Welcome to our FPL GW23 Scout Picks blog! Last weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures produced a pretty lackluster average score of 40, meaning that many of us FPL managers finished the weekend with just 1 or 2 returns across our whole team! Our Scouts Picks faired only slightly better, scoring 42 points with returns from Raya, Gabriel and Wirtz dragging us over the line. Let’s pray for a higher scoring week in GW23…
Our Scout Picks team’s total of 42 beat out the Official Scout Picks score of just 38 in FPL GW22, meaning that we go two points clear ahead of FPL GW23.
AAFPL Scout Picks 12 – 10 Official Scout Picks
| GW1 | GW2 | GW3 | GW4 | GW5 | GW6 | GW7 | GW8 | GW9 | GW10 | GW11 | GW12 | GW13 | GW14 | GW15 | GW16 | GW17 | GW18 | GW19 | GW20 | GW21 | GW22 | |
| AAFPL Team | 62 | 58 | 57 | 68 | 34 | 60 | 77 | 67 | 58 | 73 | 39 | 52 | 59 | 82 | 58 | 82 | 77 | 40 | 32 | 49 | 65 | 42 |
| Official FPL Team | 56 | 50 | 57 | 90 | 43 | 57 | 67 | 63 | 41 | 78 | 54 | 52 | 41 | 66 | 67 | 80 | 92 | 35 | 46 | 57 | 76 | 38 |
As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, and analysis. But before we discuss player picks, let’s take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW23.
Link to all our FPL GW23 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!
FPL GW23 Fixtures
Teams to Target in FPL GW23:
- Brentford
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
Further Read: Upcoming FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 25/26 FPL Season
FPL GW23 Scout Picks
FPL GW23 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper
Sanchez (4.9m) comes into the team as Chelsea face an out-of-sorts Crystal Palace side away from home in FPL GW23. Chelsea’s new managerial appointment got off to the perfect start in the league, beating an in-form Brentford side 2-1 at home last weekend. The underlying numbers suggest that the Blues were perhaps lucky to come away with a victory, but the performance was enough to convince the FPL world that Chelsea assets are back on the table! Sanchez himself put in a MOTM performance in that game, making 6 saves and coming away with all 3 FPL bonus points (that’s an 11 point haul!).
Palace, on the other hand, are in a spot of bother. Their manager has announced he will be leaving at the end of the season and admitted he “doesn’t care” (Glasner’s own words, not mine), their best player and captain has just left, and the fans are not happy. This will be their first league home match since Glasner’s explosive press conference and the sale of Guehi, so expect the fans to make their feelings known. I doubt that such chaos will prompt a positive reaction from the Palace players…
The Eagles’ recent form is horrifying. Winless since 7th December and just 2 goals scored in their last 5 games paints a pretty bleak picture. The underlying numbers hint that many of those losses and draws were deserved, and the performances on the pitch have been pretty dire. Need I mention the loss to Macclesfield in the cup? A tale of two sides on different trajectories for this game, and we can only see it going one way. We’re backing Chelsea in this one and rewarding Sanchez’s improved performances in recent months with a spot in the AAFPL Scout Picks team.
Further Read: AK’s FPL GW23 Team Reveal & Transfer Plans | 3x Top 5K Finishes
FPL GW23 Scout Picks – Defenders
Gabriel (6.8m), Frimpong (5.8m) and Mukiele (4.4m) make up our back three for FPL GW23…
Gabriel keeps his spot. Like Haaland, Gabriel is pretty much a lock in our Scout Picks team every single week due to his reliability when it comes to FPL point scoring. He is one of the few FPL defenders that is truly a set and forget option. Goal scoring, defcon, bonus, and of course clean sheets, Gabriel truly does it all. He’s the highest scoring defender in FPL and is the 2nd highest owned (after Guehi) and is a dead set for our FPL GW23 team. Manchester United looked much improved in the derby in GW22, but Arsenal will prove a much tougher test, and Gabriel’s versatility of point scoring makes him a great option regardless of fixture.
Frimpong also keeps his spot in the team in spite of his blank against Burnley. Liverpool played fairly well in FPL GW22 against relegation-threatened Burnley but failed to come away with the win. The Reds were frustrated by a defiant Burnley low block, creating 3.18xG worth of chances from 32 shots, but scoring just one. Frimpong started at right back in that game and played a full 90′ – his attacking stats from that game are extraordinary!…
Frimpong against Burnley (FPL GW22):
- 9 Touches in Opp Box
- 3 Shots (0.24xG)
- 4 Chances Created (0.33xA)
- 0.57xGI
Those look like the stats of a forward, not of a defender! As I wrote last week, Frimpong produces massive attacking numbers regardless of his nominal starting position on the pitch, so his performance against Burnley should really have come as no surprise. 2 assists and 2 clean sheets in his last 5 premier league matches and a goal against Barnsley in the cup just last week, Frimpong is in fine form and should be considered by all FPL managers! We’re targeting this Bournemouth fixture for the Cherries’ frailties in defense rather than the LFC CS potential, and as Frimpong is, in many ways, an out-of-position attacker, he’s a great pick for this one.
Finally we have Mukiele. FPL’s 7th highest scoring defender comes into the team as Sunderland face West Ham away from home in the early kick off on saturday. The french defender is truly versatile FPL option, scoring highly in Defcon (24 points so far), attacking stats (1G/3A), Bonus Points (9), and clean sheets (6). He’s on the brink of 100 points (98) and will be keen to break into that prestigious club in FPL GW23. Fundamentally, Mukiele is a nailed-90-minute-man who regularly hits the defcon threshold and offers some attacking threat. Sunderland’s next two fixtures are great, and Mukiele is a great short term budget option in defense!
West Ham have looked improved in recent weeks, but continue to struggle when it comes to chance creation (15th for big chances created) and goal scoring (14th for goals per match). Sunderland will be looking to build on their first victory in 6 matches (against Palace in GW22) with another win in this one – and we’re backing them to do it!
Further Read: FPL GW23 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Stats & Eye Test
FPL GW23 Scout Picks – Midfielders
We’ve gone for a midfield four of Schade (7.1m), Wilson (5.9m), Wirtz (8.3m), and Semenyo (7.6m) for FPL GW23…
Wirtz comes into the team for many of the same reasons as Frimpong. The German has been in fine form of late and continued this impressive run of returns with a goal and 3 bonus points against Burnley in FPL GW22. Wirtz absolutely ran the game against Burnley and created more than enough chances to win the game for Liverpool, only for his teammates to let him down. His 4 shots and 3 chances created tell you all you need to know.
That’s now 3 goals in 5 games and 4 goal involvements in 6 games in the Prem, with 2 goal involvements against Barnsley in the cup recently too. Wirtz is a hot FPL asset right now, and looking at Bournemouth’s defensive numbers, he’s a great pick for this weekend.
Wilson comes back into the team as Fulham host Brighton on Saturday at 3 o’clock. The cottagers struggled against a Leeds side that have made Elland road of fortress, but may find joy against a very inconsistent Brighton side in FPL GW23. Brighton’s only victory since November came against Burnley at home in FPL GW20, so they are far from a side in form. While 2 draws in 2 against Bournemouth and City may look fine on paper, the Seagulls were very lucky to come away with a point in both of those games, as they conceded far more chances than they created on both occasions.
Wilson’s form has dried up somewhat since his purple patch earlier this season, though the Welshman does have 2 goals in his last 3 games, suggesting that he may have put his goal drought of 3 games behind him. Wilson has 3 goal involvements in his last 5 games, and his underlying numbers remain largely consistent with his purple patch, so now is the time to jump back on him!
Schade comes into the team due to his exceptional underlying stats and a great fixture against relegation candidates Nottingham Forest. Let’s first take a look at his recent attacking numbers:
Schade Attacking Stats (Last 3GWs):
- GW22 (Chelsea A) – 4 Shots / 0 Chances created / 0.58xGI (0G/0A)
- GW21 (Sunderland H) – 3 Shots / 4 Chances created / 1.49xGI (0G/0A)
- GW20 (Everton A) – 2 Shots / 1 Chance created / 0.99XGI (0G/1A)
The German winger has, over the past 3 GWs, been putting up world-class attacking numbers and is well overdue an FPL haul. Brentford set up in a way that plays to Schade’s abilities, launching the ball into space for Schade to chase and then either get shots off or to cut back into the box for the arrival of Thiago. With Forest visiting the G-Tech in FPL GW23, Schade looks like a great asset to target; he is certainly the 2nd best attacking asset from Brentford.
Finally, we have Semenyo. A potential captaincy option for managers looking to go against the Haaland perma-cap, Semenyo is an excellent choice in midfield for this weekends match against Wolves. City’s new signing has 2 goals and 1 assist in his 3 appearances for City so far and got his rest in mid-week against Bodo/Glimt as he is not registered for Champions league group stages meaning that he is likely to start this one.
Semenyo’s stats prior to signing for city were exceptional, and it’s great to see that he has hit the ground running in sky blue and that he is yet to be corrupted by Pep’s influence (cough cough Jack Grealish cough cough). Jokes aside, Semenyo was arguably the best player in the league for the first half of the season and he makes a great addition to City’s new-look frontline. His pace and directness will no doubt cause problems for a Wolves defense which has conceded the joint third most goals in the league so far this season.
Further Read: 2025/26 FPL Chip Strategy Guide for the 2nd Half of the Season
FPL GW23 Scout Picks – Forwards
Joao Pedro (7.1m), Haaland (15.1m), and Thiago (7.2m) complete the team…
Haaland keeps his place and the captaincy for FPL GW23. Wolves are still bottom of the league, and while we have seen a recent uptick in their form, they remain a team to target. Haaland has been out of sorts lately, but his underlying numbers continue to reassure managers that he is a key asset.
City’s striker is the player predicted to score the most points for FPL GW23 by Fantasy Football Hub’s predicted points tool, and is joined on the list of the top 10 by three other City players. The predictive models are clearly backing City for this one, so it makes sense to stick with their most dangerous and consistent attacking asset for this fixture against bottom-of-the-league Wolves.
Joao Pedro comes into the team for Chelsea’s trip to South London in FPL GW23. JP joins Sanchez in our AAFPL Scout Picks team as we target their fixture against a struggling Crystal Palace side. We explored Palace’s troubles in the GK section of this post, so we won’t go over it again here. Crystal Palace have conceded 6 goals in their last 5 matches and last picked up a home victory on 1st November, so I think we can safely say that they are by no means in form…
JP scored in Chelsea’s win over Brentford in FPL GW22, making it 2 goals in 5 matches for the Brazilian forward. His solid performance against the Bees should improve his chances of starting this match, and will surely boost his minutes prospects in the medium term too. Chelsea have scored the fourth-most goals (36) and have the fourth-highest xG (37.9), and with Palmer back fit, Rosenior has plenty of attacking options to choose from.
Finally we have Thiago. Brentford’s star striker comes back into the team for the Bees’ home fixture against a struggling Forest side in FPL GW23. Forest have conceded 8 goals in their last 5 matches, only keeping a CS against Arsenal in FPL GW22. Dyche’s side rank 15th for goals conceded and 18th for expected goals conceded, highlighting their defensive fragilities, while Brentford rank 5th for goals and 5th for xG.
Thiago has been involved in 49% of Brentford’s goals so far this season, so when the Bees score, it’s pretty likely he’ll be getting some FPL points! Considering the fixture and form, a Brentford attacking double up looks like a good option for this weekend, but if we had to pick one, Thiago is by far the best pick!
Further Read: Upcoming FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 25/26 FPL Season
FPL GW23 Scout Picks Team
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW23:
Upcoming FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 25/26 FPL Season
Top FPL Gameweek 23 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL Gameweek 23 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold, & Sell
Top FPL GW23 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of Deadline
FPL GW23 Scout Selection- Top Picks based on Stats and Matchups
AK’s FPL GW23 Team Reveal & Transfer Plans | 3x Top 5K Finishes
FPL GW23 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Stats & Eye Test
FPL GW23 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
2025/26 FPL Chip Strategy Guide for the 2nd Half of the Season
Link to all our FPL GW23 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 23 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?
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