FPL Tips GW23

Welcome to FPL Tips GW23

Look, we won’t lie, at least half of this article is about two weeks old! Certainly the goalkeepers and defenders bits were good to go ahead of GW21, when we unexpectedly went offline for a week or so. At that point the word ‘repurpose’ then became a thing. But fear not, it was more of a challenge to our writers to make old news become fresh news, as is fitting in this week of the return of The Donald, in particular.

In fact, we expect they probably pardoned a few and culled a load of others, just to make it all feel fresh.

To add to the illusion we asked Matt and Rosco (of H&L fame) to come up with some exciting new big hitters up top, to jazz proceedings up a bit. We don’t expect either ended with a Nazi salute though, but let’s go see…

Goalkeepers – Jamie Mc

(Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The call came from FF247 Towers about writing contribution for this tips article and I volunteered to write about Goalkeepers. On checking my writing history for this season then I noted that I had previously written about Goalkeepers in game week twelve.

Apologies to everyone but I have self-plagiarised part of the game week twelve article into this article (I did not even know that self-plagiarism was such a thing).

As we all know, the goalkeeping position is a position that us fantasy managers do not want to spend too much money on and is very much a “set and forget.”

Most managers will have started the season with a £4.5m and non-playing £4.0m goalkeeping duo or two rotating £4.5m goalkeepers depending on the fixtures of that particular game week.

The previous twenty-two game weeks so far this season totalling 239 games with the 478 teams accounting for only ninety-seven clean sheets (20.3%) during the course of the season.

To briefly summarise, surprisingly Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels (£5.0m) leads the race for the “Golden Gloves” with nine clean sheets this season. David Raya (£5.6m) of Arsenal and Everton’s Jordon Pickford (£5.0m) both have seven clean sheets each. Manchester United’s Andre Onana (£5.1m), Liverpool’s Alisson Becker (£5.5m) & Dean Henderson (£4.5m) of Crystal Palace all have six clean sheets. Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka (£4.3m) sits alone with five clean sheets. There are a handful of goalkeepers with four clean sheets so far this season.

So, if you are on an early second wildcard, have a transfer to burn or fed up with Mark Flekken in your team then which goalkeepers should you be considering???

Matz Sels (£5.0m & 17.5% ownership) – As mentioned above, not only has Matz Sels the most clean sheets in the game but he is also the top point scoring goalkeeper with ninety-eight points so far this season. Sels transfer value has increased by £0.5m from the start of the season. Sels has played every minute of the season. Selz has amassed sixty-four saves resulting in fourteen saves points and nine bonus points across four game weeks. Forest fixtures are decent over the next three game weeks against Bournemouth (A), Brighton (H) and Fulham (A) before toughening up. At the time of writing, Selz is currently sitting at 95.8% in FPL Statistics with a further 3,290 transfers required for a £0.1m price increase. How did I do if article printed on time – As expected, Sels conceded against Liverpool and surprising conceded against Southampton for four points over the two game weeks.

Martin Dubravka (£4.3m & 3.0% ownership) – Newcastle United are very much the Premier League’s form team with six victories in their last seven league games. The “Magpies” and Dubravka have managed five clean sheets during this period (and a further clean sheet in their Semi Final League Cup victory at Arsenal). At £4.3m, Martin Dubravka is an extremely cheap way into the Newcastle back line. Short term, Newcastle’s fixtures also still decent with Southampton (A) and Fulham (H) before toughening up. One word of caution, Nick Pope’s red flag has now been amended to an orange flag with a 50% chance of playing. How did I do if article printed on time – Dubravka earned twelve points in total. Ten points against Wolves with a clean sheet, two save points and two bonus points but surprising only earned two points in the home thumping against Bournemouth.

Andre Onana (£5.1m & 7.0% ownership) – The bomb scare that is Andre Onana and Manchester United as a whole (hardly a ringing endorsement for a tips article) could be a decent goalkeeping option for your consideration. United have fixtures against Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H) then two away matches at Spurs & Everton. Like Selz, Onana has played every minute this season. Onana has made fifty-six saves this season earning eleven save points and five bonus points over three league games making him the fifth top scoring goalkeeper in the game. You must wonder if United regret the decision to allow David De Gea to leave on a free transfer!!! How did I do if article printed on time – As part of the worst Manchester United team in their history, Onana conceded in both home games against Southampton and Brighton to earn four points in total. GP and I will be hoping this trend continues for the Red Devils Europa League game this midweek.

Robert Sanchez (£4.8m & 12.0% ownership) – As a Robert Sanchez owner from wildcarding in game week six then I have felt the pain each and every time that Chelsea conceded which was most game weeks. Throw in the constant feeling that Sanchez was due to get “rested” which happened on two occasions which thankfully Chelsea did concede then I was pleased to transfer out Sanchez for Sels last game week. Sanchez is the sixth highest point scoring goalkeeper in the game with seventy-two points made up of four clean sheets, a penalty save, sixteen save points and seven bonus points over three game weeks. Sanchez is a yellow card magnet with five yellow cards for what mostly deems to be time wasting. Chelsea fixtures take a turn for the worse with Manchester City (A) & West Ham (H), Brighton (A) and Aston Villa (A) over the next four game weeks. At the time of writing, Sanchez is currently sitting at -93.3% in FPL Statistics with a further 4,680 transfers out required for a £0.1m price decrease. How did I do if article printed on time – Sanchez conceded in both home games against Bournemouth and Wolves to earn only three points in total.

Dean Henderson (£4.5m & 12.1% ownership) – In the short-term fixtures against Brentford (H) & Manchester United (A) may not be the most appealing but Crystal Palace have a run of fixtures over the next six game weeks with no fixtures above three in the Fixture Difficulty Rankings. Henderson has amassed seventy-nine points making him the fourth highest point scoring goalkeeper in the game. Henderson has played in every minute of the game this season. Henderson has six clean sheets this season, a penalty save, fourteen save points and four bonus points over three game weeks. How did I do if article printed on time – Henderson amassed thirteen points with two clean sheets at Leicester and West Ham to prove to you and me that I am not a total duffer with my game week tips.

The goalkeeping position is not a sexy pick and with clean sheets harder and harder to come by then it is perfectly understandable why we all overlook the position which allows us to invest more money elsewhere in our squad.

Good luck for the game week.

Defenders – Stone Frog

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Midfielders – Rosco

With the impeding Merseyside double in GW24 we first look to Liverpool, with a fixture at home to Ipswich a tempting entry point in GW23. Luis Diaz (£7.5M) is the obvious ‘next best’ Red’s midfielder. His minutes are probably a little more secure in the absence of the perpetually injured Diogo Jota, and you assume his 64th minute withdrawal in GW22 was in preparation for their UCL game. He’s not exactly been pulling up trees, 1 attacking return in his last 4, but a double-digit return against the Tractor boys will likely see a heavy influx of transfer come GW24. It’s worth noting that Alexis Mac Allister (£6.2m) was the next best Liverpool mid to own in last season’s double for both minutes and points, its highly likely he’ll top Diaz for minutes, its weather or not he can add to his 1 goal and 4 assists across those 2 fixtures. Again, a return or two this weekend will see his stock rise in GW24.

In terms of fixtures, a trip to St Mary’s is about as good an away trip as you can wish for. The Geordie duo of Gordon (£7.7m) and Murphy (£5.1m) will be hoping to return to winning ways and put their performance at home to Bournemouth firmly out of mind. Prior to their GW22 distaster class, Gordon had returned 6 games on the bounce (3 goals, 3 assists), and whilst Murphy has not been so fruitful, it’s hard to ignore his back-to-back double digit returns in GW16 and 17 against similarly awful teams (Leicester and Ipswich). Whilst the latter duo are the place most FPL managers own, don’t ignore Bruno G (£6.1m). He’s owned by just 2.3% and has returned in his last 3 thanks to a more advanced roll afforded by the more defensive duo of Joelinton and Tonali.

It would be remiss of me to ignore Justin Kluivert (£5.6m) having witnessed in person his 22pts hattrick at the weekend. The next two fixtures are not the best, but he’s certainly one to consider come GW25 when the Cherries travel to bottom the table Southampton. That said, I still prefer his midfield teammate Semenyo (£5.6m) as a more consistent route to points and the same price. However, with Kluivert on pens and getting more minutes due to their injury crisis, I can’t really argue with those who favour Patrick’s son.

Elsewhere it seems managers who made the leap of faith and replaced Saka with Phil Foden (£9.3) have been handsomely rewarded. Foden has returned in his last 4 (5 goals, 2 assists) and Pep seems to have finally unlocked his best position in the current lineup. His back-to-back double-digit hauls in GW’s 21 and 22 are hard to ignore, but it’s also hard to squeeze him into our lineups given that he faces Chelsea (maybe not so bad) Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool in his next 4. Maybe fixtures will start to not matter if Foden is in this kind of form, he’s certainly going to be hard to ignore in GW29 when we suddenly have a few blanking players in our line ups and City have two home games against Brighton and Leicester up next.

Back-to-back double-digit returns are becoming the theme of the mids this week. Kaoru Mitoma (£6.3m) is another who has done just that. Whist his minutes were looking a little shaky prior to GW21, he’s since played 90 minutes in his last 2, 2 goals and an assist have garnered him over 42k new owners as he prepares to Face the Toffee’s at home this weekend. With Southampton (A) in GW26 he’s someone who could be just the differential you’re looking for with just 5.3% ownership.

Speaking of differentials, Leandro Trossard (£6.8m) has picked up 19pts in his last 2 thanks to a goal and brace of assists. With a trip to Wolves this weekend he could be the best way into the Gunners attack, especially with a trip to Leicester coming up in GW25.

It’s 4 attacking returns on the bounce (1 goal, 3 assists) for Eberechi Eze (£6.7m), home games against Brentford, Everton and Ipswich make it hard to ignore the Eagles main man, despite a likely blank in GW29.

If you’re looking for instant returns on your investment, then Dejan Kulusevski (£6.4m) could be the man to turn to in GW23. A goal in GW22 makes it 10 attacking returns this season for the Swede. Leicester at home this weekend and a trip to Ipswich in GW26, 5.8% ownership. Spurs are still a bit Spursy, but Kulu has looked ‘on it’ even when his teammates have not.

Forwards – Matt

The front three has become a bit of a boring section of the pitch for transfers in terms of writing about them due to some players being in crazy form one such example is Isak (9.5) who has become basically essential. The Swede has gone on a fantastic run of form as of late with 11 goals and 3 assists since GW14 Against Liverpool. He has seen price rise after price rise and really if you don’t own him then honestly, I think it might be too late! He does play Saints away this weekend and could be a captaincy option for many but then he has a few rough games before blanking in GW29 (as things stand). There are a lot of rumblings to start dropping the likes of Gordon and Hall so should we be thinking of dropping Isak too or is he untouchable?

Another of the “Untouchables” is Chris Wood (7.1). The Kiwi has been in brilliant form all season averaging 1.5 goals a game. He has 14 goals and 2 assists this season which is his best ever output in the Premier League and I can only see him adding to it. Now I must be truthful here, he is the one who I am currently considering selling in order to bring in some other players I will mention later in this article. Forest are absolutely flying this year and fixtures shouldn’t really be a worry for them but there are teams and strikers with better fixtures. The next 6 games are Bournemouth, Brighton, Fulham, Newcastle, Arsenal and City. They aren’t too bad but I don’t really see them as fantastic. However, they are still games were Wood who is owned by a whopping 43% of managers could be a rank killer if he does haul. Pick your poison!

The player that completes my front three has really been one of my FPL cult hero players for the last few seasons and that is Jean-Philippe Mateta (7.3). I have a nice history with the Crystal Palace players over the last few years and that hasn’t changed this season. Since I brought in Mateta GW19, he has scored 4 goals and 7 bonus points amassing 31 points for me. Thank you, Jean-Philippe! I wouldn’t say he’s untouchable but for me, right now, he is. Palace have amazing fixtures coming up until their potential blank in GW29 and the man is on form so why not bring him in. He might not be as sexy as an Isak, Haaland or fellow countryman, Giroud but if he’s scoring and playing the way he is, then who cares! Get the Frenchman in!

Now for the replacements for these three that I am seriously considering and think you should be too. First off, I’ll start with the obvious replacements and that is Liverpool strikers. There are really only two options but I would say one is a lot more reliable than the other. Gakpo (7.5) and Darwin (7.0) are the only two strikers in the game – Danns is too but he likely won’t appear in the league – for Liverpool. The issue with Liverpool is they don’t use a ‘striker’ per say. Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz play in the centre, Salah can play in the centre, Gakpo can play in the centre and could all take minutes off each other. Gakpo looks to have nailed that LW spot down with Diaz moving into the middle but we saw in the last game, Darwin came on to score 2 goals in 2 minutes to snatch a win. Will this make Slot give the Uruguayan more minutes and potentially rest Gakpo or Diaz? I honestly don’t know but think Darwin will be more an impact sub in the league. In the last 6 games, Gakpo has 3 goals and 1 assist and with Ipswich, DGW and Wolves coming up, it’s obvious why he is the one the crowds are flocking to bring in. I have no problem with that and think he should start all 4 with a rest in the CL now that Liverpool are through but there is still that slight chance he could be rested. Liverpool play like 11 games in the space of 30 days with 2 of those gone now so Slot might look to protect his players for a busy end to the season.

Out of fairness, I will mention other strikers who will be doubling and you may want to bring them in – DON’T – but they are Everton duo, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye (Both 5.4). Everton are not high on the priority list but the only fixture that might make them worth while in the next 4 is the first of their double as it is a home game against Leicester. Brighton away is not easy, Liverpool are Liverpool and Palace away is also a tough match for strikers. If you are adamant you have to get a Blues striker, then some stats for you, DCL has 3 goals and 2 assists, Ndiaye has 4 goals. DCL has averaged 2.8 points a game and Ndiaye has averaged 4.4 points a game. I really wouldn’t get them I won’t lie to you but go for it, if you are a masochist!

Just to round this off with a striker I actually like and think you should consider, Yoanne Wissa (6.2). He has 2 goals and an assist in the last 3 games and then blanked 4 games before that. Blistering form is not why I want to bring him in, I want him for the next few games. Palace away this weekend isn’t the best jumping on point but it’s not the worst. Next week a home match against Spurs is when I will probably jump on as Brentford then go on to play West Ham, Leicester and Everton in the next 3 plus Brentford will play in GW29 so that is a nice bonus. In the last 6 games, Wissa has an xG of 3.75, an xA of 0.38 and an xPts of 31.77. Combine him with Mbeumo or just get one but they are a brilliant duo and owned by 10.3% he is still a slight differential.

Thanks for reading Fantasy FPL Tips GW23. This article was written by Jamie Mc, Stone Frog, Matt and Rosco.

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