciting in every draft — but the more you look at the fixture, the more interesting he becomes.

Scotland face Haiti in Matchday 1, and if they are going to have a game where their midfielders can get into dangerous areas, this is probably one of them.

The key fantasy angle with McGinn is role.

He is not Scotland’s only set-piece taker, but he is definitely part of the set-piece picture. Alongside players like Andy Robertson and Ryan Christie, McGinn can be involved on corners and free-kicks, which adds another possible route to points.

That matters because McGinn already has goal threat from midfield. Add possible dead-ball involvement, a favourable matchup, and low ownership, and he becomes a very reasonable differential.

He is not a “safe template” pick — but that is exactly why he is interesting.

Why he’s interesting:

The risk:
He probably needs Scotland to be proactive and dangerous in possession. If the game becomes scrappy, his ceiling drops.

Verdict:
🟡 Fun differential with real upside if you want to attack the Haiti fixture.

None of these players are automatic picks.

But that is exactly the point.

Matchday 1 is where managers often focus too much on names and not enough on specific fixture edges.

Sørloth and Ryerson give you lower-owned access to a Norway side facing Iraq.
Kobel gives you a route into a Swiss defence that rarely gives much away.
Robertson and McGinn let you target Scotland’s Haiti matchup from different angles.
Schlotterbeck offers clean sheet potential, progressive passing, and set-piece threat against Curaçao.