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Welcome to the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season, RotoBallers! We began our FPL coverage two years ago and are going big for the upcoming 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 game launched on July 5, and all the prices are revealed. On our side, we've completed 10 team previews and our goalkeepers and defender's position previews. Today marks our midfielder's preview, and our forward's preview next week will wrap up the positions before the season starts.
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 slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
FPL Position Previews: Midfielders
They assist more than defenders and get more points for goals than forwards. Crushing your choice of midfielders is one of the best ways to have a great Fantasy Premier League season. From the high-flying premiums of Mohamed Salah to the bargain bin stars in the £4.5 million range, we will have every shape and size of midfielders in our FPL teams throughout 38 gameweeks.
Last Year's Midfielder's Stats
- Most FPL points: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), 239 points
- Most goals: Mohamed Salah, 19 goals
- Most assists: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), 18 assists
- Most bonus points: Martin Odegaard, 30 bonus points
Over the seasons, what is your general strategy regarding midfielders in FPL?
- Euan Leith: Slam Mohamed Salah into my lineup and figure out the rest later. That didn't go so well last season, but I was able to pivot quickly and stay on track. I like to use most of my budget on midfielders and try to play four or five every week in the early parts of the season until there are three affordable options up top. The added points for clean sheets and goals over forwards make this my favorite position in Fantasy Premier League.
- Jamie Steed: Midfield has been the position I go biggest on. I'll always look for three top-10 midfield options, one low-rostered option I'm high on, and a discount midfielder to begin the season. I'm more likely to go with four or five midfielders each week during the season, so I want to avoid having deadwood in there.
What was the most pleasant FPL price reveal at the position?
- Euan Leith: Marcus Rashford staying under double digits. £9.0m is cheap for a man coming off a 205-point season, but it's comparable to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard. If only he could sneak penalties away from Bruno Fernandes
- Jamie Steed: For me, it's the Arsenal trio of Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli being priced between £8.5m - £8.0m. After all, ranking in the top-5 for points scored last season, having them all priced less than Son Heung-min and Marcus Rashford, was good to see.
How many of these midfielders do you own? 🤩 #FPL pic.twitter.com/rm3ej592xx
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 26, 2023
What was the biggest disappointment?
- Euan Leith: Son Heung-min's pricetag of £9.0m is steep. He scored the fewest FPL points since his debut season in the 2015/16 campaign. If he had been priced in the £8.0m range, he would be getting more consideration in my lineup. Plus, there are a lot of balls in the air at Spurs right now, so I want to wait and see how it shakes out in North London before investing my precious budget in the South Korean.
- Jamie Steed: Kevin De Bruyne is still the second most expensive midfielder at £10.5m. There's no denying the talent; he still had 25 goal involvements last year. But he started just 28 games and comes into the season recovering from an injury. I don't see De Bruyne starting 30 games this year, and at that price, I don't want to gamble on whether he starts week-to-week.
This year, several midfielders are in the £8-9 million price bracket. Who is your favorite?
- Euan Leith: Gabriel Martinelli was a bargain at £6.0m last year, and he's still a bargain at £8.0m this year in Fantasy Premier League. He finished four points behind his teammate Bukayo Saka last year, despite playing 300 fewer minutes. Saka has the penalties and is undoubtedly in my thoughts, but if I have to choose an Arsenal midfielder, it's Martinelli.
- Jamie Steed: I love me some Bukayo Saka at £8.5m. The fact Arsenal play in the Champions League this season does make me a little more cautious, but I don't see Mikel Arteta taking the league lightly, so Saka should be a mainstay in the starting XI every week. He scored just two goals with one assist in the final ten games of the season yet still led the team in goal involvements with 26.
Bukayo Saka is currently the most-owned midfielder in #FPL ⭐
Do those opening fixtures make him a must-have at the start of 2023/24? 🔮 pic.twitter.com/IBEdfqTdoX
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 15, 2023
Who are you least likely to own from that same price bracket?
- Euan Leith: Another Arsenal man in Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian is the Captain of the Gunners and likely to play the most minutes, but I'm not sure he's as big of an attacking threat as last year would lead us to believe. He scored 15 goals on 9.75 expected goals, and he's not on penalties. Odegaard is currently in 20.1 percent of FPL teams, and Martinelli is only on 13.5 percent of rosters.
- Jamie Steed: Son Heung-min at £9.0m is the one I'm avoiding. He could easily finish as the highest points scorer of the group but also the lowest by far. I'm not willing to go boom-or-bust on someone coming off a down season who is playing under a new manager and could be playing with a new striker if Harry Kane does depart. Too many unknowns for me to be comfortable with.
Who is your favorite midfielder between £7-8 million?
- Euan Leith: Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have left Manchester City for greener pastures (and bigger paydays) over the summer, and there's a gap to be filled by Phil Foden. He's £7.5m to begin the year and should mock that price tag. The England international scored a career-high 142 points during the 2022/23 FPL season, despite playing less than 1,900 minutes and starting 22 games. Suppose Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) isn't ready for the beginning of the year. Foden is a lock for my Gameweek 1 squad.
- Jamie Steed: I love Jarrod Bowen at £7.0m. He finished ninth among midfielders in expected goal involvements (xGI) with 15.38 but only tied-15th in total points (145). After tallying 206 points in the season before, last year was a down season in production, and FPL managers seem to be keeping away more this season, given he's on less than 6% of teams right now.
Who is your favorite midfielder below £7 million?
- Euan Leith: Andreas Pereria at £5.5m is Fulham's best creator. He was a magnificent pick at £4.5m last year, but I expect him to continue living up to his higher cost for the 2023/24 FPL season. Aleksandar Mitrovic could be moving away from Craven Cottage, opening the door for Pereria to be on penalties.
- Jamie Steed: This is where I want a differential so someone rostered by fewer than 5.0% of teams. And Morgan Gibbs-White fits the bill perfectly. At £6.0m and on less than 4.0% of teams, I have a sneaky suspicion that Nottingham Forest can kick on this season, so their driving force and top points scorer (145) last season is someone I'm targeting.
Who will hit the ground running over the first six gameweeks?
- Euan Leith: I expect the entire Arsenal midfield to shine over the first six gameweeks. Saka, Martinelli, and Odegaard should all bag multiple returns with the kind run of fixtures they've been handed. They will want to erase the disappointment of the final eight games from last year, and they have a fantastic opportunity to accomplish that with games against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Fulham to start the 2023/24 FPL campaign.
- Jamie Steed: Another cheaper option I like is Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m); without Ivan Toney, he could emerge as Brentford's main attacking threat. Brentford has four home games in their first six fixtures and four games against sides with a Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) of two, so a hot start to the season is possible.
Who will struggle over the first month and a half?
- Euan Leith: Anyone on Liverpool not named Mohamed Salah. Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Diogo Jota will all compete to play alongside the Egyptian King. That's not mentioning Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez at the forward spot. There are too many players for too few places, and Jurgen Klopp will rotate to find the best combination to help Liverpool jump back into Champions League football.
- Jamie Steed: Alexis Mac Allister is someone I like at £6.0m, but I'm a bit apprehensive, given Liverpool faces three teams with an FDR of three of four in their opening six games. He's on a new team that hasn't had much production from their central midfielders in recent times, so I'd want to see how he gets on in the first few games before deciding if I bring him in.
Finally, what's your bold prediction for midfielders during the 2023/24 FPL season?
- Euan Leith: Jarrod Bowen outscores every Arsenal midfielder. Only two seasons ago, this man cracked the 200-point mark and was an FPL darling. He is the motor that makes West Ham tick offensively, and the Arsenal lads will cannibalize each other's points with the addition of Kai Havertz and the second year of Leandro Trossard.
- Jamie Steed: Mykhailo Mudryk finishes with 150+ points and is a top-10 midfielder. Chelsea not having European football to deal with should leave him starting at least 30 games (assuming no bad injuries), and dare I say, some stability in charge of the team could help him shine this season.
£6.5m
1.7% ownershipAnyone having a Mudryk rethink after this? 👇 https://t.co/1haUAjbCil
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 23, 2023
