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The long wait for FPL managers comes to an end, as the 23-24 season of the Premier League is set to get underway this weekend.
Erling Haaland was the most prized FPL asset last season, and he has been priced at £14.0 million, boasting of an 87.3% ownership, numbers unheard of at the start of a season.
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Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane are priced at £12.5 million, but the combined ownership of these two players is still less than half of Haaland's. The uncertainty surrounding Kane's future and a more balanced team structure without Salah are the reasons why a lot of FPL managers seem to be going with Haaland as their sole premium pick.
The £8-9 million price point seems to be the most popular for midfielders, with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Gabriel Martinelli falling into this category.
The £6.5 million midfielder category is another important one, with Eberechi Eze, Bryan Mbeumo, Moussa Diaby, and Kaoru Mitoma the major players.
There's a lack of quality forward options apart from Ollie Watkins, Gabriel Jesus, and Erling Haaland, with the likes of Toney and Mitrovic no longer viable picks. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold, while still classified as a defender has been priced at £8.0 million, and it remains to be seen whether he justifies that price.
Setting one's FPL team for Gameweek 1 is one of the toughest parts of the season, and managers should be tinkering with their drafts till the last minute of the deadline on Friday evening BST.
Gameweek 1 Deadline: Friday, August 11 at 06:30 pm (BST)/ 11:00 pm (Indian Standard Time).
FPL Gameweek 1 Fixtures
GW 1 of the 23-24 PL season begins with Burnley taking on Manchester City at Turf Moor on Friday night. Arsenal's home game against Nottingham Forest and a St. James Park clash between Newcastle and Aston Villa are the pick of Saturday's games.
Chelsea and Liverpool meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. The Gameweek ends with Wolves' visit to Old Trafford on Monday night.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 1
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (GK) (EVE) (£4.5 m), Matt Turner (NFO) (£4.0 m)
Defenders: Gabriel (ARS) (£5.0 m), Ben Chilwell (CHE) (£5.5 m), Luke Shaw (MUN) (£5.5 m), Pervis Estupinan (BHA) (£5.0 m), and George Baldock (SHU) (£4.0 m)
Midfielders: Bukayo Saka (ARS) (£8.5 m), Gabriel Martinelli (ARS) (£8.0 m), James Maddison (TOT) (£7.5 m), Bruno Fernandes (MUN) (£8.5 m), and Jack Grealish (MCI) (£7.5 m)
Forwards: Divin Mubama (WHU) (£4.5 m), Erling Haaland (MCI) (£14.0 m), and Ollie Watkins (AVL) (£8.0 m)
Like most FPL managers, I'm not yet settled on a final team, but this is the draft I feel the most comfortable with, and the most important part is: no Mohamed Salah.
Whether or not teams have the Egyptian has been the main point of contingency in different FPL teams. I've opted not to get him because of the more affordable ARS and MUN midfielders available at a significantly lesser price point.
I'm backing the goalkeeper pairing of Jordan Pickford and Matt Turner. USA number 1 Matt Turner is the most nailed-on £4.0 million goalkeeper after his move to Nottingham Forest and is a must-have. I'm going for Pickford over the other keepers in this price bracket due to his high potential for bonus points whenever he keeps a clean sheet.
James Maddison and Jack Grealish are the main differentials in my team, with the latter especially not being spoken about much despite being very popular toward the end of last season.
With the Kane saga about to reach its conclusion, it will have a major impact on Maddison's appeal as an FPL option. If Kane leaves, Richarlison at £7.0 million would become a much better pick. If he stays, Maddison could prove to be a gem of a pick.
As for Grealish, he's more nailed on than Phil Foden, the other main FPL midfielder to consider from Manchester City. He also started most of Manchester City's pre-season games and looks good for minutes in the first half of the season.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Bruno Fernandes are some of the best midfielders in the game, and there doesn't need to be much explanation for picking them. The same goes for the selection of the defensive trio of Luke Shaw, Pervis Estupinan and Gabriel.
Ben Chilwell is my Chelsea FPL asset of choice. Named the team's vice-captain and a lock at left-back, Chilwell was very attacking throughout pre-season and looks set to continue in that vein.
George Baldock looks nailed-on in that RWB position, with Jayden Bogle out for quite a while at Sheffield United. He's a solid budget defender at £4.0 million.
Moving on to the forwards, there seems to be a lack of options apart from Erling Haaland, with the uncertainty around Kane keeping FPL managers from him.
With Ivan Toney out till January, Watkins is the first-choice striker to partner Haaland on most teams. He had a terrific pre-season, and with a decent opening schedule for Aston Villa, Watkins will look to hit the back of the net. Divin Mubama is an interesting option to have as a £4.5 million bench fodder.
I'm pretty comfortable with this draft, but I am still open to making some changes, especially when it comes to Grealish, Maddison and Watkins. The start of every FPL season is full of hope and belief, and I'm hoping for my best FPL campaign to be this one.
Gameweek 1 - FPL captaincy
You'd expect most Erling Haaland owners to captain the Norwegian, and with an ownership of more than 87%, you can only imagine how high his effective ownership will be. However, I've never been one to let effective ownership have a say in my captaincy decisions, and I intend to continue that way this season.
That's why Bukayo Saka is the option I'm favouring for FPL captaincy in Gameweek 1. Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest at the Emirates and will want to start their season with a dominant performance. Saka got injured and was taken off early when the sides met at the venue last season. He's likely to have more of an impact on this game.
Saka's had a great pre-season. He's in good form. He's on penalties. He has a good fixture, and also gets an extra clean sheet point. I'm backing him to deliver the captaincy points in GW 1.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 1 - Summary
Starting XI
GK - Jordan Pickford (EVE) vs FUL (H)
DEF: Gabriel (ARS) vs NFO (H), Luke Shaw (MUN) vs WOL (H), Pervis Estupinan (BHA) vs LUT (H)
MID: Jack Grealish (MCI) vs BUR (A), Gabriel Martinelli (ARS) vs NFO (H), Bruno Fernandes (MUN) vs WOL (H), Bukayo Saka (ARS) vs NFO (H), and James Maddison (TOT) vs BRE (A)
FWD: Erling Haaland (MCI) vs BUR (A) and Ollie Watkins (AVL) vs NEW (A)
Formation: 3-5-2
Bench: GK - Matt Turner (NFO) vs ARS (A), 1st Sub: Ben Chilwell (CHE) vs LIV (H), 2nd Sub: George Baldock (SHU) vs CRY (H), 3rd Sub: Divin Mubama (WHU) vs BOU (A)
Chips activated: None
Captain: Bukayo Saka | VC: Erling Haaland
