The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts are revealing their current 15-man squads for the start of the 2023/24 season.
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
Goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford (£4.5m): Although Sean Dyche didn’t exactly employ the defensive strategy we thought he might when he first arrived at Everton, I’d expect the Toffees to significantly tighten up at the back after a full pre-season with him, just as we saw during his time at Burnley. Pickford therefore looks a reasonable pick at a budget price.
Mark Flekken (£4.5m): If David Raya (£5.0m) stays at Brentford, I’ll likely pick another £4.5m goalkeeper. But if he leaves, it opens the door for Flekken to step up and make the shirt his own. I’ll be keeping an eye on minutes played in pre-season, as Flekken could start even if Raya remains at the club.
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m): I expect Jurgen Klopp to continue playing Alexander-Arnold in the new midfield role which worked so well for Liverpool at the back end of last season. Defensively the Reds improved massively, with Ibrahima Konate (£5.0m) featuring more regularly. Points potential at both ends of the pitch means I’m happy to pay the extra for Alexander-Arnold.
Reece James (£5.5m): With fitness issues a concern, I’m not fully sold on James starting in my Gameweek 1 team just yet. He’s in for now, though, covering the £5.5m price point, which I think is decent value if he can get a sustained run in the side. Chelsea’s fixtures after Liverpool on the opening weekend look pretty good.
Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m): The Brighton left-back is probably underpriced given his form last season. We all remember that huge double-digit haul against Arsenal towards the end of last season and he provided an attacking threat throughout the campaign. Great value at £5.0m.
Sven Botman (£4.5m): He looks a steal. Newcastle’s defence proved time and time again last season they can keep clean sheets. Kieran Trippier (£6.5m) gives you the obvious upside of potential goals and assists at the other end, but that’ll cost FPL managers a cool £2.0m more than Botman, so I’ll stick with the Dutchman.
Amari'i Bell (£4.0m): My cheap £4.0m enabler in defence. He played the majority of Luton’s matches in the Championship last season, so should get reasonable game time. A likely sub for me most Gameweeks, only to be used when needed.
See: Register your team early to boost your FPL chances
Midfielders
Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m): It’s a close call here between Fernandes or Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) for £0.5m more. The Portuguese just gets the nod for me after hugely underperforming his Expected Goals (xG) last season. He was a bit unlucky not to have scored more points in 2022/23 Fantasy, and he's expected to retain penalty duties. He could represent great value.
Bukayo Saka (£8.5m): As expected, we’ve got to pay that little bit more for Arsenal midfielders this season, emphasising just how much of a bargain they were in 2022/23. I thought Saka would be more – perhaps £9.0m or even £9.5m – so £8.5m feels generous, making him my preferred Arsenal midfielder. Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m) are also good picks, though, so all eyes will be on pre-season.
Phil Foden (£7.5m): Manchester City’s fixtures over the first seven Gameweeks look primed for points, so I want an additional City attacker to go alongside Erling Haaland (£14.0m). I’m torn between Foden and Jack Grealish (£7.5m), so I’ll be keeping a keen eye on pre-season to see who stakes their claim for a starting berth on City’s left flank.
Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m): With Ivan Toney (£8.0m) suspended, I’d expect Mbeumo to feature more heavily in Brentford’s Expected Goal Involvement (xGI) statistics. He may also take the penalties in Toney’s absence, further adding to his appeal.
Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m): Another Brighton player who feels underpriced. It remains to be seen how the departure of Alexis Mac Allister (£6.0m) impacts Brighton’s style of play, but I loved watching Mitoma’s direct approach to getting into those key danger areas. Brighton’s opening three fixtures look ripe for goals.
Forwards
Erling Haaland (£14.0m): Say no more. He's owned by over 80 per cent of Fantasy managers and is my likely captain for most Gameweeks.
Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m): I’m unsure on this spot but have gone with Jesus for now based on Arsenal’s fixtures looking really strong to begin the season. His profligacy in front of goal last season is a concern, though, and maybe the double-up with Saka is too much. There’s lots of choice in this price bracket, with Christopher Nkunku (£7.5m), Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) and Callum Wilson (£8.0m), to name but four, so I’ll be spending a lot of time mulling over this position.
Cameron Archer (£4.5m): With so many midfielders to choose from, I need a £4.5m forward as a budget enabler and my eighth attacker. So Archer takes that spot for now.
Also in this series
Part 1: Pras's FPL squad
Part 2: Nick Harris's FPL squad
Part 3: Harry Daniels's FPL squad
Part 5: Utkarsh Dalmia's FPL squad