FPL Top Picks For Gameweek 23

The outcome of week 22 produced mixed feelings for Fantasy Premier League managers. The results of most matches were as predicted and expected, however, many of the assets that were counted upon based on their stats failed to deliver adequate returns.

It was one of those weeks for Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Anthony Elanga, Bryan Mbeumo, Cole Palmer and even Erling Haaland, despite Manchester City’s emphatic 6 – 0 away win at Ipswich Town.

The fixtures for week 23 still favour most of the aforementioned assets, which means it is wiser to have them in your squads. However, this guide is written to show you other paths to a good points haul in game week 23.

Gameweek Analysis

Week 23 Games for Best Value

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Everton

The Seagulls thrashed Manchester United at Old Trafford and Everton saw off Tottenham Hotspur with a commanding performance at Goodison Park in week 22. David Moyes’ return to Everton looks to have changed their fortunes and this makes this a game to look forward to.

Players to target: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m), Yankuba Minteh (£5.0m), Georginio Rutter (£5.1m), Iliman Ndiaye (£5.4m).

Crystal Palace vs Brentford

This London Derby goes without saying. The Eagles and the Bees are both in good places and enjoying fine spells at the moment. The Bees are more attacking while the Eagles are patient but devastating. This is a game that will be interesting to watch as a neutral fan and whose assets FPL managers will regret ignoring after the final whistle.

Players to target: Bryan Mbeumo (£7.8m), Yoanne Wissa (£6.2m), Eberechi Eze (£6.7m).

Best Week 23 Differentials

Leandro Trossard — Arsenal (£6.8m)

Arsenal face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates in week 23 and this means that Arsenal assets are going to be in high demand. One of the most overlooked assets from the Gunners is the diminutive Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, who is only owned by two percent of FPL managers.

Each season, there is always a period when he takes centre stage for Arsenal and the last few weeks has shown that we have come into that period. Now would be a good time to bring him in, as he is unlikely to miss out on Wolves, Leicester City and West Ham United, who are the Gunners’ next opponents.

Alisson Becker – Liverpool (£5.5m)

Compared to other goalkeepers like Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels (£3.4m), Liverpool’s Alisson Becker is not exactly a differential signing in the goalkeeping department. He also has a reputation which he has not been able to live up to this season due to unfortunate injuries.

However, on his day, he remains the best in the league. Liverpool face Ipswich Town in week 23 before going into a double gameweek 24 where Bournemouth and Everton are waiting. With 2.3 saves per game, he is one of the highest performers in the league and, at 7.4 percent ownership, he does fit the differential profile.

Best FPL Players for Week 23

Son Heung-min (£9.8m) — Spurs

Son Heung-Min is not exactly shining for Spurs this season on the pitch, but his price tag is indicative of his destructive force. This week, however, they face Leicester City at home and while we cannot exactly trust Ange Postecoglou’s side not to ruin things for themselves (and inadvertently FPL managers), this is a fixture worth risking £9.8m for the South Korean.

One reason is that Spurs have the second-most goals in the league and that Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) is going to be out for a few weeks, which makes it certain that Son will play as the number 9 for this game. Judging by the Foxes’ poor record, Son is certain to add to his six goals and six assists so far this season.

Justin Kluivert (£5.6m) — AFC Bournemouth

This one goes without saying. Week 22 was not up before the game engineers announced that the price tag of the son of the legendary Netherlands national team striker had risen. As one of the most in form players in the game in the last ten weeks and Bournemouth’s chief penalty taker, Justin Kluivert is a must have for your squad.

If some managers are not confident about his ability to deliver in certain games, he is a great option for the bench. His price tag, though higher than it was at the start of week 22, still remains fair compared to the likes of Alex Iwobi (£5.9m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.4m), who are two of the most sought after sub-£7.0m midfielders in this season of the game.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.3m) — Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace face Brentford, but Jean-Philippe Mateta makes our top three for week 23 list ahead of others because of his current form that is the driving force behind the Eagles’ recent form. He is also a great differential because he is owned by only five percent of managers.

A key reason for Mateta’s inclusion in our top three is Brentford’s defensive stats—Thomas Frank’s team have conceded 39 goals (fourth-most) with an xGC of 37.0 (fifth-worst), while giving up even more goal scoring chances. The outcome of this is that Mateta gets a few chances to score and probably does, because all Palace attacks are funnelled to him.