The Watchlist returns for 2023/24 as we take a look at the stand-out Fantasy Premier League (FPL) options over the medium term.
It’s the thinking man’s Scout Picks, which deals only in the upcoming Gameweek.
We’ve had our final refresh before Gameweek 1 today, with the headline inclusions discussed below.
MORE ABOUT THE WATCHLIST
Players are selected and ranked according to factors such as club injuries, forthcoming fixtures, Rate My Team’s points projections and whether or not the player in question is likely to be a bargain in FPL.
‘Form’ also comes into the equation after the season kicks off.
Arrows before the name indicate whether a player has climbed or fallen in our reckoning since the previous Gameweek or if they are a new entry into the tables.
The key for the factors you’ll see in the below tables is as follows:
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL GOALKEEPERS
If your FPL teams are anything like ours, the goalkeeper slot might still be undecided.
The lack of a truly outstanding £4.5m candidate causes our gaze to switch to the more expensive available options. Even then, there are issues: Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.0m) would feature on this list were it not for the fact that their places may be under threat, with David Raya (£5.0m) reportedly a target for Arsenal and Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) already snapped up by Chelsea.
We’ve gone risk-free by omitting a Brighton and Hove Albion shot-stopper, too, although the consensus seems to be that Jason Steele (£4.5m) will see off the challenge of Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) – for now.
All in all, too much risk in a Fantasy position where we don’t really want to be spending unnecessary transfers.
As for the players who did make the cut, you could throw a blanket over the trio of £4.5m picks.
Mark Flekken (£4.5m), Jordan Pickford (£4.5m) and Sam Johnstone (£4.5m) all feature in our top four, with the ordering up for debate.
Flekken takes top spot for us: the well-worn stat about Brentford conceding lots of low-quality chances (ie easy save points) but few clear-cut opportunities (ie a better chance of clean sheets) in 2022/23 partly influences it, but a mixed pre-season from Flekken did introduce an element of doubt.
The Bees having the better fixtures over the first seven Gameweeks was also a factor.
Palace had a similar favourable ratio last season: 10th for shots on target conceded, fourth for expected goals conceded.
Among first-choice goalkeepers, Johnstone trailed only Raya for save percentage last season.
Running joke Ederson (£5.5m) is back again. He doesn’t make saves but it was a freak occurrence that Manchester City only kept 13 clean sheets last season after bossing pretty much every single underlying defensive stat. City registered 21 shut-outs in the previous campaign, with Ederson finishing as the third-highest-scoring goalkeeper. Even Pep Guardiola has his limits, however, so the Brazilian can’t afford a poor start to 2022/23.
Andre Onana (£5.0m) was generously priced by FPL Towers but with Spurs, Arsenal and Brighton to come in the first five Gameweeks, he’s low down on the list above.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL DEFENDERS
While pre-season form is often an unreliable gauge of what’s to come in a season proper, you couldn’t help but notice the advanced positions that Ben Chilwell (£5.5m) was taking up this summer. Getting shooting opportunities in every warm-up game and on set plays, we’ve no hesitation in putting him top of the pile. Even the tricky Liverpool test in Gameweek 1 could bring him attacking openings, with the Reds’ right-hand side torn to shreds against Bayern Munich last week.
A route to attacking points might be even more important this season, with clean sheets at further risk thanks to all that added time we’re going to witness.
Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m), Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) were all among the top seven defenders for expected goal involvement (xGI) in 2022/23, not to mention integral components of their respective clubs’ backlines.
Alexander-Arnold takes a slight hit in the pecking order not just because of his price but also because Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) has muscled in on the dead-ball duties this summer, denting the right-back’s assist potential just a tad.
John Stones (£5.5m) is, like Alexander-Arnold, now ‘inverting’ into midfield – at least, until Guardiola decides to evolve City’s tactics yet again. Most of his benchings last season tended to come off the back of an injury but we’d stop well short of calling him a secure starter, especially when the UEFA Champions League gets back underway in September.
We’ve listed a trio of playing £4.0m defenders at the foot of the watchlist above, one from each newly promoted side.
Burnley and Luton Town blank in Gameweek 2, of course, so George Baldock (£4.0m) of Sheffield United takes top honours initially. Jordan Beyer (£4.0m) looks like the most secure long-term pick, however.
THE WATCHLIST: BEST FPL MIDFIELDERS
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