Fantasy Premier League tips 2023/24: Bargains to sign
Your complete guide to Fantasy Premier League bargains you should sign in 2023/24.
Fantasy Premier League is back for another season and the deadline for Gameweek 1 is fast approaching, meaning managers all over the world will be deliberating over who’s in and who’s out of their team.
While you can’t win the Fantasy Premier League race in Gameweek 1, you could definitely lose it if you haven't got your bargain buys right, which will in turn enable you to bag those lavish premium purchases.
Of course, there's a lot to get your head around when it comes to Fantasy Premier League bargains, which aren't necessarily the cheapest players around, but rather those who offer brilliant value for their cost. 'Points per million' will be your friend this term.
Inevitably, the greatest bargains won't become clear until the new season enters a rhythm, though we can certainly make educated guesses at who will cause a scramble in the early game weeks.
RadioTimes.com brings you our Fantasy Premier League tips, including the bargains you should sign for your FPL team in 2023/24.
Read more FPL tips: FPL goalkeepers | FPL defenders | FPL midfielders | FPL forwards | FPL differentials
Best FPL bargains 2023/24
Bargain FPL goalkeepers
Alphonse Areola (West Ham) £4.0m
For £4.0m, you're not getting a lot on the goalkeeper front. There are no nailed-on starters among the ranks but Areola is a top drawer stopper with first team potential. If Lukasz Fabianski falls out of form, Areola could become a lovely pick.
Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) £5.0m
Ramsdale finished 23 points behind the top goalkeeper in 2022/23 and has a Declan Rice-shaped wall placed in front of him this term. Expect Arsenal will stiffen up and Ramsdale's clean sheet count will rise.
Bargain FPL defenders
Jordan Beyer (Burnley) £4.0m
Pushing the all chips onto a £4.0m defender is an FPL rite of passage, finding a first-team starter in this price bracket is a glorious way to guarantee at least some points from your bench. Centre-back Beyer made 30 appearances on loan for Burnley last year before signing for £13m. He's a starter.
Sven Botman (Newcastle) £4.5m
Newcastle's defensive record in 2022/23 was exemplary. It remains to be seen whether they can pick up where they left off, but signing Sandro Tonali should logically reinforce their defensive rigidity. Botman is the pick of the defensive bunch at this price point.
Bargain FPL midfielders
Julio Enciso (Brighton) £5.5m
Enciso racked up four goals and three assists from just seven starts (794 minutes) in 2022/23. The absence of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton's attacking forces opens up greater opportunities for Enciso to nail down a starting spot. At this price, he could end up being one of the bargains of the season.
James Maddison (Tottenham) £7.5m
Maddison's five seasons in FPL have been remarkably consistent with four totals between 125 and 137 and a 181 outlier in 2021/22. He has been a shining light in a waning Leicester attack, but at Spurs, he will be a crucial creative force. Free-kicks, corners, ammo supplier for Harry Kane? We're sold.
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) £8.5m
There are lots of talented midfielders around this price point, and Bruno Fernandes may be the pick of the bunch. He is £4.0m cheaper than Mohamed Salah but has potential to finish the season within a few points of him. He boasted the second-highest xGI (20.03) of all midfielders in 2022/23 – after Salah.
Bargain FPL forwards
Evan Ferguson (Brighton) £6.0m
You will put Ferguson in your FPL team before long, it's just a matter of 'when?' for this 18-year-old superstar in the making. He is growing into an outstanding asset for Brighton with six goals and two assists in just 942 minutes last season.
Extrapolating those numbers over the course of a season would put him in the 15-20 goal bracket. If he fights off competition from Joao Pedro to start, he will reap a mega harvest in 2023/24.
Folarin Balogun (Arsenal) £4.5m
Every team needs a bargain bin forward, but not all are said to be worth up to £50 million in the real world. Balogun has been linked with a shock move to Chelsea, West Ham or Crystal Palace and at that price point, he is sure to make more than a few starts. He tore up Ligue 1 with 21 goals last term and could be the ultimate bargain signing in 2023/24 if he is sold.
Fantasy Premier League fixtures GW1
Friday 11th August 2023
Burnley v Man City (8pm)
Saturday 12th August 2023
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (12:30pm)
Bournemouth v West Ham (3pm)
Brighton v Luton (3pm)
Everton v Fulham (3pm)
Sheffield Utd v Crystal Palace (3pm)
Newcastle v Aston Villa (5:30pm)
Sunday 13th August 2023
Brentford v Tottenham (2pm)
Chelsea v Liverpool (4:30pm)
Monday 14th August 2023
Man Utd v Wolves (8pm)
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
