Fantasy Premier League forwards are among the most important position – with FPL points a-plenty up for grabs if you pick the right players
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Fantasy Premier League forwards rely heavily on their goal-scoring ability to contribute to your weekly FPL score, a fact that is obvious as the a’s in Erling’s surname. What is not always obvious is that goals do double-duty for forwards who need to contribute a goal or an assist to have any chance at adding bonus points to their score each week.
This is the reason many a savvy FPL manager elects to dole out sizable sums to ink one marquee name capable of hitting 20+ goals in a campaign, leaving only scraps to fill in their other two forward slots. While you’re required to buy three forwards in your fifteen players, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for two lots of dross just to fund your luxury prize. Assuming nearly every manager will end up with one of Erling Haaland (£11.5) or Harry Kane (£11.5) or Cristiano Ronaldo (£10.5), there are still ample funds available to acquire one mid-tier forward and one £4.5 basement-dweller or split the difference and pick up a couple of £6.0 options.
In either instance, you’ll find all the information you need to make the best buying decision at each of the lowest price points available this summer.
Fantasy Premier League's best-value FPL forwards:
1. Patson Daka (£6.0m)
Patson Daka (£6.0) finished his first season with the Foxes with 11 goals in all competitions but just five of those in his 1,159 minutes on a Premier League pitch.
The Zambian striker’s most prolific scoring run came in the Europa League where he bagged five goals in six appearances, showing the same sparkling form which netted 24 then 27 goals in back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga campaigns. In all, Daka put 24 of 51 shots on target and averaged 1.86 shot-creating actions per 90 in his 23 Premier League appearances; he clearly has an eye for goal and a knack for creating a chance, the only question is when he puts it all together again.
Given the hype surrounding his transfer and final two seasons with RB Salzburg, it’s easy to forget that Daka is only 23, a very young player who could still be bagging braces in the King Power 12 years from now like the legend Jamie Vardy. Of course, for him to get that opportunity the Vardy Party needs the last call, um, called.
2. Dominic Solanke (£6.0m)
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The £6.0m tier has more than one good option and a handful of established top flight forwards, but don’t overlook the promoted sides.
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For the past two years, Dominic Solanke has been crushing Championship opposition scoring 15 goals with eight assists in 2020/21 and then obliterating his newly-established career marks by scoring 29 goals and seven assists to secure the Cherries a second-place finish and return to the top flight. A price of £6.0m is high for a player without a Premier League track record, but Solanke’s been scoring since he was 17 and bagging goals for Vitesse in the Eredivisie.
He’d have topped Daka as the best at the price if Bournemouth didn’t face a brutal opening run including City, Arsenal and Liverpool in GW2 to GW4. Starting August 31 at home to Wolves, however, 'Goalanke' has a run of favourable fixtures all the way to the World Cup break.
3. Odsonne Edouard (£5.5m)
If you’d prefer to save half a million, Crystal Palace forward Odsonne Edouard (£5.5m) is your man.
Following four outstanding years leading the line for Celtic, Edouard settled well in England scoring six Premier League goals with three assists in less than a half-year of minutes (1,564). Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke, meanwhile, are a year older and haven’t been potent goal threats in recent years.
Wilfried Zaha (14 goals) was the only Eagle to outscore Edouard last term, giving Patrick Vieira all the necessary motivation to find 30 starts for his 24-year-old compatriot this term.
4. Julio Enciso (£5.0m)
There are only three forwards currently priced £5.0m – and the most interesting option is the youngest, 18-year-old Julio Enciso newly signed at Brighton.
The kid scored 11 goals and three assists in 14 starts for Libertad in Paraguay’s Primera Division last season and joined a team which used 12 different players aged 23 or younger in 2021/22, including 19-year-old Moisés Caicedo.
It’s unlikely that Enciso is a regular starter this season but pickings at this price are slim and the teenager already boasts a handful of full caps for Paraguay, giving him experience if not the age to go with it.
5. Sam Greenwood (£4.5m)
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The lowest price tier £4.5m is most often valuable to generate a bit of extra income, helping grow your budget if not your final score. With that in mind, adding Sam Greenwood (28.4% selected at time of writing) makes a lot of sense.
The England U-21 forward has been bagging regularly for Leeds' U-23 side. In 2020/21 he scored 12 times in 18 appearances, adding another eight goals and five assists in 17 appearances last season. You may have heard that Raphinha has signed for Barcelona – and you likely know he led the Whites in Premier League goals last season with 11. You may not know his three assists were second on the club or that his 14 goals and assists accounted for a third of Leeds’ total scoring; that his 85 shots and 21 on target both paced the club as did his 3.97 shot-creating actions per 90.
The next best thing for you after Raphinha might be the next best thing for Leeds. Right now, that looks to be Greenwood.
John Wallin, aka @fantasygaffer, began writing about Fantasy Premier League in 2010 and now has appeared in print, podcasts and on television. John co-founded the cult favorite Fantasy Premier League draft platform Togga and has hosted the Bang Average Podcast with Ryan (@FantasyYIRMA) and Mike (@BangAverageMike) since the 2017/18 season.
