Fantasy Premier League

Who are the best FPL goalkeepers for 2023/24?

By The Scout 1 Aug 2023

The Scout picks out key stats to help Fantasy managers decide who to select in their squad

The Scout picks out the best players for managers’ opening squads in Fantasy Premier League, according to position and price.

Goalkeepers

The goalkeeper situation at both West Ham United and Brentford can ultimately play a huge part in shaping managers' plans this season.

Alphonse Areola (£4.0m) could be the cheapest starting ‘keeper in Fantasy, if he claims the No 1 shirt for the Hammers.

After returning to training later than his team-mates due to international duties, the Frenchman has started each of his side’s last two friendlies ahead of Lukasz Fabianski (£4.5m).

Areola is already the most-owned player in his position and that popularity is likely to rise further if he retains his place in West Ham's final summer fixture against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.

Brentford’s new signing Mark Flekken (£4.5m), meanwhile, has the potential to be the best option between the posts in 2023/24 Fantasy.

The Dutchman is expected to replace David Raya (£5.0m) as the Bees' new No 1, with the Spaniard up for sale with one year left on his contract.

In 2022/23, Raya was both the top-scoring ‘keeper and top-ranked player for value, in terms of points per million spent, due to his multiple routes to returns.

Although his 12 clean sheets were five fewer than Golden Glove winner David De Gea, Raya also collected 39 save points and 20 bonus points, both more than any other 'keeper.

Crucially, Brentford’s style of play in defence highlights just why their goalkeepers are such a big success in Fantasy.

In terms of conceding shots, shots outside the box and shots on target, they ranked among the worst four clubs for each metric.

But they restricted the quality of their opponents’ scoring opportunities and allowed just 67 big chances, the fourth-fewest in the league.

Combined with the high volume of shots conceded, that helped Raya make a total of 154 saves, more than any other goalkeeper.

Everton’s Jordan Pickford is the most-owned £4.5m-priced goalkeeper, found in over 13 per cent of squads.

He can immediately reward them thanks to a kind short-term run of opponents. According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), three of the Toffees’ first four matches score only two.

Nonetheless, with James Tarkowski (also £4.5m) boasting a strong threat at set-pieces for Sean Dyche’s side, Pickford’s appeal as the Toffees’ best option at the back is somewhat reduced.

See: Who are the best FPL budget defenders?

Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone and Fulham’s Bernd Leno (both £4.5m) can offer better options than the defenders at their respective clubs.

Johnstone averaged four points per match after Roy Hodgson returned as manager in Gameweek 29 in last season.

Leno’s total of 142 points was 44 more than any Cottagers defender and just one point behind Arsenal’s No 1 Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m).

Standout Onana

In the premium bracket, Manchester United’s Old Trafford form and early fixtures make Andre Onana (£5.0m) the standout pick for opening squads.

The Red Devils kept a league-high 11 clean sheets at home last term and have four such fixtures in the opening seven Gameweeks.

Onana also provides a cheaper route into the Man Utd defence than Luke Shaw (£5.5m), who is the third most-popular defender with an ownership of 31 per cent.

While Arsenal’s Ramsdale has four matches in the opening six at the Emirates Stadium to make a fast start to the new campaign, the goal threat of team-mate Gabriel (£5.0m) may be a better solution.

Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.0m) has a dream run of fixtures from Gameweek 3 and could be an option under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

However, Pochettino's preference for attack-minded full-backs is likely to give Ben Chilwell and Reece James the edge as the Blues’ go-to picks in defence, albeit at a slightly higher cost of £5.5m each.