RADIO
Welcome to the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season, RotoBallers! The game has officially launched for the new season, and it's time to start preparing for another year of FPL. We will have you covered from the preseason in July until the final kick of the season in May and everything else that happens in between.
In case you missed it, we published our first three team previews in Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool last week. Now it's time to tackle Aston Villa. The Villans came out hot in 2023 and found themselves level with Liverpool for first in the table when the calendar turned to January. Despite some bumps in the road, Unai Emery finished the job, clinching a top-4 spot for the club for the first time since 1996. Aston Villa have brought in a few more pieces in hopes of making some noise in the Champions League while claiming a top-4 spot once again, but the task is as tall as ever, even with one of the most exciting managers in the world at the helm.
The first deadline of the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season is August 16 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, when Manchester United welcomes Fulham to open the campaign. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League slate and UEFA Champions League game with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
FPL Team Previews: Aston Villa
After saving Villa from what looked to be a relegation fight in 2022-23, Emery took a massive leap in his first full year with the club, fighting for a title for much of the season before securing a coveted top-4 spot by the end of May. With much of the Villans core returning for another run, the club has added some depth pieces to help avoid and cover up injuries, which were a bit of a challenge last year. How those signings affect the starting lineup will remain to be seen, but regardless, Aston Villa has the star power and the depth to make another strong run in 2024-25 under Emery.
Last Season's Aston Villa Stats
- League Finish: Fourth, 68 points
- Most goals: Ollie Watkins, 19 goals
- Most assists: Ollie Watkins, 13 assists
- Most FPL Points: Ollie Watkins, 228 points
Who is your favorite Aston Villa defender for the upcoming FPL campaign?
- I don't see myself looking to Aston Villa for a defender in FPL this season unless incoming transfer Ian Maatsen (£5.0m) ends up taking on a nice offensive role and is consistently getting starts through the first few fixtures of the year. However, if I had to select a Villan defender as it stands right now, I'd go with what seems like the safest option in Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) just based on his ability to stay on the pitch the past two seasons and create some semblance of offense from time-to-time. The 26-year-old started all but four matches over the past two seasons combined, though he only contributed one goal and one assist in that span.
Which Aston Villa midfielder is catching your eye?
- With one of my guilty pleasures of 2023-2024, Moussa Diaby, set to leave Villa for a big payday in Saudi Arabia, the door is wide open for breakout midfielder Leon Bailey (£6.5m) to pick up where he left off in 2024. There is a world in which I see Jaden Philogene (£5.5m) becoming an excellent value in a couple of months, but that's a considerable risk to take considering his lack of Premier League experience and question marks surrounding his minutes. The 26-year-old Bailey, however, proved to the world that he can produce with an expanded role, scoring 10 goals and logging nine assists despite starting in just 22 of his 35 appearances. The Jamaican should get every chance to keep his massive offensive role in 2024-2025, barring injury.
The Aston Villa forward who will be bagging us some FPL points is...?
- There's not much to discuss here. Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) will get every chance to be the lead man for Aston Villa's attack once more. While the rest of the midfielder group could be intriguing as the season wears on, depending on how Emery deploys some of his old and new assets, the attack will be set in stone, barring a devastating injury to one of the league's best scorers. With prices increasing for Erling Haaland (£15.0m) and Alexander Isak (£8.5m), there's an argument to be made that Watkins provides the best value in the top tier of strikers as we begin this FPL season.
What run of fixtures favors Aston Villa the most for the 2024/25 FPL season?
- Other than a tough home matchup with Arsenal in Gameweek 2, Aston Villa's first six gameweeks are nearly perfect, making me think the opening six fixtures are the best time to select two or even three assets from the club. As shown in the graphic below, Villa's three away fixtures are against vulnerable sides in West Ham, Leicester, and Ipswich, while their other two home fixtures are with Everton and Wolves.
How many Aston Villa players will you have in your Gameweek 1 squad?
- Despite the lovely run of fixtures in the first two months of the season, I don't see myself getting three Villa assets in my FPL squad. However, two is the minimum, considering how valuable Watkins will be in those exceptional matchups. I love the opportunity for Bailey to continue his strong form to start the 2024-25 season. If you do choose a third piece, I wouldn't blame you, and I'd take your choice of defender from the previously mentioned Konsa, Maatsen, or Pau Torres (£4.5m) based on personal preference, gut feeling, and/or word from Emery as the season inches closer. You'll likely want to swap any of those three out for Gameweek 2 when they take on the Gunners.
What is one bold FPL prediction for any Aston Villa player?
- We'll go back to the previously mentioned Philogene at the midfield position. At just £5.5m, the former Hull City man could become a massive value if he can fill the void left by Moussa Diaby and avoid losing his role to Emiliano Buendia (£5.5m), whose situation is in question after returning from a severe knee injury at 27 years of age. The 22-year-old Englishman scored 12 goals in 32 matches in the Championship last season, so the offensive potential is there for Philogene to make a real impact if he finds himself in Emery's good graces. While we likely won't know how to assess the Villa midfield situation fully until Gameweek 4 at the earliest, I'll boldly suggest that Philogene will collect at least 16 goals + assists while starting at least 24 matches in his first full season at the Premier League level.
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then, join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the Leagues and Cups tab, and enter the RotoBaller league code: b278pa.
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Pick your squad and compete for #FPL glory now! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2024
Stick around for more 2024-2025 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
