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Matthew Glazier
Betting Expert

2 December 2024

Best Starting XI for Fantasy Premier League 2023/24

The 2023/24 Premier League season is just around the corner, with millions of FPL managers putting together their team for Game Week 1. It’s important to get off to a strong start and we’ve highlighted some of the key players that should be on anyone’s shortlist when it comes to playing Fantasy Premier League.

It’s important to start off with a nice balanced squad and that involves having players from a wide range of clubs. You should also look for players who are guaranteed starters and have scored well in previous seasons.

If you want to sign up play, head to the official Fantasy Premier League site to register today!

FPL Starting Team 2023/24

starting fantasy football team 2023-24

GOALKEEPERS

The most popular goalkeeper pick is ALPHONSE AREOLA (£4.0m) and it’s possible that he’ll be first-choice at West Ham United this season. This would therefore make him incredible value, although some are opting for the more expensive AARON RAMSDALE (£5.0m) or ANDRE ONANA (£5.0m), while JORDAN PICKFORD is slightly cheaper at £4.5m and should perform well for Everton.

DEFENDERS

Brighton have got a favourable set of opening fixtures and that brings PERVIS ESTUPINAN (£5.0m) into sharper focus. The full-back racked up some big scores last season and there’s a reason why over 50% of managers have gone for a player who is capable of attacking returns on a regular basis.

KIERAN TRIPPIER (£6.5m) was the highest-scoring defender last season although the Newcastle United full-back doesn’t necessarily look like a must-have, with LUKE SHAW (£5.5m) on many a manager’s shopping list and the Manchester United defender is something of a bonus points magnet.

The big question is whether TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD is worth the £8.0 million price tag and the signs are that the Liverpool man will play in a more advanced position despite being classed as a defender. The fact that only 30% of FPL managers currently own the player makes him a solid differential.

JOHN STONES (£5.5m), GABRIEL (£5.0m) and REECE JAMES (£5.5m) are another exciting trio of players, with the Manchester City defender likely to be the first choice centre-back and the same applies to Gabriel at Arsenal. The selection of James is somewhat more risky given his propensity to get injured on a regular basis.

MIDFIELDERS

The only midfielder owned by more than 50% of FPL managers is BUKAYO SAKA (£8.5m), with the Arsenal winger having scored well in the game last season. The big danger with not owning the Gunners penalty taker is that many others will get the jump on you if he scores well for the London club.

Some are considering the Arsenal double-up in midfield, with MARTIN ODEGAARD (£8.5m) and GABRIEL MARTINELLI (£8.0m) which could reap dividends, although there’s been a lukewarm reception for MOHAMED SALAH (£12.5m) despite him being a Fantasy Premier League legend.

As mentioned, Brighton have strong fixtures and the crowds have been flocking to sign KAORU MITOMA (£6.5m) who shone brightly for the Seagulls last term. JULIO ENCISO (£5.5m) is another interesting option for that team although much depends on the game time for the youngster.

As for the best Manchester United options, MARCUS RASHFORD (£9.0m) and BRUNO FERNANDES (£8.5m) are viable options and most managers are going for at least one of these players. With Rashford listed as a midfielder once again, there’s a slight preference for him over the new Red Devils captain.

There’s also interest in JAMES MADDISON (£7.5m) and BRYAN MBUEMO (£6.5m), with the former looking as though he would be a dangerous option for Tottenham next season, while Mbuemo is likely to stand in for Ivan Toney and rack up the goals.

FORWARDS

Much depends on the formation you intend to play. The general consensus is that 3-5-2 could be a good way to start the game and ERLING HAALAND (£14.0m) simply has to be included. Over 85% of Fantasy Premier League managers have included the Norwegian and he will also have the captaincy in the majority of instances.

There’s also a clamour for GABRIEL JESUS (£8.0m) although others might be prepared to roll the dice and plump for CHRISTIAN NKUNKU (£7.5m) who is Chelsea’s new forward and looking to shine where Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were unable to.

OLLIE WATKINS (£8.0m) had a purple patch last season for Aston Villa and looks nicely priced for a team aiming for a top-half finish, while DARWIN NUNEZ (£7.5m) has been looking really sharp for Liverpool and could certainly be another for the shortlist.

The Best Starting XI for Game Week 1

You can go any number of ways when it comes to GW1 although our Starting XI would look something like this:

GK: Fabianski

DEF: Estupinan
DEF: James

DEF: Alexander-Arnold

MID: Fernandes (VC)
MID: Mitoma
MID: Saka (C)

MID: Martinelli

MID: Maddison

FWD: Haaland

FWD: Darwin

Using betting odds to select your fantasy team

One way of looking at options for your fantasy football squad is checking the latest football betting odds. The bookies are pretty accurate so we recommend you check the following betting markets and see what the odds look like on a team and the players.

These 3 markets are worth a quick look:

  1. Win Draw Win odds – Basically what are the odds for each team to win that gameweek. This can narrow down which team are expected to win easy by how short their odds are.
  2. Over/Under 2.5 goals – We can use over for goal scoring options and under when we are choosing our defenders and keeper.
  3. Player to score – Valuable information on players individually and can help to decide how likely a player is to score.

The bookmakers are pretty competitive when it comes to odds for the premier league and dont be surprised to see enhanced and boosted odds too!

Matthew Glazier

Betting Expert
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Matthew Glazier is one of the biggest names in the sports betting industry, with this leading writer having twenty years experience which includes working for bet365, William Hill and betfair.

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