FPL 24/25 Review – Best FPL Midfielders and Forwards

In this piece we will be looking at the best FPL midfielders and forwards.

In years gone by we would have done separate pieces on best FPL midfielders and best FPL forwards. However, we have decided to do a combined piece this year because we think its important to compare the positions and price points. For example, and spoiler alert, 6.0 is a crap price point for midfielders but a great price point for forwards.

Before I set out the best options, we are going to look at the fixtures first.

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Quick Final Note: If you’d like to join the Full 90 FPL league for the 24/25 season, and demonstrate that you’re far better than us, the code is i2fdg3. Or, here’s the direct link).

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Fixtures First

I am going to talk you through all the best options for FPL midfielders and forwards but before I do that I just want to flag fixtures.

Fixtures are, in my opinion, the most important thing in FPL. Finding a good asset in a good fixture is a great way to expose yourself to the upside of points.

To start the season, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace have the best five fixtures and in that order. Brentford, West Ham, Bournemouth, Wolves and Spurs have the worst five fixtures.

So, I am going to talk you through all the best FPL midfielders and forwards. And, highlight the ones with the best fixtures.

Niclas Füllkrug?

At the time of writing, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Niclas Füllkrug is on his way to West Ham.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1819491089520160879

If true, he is gonna come in at something like 7.0 or 7.5. I’m not going to pretend to understand what has happened to him in the Bundesliga but over 4 years he scored 45 goals in 90 games for Bremen. That’s a pretty good return. And, he has an incredible ability to score for his national team in.

However, we all know that the premier league is more difficult than the Bundesliga. And, he’s leaving Dortmund with only 12 goals across 29 games.

Best Premium Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

Starting with the obvious. Erling Haaland is the most expensive FPL player ever. And with good reason. 15.0 is a lot to pay but he will almost certainly walk away with the premier league golden boot this year again.

And the other obvious. Mo Salah is the current king of FPL and costs 12.5. The only guy on this list to break 300 points. That was a long time ago though and some have been questioning him as he ages and starts this season under a new manager. I think it is true that Mo has declined with age and I’m not sure how Slot is going to play him but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth the price tag. He’s the only asset available to break 200 points for seven years.

There is definitely a drop after them. Cole Palmer is possibly the next guy to break into the elite FPL club. He only started 29 times and he scored 244 points. On the other hand, nine goals scored were penalties and that’s not a sustainable number of penalties going forward. Do I think this guy has the potential to match Salah for 10.5? Yes. It’s just not a certainty.

And, it’s another, albeit smaller, drop to the next guy. I love Saka but he’s not got the same route to points as the guys above. He’s not as much about scoring himself. And that is still beautiful but in FPL I need points. So, the 10.0 price tag makes sense for him.

The 10.0 price tag also suits Son but for different reasons. He is the talisman at Spurs and you may not have noticed but he quietly broke 200 points last year. A lot of this came at the start of the season when Spurs were at their best. That’s something to consider when buying but I’m not sure what it means. Maybe they’ll be as bad as they were at the end of the season or maybe they’ll start hot.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

At best, you’ll be able to afford two (if Salah and Haaland) or three (if Salah/Haaland and two others) of these players when you build your squad.

For me, I can’t look past starting with Salah and Haaland for three reasons. Firstly, they are world class players on great attacking teams. Secondly, they’re easier to sell than to buy because of their price points. Thirdly, they both play a promoted side in the first two games and I want to captain them.

I need to play with some more drafts but if you go without one of Salah and Haaland I think its better to go without Haaland. Of course, you save more money but I think it also makes it easier to get the best striker from last season with a midfield of Salah, Palmer and Saka.

Best Mid-Priced Midfielders and Forwards in FPL (9.5-7.5)

There are lots of great options in this mid priced bracket which I am saying runs from 9.5 to 7.5. So, let’s start at the top with De Bruyne and Foden. I think its quite easy to say we won’t start the season with these guys after Pep said he doesn’t expect them back in training until much closer to the start of the season. At points of this season, we will be buying one or both of them because they could offer great value at that price but not yet.

Next comes the best FPL forward from last year at 9.0 – Ollie Watkins. Some of you may question this price tag but it’s entirely reasonable given he overperformed his xA by 14 assists and his xG by 2(ish) last year and that’s not sustainable. Regardless, Watkins remains a great pick. The only thing making us question that is the gameweek 2 fixture against Arsenal.

After Watkins, we have three players at 8.5. My personal favourite is Alexander Isak because his underlying numbers are just absurd. An xG of 20.22 in 27 starts and 2253 minutes. His xGI per 90 last year was only bettered by Haaland and Salah. He played 1000 fewer minutes than Watkins and scored more goals than him. If he stays fit then he’s a shout for golden boot this year.

I’m much less excited about Bruno Fernandes at Man United. It’s hard to get excited about United because they’re always a mess. Even Ten Haag had a big rant about how crap they were in their 1-0 loss to Rosenborg in their first pre-season friendly. As I said before, I think Bruno is a great player and I think that 200 point FPL asset is in there somewhere. The only question is whether he is allowed to flourish and right now I doubt that. Much better to watch and wait.

Odergaard rounds out our 8.5s here. He and Havertz at 8.0 are really well priced. They offer big savings over Saka and, whilst I think it unlikely they can match Saka, they have enough quality that they can be the guys you bring in when Arsenal have good fixtures. Unfortunately, I just don’t think their first five fixtures are that great. I don’t want them against City or Villa. But in gameweek 6 they will play Leicester, gameweek 7 Southampton and gameweek 8 Bournemouth before another poor run. So, whilst we may not start the season with them, they will be priorities in 6.

Havertz is the only 8.0 in the game so we are down to the 7.5s now. For Liverpool we can see all of their good attacking assets from last year that aren’t named Salah here. Jota, Diaz, Darwin and Gakpo. Now, Jota and Diaz are classified as midfielders so are more valuable if they nail down a spot in the Liverpool first team thanks to increased points for goals scored by midfielders. Still, I have a soft spot for Darwin. Yes, I know he misses constantly but he gets himself in great positions and that’s all Salah does too, he just does it better. Gakpo is coming off the back of a great Euros where he once again showed he can do it in orange but nothing he has shown us in the past suggests he is that guy in the premier league. Just avoid him.

Those Liverpool boys are all priced, probably a little low, because we don’t know whether they will start or get minutes but the rest of the 7.5s are pretty nailed on when fit. In midfield we have three great picks. Bowen at West Ham is practically the talisman and capable of breaking a big FPL score off this year if Lopetegui lets West Ham attack. Gordon took a huge step forward last year, I just hope he can continue it. And, Maddison, when fit, has shown consistent quality over the years.

In Attack, we have good options but I certainly favour those 7.5 mids. Mateta is at the Olympics so unlikely to be starting for Palace in the first game of the season. Toney’s future at Brentford is still unclear but it’s my opinion that he will stay as nobody will be able to pay what Brentford want for him, especially with Thiago injured. I like him as a player but 54 points off half a season of football is pretty poor. Solanke has the benefit of being a talisman but Bournemouth’s first ten fixtures are one of the worst in the league so just come back to him after that. And, finally, I don’t want to start the season with Jackson at home to Man City. I like the guy and think he can push on this year but that is a dreadful fixture. If you can look past that, the next six are great.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

This is really tough because it’s going to depend on team structure a lot. However, if you start the season without Isak I think you’re crazy. A great couple of fixtures for someone who loves to score goals. AND, legitimately a captaincy option in GW1. You might be tempted to “cover” him with Gordon but I don’t advise it because attacking coverage picks rarely work. In my current draft, I have both (and a plan to ditch at least one relatively sharpish).

After Isak, I probably favour Odegaard. Arsenal are the second best team in the league, he is coming off a free summer and he is nailed. Their fixtures aren’t great but I would be trusting in the quality of the team. If you are less risk averse than me then its probably Jota. He played very little time in the euros so is equally likely to be fit. The only question would be if he can hold down that first team spot.

And after them, Watkins of course. The guy showed last year he can score against anyone. Much to the annoyance of many an FPL manager he proved to be a set-and-forget guy. Just don’t captain him.

Best Value Midfielders and Forwards in FPL (7.0 and below)

This is the funnest part of the piece where I talk about a tonne of options. There are so many options here that I am going to break it down even further by price. So, here goes.

Best 7.0 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

The first one is simple, Julian Alvarez was at Copa America and is currently at the Olympics. That means he isn’t a pick. One to watch when Haaland or KDB get injured.

Mbeumo and Eze at Palace and Brentford, respectively, are absolutely nailed in a price bracket where others aren’t. Eze will be playing with Olise (and Mateta for a week or two at least) which you can see in two ways. On the one hand, he has lost a great teammate that improves him but on the other hand he will have to take more responsibility (and hopefully more points). If Toney left, Mbeumo would almost certainly be on pens but the injury to Thiago (see 6.0s) makes that less likely. He would be a great option if Brentford didn’t play Liverpool and Man City in their first five. One to watch later in the year.

At Arsenal we have three options for 7.0: Jesus as a forward, and Martinelli and Trossard as midfielders. If any of them were nailed we could consider them but none of them are. Martinelli is the one attracting most attention but I would warn you that his 22/23 season is an outlier for his stats and I don’t think he will repeat it.

Down the road, Spurs have Richarlison at 7.0. At points last season, he was the most valuable pick in FPL. And, if you look at his stats, if he had stayed fit, he was on for a 22 goal season. I think he is a great pick but I also don’t know for sure he starts. He is linked with a move away and I think they want to get rid of him.

Another forward is Callum Wilson who finished 7th in terms of xGI per 90 among players who played 10 or more games. When Isak is injured this guy will be a great pick but, given his injury record and a lack of champions league football for Newcastle, I can only see him playing second fiddle to Isak in the Premier League.

At Man United, we have Hojlund and Zirkzee as forwards and Marcus Rashford in midfield. Hojlund’s xGI per 90 last year was the same as Doucoure at Everton and Rashford’s was only marginally better. That’s not good. Zirkzee is an unknown. Avoid this lot for now.

Sterling finishes out this price bracket. I’m not sure he starts, he hasn’t been a good option in a few years and he’s coming to the end of his career. I hope he provides me wrong but he ain’t a pick.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

It’s an Eze one to answer… Nailed, good starting fixtures and high potential. What more do you want.

Best 6.5 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

Right, before we get into it I want to underline that you should ignore Rice, Rodri and Bruno G. They will score consistently mediocre points over the season and end up with around 150-160 points. But we don’t want that. We want to grab players who spike during their good fixtures and then move on to try and grab 200 points worth for 6.5 and a few transfers. You can also ignore Silva, Doku, Grealish and Savio as they are rotation nightmares. So, who is the best midfielder or forward in FPL at this price?

Let’s start with Lukaku to annoy my partner-in-crime. Sadly, I think he is on his way to Napoli. That means that Cunha is the only forward at this price point. I think Cunha is a good option (I hate him because he plays for Wolves but he is good). However, he’s not easy to move off given no other players at his price point in his position. And, the fixtures to start the season are dreadful. So that rules out two other good Wolves players in Hee Chan and Neto.

Let’s stay in the midlands and look at Leon Bailey at Villa. A great player who just didn’t start every game last year otherwise he would have been brilliant. Well, Diaby has been sold so I am sold on Bailey. Over in the east mids, Gibbs-White could also offer great value, particularly with Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves to start the season.

Heading further south, Spurs have Johnson, Werner and Kulusevski here. The former two had good xGI per 90 last year with hitting the same numbers as Bruno Fernandes and Werner being 10th best IN THE LEAGUE! The trouble is minutes, we don’t know who starts. And, Werner always underperforms xGI. Ignore this lot for a few weeks. 

At Chelsea, Nkunku, Madueke and Mudryk are all priced at 6.5. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have seen the FPL community is excited about Nkunku as an option and I am not going to turn you off him. Mudryk is the next best option (if nailed) but I wouldn’t go there against Man City on day one. Madueke is in the Doucoure zone.

If you want a Londoner, you need to consider Kudus at West Ham. Eight goals and nine assists last year. Although, he did significantly overperform the expected. And, the fixtures suck. Close rivals (relatively) are Mitoma who was fine last year but I’m not completely sold. Particularly as we don’t know who starts for sure.

There are three guys that were okay last season who may be good this. Garnacho looked incredible at points last season and he could do the same but more consistently this year. But, its a risk. And, if I understand Arne slot correctly, Szoboszlai and MacAllister have potential to play central attacking midfield. Let’s see if this plays out but they could be super value here.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

Can I have three? I like Gibbs-White for the immediate fixtures but after a couple fo gameweeks Nkunku and Bailey look soooo good.

Best 6.0 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

Okay, there is nobody good in midfield here. Don’t believe me? What if I told you Antony was the best option at this price? Okay, good.

So, instead of spending 6.0 on a midfielder, check out Joe’s piece on defenders to look for a 6.0 defender where there are a few good options. Alternatively, let me draw you into these fun forward picks….

DCL. Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He’s always injured. But, when he’s not. He is great. Not to start the season with but from gameweek 5 he has something like 10 good fixtures and one bad one. Love it.

Remember Muniz? Fulham play three of the worst defences in the league in their first three games. Two promoted sides and Man United. Yes, Man United suck until proven otherwise. 9 goals off 9(ish) xGI in half a season. Yes, please.

Another fun pick with good early fixtures is Chris Wood. He scored 14 goals in 20 starts and 1801 mins. A goal every 128 mins is better than Ollie Watkins’ goal every 170 mins. WTAF!? He plays for Notts Forest remember! On the other hand, that’s off 11.71 xGI (so a little overperformance) and he probably won’t keep up with last years output. Awoniyi is also a risk as he started the season when he was fit last year. So there is some risk.

If Toney leaves then Thiago or Wissa could be good. But, again, Brentford’s fixtures suck.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

It’s Muniz. The fixtures. The fixtures guys!

Best 5.5 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

At this point, we get a bit speculative. And, that you should tell you it is risky.

We should start with Joao Pedro who is the standout option in attack. 9th for xGI per 90 last season for 5.5 is so cheap. But, notice that ‘per 90’? Yeah, thats the problem. He might not be nailed. Ferguson is injured so we can have a bit more faith but Brighton also have Welbeck. If Pedro isnt nailed, he isn’t easy to get rid of. Delap at Ipswich or Armstrong at Saints could be fine but I really don’t want a promoted team striker to start the season.

In midfield there is more to choose from. Smith-Rowe and Andreas at Fulham have good fixtures. Adingra, Enciso and Minteh all have potential for Brighton. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Jacob Ramsey after his injury plagued season last year, same for Shade at Brentford. Kluivert and Semenyo have shown spells of good play at Bournemouth. As have, Elanga and Hudson-Odoi at Forest. Kamada could be the Olise replacement. And, McNeil at Everton will be the creator for Everton.

Who’s the best to start the season with?

Joao Pedro is easily the best option down here. But there aren’t many options to go to. I think it’s probably a mistake to back any of these players to start the season. If you want to go cheap, shop in the 6.0 forward market. You can always sell one for Pedro if he is good.

Best 5.0 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

I don’t think there are any people to consider besides Morgan Rogers. He barely played last year but with Diaby gone he might get more minutes. Again, I would wait and see rather than make him a priority.

Best 4.5 Midfielders and Forwards in FPL

There are no good options at 4.5, only players that will likely get lots of minutes and I suspect that Winks is the best one. This guy is just bench fodder though.

Lazy Managers Look Here

If you are lazy and cannot be arsed to read this whole piece then I’m gonna make it real simple for you. This is the list of viable options:

10.0+: Haaland, Salah, Palmer, Saka, Son

7.5-9.5: Foden, Watkins, Isak, Odegaard, Havertz, Bowen, Gordon, Maddison, Jackson

7.0: Mbeumo, Eze

6.5: Bailey, Nkunku, Gibbs-White, Kudus, Hee Chan, Neto, Garnacho

6.0: DCL, Muniz, Wood

5.5: Joao Pedro

4.5: Winks

By viable options, I mean, players that I like regardless of fixtures.  If you want to factor in fixtures, then I think this is the list:

10.0+: Haaland, Salah, Palmer, Saka, Son

7.5-9.5: Watkins, Isak, Odegaard, Havertz, Gordon, Maddison

7.0: Mbeumo, Eze

6.5: Bailey, Nkunku, Gibbs-White

6.0: DCL, Muniz, Wood

5.5: Joao Pedro

4.5: Winks

That’s It

Good luck.