Fantasy Premier League 2023/24: Key Picks and Avoids

The Fantasy Premier League season kicks off on Friday 21 August, and the tinkering has already started. To cut through the noise, four seasoned managers – Pras, FPL Heisenberg, Gianni Buttice and Holly Shand – have gone through all 20 clubs, picking out the talismans, the hidden gems and the traps to dodge.

Here’s how they see it.

Arsenal: Pay up for Gabriel, tread carefully on the left

Talisman: Gabriel (£8m, defender)
For Pras, there’s no debate. Gabriel is the headline act in Arsenal’s defence. He was last season’s top-scoring defender with 209 points and remains the most secure – if pricey – route into one of the league’s most reliable back lines.

Differential: Ben White (£5.5m, defender)
Ben White offers a cheaper way in. With Jurrien Timber still sidelined, the England right-back should get regular minutes and has attacking upside. He may not be a season-long lock, but he looks an excellent early pick.

Avoid: Christos Tzolis (£6.5m, midfielder)
The talent is obvious, the minutes are not. Arteta’s rotation on the left wing, plus the likelihood of another signing in that area, makes Tzolis a risky punt for Pras despite his lively pre-season.

Aston Villa: Watkins price drop, Cash value, Garnacho risk

Talisman: Ollie Watkins (£8m, forward)
Holly points straight at Watkins. A £1m price drop and the departure of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea leave him as Villa’s attacking reference point. Sixteen goals on average over his last four seasons and potential penalties with Youri Tielemans gone to Manchester United – he ticks the boxes.

Differential: Matty Cash (£4.5m, defender)
Nine clean sheets last season and a right-back who loves to get forward. Cash sits in around 8% of squads and produced three goals and three assists last term, backed up by 30 shots and 30 key passes. There are plenty of routes to points here.

Avoid: Alejandro Garnacho (£6m, midfielder)
The loan move from Chelsea will tempt some, but Holly is wary. Garnacho played only 1,261 minutes last season, managing one goal and four assists, and faces a serious battle with Emi Buendia for starts. There are more dependable midfielders at this price.

Bournemouth: Tavernier the creator, Truffert the ghost, Evanilson overshadowed

Talisman: Marcus Tavernier (£6m, midfielder)
Gianni sees no obvious superstar at Bournemouth, but Tavernier comes closest. He is their primary creator, on many set-pieces and delivered 11 attacking returns last season. When Justin Kluivert is off the pitch, Tavernier should also be on penalties.

Differential: Adrien Truffert (£5.5m, defender)
Only 5% owned, Truffert quietly racked up 165 FPL points last season – second-best at the club. The left-back drifts into advanced areas, brings both goal and assist threat and still chips in defensively. Gianni calls him an “all action hero” for a reason.

Avoid: Evanilson (£6m, forward)
With a crowded £6m forward bracket, Gianni prefers Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Igor Jesus or Brian Brobbey over Evanilson, who scored just six goals in 32 league matches last season.

Brentford: Big price, big upside for Igor Thiago

Talisman: Igor Thiago (£8m, forward)
Heisenberg has no doubts about Brentford’s main man. Thiago smashed 22 league goals last season, ending on 181 FPL points. The £8m tag reflects how central he is to Brentford’s attack. The question is value, not role.

Differential: Dango Ouattara (£6.5m, midfielder)
Ouattara averaged more than five points per start and delivered four double-digit hauls last season. At £6.5m and low ownership, Heisenberg sees him as a high-upside mid-price pick who doesn’t need to be elite to offer strong value.

Avoid: Callum Wilson (£5.5m, forward)
Wilson’s FPL glory days look distant here. With Thiago leading the line and other versatile forwards like Ouattara and Kevin Schade around, Heisenberg expects Wilson’s minutes to be too sporadic.

Brighton: Dependable Gross, low-owned Vuskovic, downgraded Rutter

Talisman: Pascal Gross (£5.5m, midfielder)
Pras calls Gross the safest Brighton asset. He’s on virtually all set-pieces, including penalties, and offers steady returns. At £5.5m, he also frees cash for premium picks elsewhere.

Differential: Luka Vuskovic (£5m, defender)
The new centre-back from Spurs should slot straight in. With Brighton posting 10 clean sheets last season – bettered by only six teams – Vuskovic offers clean-sheet and defensive contribution potential at low ownership.

Avoid: Georginio Rutter (£5.5m, forward)
Reclassified as a forward and under pressure from Charalampos Kostoulas, Rutter loses appeal. Fewer points per goal and less certain minutes make him a pass for Pras.

Chelsea: Joao Pedro the crowd favourite, Colwill value, Enzo uncertainty

Talisman: Joao Pedro (£7.5m, forward)
Cole Palmer might be the priciest Chelsea asset, but Holly notes Joao Pedro is the most popular – in over half of teams. Fifteen goals, nine assists last season and a prolific pre-season, including a hat-trick, explain the surge.

Differential: Levi Colwill (£5m, defender)
Colwill is £1m cheaper than Maxence Lacroix and looks a smart way into Chelsea’s defence. After an injury-hit campaign, he should rack up defensive contribution points, with a home tie against promoted Hull in Gameweek 4 catching the eye.

Avoid: Enzo Fernandez (£7m, midfielder)
A strong World Cup ended with a red card in the final, but Holly flags two issues: heavy transfer speculation and a potentially late return before Gameweek 1. Too much uncertainty at that price.

Coventry: Wright for bench-boosters, Rushworth in rotation, Van Ewijk over-owned

Talisman: Haji Wright (£5.5m, forward)
Gianni highlights Wright as Coventry’s focal point after 17 league goals in the Championship. Those planning a bench boost in Gameweek 2 will note his home fixture against Hull, though he is often withdrawn around the 70–80 minute mark.

Talisman (alt): Carl Rushworth (£4.5m, goalkeeper)
At just 1% ownership, Rushworth is a rotation-friendly keeper. Gianni likes his pairing with Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m), whose fixtures dovetail nicely.

Avoid: Milan van Ewijk (£4m, defender)
Eight assists in the Championship made Van Ewijk popular (15% owned), but Gianni prefers cheaper, lower-owned options such as team-mate Bobby Thomas (£4m), who should collect defensive points more reliably.

Crystal Palace: Sarr underpriced, Munoz explosive, Larsen on watchlist only

Talisman: Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m, midfielder)
Sarr sits at the heart of Palace’s attack. Heisenberg notes his high volume of shots and big chances, plus some penalty duty when Jean-Philippe Mateta is off the pitch. At £6.5m, he looks slightly underpriced and capable of emerging as a standout mid-range midfielder.

Differential: Daniel Munoz (£5.5m, defender)
Munoz is one of the league’s most attacking full-backs. Clean sheets, defensive contributions, assists, goals – he can deliver across the board. Under Oliver Glasner he bombed forward relentlessly; Heisenberg is keen to see if Pierre Sage keeps that licence. Transfer rumours swirl, but wherever he ends up in the Premier League, the upside remains.

Avoid: Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6m, forward)
With Mateta likely first choice, Strand Larsen’s minutes look limited. For Heisenberg, £6m should buy you a nailed-on striker like Calvert-Lewin, not a rotation risk.

Everton: Tarkowski the rock, KDH upside, Beto rotation risk

Talisman: James Tarkowski (£6m, defender)
Pras points to Tarkowski’s 170 points last season, powered by defensive contributions. Fixture-proof and reliable, he’s the definition of a “set and forget” defender.

Differential: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m, midfielder)
Eight goals and seven assists last season underline Dewsbury-Hall’s importance. On some set-pieces and central to Everton’s build-up, he offers a balanced mix of creativity and goal threat.

Avoid: Beto (£5.5m, forward)
Shared minutes with Thierno Barry and an inconsistent Everton attack put Pras off. Nine goals from 17 starts last season is decent, but he suggests spending the extra £0.5m on a more secure option.

Fulham: Muniz by default, Robinson intrigue, Berge in limbo

Talisman: Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m, forward)
With Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez gone, Fulham’s talismanic options are thin. Holly notes Muniz as one of their priciest remaining attackers, but competition from Gonzalo Garcia (£6m) is real. One goal and one assist from 10 starts last season hardly screams must-own.

Differential: Antonee Robinson (£4.5m, defender)
Robinson’s 10 assists two seasons ago showed his ceiling. Last year was quieter, but nine clean sheets for Fulham and a faint chance of penalty duty after key departures make him an intriguing budget pick.

Avoid: Sander Berge (£5m, midfielder)
Three assists and five defensive contribution returns from 34 starts brought Berge to 91 points. Yet persistent transfer links cast doubt over his Gameweek 1 status, so Holly is steering clear for now.

Hull City: McBurnie the hero, but Hull a hard sell

Talisman: Oli McBurnie (£5.5m, forward)
Heisenberg recognises McBurnie’s fairytale moment – the stoppage-time play-off final winner that sent Hull up – and his 17 goals and eight assists in the Championship. But he still prefers to pay a little more for forwards like Calvert-Lewin or Brobbey and is avoiding Hull assets altogether at the start.

Differential: Ryan Giles (£4m, defender)
Eight assists from left-back in the promotion campaign underline Giles’s delivery. Yet with Matty Targett as competition and limited clean-sheet potential, even at £4m he feels like a stretch.

Avoid: Liam Millar (£5m, midfielder)
Heisenberg could have named almost any Hull player here. With limited attacking opportunities and shaky defensive prospects, he suggests that if you really must go cheap in Hull’s midfield, you might as well drop to Regan Slater at £4.5m.

Ipswich Town: New faces, wait-and-see up front

Talisman: Emersonn (£5.5m, forward)
Gianni flags Emersonn, signed for a then-club record fee from Toulouse, as the likely spearhead of Gary O’Neil’s attack and potential talisman if he settles quickly.

Differential: Daizen Maeda (£5.5m, midfielder)
Classified as a midfielder but playing as a wide forward, Maeda is just 0.4% owned. Fifty goals in 149 Scottish Premiership matches and a strong World Cup for Japan mark him out as a low-owned upside pick.

Avoid: Chuba Akpom (£5m, forward)
A familiar name, but not a reliable one here. Gianni expects Akpom to be used mainly off the bench, limiting his FPL appeal despite past success at Middlesbrough.

Leeds United: Calvert-Lewin leads the line, Wilson tempting, Bijol overpriced

Talisman: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6m, forward)
Holly sees Calvert-Lewin as the standout budget forward. Fourteen goals, two assists and 35 appearances in his debut season at the club show he’s over his injury woes. Add penalties, and the 25% ownership makes sense.

Differential: Harry Wilson (£6.5m, midfielder)
Nineteen goal involvements (10 goals, nine assists) last season at Fulham underline Wilson’s pedigree. If he locks down a starting role at Leeds and takes set-pieces, he could rival Calvert-Lewin for FPL importance, though the extra £0.5m may put some off.

Avoid: Jaka Bijol (£5m, defender)
Leeds kept eight clean sheets last season and have upgraded in goal with James Trafford, but Holly prefers cheaper defensive routes. Joe Rodon at £4.5m, with 20 defensive contribution points last year, looks the smarter play.

Liverpool: Szoboszlai the safe bet, Wirtz the upside, Jacquet to bide time

Talisman: Dominik Szoboszlai (£7m, midfielder)
Pras labels Szoboszlai Liverpool’s best FPL pick. Regular minutes, set-piece duties and consistent output have already attracted almost half of managers.

Differential: Florian Wirtz (£7.5m, midfielder)
Wirtz’s creativity is unquestioned. Under new boss Andoni Iraola, he should play closer to goal, raising his ceiling well beyond last season’s five goals and four assists.

Avoid: Jeremy Jacquet (£5m, defender)
A long injury lay-off, limited pre-season action and the loan arrival of Ronald Araujo all point to a cautious integration. Pras recommends patience.

Manchester City: Haaland’s price wall, Foden the fun punt, Guehi a trap

Talisman: Erling Haaland (£15.5m, striker)
Gianni calls him what he is: the game’s ultimate talisman. A record starting price, massive ownership and fear factor. His minutes against Bournemouth in Gameweek 1 aren’t guaranteed after a light pre-season, but with Crystal Palace and Coventry to follow, going without him is a bold – some would say reckless – play.

Differential: Phil Foden (£7m, midfielder)
A full pre-season and a likely start against Bournemouth put Foden on Gianni’s radar. At 7% ownership, he’s a high-ceiling differential, though City’s depth means one poor display could see him rotated.

Avoid: Marc Guehi (£6m, defender)
Despite being the fourth most popular defender, Guehi is no lock under Enzo Maresca. The manager has spoken glowingly about Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, both cheaper at £5.5m, casting doubt over Guehi’s minutes.

Manchester United: Fernandes premium, Cunha edge, Sesko risk

Talisman: Bruno Fernandes (£12m, midfielder)
Heisenberg points to 235 points, 24 assists and a well-earned price rise. Penalties, set-pieces, creativity and bonus magnetism make Fernandes one of the most complete FPL assets. Hull and Ipswich in the opening two weeks only sweeten the appeal.

Differential: Matheus Cunha (£8m, midfielder)
Cunha finished last season with four goals and one assist in his final seven games. Able to play across the frontline, he’s in just 12.7% of teams compared to Bryan Mbeumo’s 23.9%. The flexibility brings upside – and some risk of shared minutes.

Avoid: Benjamin Sesko (£7m, forward)
Eleven goals in his first Premier League season underline Sesko’s potential, but Heisenberg’s concern is minutes, especially with Champions League fixtures crowding the calendar. With Fernandes and Cunha offering more secure routes into United’s attack, Sesko is one to monitor rather than buy now.

Newcastle United: Woltemade by necessity, Thiaw’s threat, Hall on hold

Talisman: Nick Woltemade (£6m, forward)
A turbulent summer at Newcastle – key exits and a new manager – leaves Woltemade as the main fantasy focal point. Eight goals and four assists from 24 starts last season suggest he can deliver if he keeps Yoane Wissa at bay.

Differential: Malick Thiaw (£5m, defender)
Historically strong at the back, Newcastle dipped to seven clean sheets last term, but Thiaw still emerged as their top-scoring defender. Four goals, plus defensive contributions in 12 matches, give him plenty of ways to justify his price.

Avoid: Lewis Hall (£5m, defender)
Hall recorded 47 fewer points than Thiaw despite similar minutes. His profile doesn’t fit the scoring matrix as well, and with transfer links swirling, Holly is swerving him early on.

Nottingham Forest: Gibbs-White the heartbeat, Williams upside, Wood squeezed

Talisman: Morgan Gibbs-White (£8m, midfielder)
Pras sees Gibbs-White as Forest’s creative engine and main goal threat, now operating in the left-sided No.10 role under Oliver Glasner. The bar is high – 15 goals and four assists last season – but the system suits him.

Differential: Neco Williams (£5m, defender)
Wing-back in Glasner’s setup, on some set-pieces and strong for defensive contributions – Williams has all the ingredients. Pras likens his potential impact to Daniel Munoz’s under Glasner last season.

Avoid: Chris Wood (£6m, striker)
At 34 and coming off an injury-affected season, Wood now faces serious competition from Igor Jesus (£6m), who has impressed in pre-season. Minutes look far from secure.

Sunderland: Le Fee all-rounder, Xhaka reliable, Isidor a classic trap

Talisman: Enzo le Fee (£6m, midfielder)
Five goals, six assists and extra defensive points made Le Fee’s first Premier League season a success. At £6m and with possible penalties, Heisenberg sees a player who combines price, minutes and multiple scoring routes.

Differential: Granit Xhaka (£5.5m, midfielder)
Xhaka won’t explode, but he rarely lets you down. One goal, six assists and 26 defensive contribution points from 32 starts show his steady value. With Ipswich away and Fulham at home to start, he has a chance to deliver immediately.

Avoid: Wilson Isidor (£5.5m, forward)
Isidor’s price and goal record will tempt managers, but Brobbey is ahead of him in the striker pecking order. With plenty of other cheap forwards available, Heisenberg advises looking elsewhere unless the hierarchy changes.

Tottenham Hotspur: Porro the standout, Tel a deep cut, Senesi in limbo

Talisman: Pedro Porro (£5.5m, defender)
Gianni calls Porro Spurs’ closest thing to a talisman. Their highest-owned asset and standout performer last season, he arrives off an excellent World Cup for Spain and will be heavily backed in Gameweek 1.

Differential: Mathys Tel (£6m, midfielder)
Under 0.5% owned, Tel has quickly become a favourite of Roberto De Zerbi. He finished last season in form, operating high and wide on the left, and lit up pre-season with a 30-yard free-kick against Sydney FC. A true punt with real upside.

Avoid: Marcos Senesi (£6m, defender)
One of last season’s FPL stars at Bournemouth, Senesi is now an easy avoid. De Zerbi’s tactical plans are still unclear and Tottenham’s centre-back depth puts his starting spot at risk.

The template picks are clear. The differentials are there for the brave. The traps are already laid. With the deadline looming, how much risk are you really willing to take?