Tipster Paul takes a look at the best players to consider from each position in FPL after the International Break.
With games resuming after the international break, let us see who the top FPL picks are for GW9.
Forwards
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland | MCI | vs MUN | 12.1M | He is first in the league for xG (7.34), goals scored and for fantasy points scored, seems to be no1 forward and plays for no1 team in the league. |
| 2 | Ivan Toney | BRE | @BOU | 7.3M | The best fixture on paper Brentford talisman with eight returns in the same number of GWs. I can see him get a double-digit return this week. |
| 3 | Harry Kane | TOT | @ARS | 11.4M | Even though Arsenal is a tough fixture on paper, Kane has one of the best records in the league against them, with 13 goals in 15 games. |
| 4 | Aleksandar Mitrović | FUL | @ARS | 6.6M | Second for xG ranking behind Haaland, in the form of his life, a bully against the opposition defenders also has something to prove to Newcastle. |
| 5 | Callum Wilson | NEW | @FUL | 7.2M | Wilson is one of the best forwards in the league when he is not injured. With Isak picking an injury, it seems that Wilson is back in the first 11 against a leaky Fulham. 0.7% owned can be a pretty good differential this GW. |
Midfielders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohamed Salah | LIV | vs BHA | 12.9M | Salah is against Brighton with a new manager. If Potter would still be there, then Salah won't be my #1 pick, but De Zerbi is known to play an open style of football, and I think Salah can take advantage of that, plus Thiago is back, which I think is a big deal from Liverpool. |
| 2 | James Maddison | LEI | vs NFO | 8M | Maddison is against the weakest team in PL for xGC, is on a great run of form, and is Leicester's talisman lately. Also, Leicester needs to start winning to get out of the relegation zone. |
| 3 | Kevin De Bruyne | MCI | vs MUN | 12.3M | The best "creator" in the PL right now and tops the charts by far for xA and BCC. The fixture is not ideal, but in a derby match, anything can happen. You can back him with the form he is in and with Haaland up front to finish his passes. |
| 4 | Son Heung-min | TOT | @ARS | 11.7M | Son seems to be back on track after a rough start of the season with a hat trick in the last game and a couple of goals for Korea. Son seems to be again the previous year's "rank killer." |
| 5 | Jarrod Bowen | WHU | vs WOL | 8.1M | He has underperformed until now, even though he looked good on the pitch, and did not return at all since the start of the season. With him being let out of England squad for the last few games, I can see him trying to get back on track in the last games before WC. |
Defenders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reece James | CHE | @CRY | 6M | James seems to be nailed at RWB, and along with Potter joining Chelsea, he might play even higher up the pitch. |
| 2 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | LIV | vs BHA | 7.4M | I really like the matchup for Liverpool, and I can see Brighton open up more at De Zerbi's first PL game, and Liverpool can take advantage of that. |
| 3 | João Cancelo | MCI | vs MUN | 7.2M | Cancelo doesn't have the numbers from last season and his position seems to have changed a bit, but he is nailed for the best defense in the league, and even if not like last year, he still gets attacking returns. |
| 4 | James Justin | LEI | vs NFO | 4.3M | I love this matchup, and I think Leicester will show up on Monday. Besides a potential clean sheet, I can see an attacking return for Justin this GW. |
| 5 | Vladimir Coufal | WHU | vs WOL | 4.4M | West Ham is welcoming one of the worst attacking teams in the league. They haven't scored more than one goal in any of the games this season and also failed to score in three out of seven games. |
Goalkeepers
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Raya | BRE | @BOU | 4.5M | Playing against by far the worst attacking team in the league. |
| 2 | Łukasz Fabiański | WHU | vs WOL | 5M | Wolves are struggling to score, and Fabianski should keep a clean sheet here. |
| 3 | Ederson | MCI | vs MUN | 5.5M | |
| 4 | Alisson Becker | LIV | vs BHA | 5.4M | |
| 5 | Nick Pope | NEW | @FUL | 5.2M | A cleansheet might not be on the table, but some saves for sure. |
You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 22/23 season here.
A football, F1 and American football enthusiast, Paul also loves to play every fantasy game there is with two top 5K finishes in the last two FPL seasons to boast.