RADIO
Welcome to the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season, RotoBallers! We began our FPL coverage two years ago and are going big for the 2023/24 campaign. We will have position previews, team previews, and reactions to the most significant transfers in the preseason. Then, during the year, we will bring you our usual Staff Roundtable, weekly rankings, and a new monthly article: the Watchlist.
The FPL game launched on July 5, and all the prices are revealed. Today, we will continue our team previews with Manchester United as we work through the EPL teams, looking at what catches our eye and their FPL outlooks. This week, we've already covered Liverpool and Manchester City, and we will get to Newcastle United and our defender's preview on Thursday and Friday.
The first game of the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season is August 11 at 3:00 PM ET. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
FPL Team Previews: Manchester United
After a decade of disappointment and false dawns, Manchester United hired Erik ten Hag last summer to be their manager, and the club is looking at a new era of prosperity under the Dutchman. He galvanized a fanbase and reinvigorated the magic of Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes led the Red Devils to their first cup since 2017. Now, with some new signings and a solid system in place, United will look to take the next step and begin to compete with their crosstown rivals for the league.
Last Year's Manchester United Stats
- League Finish: Third, 75 points
- Most goals: Marcus Rashford, 17 goals
- Most assists: Bruno Fernandes & Christian Eriksen, nine assists
- Most FPL Points: Marcus Rashford, 205 points
Who is your favorite Manchester United defender for the upcoming FPL campaign?
- Kieran Tripper came in at £6.5 million and Luke Shaw easily could've been that price as well, but the £5.5 million next to his name brings him close to lock status for our Gameweek 1 Fantasy Premier League lineups. After the World Cup, Shaw was the sixth-highest-scoring defender, coming through with a goal, two assists, and nine clean sheets. In his second year in the ten Hag system, Shaw should thrive out on the left. His tendency to be a bonus point magnet is a plus.
Which Man United midfielder is catching your eye?
- Many FPL managers are picking between Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes in their lineups, and rightfully so. However, I have my eye on Alejandro Garnacho. He's come in at £5 million this season, but he was leaping off the screen whenever I watched him last season. He will have a tough time breaking into the first team with Rashford, Bruno, Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, and Casimiro occupying the midfield, but he's firmly on my Watchlist to begin the year.
The United forward who will be bagging us some FPL points is...?
- There's zero chance I'll have a Manchester United forward-eligible player in my lineup this season unless they make a new signing in the summer. Marcus Rashford is the de facto leading man up front for this team, and he should be a priority over Anthony Martial for the 2023/24 FPL season. The Englishman bagged 17 goals and seven assists last year, and an upgrade in talent around him should raise his floor and ceiling potential for points.
What run of fixtures favors Manchester United the most for the 2023/24 FPL season?
- From Christmas until the middle of March looks like the optimal time to jump on Manchester United FPL assets. They play 10 Premier League games in the timespan, and seven of them rate out as a two or lower in the Fantasy Premier League Fixture Difficulty Rating. They play one team that rates as a five in that stretch (Man City, away from home), and that will be the time to stock your stuffings full of Manchester United players after the holiday season.
How many Man United players will you have in your FPL Gameweek 1 squad?
- At least one and possibly three. Luke Shaw feels too well-priced to be left out of the squad. Marcus Rashford may need to be sacrificed if I want Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Erling Haaland in my lineup. Plus, if Andre Onana's signing is confirmed and he comes in at £5 million or less, the Inter Milan goalkeeper may have to be shoved into my Gameweek 1 draft.
What is one bold FPL prediction for any Manchester United player?
- Mason Mount came over from Chelsea this summer and was a wanted man for Erik ten Hag. The Englishman scored a career-high 169 points during the 2021/22 FPL campaign. He will set a new career-best in his first season at Old Trafford and outscore Bruno Fernandes to finish the year as the second-highest-scoring Red Devil behind Marcus Rashford.
