Fantrax EPL GW-23 Player Picks

GW-23 brings another mini-double game-week, the top-two teams Manr City and Arsenal playing each other in the midweek bonus game. Who will be sacrificed by Pep roulette? Can Arsenal bounce back after a shock defeat to relegation fodder last week? Fantasy managers have another week to observe the new players from January transfer window before a normal game week happens.

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Note: There’s just one early match to give us lineups in the countdown hour before our Fantrax deadline — West Ham hosts Chelsea FC in a 12:30 London derby, so we should see those two lineups confirmed at about 11:30 GMT on Saturday. Come back to NMA then to see those and the rest of our Pre-Deadline Chat!

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Keepers

Ederson ($10.65, Man City vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Man City)

Ederson seems like the only Citizen not affected by Pep roulette. Even Kevin De Bruyne was benched last game-week. Ederson has not gained points as expected in recent games, and he’s not the highest scorer among goalkeepers, but playing twice is a huge advantage that can cover those differences.

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Keylor Navas ($1.62, Fulham vs Nottingham Forest)

As a three-time Champions League winner, Keylor Navas is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He kept a clean sheet with multiple saves on his debut last weekend. With Forest’s current form, fantasy managers should consider Navas as long term asset. If you don’t buy now, then have him on your short list when unwinding the DGW while the barn-door remains open and his salary is still dirt cheap.

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Honorable mentions: Neto ($6.42, Bournemouth vs Newcastle)

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Defenders

Oleksandr Zinchenko ($6.05, Arsenal vs Brentford, Arsenal vs Man City)

Zinchenko is the cheapest option among the Arsenal starting back-four due to previous injuries. He is now fit and able to play the full 90 in his recent two games. Arsenal has a huge advantage this week as both their games are at the Emirates.

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Gabriel Magalhaes ($15.12, Arsenal vs Brentford, Arsenal vs Man City)

If you’re going all in on the DGW, then save cash elsewhere and get this points machine. Gabriel might be pricey at the first look, but if he can maintain his scoring in Fantrax ( >10 pts per game) since January, he will cover his cost.

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Manuel Akanji ($5.23, Man City vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Man City)

Seems like Akanji is one of the most stable defenders for City. Although Laporte and Dias are fit, Akanji was selected by Pep last game week, proving that his style suits Pep better. With his relatively low salary, Fantrax managers can consider about keeping him in long term.

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Honorable mentions (and barn-door watch-list):

• Benoit Badiashile ($3.08, West Ham vs Chelsea),
• Maximilian Wober ($2.15, Leeds Utd vs Man Utd),
• Willy Boly ($4.93, Fulham vs Nottingham Forest)

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Midfielders

Kevin De Bruyne ($17.33, Man City vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Man City)

Kevin De Bruyne was surprisingly benched last week despite there being no midweek game before or after. Although he played for only about half an hour, his impact to the game is obvious. With the DGW advantage plus rest hopefully behind him, KDB is expected to earn good points in GW-23.

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Bukayo Saka ($13.60, Arsenal vs Brentford, Arsenal vs Man City)

Saka has a track record of scoring in big games, netting five of his seven league goals against Man United, Liverpool and Brighton this season. He also provided two assists the first time Arsenal met Brentford this season. After the surprising defeat to Everton last week, Arsenal is expected to bounce back.

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Kaoru Mitoma ($8.34, Crystal Palace vs Brighton)

Mitoma is one of the most in-form players in the league, scoring a five goals in the last seven games. Mitoma is well known as a both footed player, and his late header last week makes him even more unpredictable to defenders. His recent form and salary make him a good option.

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Marcus Rashford ($14.82, Leeds vs Man United)

Man United and Leeds immediately meet again in a reverse of their midweek replacement game. The two have scored a total of 24 goals in their last five meetings. History suggests that this fixture will be a goal-fest, and Rashford is United’s main goal contributor in recent games (seven goals in eight league games).

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Honorable mentions: Bruno Fernandes ($14.52, Leeds vs Man United) , James Maddison ($11.94, Leicester vs Tottenham)

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Forwards

Erling Haaland ($23.16, Man City vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Man City)

Haaland has one off game last week versus Tottenham, failing to register a single shot for the first time since joining City. As City has a double this week, it is likely that Haaland will have shots, and with KDB returning to the starting lineup, goals are on the menu as well.

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Eddie Nketiah ($4.73, Arsenal vs Brentford, Arsenal vs Man City)

Nketiah has improved in the absence of Jesus. With his current salary ($4.73) and the double game week, there is no reason not to consider him in your team.

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Harry Kane ($22.36, Leicester vs Tottenham)

Harry Kane is now the top scorer in the history of Tottenham! He plays Leicester whose last clean-sheet was in November. Based on Leicester’s defensive record, the 29 year old striker should extend his record in this game.

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Honorable mentions: Riyad Mahrez ($8.70, Man City vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Man City), Brennan Johnson ($8.37, Fulham vs Nottingham Forest), Dango Ouattara ($2.22, Bournemouth vs Newcastle)

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How many DGW players are you loading up this game-week? Which players from January transfer window will shine in their new teams? Please log in and share your mini-DGW strategy in the comments below!

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Stats and info for this article were sourced from premierleague.com

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