Fantasy Premier League returns this week after the summer break and we’ll be bringing you the best weekly FPL tips and tricks to succeed at the game.
It’s a game with which we all have a love-hate relationship. We love pitting our wits against friends, family and strangers in this absolutely infuriating, yet often exhilarating, competition.
Every week we fret over who is the best captain to pick, what transfers to make, and who deserves to be on the bench – all decisions which inevitably bite us on the backside.
But when our decisions do pay off, it’s the sweetest feeling in the world. We hope to help you through the season and boost your ranking with our weekly FPL column. Good luck!
Fantasy Premier League preview and tips for GW1:
When is the FPL GW1 deadline?
The new Premier League season finally kicks off this Friday when champions Manchester City take on newly promoted Burnley. The game kicks off at 8pm, which means the GW1 deadline for getting your fantasy teams confirmed is 6.30pm GMT. Make sure you have your team set up well in advance in case you miss the deadline or the website’s servers crash, which has been known to happen in the past.
12 tips to help you master Fantasy Premier League
Best captain for FPL GW1
Erling Haaland (£14m). No prizes for guessing this one. When Man City faced Burnley twice in cup competitions last season, they won by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0. Their Norwegian talisman, who scored 36 goals in the Premier League, could fill up his boots on Friday night.
The most interesting positional changes in FPL this season
One must-have player for GW1 (who isn’t named Erling Haaland)
Pervis Estupinan (£5m). Not Mo Salah, not Harry Kane, not Kevin De Bruyne. No, we’re recommending Brighton’s left-back instead. Why? The Ecuadorian was one of the breakout stars from last season, is underpriced relative to his true value, and bombs forward at every opportunity to join in the attack.
What makes Estupinan such an attractive proposition in gameweek 1 is the fact that Brighton face Luton Town at home. They also play four of last season’s bottom-half teams in the first six gameweeks of the new campaign.
Fantasy Premier League: Best FPL mid-priced forwards
Best value FPL player for GW1
Bukayo Saka (£8.5m). The 21-year-old has been getting better every season and, in this writer’s opinion, is an absolute steal at his price point heading into this season. Last season the Arsenal ace racked up the fourth-most FPL points among midfielders and the sixth-most overall. He’s also like to be taking penalties in the absence of Gabriel Jesus. No wonder he’s in 57 percent of all teams.
Bukayo Saka looked so happy after winning the Community Shield 😁 pic.twitter.com/8439Jw7RCc
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) August 6, 2023
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Best budget player for GW1
Sven Botman (£4.5m). Admittedly, Newcastle United do not have the easiest start to the season, facing Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man City in the first three gameweeks. But in the medium to long term, Botman could turn out to be amazing value. The Magpies had the joint-best defensive record last term and their fixtures get much better from gameweek 6 onwards.
If you’re looking for something a bit more interesting and take a gamble, we recommend checking out Justin Kluivert (£5m). The Dutchman is listed as a midfielder at a very low price and should be an attacking threat on what could turn out to be an exciting Bournemouth side under new manager Andoni Iraola.
Fantasy Premier League: Five budget options to consider
One highly-owned FPL player to avoid in GW1
Aaron Ramsdale (£5m). Although the goalkeeper is a relatively cheap way into the Arsenal defence, he takes away one of three precious slots in your team for that club. Managers should be going into gameweek 1 with at least two Gunners, so either a defender and a midfielder or two midfielders. If they perform to a similar level as last year, then everyone will want to load up on Arsenal assets.
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