The new round of Fantasy Premier League kicks off tomorrow, and there are some big talking points ahead of this weekend.
Many people will be looking to activate their Triple Captain chip as Erling Haaland faces bottom-of-the-table Wolves at the Etihad this weekend.
Others are considering a Free Hit as Arsenal clash with Manchester United, a game that promises to be tricky for the league leaders.
Many people are also just looking to ride the wave and survive while saving up transfers this weekend.
In this article, we discuss a midfielder who could be the best premium midfield option at the moment.
We compare two expensive forwards to see which one comes out on top, and finally, we look at the forwards who are most likely to provide attacking returns at this stage of the season.
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Can anyone take the top spot away from Nathan Sanford?
FPL Gameweek 23 Deadline
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 23 deadline is Saturday, 24 January 2026 at 11:00 GMT.
FPL Gameweek 23 Fixtures
West Ham will welcome Sunderland.
Spurs are on the road to Burnley.
Fulham will be hosting Brighton.
Wolves travel to Manchester City.
Bournemouth are at home to Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest will visit Brentford.
Crystal Palace will host Chelsea.
Aston Villa are away to Newcastle.
Arsenal face Manchester United at the Emirates.
Leeds will travel to Everton.
FPL Assets Leading On Form For Gameweek 23
Let’s start by looking at the current form amongst the best FPL players for Matchweek 23 before getting into our free fantasy football tips.
(Form is a metric that’s issued on the official FPL platform, which uses a player’s average score per match, calculated from all matches played by his club in the last 30 days.)
Goalkeepers:
- Jordan Pickford is first with 6.0 points
- Caoimhín Kelleher drops to second with 5.2 points
- Alisson Becker rivals him with 4.4 points
Defenders:
- Patrick Dorgu moves to first with 8.0 points
- Gabriel Magalhães is second with 7.8 points
- Nathan Collins drops to third with 7.4 points
Midfielders:
- Florian Wirtz is tied for first with 7.2 points
- Kevin Schade rivals him with 7.2 points
- Bruno Guimarães matches them both with 7.2 points
Forwards:
- Igor Thiago moves back to first with 7.6 points
- Ollie Watkins drops to second with 5.6 points
- Mateus Mané is third with 5.4 points
FPL Managers Spend Big On Bruno Fernandes
At the start of the season, FPL managers were cautious about allocating a large portion of their budget to Manchester United players, especially their most expensive asset, Bruno Fernandes.
With players like Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, and Bukayo Saka delivering consistent FPL returns in previous seasons, selecting Bruno as one of your premium midfield options was seen as a big gamble.
Fast forward to Gameweek 23, and Bruno Fernandes has scored more FPL points than all three of the above-mentioned players, and he has even seen a price increase from £9.0m to £9.2m.
Bruno Fernandes currently has a total of 116 FPL points, and only three other midfielders have more points than him.
These include Declan Rice with 125 points, Antoine Semenyo with 122 points, and Bruno Guimarães with 120 points.
Fernandes currently has the highest xA (expected assists) among all players in the game, with 5.62, and he has not been underperforming in that metric, as he is currently the league’s leading assist provider with nine assists in 19 starts.
Bruno Fernandes also has the highest xGI (expected goal involvement) among all midfielders in the game, with 12.69.
Incredibly, Bruno Fernandes also ranks in the top 15 for defensive contributions made by midfielders this season.
It is clear that Bruno Fernandes has been in great form for the FPL managers who have owned him this season, with a tendency to provide assists, test the goalkeeper himself, and gain points from defensive contributions in the occasional match.
Despite difficult fixtures against Arsenal, Fulham, and Spurs up next for Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes is currently the most transferred-in player leading up to Gameweek 23.
Ollie Watkins Vs Hugo Ekitike
When looking at forward options that are slightly more expensive, two strikers who match up closely in FPL price and output this season are Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike.
Watkins is currently priced at £8.8m and has accumulated a total of 83 FPL points to date.
Ekitike is priced at £8.9m and has scored a total of 86 FPL points.
When looking at their performances on the pitch, who looks like the better pick going forward?
So far, Watkins has had more minutes on the pitch than Ekitike, with 22 appearances and 1661 minutes, compared to 19 appearances for Ekitike, which have consisted of a total of 1227 minutes on the pitch.
During that time, Ekitike has scored eight goals and provided two assists, whereas Ollie Watkins has scored seven goals and provided one assist.
Looking at their xG (expected goals), it seems Ekitike has been overperforming his xG of 6.46, while Watkins has been underperforming his xG of 8.46.
Watkins has had more than double the number of shots in the opposition box than Ekitike, with 25 compared to 10.
When it comes to shooting from distance, Ekitike has been braver, with seven shots coming from outside the box compared to one from Watkins.
Watkins has hit the woodwork twice so far this season, while Ekitike has hit the bar once, meaning that if those shots had gone in, they would be level on goals this season.
Their involvement in build-up play has been very similar, with Watkins having played a total of 275 passes this season and Ekitike having played 273 passes.
Ekitike has been the more active dribbler, with 47 dribbles completed compared to 36 from Watkins.
Watkins has, however, been more effective in the air, with 26 aerial duels won compared to 22 from Ekitike.
Watkins has also been caught offside more regularly this season, with the flag raised on 11 occasions compared to eight offsides for Hugo Ekitike.
With their performances having matched up so closely so far this season, it will be interesting to see which one finishes the campaign with more FPL points.
Top 10 Forwards With The Highest Expected Goal Involvement
Selecting the right forwards this season has been trickier than in other seasons, as there is really only one premium forward option who has been delivering on his price tag.
Players like Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak have not hit the heights many of us expected at the start of the season, while a few budget options have emerged as some of the best picks in attack this season.
With all of that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the forwards with the highest xGI (expected goal involvement) at this stage of the season.
Erling Haaland
xGI: 19.86
FPL Points: 165
Price: £15.1m
Ownership: 74.0%
Igor Thiago
xGI: 13.60
FPL Points: 122
Price: £7.2m
Ownership: 36.9%
Jean-Philippe Mateta
xGI: 12.68
FPL Points: 82
Price: £7.5m
Ownership: 10.3%
Ollie Watkins
xGI: 9.63
FPL Points: 83
Price: £8.8m
Ownership: 13.3%
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
xGI: 9.08
FPL Points: 91
Price: £6.0m
Ownership: 14.0%
Hugo Ekitike
xGI: 8.09
FPL Points: 86
Price: £8.9m
Ownership: 26.8%
João Pedro
xGI: 7.91
FPL Points: 92
Price: £7.1m
Ownership: 26.8%
Danny Welbeck
xGI: 7.84
FPL Points: 66
Price: £6.2m
Ownership: 4.1%
Pedro Neto
xGI: 7.57
FPL Points: 88
Price: £7.1m
Ownership: 6.5%
Viktor Gyökeres
xGI: 7.27
FPL Points: 55
Price: £8.7m
Ownership: 9.3%
Top 3 FPL Gameweek 23 Captain Picks:
- Erling Haaland vs Wolves
- Florian Wirtz vs Bournemouth
- Antoine Semenyo vs Wolves
Differential Captain Pick Of The Week
Thierno Barry
Everton’s striker Thierno Barry has been in a rich vein of form in recent weeks.
Barry has scored three goals in his last four Premier League outings and has been an excellent differential pick.
Everton have a home game against Leeds this weekend, and if they are able to create a few chances, Thierno Barry might be amongst the goals yet again.
Playing Your Free Hit?
FPL managers who are considering using their Free Hit Chip this weekend might find some value below in our FPL Tips for GW23:
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m)
DEF: James Tarkowski (£5.7m)
DEF: Jeremie Frimpong (£5.8m)
DEF: Reece James (£5.7m)
MID: Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m)
MID: Pedro Neto (£7.1m)
MID: Kevin Schade (£7.1m)
MID: Florian Wirtz (£8.3m)
FWD: Erling Haaland (£15.1m)
FWD: Thierno Barry (£5.7m)
FWD: Igor Thiago (£7.2m)
BENCH: Martin Dúbravka (£4.0m)
BENCH: Enzo Fernández (£6.5m)
BENCH: Amara Nallo (£3.7m)
BENCH: Brayden Clarke (£3.8m)
Final Thoughts
Gameweek 23 is here, giving FPL managers another opportunity to make strategic moves and capitalize on in-form players.
Fixtures will once again play a key role in decision-making.
Some teams have favorable matchups that make certain players appealing short-term picks, while others face tougher tests that may require patience and careful planning.
Keeping an eye on both form and underlying stats, such as expected goals and expected assists, can help identify who is most likely to deliver points.
Budget options remain crucial.
Players who play regularly and contribute goals or assists at a low cost provide flexibility to strengthen other areas of your squad without overspending.
Staying updated on team news, injuries, and tactical changes will ensure your transfers and captain choices are well-informed.
Gameweek 23 is all about balancing form, fixtures, and any late twists.
Making smart moves now could set you up for a strong run in the coming weeks.
Here’s to a great FPL gameweek!
