The competition for places in the sub-premium midfield price bracket grew fiercer after Bukayo Saka was handed a cost of £8.5m for 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League.
Arsenal’s winger climbs £0.5m from his starting price in 2022/23 after producing career-high hauls in back-to-back Fantasy seasons.
Saka followed up his 179 points from 2021/22 with 202 points last time around, scoring 14 goals and assisting a further 12.
See: Every FPL price announced so far
Managers now face a real dilemma in the £8.5-9.0m price range, with Martin Odegaard, Bruno Fernandes, Son Heung-min and Marcus Rashford all competing for places in managers' 15-man squads.
Certainly, a favourable early run of opponents lifts the appeal of targeting the Gunners' key players for opening squads.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of Arsenal’s first six matches score only two.
Arsenal's first six matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR* |
| 1 | NFO (H) | 2 |
| 2 | CRY (A) | 2 |
| 3 | FUL (H) | 2 |
| 4 | MUN (H) | 4 |
| 5 | EVE (A) | 2 |
| 6 | TOT (H) | 3 |
*Fixture Difficulty Rating (1= easy, 5= hard)
While a cost of £7.5m for the Gunners’ new midfielder Kai Havertz could provide value, Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) can emerge as a popular pick up front.
The Brazilian delivered 11 goals and seven assists in just 24 starts in 2022/23.
Indeed, Jesus’ average of 114 minutes per goal/assist was quicker than any of Arsenal’s regular starters in midfield last season.
Value at Brighton and Everton
Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton also have kind opening schedules to lift their appeal at both ends of the pitch.
The Seagulls’ Solly March is identically-priced to his team-mate Kaoru Mitoma at £6.5m after producing his career-high 147 points under Roberto De Zerbi last season.
Having averaged 5.3 points per start in 2022/23 Fantasy, Mitoma remains their go-to attacker for a run of four home matches in the first six, hosting Luton Town, West Ham United, Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth.
Brighton’s first six matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR | GW | Opponent | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUT (H) | 2 | 4 | NEW (H) | 4 |
| 2 | WOL (A) | 2 | 5 | MUN (A) | 4 |
| 3 | WHU (H) | 2 | 6 | BOU (H) | 2 |
A cost of £5.0m also makes Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) an appealing pick in defence.
The left-back combined a goal and six assists with nine clean sheets and 14 bonus points after De Zerbi took charge in Gameweek 9.
Indeed, his total of 116 points in that period ranked sixth among defenders.
Everton’s Dwight McNeil (£5.5m) and James Tarkowski (£4.5m) can emerge as strong sources of value.
According to the FDR, three of their opening four matches score just two.
McNeil produced four goals and two assists in the Toffees’ final eight contests last season.
Tarkowski’s aerial threat can be a major weapon for Everton in their first full season under Sean Dyche.
They produced 80 shots at set-pieces after Dyche was appointed manager in Gameweek 22 last season, the third-most in the league.
Also in this series
Part 1: Haaland equals record while Salah drops
Part 2: Tricky decisions in midfield
Part 3: New role key to Alexander-Arnold rise
Part 4: Big changes for Rashford and Sterling
Part 6: Kane a tricky pick among premiums