Best FPL Forwards for April

After two weeks off, it’s now time for FPL and the Premier League to take center stage again. As you assess the damage the international break inflicted on your roster and size up opportunities for squad improvements, you may decide you need to make changes in your forward line. As you ponder your transfer options, we’ve put together a list of Best FPL Forwards for April to help you decide.

For even more picks for the weeks ahead, see our articles on midfielders, defenders, and GKs as well.

Harry Kane (£11.8, TOT)

What a season King Kane is having. It took him just 27 starts to hit 20 league goals, placing him #2 for for scoring, and he is also joint-second for assists among forwards. He has four goals over his last four games and has never gone two games in a row without an attacking return this season.

Spurs play just six games in April vs seven or eight for many other clubs, but if fit Kane is guaranteed to start every one of them, and you won’t have to sell or bench him for the blank that other clubs have in GW-32. So even though he’s the fourth most-expensive asset in FPL, his regularity of returns and certainty of starts makes him worthy of a spot on your roster for April.

~

Darwin Nunez (£8.8, LIV)

Nunez has accumulated four attacking returns over his last five starts and has been a major factor in Liverpool’s recent revival — ‘Pool won four of those five games.

Liverpool is no longer involved in any domestic or European tournaments, so securing Champions League qualification for 2023-24 is now Jurgen Klopp’s singular aim, and he’ll be able to start his best 11 for every league match without much concern for rest and rotation.

The Reds are slated for eight games next month, a period during which the Reds have doubles in GWs 29 and 34 and no blanks. Nunez is a Klopp favorite, so with no need for the gaffer to conserve him for other competitions, we expect the Uruguayan to see at least as many minutes next month as most of the league’s other forwards even if he is handed a breather or two.

~

Alexander Isak (£6.7, NEW)

Isak is the hottest forward in FPL, notching a brace in his last game and contributing an assist in the one prior to propel himself above Kane and Haaland on the form chart.

We think these performances will keep Callum Wilson rooted to the bench for the coming weeks, during which Newcastle plays a double in GW-29 [Manchester United (H) + West Ham (A)], followed by Brentford (A), Aston Villa (A), Tottenham (H), Everton (A), and Southampton (H). The tie with Spurs comes in GW-32, when four other clubs blank.

Despite his recent production Isak’s ownership still stands at just 3.4%, so we believe he makes for an attractive and inexpensive differential for the weeks ahead.

~

Ivan Toney (£7.9, BRE)

Toney has made a mockery of his price tag this season. Among forwards, he trails only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland in points production, with 16 goals and four assists from his 25 starts, and only Kane has accrued more bonus points. Yet the Brentford man is available at a 25% discount to the price of those other two superstars.

Toney has a double this week, traveling to Brighton and Manchester United, and then it’s Newcastle (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (H), Chelsea (A) and Nottingham Forest (H). He’ll face some stingy defenses during that run, but he’s pretty good at scoring against tough teams — he’s already rippled the net against Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle this season, and actually hit a brace against Manchester City.

There is the small matter of Toney’s looming suspension for violating the FA’s betting rules, but given his production we advise you to ride the Toney train until it leaves the tracks.

~

Ollie Watkins (£7.5, AVL)

FPL’s #4 forward has really caught the eye in recent weeks. In his last eight matches, Watkins has delivered eight goal contributions, netting six times and assisting twice. Only once over that stretch did he fail to produce an attacking return.

April’s fixtures are a mixed bag for Aston Villa. They double in DGW-29, hitting the road to visit Chelsea and Leicester. After that it’s Nottingham Forest (H), Newcastle (H), Brentford (A), Fulham (H), and Manchester United (A). Nevertheless, Watkins has been a consistent performer for months, and we don’t see that changing.

~

This is an article on forward picks, so naturally we’ve got to mention Erling Haaland (£12.0, MCI). But this time we feel compelled to explain why we’re not picking him. The top points-producer in all of FPL, the big Norwegian has put up a ridiculous 28 goals in 25 starts and is joint-second for assists among forwards.

But we advise caution for April. Although City does have a double in GW-34, they also have a blank in GW-32, so they are scheduled for only six league games next month. No club has fewer, and twelve clubs have more. Worse, City plays two Champions League fixtures plus an FA Cup semifinal in April — three crucial matches that Haaland is likely to start. Pep Guardiola is notorious for his penchant for rotation, so we can expect the bald fraud’s roulette wheel to spin furiously next month.

It’s true that few players in the league can rival Haaland’s explosiveness. He has notched a brace or better seven times this season, and has put up more than six points on nine occasions. Averaging a staggering 7.8 ppg, it’s entirely possible that Haaland could score more points in three or four games than most other forwards will in seven or eight. So we can’t fault you if you’re one of the 75.4% of FPL managers who already owns him and you decide to hang on through some almost-certain benchings next month.

For us though, his high price makes that strategy prohibitively risky. We’d rather use that big chunk of cash on some other promising (and cheaper) fantasy forward who is returning well and has better odds to start every league game on the April calendar. YMMV.

There you have it folks, our FPL forward picks for the month of April. We hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to share your thoughts with us, and don’t forget to take our poll!

~