Since the game launched, I have made many a draft. However, some players have been in every single one of them. This article will take a look at the reasons why these players have been a lock in my FPL GW1 Draft.
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4 Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
Bruno Fernandes
The first player that has been in every single one of my drafts is Bruno Fernandes. At the start of last season, he was £10m, yet this season he has seen a drop to £8.5m.
Man United start the season with a couple of nice fixtures in Wolves at home in GW1 and Nottingham Forest at home in GW3. Both opponents were in the bottom half for xGC (Expected Goals Conceded) last season so attacking returns are likely for United players.
We are expecting Erik ten Hag to predominantly play a midfield 3 of Casemiro, Mount and Fernandes. This will see Casemiro sit at the base of the 3 with Fernandes and Mount as the more attacking midfielders. However, it is presumed that one of the two will play slightly deeper than the other.
The friendly against Arsenal was the first time that we saw both Mount and Fernandes start together in United’s pre-season. Obviously, it is a very small sample but Fernandes’ average position was higher than Mount’s in the 45 minutes that they were on the pitch. In fact, only Garnacho and Sancho had higher average positions during the 45 minutes.
The main question we will have to answer is if we want both Rashford and Fernandes in our teams. A viable option is to start with both and to move off one of them after their first three fixtures.
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Pervis Estupiñán
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Estupiñán is by far the highest-owned defender right now with over 50% ownership. This comes as no surprise as Brighton also have fantastic opening fixtures with Luton (H), Wolves (A) and West Ham (H) as their first three.
He only joined Brighton in January but he managed to rank 6th amongst all defenders for xGI (Expected Goal Involvement) last season. This is incredibly impressive when three of the five players ranked above him are priced at £6.5m or higher this season.
His attacking numbers alone are reason enough to be picking him, but Brighton were also ranked 7th for xGC amongst all teams last season so there is a good chance of clean sheet points as well as attacking returns.
The one question mark over Estupiñán last season was whether he would get good enough minutes to be the pick of the Brighton defenders. He proved that his minutes were not an issue as he started the majority of games. This season could be different in that sense as Brighton now also have a European competition to juggle. Luckily, this won’t be an issue at the start of the season when Brighton have nice fixtures.
Further Read: Best £5 & £5.5 Million FPL Midfielders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Bukayo Saka
The 21-year-old had a very impressive goal involvement record last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in the league. One reason for such a high return was the number of minutes that he was on the pitch for. Of a possible 3,420, Saka played a total of 3,181 (93%) minutes. Therefore, we can be pretty confident that he is nailed on to play in the majority of Arsenal’s matches.
Arsenal were ranked in the top 5 for xG (Expected Goals) last season, meaning that they are one of the more dangerous attacking teams in the league. They also start the 2023/24 campaign with some enticing fixtures in Nottingham Forest at home, Crystal Palace away and Fulham at home.
Arsenal have a host of good attacking FPL options in Martinelli (£8.0m), Ødegaard (£8.5m) and Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m). Saka is priced at £8.5m, slightly higher than Martinelli and Jesus. However, for the extra £0.5m you get more security regarding minutes and a penalty taker which is well worth paying a premium for.
Further Read: Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 -£12.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Gabriel Magalhães
The Brazilian centre-back, who is priced at just £5.0m, is currently in around 20% of teams. In a similar way to Saka, Gabriel was very important to Arteta and Arsenal’s success last season. Of a possible 3,420, Gabriel played a total of 3,409 minutes, missing only 11 minutes all season. In fact, only four players played more minutes, three of which were goalkeepers.
Arsenal have purchased a new centre-back from Ajax, Jurrien Timber which might suggest that Gabriel’s minutes could take a slight hit. However, he typically plays in the right centre-back position and during pre-season we have seen him utilised at full-back, the positions that Saliba and White took up for most of last season. Therefore, Timber’s arrival shouldn’t impact Gabriel’s minutes.
A player that may impact Gabriel’s minutes is Jakub Kiwior. He is a left-footed centre-back that was bought from Spezia in January. We saw him used mainly when Saliba was injured towards the end of last season and he impressed. However, it is unlikely that Kiwior will take Gabriel’s place as Arteta clearly trusts the Brazilian. In Arsenal’s first three pre-season friendlies, Arteta has used his common combination of Gabriel and Saliba in the centre-back positions.
Saliba and White are both also very likely to play the majority of games but Gabriel is still the best option of the three. White is £0.5m more expensive and Saliba doesn’t have the same attacking threat as Gabriel, who had the highest xG of all defenders last season.
Summary of the 4 Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
Total Cost: £27.0 Million
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season
Pre-Season Friendlies Updates & Fixtures
2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
2023/24 Pre Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL GW1 Must Read Articles:
FPL GW1 Scout Picks Based On Stats, Analysis, And Matchups
2023/24 Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks To Consider Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL GW1 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 1 To 6
Drafts for FPL GW1:
FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland + Salah and Trent Trio
FPL GW1 Drafts with 3-4-3 Formation | 2023/24 FPL Season
Initial GW1 Drafts for the 2023/24 Season with Pros and Cons
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW1 Deadline
Four Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL Goalkeepers Analysis:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Goalkeepers at Each Price Point for the 2023/24 Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
2023/24 FPL Season Positional Analysis:
Defenders:
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
Midfielders:
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5 & £5.5 Million FPL Midfielders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £6.0 -£7.5 Million FPL Midfielders | 2023/24 Season
Mbeumo vs Mitoma vs Eze vs Diaby- 6.5. FPL Midfielders Comparison and Verdict
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 -£12.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Forwards:
Best Mid-Priced FPL Forwards (£7.0 – £8.0m) | 2023/24 Season
Best FPL Forwards in The £6.0 & £6.5M Price Bracket
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Ultimate Guide & FPL Calendar:
Ultimate FPL Pre-Season Guide & Tips for the 2023/24 Season
2023/24 FPL Season Schedule: Key Dates, Information & Timeline
Fixture Analysis:
FPL Fixture Analysis For The 2023/24 FPL Season | PL Fixtures
General FPL Blogs:
FPL Team Structure Guide- 6 Different Team Structures with Drafts, Pros and Cons
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2023/24 PL Season
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Differentials- Players To Watch Ahead Of The 2023/24 Season
FPL Budget Enablers(Top Budget Picks Position wise)
Under Priced FPL Assets from Big 6 Teams
Best Differential FPL Team For The 2023-2024 Season
Players to Avoid in FPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 1
Initial Reaction to FPL Player Price Reveals for the 2023/24 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 23/24 Season
FPL Tips and Best Practices to Have an Enjoyable FPL Season
FPL Team ID- What is it? How to get a Low Team ID for 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Team Names for the 2023/24 FPL Season
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Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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FPL Mayor
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