Best budget FPL players in each position ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season
The 2023-24 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season kicks off on Friday, 11 August with champions Manchester City visiting newly-promoted Burnley. Over five million players who have registered for the new season, making it harder to finish in a decent place at the end of the season.
To make things easy for you, we have compiled a list of budget FPL options each for goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward positions. These players could give you the advantage over other players while saving money for potential big budget FPL players like Erling Haaland and Mohammed Salah. Without further ado, let's get to them.
Goalkeeper - Jason Steele - Brighton & Hove Albion (£4.5m)
At just £4.5m, Jason Steele comes in just £0.5m more than the cheapest possible option in the FPL goalkeeper position. He is owned by under 6.4% of managers, meaning any points he gets will allow you to boost your rank even more.
With Robert Sanchez signing for Chelsea this summer, Steele is set to give competition for the no. 1 spot to new goalkeeping arrival Bart Verbruggen. It's important to note that Steele managed to relegate the then no.1 Sanchez to the bench for the second half of last season.
Brighton & Hove Albion kick off their campaign with Luton Town (H), Wolverhampton Wanderers (A), and West Ham United (H). These three games come against sides who Brighton will fancy their chances for a clean sheet and with Steele in goal there could be points up for grabs.
Defender - Levi Colwill - Chelsea (£4.5m)
Levi Colwill was excellent at Brighton last season on loan and has returned to his parent club Chelsea. He will expect a starting role under Mauricio Pochettino after the Blues turned down a £30 million bid from Brighton in June. He also played over 200 minutes across Chelsea's four pre-season games.
The defender is owned by 3.1% of FPL managers, and with a low price of £4.5m he could be a great asset. After a tough start against Liverpool (H), Chelsea's next games are against West Ham (A), Luton (H), Nottingham Forest (H), and Bournemouth (A).
In fact, their next visit against a 'Big Six' side doesn't come until gameweek nine when they play Arsenal (H). If Colwill can nail down a spot in Pochettino's side he could be a cheap and easy way into a defense which has potential for lots of clean sheets. He played 17 Premier League games for the Seagulls last season and helped keep five clean sheets.
Midfielder - Bryan Mbeumo - Brentford (£6.5m)
Last season Bryan Mbeumo got more FPL points than popular picks Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish. He played all 38 league games and managed to get nine goals and eight assists in the process.
With Ivan Toney suspended until January, Brentford will need some other forwards to step up their output. In pre-season, Mbeumo converted a penalty in Toney's absence, which could make him a lucrative option.
Mbuemo is one of the more popular options on this list as he is owned by 8.8% of FPL managers but his potential compared to his price is the reason. Brentford have some favourable fixtures after gameweek one as they play Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (H), Everton (H) and Nottingham Forest (A).
Forward - Joao Pedro - Brighton & Hove Albion (£5.5m)
Many FPL managers feel Joao Pedro is severly undervalued at £5.5m. The Brazillian signed for Brighton this summer for £30m and has been impressing in pre-season, scoring two goals including one against Chelsea.
One big bonus is that Joao Pedro's two goals came in the form of penalties. If he continues to start for a thriving Brighton side with the added responsibility of penalties, he could be a easy pick up at just £5.5m.
It is just £1m more than the cheapest possible forward and he is a way to free up budget elsewhere in your squad. This could be used for another premium like Salah. Also, he has been selected by a whopping 21.8% FPL managers across the globe, making him the the third-most selected forward.