Fantasy Premier League is stacked full of midfield maestros in 2022/23 with the game set to be won and lost in the middle.
Midfielders often play as forwards in the real world. Mohamed Salah remains the most expensive player in the entire game and has retained his midfield slot despite forming part of Liverpool’s deadly front trio.
Tottenham star and FPL favourite Son Heung-min has been given a sizeable rise and will no longer bring in huge points hauls for very little cost.
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Beyond the premium cost superstars, getting your mid-price midfielders right will be crucial in 2022/23.
You have the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Luis Diaz around the £8.0m mark and either could conceivably end up flirting around the 180-point mark if they turn up for their first full season of Premier League action.
RadioTimes.com brings you our Fantasy Premier League tips, including the midfielders you should sign for your FPL team in 2022/23.
Best FPL midfielders 22/23
Budget FPL midfielder
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester) £5.0m
The Leicester man is among the finest budget midfielders you can find in 2022/23 and looks set for a breakout season in the Premier League.
He broke into the first team last season and won over plenty of fans despite not always converting top performances into raw numbers. He played two thirds of all possible minutes and returned one goal and two assists, but he will feature more and more heavily with plenty of upside. Watch this space.
Michael Olise (Crystal Palace) £5.5m
Crystal Palace enjoyed a solid first season under Patrick Vieira and can expect continued progress in his second campaign with the club.
Olise enjoyed a productive start to life at Palace, though he was in and out of the side for most of the campaign. Despite this, he recorded two goals and six assists. His 73-point haul from just over 1,100 minutes of action proves there is plenty of potential. He is expected to be a starter in 2022/23.
Mid-price FPL midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa) £7.0m
Coutinho’s productivity rate should speak for itself. He scored five and made three assists in just 1,300 minutes of last season for an 83-point haul. If that’s what he can do in half a season, imagine where he could be with a full season under his belt.
He comes with an attractive price point of just £7.0m but has the potential of a double-figure midfielder if he stays fit and healthy.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) £8.0m
If the ICT Index is new to anyone reading this, it’s time to take it seriously. The indicator takes a range of statistics into account to effectively quantify a player’s influence, creativity and threat.
Saka weighs in at No.4 on the overall list across the entire list of players in the game based on 2021/22 stats after Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. He is £3.5m cheaper than the least expensive of those three, and the Index suggests he is one of the most creative (assists) and threatening (goals) players in the game. And now he has Gabriel Jesus to aim for.
Premium FPL midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) £12.0m
This may seem controversial, but we’re going to suggest taking KDB ahead of Mohamed Salah in 2022/23. And now we begin our defence…
De Bruyne collected 8.03 points per 90 minutes last season, compared to Salah’s 8.64, so there’s no great disparity between them on that front. It was also Salah’s second best season in FPL, while it was De Bruyne’s fourth highest.
It was also De Bruyne’s lowest season for assists during campaigns where he played 1,000 minutes or more. Salah’s 2021/22 form is pretty much the peak of what he is capable of – it would take a truly mind-boggling 2022/23 to improve – while KDB has more breathing space to grow.
Salah is also going into the year with untested Darwin Núñez and without Sadio Mane. There are uncertainties around Liverpool this season, while De Bruyne’s only major change is that he can now aim for Erling Haaland up front for City. He could be set for a stunning campaign.
Our other thought is that for £5.0m less than Salah, you can pick up Luis Diaz, who is primed for a monster year. Selecting Diaz and KDB means you can cover Liverpool and City in midfield without fearing ‘Pep roulette’. The alternative being Salah and Grealish/Foden/Mahrez, none of whom are guaranteed starters.
Oh, and KDB’s £1.0m less expensive than Salah. Either player will serve you well in 2022, and it could well be the case that Salah delivers a record-breaker, but there are plenty of reasons to be in KDB’s corner this term.
Fantasy Premier League fixtures – Week 1
- Bournemouth v Aston Villa
- Crystal Palace v Arsenal
- Everton v Chelsea
- Fulham v Liverpool
- Leeds v Wolves
- Leicester v Brentford
- Man Utd v Brighton
- Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
- Tottenham v Southampton
- West Ham v Man City
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