Fantasy Premier League 2023: Top Picks and Traps

The Fantasy Premier League deadline is looming on Friday 21 August, and the tinkering has begun. To cut through the noise, four seasoned managers – Pras, FPL Heisenberg, Gianni Buttice and Holly Shand – have gone club by club, picking out the one you build around, the punt you brag about and the trap you sidestep.

Here’s how they see it.

Arsenal

Talisman: Gabriel (£8.0m, defender)
For Pras, there’s no debate. Gabriel is still the premium route into the champions’ backline. Last season’s top-scoring defender with 209 points, he marries ironclad minutes with a defence you can trust. Pricey, but rock solid.

Differential: Ben White (£5.5m, defender)
White offers a cheaper way into Arsenal’s defence while still carrying attacking threat from right-back. With Jurrien Timber out, his minutes look safe early on. Maybe not a season-long hold, but an ideal starter pick.

Avoid: Christos Tzolis (£6.5m, midfielder)
The talent is obvious and his pre-season numbers are eye-catching, yet Arteta’s rotation on the left wing is relentless. With another winger potentially arriving, Tzolis looks like a minutes headache waiting to happen.

Aston Villa

Talisman: Ollie Watkins (£8.0m, forward)
Watkins gets a £1.0m discount and, with Morgan Rogers gone, the attack is his again. Holly points to his reliability: 16 goals on average across his last four Villa seasons and potential penalties now Youri Tielemans has left.

Differential: Matty Cash (£4.5m, defender)
Nine clean sheets last year and Cash sits in only around 8% of teams. First-choice at right-back, he fired 30 shots and created 30 key passes, converting those into three goals and three assists. Multiple avenues to points at a bargain price.

Avoid: Alejandro Garnacho (£6.0m, midfielder)
The loan move from Chelsea brings buzz, but Buendia is a big obstacle for minutes. Garnacho managed just 1,261 minutes last season, with one goal and four assists. At this price, there are steadier midfielders elsewhere.

Bournemouth

Talisman: Marcus Tavernier (£6.0m, midfielder)
With Antoine Semenyo gone, Bournemouth lean on the collective, but Gianni still singles out Tavernier. Chief creator, set-piece threat and 11 attacking returns last season – he remains central to everything they do.

Differential: Adrien Truffert (£5.5m, defender)
Only 5% owned and second-highest FPL scorer for the Cherries last season with 165 points. Truffert’s advanced runs, open-play threat and bonus potential make him a classic “all-action” left-back pick.

Avoid: Evanilson (£6.0m, forward)
In a crowded £6.0m forward bracket, six goals in 32 league games doesn’t cut it. Gianni prefers Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Igor Jesus or Brian Brobbey at the same price.

Brentford

Talisman: Igor Thiago (£8.0m, forward)
Heisenberg’s standout is obvious. Thiago smashed 22 league goals and 181 FPL points last season. The £8.0m tag is steep, but Brentford’s attack is built around him. Expect explosive hauls, especially against weaker sides.

Differential: Dango Ouattara (£6.5m, midfielder)
More than five points per start and four double-digit returns last season. At £6.5m with low ownership, Ouattara doesn’t need to be elite to represent value – a strong early-season swing pick.

Avoid: Callum Wilson (£5.5m, forward)
A former favourite, but minutes look grim with Thiago leading the line. Even an injury to the Brazilian might not guarantee Wilson starts, with other options available.

Brighton

Talisman: Pascal Gross (£5.5m, midfielder)
Pras leans on security. Gross is on all set-pieces, including penalties, and delivers steady returns. At £5.5m he’s a classic enabler who still scores you points.

Differential: Luka Vuskovic (£5.0m, defender)
The new centre-back from Spurs should slot straight in. Brighton kept 10 clean sheets last season, and Vuskovic offers defensive contributions and clean-sheet upside at low ownership.

Avoid: Georginio Rutter (£5.5m, forward)
Reclassified as a forward, Rutter now earns fewer points per goal and faces competition from Charalampos Kostoulas. Uncertain minutes and reduced scoring bonus make him an easy pass.

Chelsea

Talisman: Joao Pedro (£7.5m, forward)
Cole Palmer is the priciest Blue, but Joao Pedro is the one FPL managers trust. Owned by over half of teams heading into Gameweek 1, he comes off a 15-goal, nine-assist campaign and a sharp pre-season that included a hat-trick.

Differential: Levi Colwill (£5.0m, defender)
Colwill is £1.0m cheaper than Maxence Lacroix and looks well-placed at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. He missed much of last season but should hoover up defensive contribution points, with a plum home fixture against promoted Hull in Gameweek 4.

Avoid: Enzo Fernandez (£7.0m, midfielder)
Fernandez had a strong World Cup before a red card in the final, but his club future is uncertain. Strong rumours of a summer exit and a late return make him a risky Gameweek 1 pick.

Coventry City

Talisman: Haji Wright (£5.5m, forward)
Gianni highlights the USA striker after 17 league goals in the Championship. Those planning an early bench boost will eye his home fixture against Hull in Gameweek 2, though he is often withdrawn around the 70–80 minute mark.

Talisman (alt): Carl Rushworth (£4.5m, goalkeeper)
At just 1% ownership, Rushworth is an appealing part of a cheap goalkeeper rotation. He dovetails neatly with Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m).

Avoid: Milan van Ewijk (£4.0m, defender)
Eight assists in the Championship and 15% ownership scream bargain, but Gianni prefers lower-owned cheap defenders like Bobby Thomas (£4.0m), who should rack up defensive contribution points more consistently.

Crystal Palace

Talisman: Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m, midfielder)
Sarr is central to Palace’s attack, ranking high for shots and big chances. With some penalty duties when Jean-Philippe Mateta is off, he looks slightly underpriced and capable of standing out among mid-priced mids.

Differential: Daniel Munoz (£5.5m, defender)
Munoz is a defender in name only at times. His aggressive positioning under Oliver Glasner made him one of the league’s most attacking full-backs. If Pierre Sage keeps him high and wide, he’s a multi-route points machine. Transfer rumours linger, but a Premier League move would likely preserve his appeal.

Avoid: Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.0m, forward)
If Mateta is first choice, Strand Larsen becomes a rotation risk. At £6.0m, Heisenberg prefers someone nailed like Calvert-Lewin, especially with penalties.

Everton

Talisman: James Tarkowski (£6.0m, defender)
Tarkowski quietly racked up 170 points last season, fifth among defenders. His defensive contributions make him almost fixture-proof – pick him and forget him.

Differential: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m, midfielder)
Eight goals, seven assists and some set-piece duty last season. Pras sees Dewsbury-Hall as a key creative force again, with enough routes to points to justify his price.

Avoid: Beto (£5.5m, forward)
Shared minutes with Thierno Barry and a blunt Everton attack are red flags. Nine goals from 17 starts is fine, but for £0.5m more you can move into a stronger forward bracket.

Fulham

Talisman: Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m, forward)
With Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez gone, Fulham’s talisman options are thin. Muniz is one of their priciest assets, but produced just one goal and one assist from 10 starts last season and now faces competition from Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m).

Differential: Antonee Robinson (£4.5m, defender)
Robinson dipped last year after a 10-assist season, yet still offers attacking upside and benefits from nine clean sheets. There’s even a distant possibility of penalties in the post-departure reshuffle.

Avoid: Sander Berge (£5.0m, midfielder)
Three assists and five defensive contribution hauls from 34 starts brought Berge to 91 points. Constant transfer links cast doubt over his Gameweek 1 involvement, making him a risky inclusion.

Hull City

Talisman: Oli McBurnie (£5.5m, forward)
McBurnie’s stoppage-time winner in the play-off final sealed promotion, capping a 17-goal, eight-assist Championship season. Heisenberg still leans away from Hull assets altogether, preferring to pay £0.5m more for Calvert-Lewin or Brobbey.

Differential: Ryan Giles (£4.0m, defender)
Eight assists from left-back last season keep Giles on the radar, but he may share minutes with Matty Targett and Hull’s clean-sheet prospects look thin. Even as a £4.0m option, there are safer benches.

Avoid: Liam Millar (£5.0m, midfielder)
Heisenberg would avoid almost the entire Hull squad. Limited attacking opportunities and scarce clean sheets make their players hard to justify. If you absolutely must go cheap in their midfield, he’d rather save £0.5m with Regan Slater (£4.5m).

Ipswich Town

Talisman: Emersonn (£5.5m, forward)
Gianni points to the Brazilian, signed for a then-club-record fee from Toulouse, as Gary O’Neil’s likely focal point up front. The expectation is he leads the line and grows into a central figure.

Differential: Daizen Maeda (£5.5m, midfielder)
Maeda arrives from Celtic as a wide forward classed as a midfielder and is owned by just 0.4%. Fifty goals in 149 Scottish Premiership games and a standout World Cup for Japan mark him as a live differential.

Avoid: Chuba Akpom (£5.0m, forward)
Recognisable name, limited role. Akpom is expected to be an impact sub, not a starter, which kills his FPL appeal.

Leeds United

Talisman: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m, forward)
Fourteen goals, two assists and 35 appearances in his debut season for the club signal a new level of reliability. With penalties as well, Holly sees him as the dominant budget forward, already backed by about a quarter of managers.

Differential: Harry Wilson (£6.5m, midfielder)
Nineteen goal involvements last season – 10 goals, nine assists – put Wilson among Leeds’ marquee signings. If he nails a starting role and set-pieces, he could become central to their attack, though his price is slightly awkward.

Avoid: Jaka Bijol (£5.0m, defender)
Leeds kept eight clean sheets last year and have upgraded in goal with James Trafford, but cheaper defensive options exist. Joe Rodon at £4.5m, with 20 defensive contribution points, offers better value.

Liverpool

Talisman: Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m, midfielder)
Pras backs Szoboszlai as the standout Liverpool option. Consistent minutes, set-piece involvement and all-round output have already attracted nearly half of FPL managers.

Differential: Florian Wirtz (£7.5m, midfielder)
Wirtz’s creativity could explode if Andoni Iraola’s system clicks. Playing closer to goal, he’s expected to surpass last season’s modest five goals and four assists.

Avoid: Jeremy Jacquet (£5.0m, defender)
Returning from a long injury, with limited pre-season and Ronald Araujo arriving on loan, Jacquet looks set for a slow integration. Not one to start the season with.

Manchester City

Talisman: Erling Haaland (£15.5m, striker)
Record-breaking price, record-breaking ownership. Haaland may not be guaranteed 90 minutes against Bournemouth in Gameweek 1 after a light pre-season, but with Crystal Palace and Coventry to follow, going without him remains a huge gamble.

Differential: Phil Foden (£7.0m, midfielder)
A full pre-season and likely starter against Bournemouth, Foden sits at just 7% ownership. The ceiling is enormous, but so is the risk, with Pep’s depth meaning a poor performance can quickly lead to rotation.

Avoid: Marc Guehi (£6.0m, defender)
Fourth most popular defender in the game, yet his starting spot under Enzo Maresca is far from secure. The manager has been vocal in his praise of Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, both cheaper at £5.5m.

Manchester United

Talisman: Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m, midfielder)
Fernandes delivered 235 points last season, including a staggering 24 assists. On penalties, set-pieces and at the heart of everything creative, he’s expensive but offers captaincy potential and dream opening fixtures against Hull and Ipswich.

Differential: Matheus Cunha (£8.0m, midfielder)
Cunha closed last season strongly with four goals and an assist in his final seven matches. His ability to play across the front line makes him dangerous, though it also raises the risk of shared minutes.

Avoid: Benjamin Sesko (£7.0m, forward)
Eleven goals in his first Premier League season underline his promise, yet minutes remain the problem. With more fixtures on the calendar due to Champions League involvement, Heisenberg prefers the more secure routes of Fernandes and Cunha for now.

Newcastle United

Talisman: Nick Woltemade (£6.0m, forward)
A turbulent summer of departures and a new manager leaves Newcastle looking for a new focal point. Woltemade, with eight goals and four assists from 24 starts last season, is the main FPL hope, though he must fend off Yoane Wissa for minutes.

Differential: Malick Thiaw (£5.0m, defender)
Only seven clean sheets last season, but Thiaw still emerged as Newcastle’s top-scoring defender. Four goals and 12 defensive contribution hauls show why Holly thinks he can justify his price again.

Avoid: Lewis Hall (£5.0m, defender)
Hall scored 47 fewer points than Thiaw despite similar minutes and has been linked with a move away. His underlying output doesn’t fit the scoring matrix as neatly, making him one to steer clear of early on.

Nottingham Forest

Talisman: Morgan Gibbs-White (£8.0m, midfielder)
Forest’s creative heartbeat and leading scorer last season, Gibbs-White now steps into a left-sided No.10 role under Oliver Glasner. The question is not whether he’s central, but whether he can repeat 15 goals and four assists – a tally that made him the third-highest scoring midfielder in 25–26.

Differential: Neco Williams (£5.0m, defender)
Wing-back in Glasner’s system, Williams combines attacking returns, defensive contributions and some set-pieces. Pras sees echoes of Daniel Munoz’s success under the same manager.

Avoid: Chris Wood (£6.0m, striker)
At 34 and coming off an injury-hit season, Wood now faces stiff competition from Igor Jesus (£6.0m), who has shone in pre-season. Minutes look too fragile.

Sunderland

Talisman: Enzo le Fee (£6.0m, midfielder)
Five goals, six assists and regular defensive contributions in his first Premier League season make Le Fee a compelling mid-price option. Add potential penalties and he becomes Sunderland’s most reliable FPL asset.

Differential: Granit Xhaka (£5.5m, midfielder)
One goal, six assists and 26 defensive contribution points from 32 starts. Xhaka won’t explode often, but he ticks over. With Ipswich away and Fulham at home to start, he has a real chance to deliver immediately.

Avoid: Wilson Isidor (£5.5m, forward)
Tempting price, but Brobbey is the main obstacle. Unless Isidor jumps ahead in the pecking order, he’s a trap in a position with plenty of cheap alternatives.

Tottenham Hotspur

Talisman: Pedro Porro (£5.5m, defender)
Gianni calls Porro the closest thing Spurs have to a talisman. Their highest-owned asset and standout performer last season, he rides into Gameweek 1 on the back of an excellent World Cup for Spain.

Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) and James Maddison (£6.5m) could offer serious value later, but with their recent injury concerns they’re better watched than bought for now.

Differential: Mathys Tel (£6.0m, midfielder)
Under 0.5% ownership and a favourite of Roberto De Zerbi. Tel finished last season in flying form on the left and flashed his quality in pre-season with a 30-yard free-kick against Sydney FC. A pure upside pick.

Avoid: Marcos Senesi (£6.0m, defender)
A star for Bournemouth last season, but his situation under De Zerbi at Spurs is unclear. With strong depth at centre-back, Senesi is at real risk of rotation. For now, he’s an easy avoid.

The pieces are on the board. Prices are set, ownerships are forming, and the deadline is coming fast. The question is simple: will you trust the talismans, chase the differentials, or get caught by the traps?