The 2022/23 season officially clicks into the second half when Game Week 20 begins 24 hours after Fulham host Chelsea on Thursday night.
Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Crystal Palace all play each other in a Fantasy Premier League double game week featuring difficult fixtures. However, more double game weeks are expected in the coming weeks so managers should have their thinking caps on.
As always, FootballCastle provides some of the biggest considerations for a successful DGW 20 which starts at 18:30 GMT on Friday 13 January.
Goalkeepers
David Raya (£4.6m)
Brentford haven’t been prolific with clean sheets but they represent the biggest chance of a GW20 shutout considering their opponents Bournemouth are one of the worst offensive sides in the league this season.
The Cherries rank lowest for attempts on goal, shots inside the box and big chances, making Raya a top pick given the tougher fixtures elsewhere in Gameweek 20.
Defenders
Kieran Trippier (£6.0m)
Newcastle United recorded a fourth consecutive shutout against Arsenal for their 10th clean sheet of the season while Trippier has three goals and three assists in his last 11 home appearances.
The Magpies are amidst a good run of fixtures and their right-back leads the defensive stats as well as creative metrics like crosses, chances created and big chances created amongst all FPL defenders.
Luke Shaw (£5.1m)
The Manchester United left-back’s 32 points total is the highest among all FPL defenders since the Boxing Day resumption as he kept three clean sheets in as many games including a goal against Bournemouth.
Despite a new left centre-back role, Shaw should be back to his preferred wide spot in GW 20 and he was unused in their last cup game against Charlton.
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.5m)
The Belgian wizard has been ever-present in the league since the season’s restart and he is fundamental to getting much-needed points in their DGW fixtures against United and Tottenham.
De Bruyne ranks first for assists, chances created and big chances created in the league so he’s definitely worth the outlay if you don’t already have him in your team.
Martin Ødegaard (£6.7m)
The Arsenal captain is a strong candidate for inclusion considering his recent form that has produced three goals, three assists and 42 FPL points in his last four games.
Ødegaard has already surpassed his goal contributions total from the whole of last season and he is key to unlocking a Spurs defence that has conceded nine times in their last four home matches, winning only one of those games.
Eberechi Eze (£5.6m)
The attacking midfielder has risen to Crystal Palace’s best FPL asset alongside Wilfred Zaha, but interestingly, he is 1.7m cheaper than the Ivorian winger.
Eze is top for goal attempts and chances created in their last six matches and he could hold the key to any positive result against Chelsea or United in DGW20.
Marcus Rashford (£7.0m)
Rashford has registered 27 FPL points since the resumption which is the most from any attacking player after providing three goals and an assist in the last three game weeks.
The England international is bound to rack up some points in DGW 20 as he is on a run of seven goals and three assists in six consecutive games. One of the must-haves in FPL right now.
Rodrigo (£6.3m)
The Spaniard is keeping his early-season form and he already has four shots on target since the restart, with his goal in GW19 making him the first FPL midfielder to reach ten goals in 2022/23.
Although Aston Villa are improving under Unai Emery, they have kept just one clean sheet in five matches and Rodrigo would be confident of returns after also netting in the FA Cup third round against Cardiff.
Miguel Almiron (£5.9m)
The top-scoring FPL midfielder faces a Fulham side who rank lowest in the league for big chances conceded. Almiron is arguably the most in-form player this season and he is not done despite providing nine goals and two assists so far.
Forwards
Harry Kane (£11.6m)
The England captain has been in his typically scintillating form as he sits just 17 points behind the fiendish Erling Haaland.
Kane has been overshadowed by Haaland but he has 15 goals and four assists in 18 matches as well as a great record in the north London derby with 14 goals and two assists from 16 appearances. The 28-year-old is just one goal away from equalling Jimmy Greaves as Spurs’ all-time highest goalscorer and two away from 200 Premier League goals.
Eddie Nketiah (£6.5m)
The in-form Arsenal striker has netted four times in as many starts since the World Cup break and is primed to score in GW20 against Tottenham who have conceded at least twice in seven of their last eight games.
Bryan Mbeumo (£5.8M)
If you are looking for a cheap striker, look no further than Mbeumo who has stepped up in the absence of Ivan Toney with a goal and assist against Liverpool.
The Cameroon international could notch further attacking returns against Bournemouth and you can do worse things than invest a bargain price for possible high rewards.
Erling Haaland (£12.2m)
Simply, no FPL preview article is complete without the big Norwegian.
Haaland sits as the highest-owned and highest-scoring player in the game and remains the standout captaincy option after his three goals and two assists delivered a remarkable 23 points in the reverse fixture against United.
The 22-year-old faces tricky DGW fixtures against United and Tottenham after a rest in the FA Cup third round but he is fixture-proof and can look forward to adding to his incredible 21 goals so far.
