Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers are writing about all things Fantasy Premier League (FPL) in 2023/24. Here, FPL Blackbox co-host Az assesses his beloved Brighton ahead of their favourable fixture swing.
With everyone’s attention turning to Aston Villa and Arsenal, there is another team that is flying under the radar.
They have scored the third most goals so far this season, and have the joint-fourth-best expected goals (xG) tally.
They are, of course, my beloved Seagulls, who are about to enter a rather incredible run of games that first sees them play struggling Fulham, Everton and Sheffield United.
Above: Brighton have the best fixtures over the next seven Gameweeks, according to our Season Ticker
The question then is who to get? Which of the talented class can have an impact on our season, or does Roberto De Zerbi roulette make it too much of a risk?
Goalkeeper & Defence
Above: Brighton rank in the bottom 10 for minutes per xG conceded NP this season
Rotation in goal makes both Jason Steele (£4.3m) and Bart Verbruggen (£4.4m) non-options. Steele has started five league matches, Verbruggen four, and while the Englishman getting the nod in the crucial game against Ajax in the Europa League does suggest he will play more often than not, it’s too risky to pick him, especially when Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) is offering superb value at the same price.
With average underlying defensive numbers in general so far this season and no clean sheets at all, it’s also a hard sell on their defenders. There’s been rotation across the backline, with only Lewis Dunk (£5.0m) ever-present so far this season, but with better options in and around his price bracket, he’s a hard avoid from me.
Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) has been spotted training but his return is likely to come too soon for the weekend. He’s one to monitor however, as only Ben Chilwell (£5.4m), Kieran Trippier (£7.0m) and Matty Cash (£5.1m) can beat his expected goal involvement (xGI) tally over the season – and no defender has had more touches in the box than the Ecuadorian. This is despite him missing the last two league matches and taking an early shower in Gameweek 7 when he was subbed at half-time. Estupinan could be a great shout from Gameweek 11 if he’s back in full training.
Attack
