We survey the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forwards for 2023/24 between £5.0m and £6.5m, as we continue our trawl through the price list.
Currently, the low £4.5m options offer very little hope for game time and are only popular picks because they enable a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 squad.
Those wanting either a three-man forward line or an extremely expensive midfield may be seeking someone in the £5.0m to £6.5m price range, of which there are a few candidates.
- READ MORE: Best £4.5m FPL midfielders and forwards for 2023/24
- READ MORE: Best £4.0m FPL defenders for 2023/24
- READ MORE: Best premium and mid-price FPL defenders for 2023/24
- READ MORE: Best £5.0m+ FPL goalkeepers for 2023/24
- READ MORE: Best £6.0m-£7.5m FPL midfielders for 2023/24
Opta stats on the FPL forwards featured in this article are available in our Premium Members Area, where you can now get a full year’s subscription – and lock in your price for years to come – for just £2.99 a month.
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN (£6.0M)
- Everton
- 2022/23 points: 40
- 2022/23 appearances: 15 starts, 2 sub
- 2022/23 returns: 2 goals, 1 assist
Another injury-plagued season resulted in just three attacking returns and a paltry 40 points for the Everton forward. That explains his £2m price drop but, if he has a fully-fit pre-season, there could be a bargain here. Calvert-Lewin scored 29 goals over 2019/20 and 2020/21. It’s a big ‘if’ though, isn’t it?
“He’s probably a couple of weeks away from joining back in with us because of what happened at the back end of last season. Dominic is a little bit behind the rest at the minute in terms of where he’s at but that is to be expected, we knew that from the end of last season.
“It’s not about if Dominic is going to be fit for the first game of the season, it’s can we get Dominic ‘fit fit’ and we mean really fit like he was two years ago so when we play him you go ‘oh yeah.’” – first team coach Steve Stone
As the early Everton fixtures look promising, we’ve already tipped Calvert-Lewin as a ‘sleeper’ pick. Goals were a problem for the team last time – only Wolverhampton Wanderers scored fewer – so there’s a huge reliance on the 26-year-old to keep Sean Dyche’s side away from relegation.
YOANE WISSA (£6.0M)
- Brentford
- 2022/23 points: 111
- 2022/23 appearances: 16 starts, 22 sub
- 2022/23 returns: 7 goals, 4 assists
One of 11 players to have their position reclassified by FPL, Wissa could be asked to lead the line during Ivan Toney‘s (£8.0m) suspension. Both he and Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m) – another of the 11 – excelled during Toney’s five absent games of 2022/23, with six of Wissa’s 11 goal involvements arriving in this time.
His rate of goals has actually been good for Brentford, considering the two seasons have only totalled 2,855 minutes. In that time of almost 32 full matches, there have been 14 goals.
Therefore some more regular game time, paired with the Bees sitting third on the Season Ticker for the first nine Gameweeks, has tempted one of our editorial team to include him in a first draft.
For managers favouring a 3-4-3 system or feeling overwhelmed with midfield options, Wissa is a legitimate alternative to team-mate Mbeumo.
EVAN FERGUSON (£6.0M)
- Brighton and Hove Albion
- 2022/23 points: 65
- 2022/23 appearances: 10 starts, 9 sub
- 2022/23 returns: 6 goals, 2 assists
The most-selected forward below £7.0m, Ferguson has risen in price from last season’s initial £4.5m but now has an extra body to share minutes with. Not only is there Danny Welbeck (£6.0m) and Deniz Undav (£5.5m) but former Watford striker Joao Pedro (£5.5m) has signed in a big-money deal.
Still aged 18, Ferguson was superb under Roberto De Zerbi. He netted six times from just 965 league minutes – and that’s the problem.
Even so, big things are expected of Ferguson. Brighton had more attempts (613) and shots on target (225) than any other Premier League side, kicking off this time against Luton Town (h), Wolves (a) and West Ham United (h).
TAIWO AWONIYI (£6.5M)
- Nottingham Forest
- 2022/23 points: 100
- 2022/23 appearances: 17 starts, 10 sub
- 2022/23 returns: 10 goals, 1 assist
Meanwhile, a late run of consistent starts coincided with some brilliant end-of-season form for this Nottingham Forest forward. Before Gameweek 31, Awoniyi hadn’t started more than three consecutive matches but his final four outings brought six goals and 38 points.
That late stats-skewing burst meant that, of all those to score 10+ times, he had the sixth-best minutes per goal rate (143.4). Managers may feel this momentum will continue into this campaign but, as well as hosting all three promoted teams by Gameweek 9, Forest also travel to four of the ‘big six’.
Not only that, they were last season’s worst side for shots inside the box (238) and on target (117). Clues are needed during pre-season to determine whether his closing form was a purple patch.
DOMINIC SOLANKE (£6.5M)
- Bournemouth
- 2022/23 points: 130
- 2022/23 appearances: 32 starts, 1 sub
- 2022/23 returns: 6 goals, 10 assists
On the south coast, new Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is making some impressive signings. Justin Kluivert (£5.0m) and left-back Milos Kerkez have joined, as the Bielsa-inspired Iraola promises front-footed defending that aims to press opposing backlines, harass them and force high turnovers in dangerous shooting positions.
This big-risk, big-reward philosophy ensured his Rayo Vallecano side won possession in the final third more times than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.
So if you’re centre forward Solanke, prospects suddenly look much better. His ten assists of last season were the best of all forwards. Perhaps the six goals were below-par but, in fairness, Bournemouth didn’t have a single penalty. He scored four of them during 2021/22’s Championship promotion.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
If certain teams have a clear, number-one forward emerge over pre-season, it could be of interest. West Ham’s trio of Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and Gianluca Scamacca are all just £6.0m.
Antonio seemed to have the shirt by the end of 2022/23 but Scamacca was injured. Meanwhile, both the Italian and Ings are already on two pre-season goals.
Elsewhere, Odsonne Edouard (£5.5m) was preferred once Roy Hodgson returned to Crystal Palace but it’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.0m) who is already on three friendly goals. At Sheffield United, the future of top-scorer Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) remains undecided, with just one year left on his contract.
Then there’s Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez (£6.5m). Four of his first eight league starts brought a double-digit score before things quietened during the final five. With Riyad Mahrez (£7.5m) gone and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m) possibly injured at the beginning, there could be some starts. Not enough to be relied upon, though.
WHAT RMT THINKS
Our Fantasy Premier League points projections for 2023/24 are now live for Premium Members of Fantasy Football Scout (not a member yet? Sign up here!)
If you’re torn between several early squad drafts, the Rate My Team (RMT) tool can help out by predicting how many points your own team will score over a series of upcoming Gameweeks. A breakdown of these player points can then be seen in our projections tables.
Of course, figures will be fine-tuned closer to the Gameweek 1 deadline as we learn more information.
Below, Premium Members can see the estimated highest-scoring players until Gameweek 8 but you can get the complete picture here.
1 year, 3 months agoDefenders are pretty cheap this year. Interesting.