FPL penalty takers 2026/27: hierarchy, conversion and value
By Arasi Rex · Updated 12 August 2026 · 6 min read
FPL penalty takers are the most valuable specialists in the game because a spot kick is worth roughly 0.76 expected goals, about seven times the 0.11 xG of an average shot, and the reward for scoring it is fixed by position: 4 points for a forward, 5 for a midfielder, 6 for a defender. The league converted 63 of 77 penalties in 2025/26, an 81.82% hit rate, so a confirmed taker on a side that wins a lot of spot kicks is a points floor that no other single role matches. The per-club hierarchy for 2026/27 and where the value sits are below.
What a penalty is worth in FPL points
A penalty is scored through the ordinary goal values, which is what makes the taker so attractive. A forward's converted penalty is worth 4, a midfielder's 5 and a defender's 6, and the assist that wins the spot kick is worth 3 to whoever drew it. The miss is the sting: the taker is docked -2, and the goalkeeper who saves it earns 5. The captain doubles all of it, which is why managers with a confirmed taker captain him on the fixture where the penalties are expected.
Two adjacent rules matter. The first is the bonus system: a penalty save dropped from +8 to +7 BPS in the 2026/27 changes, per the bonus points guide. The second is that set piece goals follow the scoring guide exactly, with no special table for dead balls.
The league picture: 77 taken, 63 scored
The 2025/26 Premier League season produced 77 penalties. 63 went in and 14 were missed, an 81.82% conversion rate, so the average spot kick is a near-certainty rather than a coin flip. That is the arithmetic behind treating the taker as a floor: a player who takes five penalties and converts them all banks 20 points from the spot before touching the ball in open play, assuming a forward's 4-point value, and the best takers do exactly that.
The penalty hierarchy at every club
The taker and the back-up, from the 2025/26 season tables:
| Club | First choice | Second choice | Taken/scored/missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Gyökeres | Saka | Gyökeres 2/2/0, Saka 1/1/0 |
| Chelsea | Palmer | Enzo | Palmer 5/5/0, Enzo 2/2/0 |
| Brentford | Thiago | Schade | Thiago 7/6/1 (85.71%), Schade 1/0/1 |
| Crystal Palace | Mateta | - | 6/6 on the most-taken list |
| Fulham | Jiménez | - | 3/3/0 |
| West Ham | Paquetá | Bowen | Paquetá 2/2/0, Bowen 1/1/0 |
| Burnley | Flemming | - | 2/2/0 |
| Everton | Ndiaye | - | 2/2/0 |
| Liverpool | Salah | Szoboszlai | Salah 1/1/0, Szoboszlai 1/0/1 |
| Nottm Forest | Gibbs-White | Anderson | both 1/1/0 |
The second names matter as much as the first. When Palmer leaves the pitch, Enzo inherits Chelsea's spot kicks; when Gyökeres goes off, Saka steps up. That is the difference between owning the taker and owning a player who briefly becomes the taker on a captaincy week.
The most-taken list and the points floor
The takers who actually stood over the most penalties last season: Thiago 9/9, Mateta 6/6, Clarke 6/6, Palmer 5/5, Fernández 5/5, Calvert-Lewin 5/5, Haaland 5/5, Gyökeres 4/4, Fernandes 4/4, Wright 3/3. Every player on the list converted at least five of five, with Thiago the most prolific at 9 of 9; the only blemishes anywhere in the per-club data are Thiago's single miss in seven attempts (85.71%) and Szoboszlai's 1/0/1 for Liverpool. The most-taken list is the single best proxy for who keeps the job, because clubs do not change a taker who keeps scoring.
The 0.76 xG edge over open play
The expected goals numbers explain why penalties dominate set piece value. A penalty is worth roughly 0.76 xG, against 0.11 xG for the average shot in Premier League games, so the spot kick is about seven times as valuable as a normal attempt. Direct free kicks, by comparison, sit at 0.05 to 0.10 xG. The expected goals guide lays out how those averages are built, but the practical reading is simple: a player who regularly takes penalties is receiving roughly 0.76 xG per Gameweek that no other player on the pitch receives.
FPL penalty takers: the value picks
The price and ownership rows do the sorting:
- Thiago is the value play at £8.0m and 16.00% ownership: 181 points from 22 goals, 7 penalties taken with 6 scored (85.71%), 9 of 9 on the most-taken list, and the second-highest-scoring forward in the data behind Haaland.
- Haaland at £15.5m and 74.80% ownership scored 239 points from 27 goals and converted 5 of 5, the ceiling pick for managers with the budget.
- B.Fernandes at £12.0m and 48.70% ownership scored 235 points from 9 goals and 24 assists and converted 4 of 4, the midfield version of the same argument.
- Gibbs-White at £8.0m and 11.60% ownership scored 188 points from 15 goals with 1 of 1 converted, and the penalty role is his before Anderson.
- Watkins at £8.0m and 12.50% ownership scored 167 points from 16 goals, the mid-priced forward without confirmed duties.
The argument is not that a penalty taker out-scores Haaland. It is that Thiago's 181 points at £8.0m price the same job class as Haaland's 239 at £15.5m for £7.5m less, and the penalty share is the repeatable part of both lines.
FAQ
Who is on penalties for Chelsea? Palmer is first choice and Enzo second. Palmer converted 5 of 5 in 2025/26 and Enzo 2 of 2, the most settled hierarchy in the league.
Who takes penalties for Arsenal? Gyökeres is first choice with Saka behind him. Gyökeres converted 2 of 2 and Saka 1 of 1 last season.
How often are penalties scored? The league converted 63 of 77 (81.82%) in 2025/26. The worst taker on the list, Thiago, still scored 6 of 7, an 85.71% rate.
Do penalty takers score more FPL points? A converted penalty is worth 4 for a forward, 5 for a midfielder and 6 for a defender, on top of the roughly 0.76 xG value of the chance itself. A miss costs -2.
Key takeaways
- Penalties are worth roughly 0.76 xG, about seven times the 0.11 xG of an average shot, the richest routine chance in FPL.
- The league converted 63 of 77 (81.82%) in 2025/26, so the confirmed taker is a points floor.
- Thiago stands over 9 of 9 and scored 22 goals at 16.00% ownership, the standout penalty value at £8.0m.
- Palmer (5/5) and Enzo (2/2) make Chelsea the most settled penalty hierarchy in the league.
- A converted penalty is 4 for a forward, 5 for a midfielder, 6 for a defender; a miss is -2 and a save is 5 to the goalkeeper.
FPL penalty takers are the closest thing the game has to a guaranteed return, because a 0.76 xG chance that converts at 81.82% pays the fixed goal points every time the taker steps up. The smart squad buys the confirmed taker at the price the market has not caught up to: Thiago at £8.0m and 16.00% ownership rather than Haaland at £15.5m and 74.80%, or Gibbs-White at £8.0m for the Forest share. When the hierarchy is settled, the points floor is real, and the floor is what wins rank.