The relaunch of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) for 2023/24 is drawing nearer by the day – and there’s reportedly a “new format” in the works to get excited about.

As well as this intriguing new development, the summer refresh will also see the usual FPL positional reclassifications for a handful of Premier League players.

In this article, we’ll outline the case for or against a change of position for a number of Fantasy assets.

We should stress that this is purely educated guesswork on our part and is based on how FPL have gone about classifying players previously.

We’ll be using the graphics, stats and tools from our own Premium Members Area, as well as Transfermarkt, for a closer look at starting positions.

If and when the changes occur upon FPL launch day, we’ll calculate what each affected player would have scored in their ‘new’ position.

HOW FPL CLASSIFY PLAYERS

As a rough guide, FPL tend to classify players using the following criteria:

So forget what you might think about heatmaps, shot counts and penalty box touches: starting position on a teamsheet has traditionally been pretty much all that matters for the folk at FPL Towers, whether you agree with that or not.

Only with a revamp of the above criteria will we see the likes of Mohamed Salah and Gabriel Martinelli become forwards, as the vast majority of their appearances in 2022/23 were as ‘wingers’ on paper.

The positional classifications are also typically based on what each player in question has done in the previous season. For example, erstwhile forward Joelinton was reclassified as a midfielder a year ago after being reinvented as a central midfielder under Eddie Howe in 2021/22.

DIOGO JOTA/CODY GAKPO

• FPL position in 2022/23: Forward (Jota)/Midfielder (Gakpo)
• Possible FPL position change in 2023/24: Midfielder (Jota)/Forward (Gakpo)
• Chance of FPL position change: Likely

Let’s start with two obvious ones, both from the Liverpool camp.

Since joining in January, Cody Gakpo has made all but two of his 17 league starts as the Reds’ nominal centre-forward. He may drift and drop deep, a la Roberto Firmino, but as we mentioned in the section above, the on-paper starting position tends to be the main consideration for the FPL classifiers.

Diogo Jota, meanwhile, has only been the central striker in two of his 12 starts this season, a campaign admittedly littered by injury. Jurgen Klopp has instead tended to deploy him on the left flank of Liverpool’s front three, the Portugal international job-sharing with Luis Diaz in the run-in. It didn’t do Jota any harm: all seven of his Premier League goals came when lining up out wide.

Darwin Nunez has also spent plenty of time on the left flank as Klopp struggles to think of the best way to incorporate his misfiring targetman but with almost twice as many appearances coming through the middle, there’s no chance of him being reclassified this summer.

MARCUS RASHFORD

• FPL position in 2022/23: Midfielder
• Possible FPL position in 2023/24: Forward
• Chance of FPL position change: Doubtful

From the probable to the less likely.

Only five players scored more Premier League goals than Marcus Rashford this season, the England international finding the net on 17 occasions and passing a double-century for FPL points for the first time.

While a steep price rise is inevitable (it seems unthinkable now that he started the year at £6.5m), a positional change looks doubtful.

Rashford did indeed spend plenty of time up top, recurring injuries to Anthony Martial, the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and some less-than-stellar displays from Wout Weghorst seeing Erik ten Hag turn to the 25-year-old ‘midfielder’ to spearhead the Manchester United attack on occasion.

But even then, only 15 of Rashford’s 35 league run-outs saw him lead the line from kick-off or the point of his introduction off the bench. With FPL typically needing an appearance majority before they consider a reclassification, this one looks like a long shot.

BRENNAN JOHNSON

• FPL position in 2022/23: Forward
• Possible FPL position in 2023/24: Midfielder
• Chance of FPL position change: Possible

Brennan Johnson has always been a striker who has drifted into wider areas rather than loiter around the six-yard box. Even taking that into account, a continuation of the starting position he began 2022/23 in – as part of a two-man frontline – would have seen him remain a forward this coming season.

But Steve Cooper’s tactics evolved as he sought to find the right balance of personnel in Nottingham Forest’s return to the big time – and with it, so did Johnson’s role.

There were run-outs on the right wing of a 4-3-3 over the winter and, more recently, as one of the two attacking midfielders supporting Taiwo Awoniyi in a 3-4-2-1.

Transfermarkt have his positions as roughly an even split between a lone/second striker and an attacking midfielder/winger, so it’s a tough call for FPL Towers ahead of the summer relaunch.

Above: Brennan Johnson’s average position map in 2022/23

BRYAN MBEUMO

• FPL position in 2022/23: Forward
• Possible FPL position in 2023/24: Midfielder
• Chance of FPL position change: Likely

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