RADIO
Welcome to the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season, RotoBallers! We began our FPL coverage two years ago and are going big for the upcoming campaign. We will have position previews, team previews, and reactions to the most significant transfers in the preseason. Then, during the year, we will bring you our usual Staff Roundtable, weekly rankings, and a new monthly article: the Watchlist.
The game launched on July 5 and all the prices are revealed. Today, we continue our team previews with Aston Villa as we work through the EPL teams, looking at what catches our eye and their FPL outlooks.
The first game of the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season is August 11 at 3:00 PM ET. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
FPL Team Previews: Aston Villa
After 11 games last season, Aston Villa sat fourth from bottom with nine points. They parted ways with Steven Gerrard and brought in former Arsenal and Sevilla manager Unai Emery. Over the final 27 games, Villa was the fifth-best team in the league. Now, in their second season with Emery, Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey, Tyrone Mings, and others will look to take the next step as they simultaneously deal with the Premier League and the Europa Conference League.
Last Year's Aston Villa Stats
- League Finish: Seventh, 61 points
- Most goals: Ollie Watkins, 15 goals
- Most assists: Ollie Watkins and Jacob Ramsey, 8 assists
- Most FPL Points: Ollie Watkins, 175 FPL points
Who is your favorite Aston Villa defender for the upcoming FPL campaign?
- Tyrone Mings deserves praise for his accomplishments last season, yet he still came in at a lower-than-expected £ 4.5 million for the 2023/24 campaign. After the World Cup break, Mings was the fourth-highest-scoring defender in the game thanks to a goal, two assists, and nine clean sheets. We just have to look out for any incoming transfers over the next month as there are rumors circling that Unai Emery wants to upgrade the center of his defense.
Which Aston Villa midfielder is catching your eye?
- It would've been Jacob Ramsey, but he's out until September after suffering an injury at the Under-21 European Championships. Therefore, my attention shifts to Douglas Luiz. The midfielder is £5.5 million this year but could've easily been £6 million. Among midfielders priced below £6 million last season, Luiz was tied for fifth with 13 attacking returns. With Ramsey out of the picture, there will be more room for the Brazilian to shine in Unai Emery's squad.
Among midfielders priced £6.5M and below this year, Douglas Luiz produced these stats after the World Cup.
🟣 2nd in points (105)
🟡 7th in goals (5)
🔵 9th in Assists (5)Only £5.5m this year, and Jacob Ramsey will miss the first month. #FPL #FPLCommunity pic.twitter.com/wNguoDIVTE
— Euan Leith (@EuanOrYouOut) July 11, 2023
The Aston Villa forward who will be bagging us some FPL points is...?
- It looked like a dark cloud was lifted from Ollie Watkins when Steven Gerrard was sacked. In the first 11 games under Gerrard, Watkins had one goal and two assists. However, once Emery came to Aston Villa, Watkins' output increased. Over the final two-thirds of the season, Watkins added 14 goals and six assists. From Gameweek 12 to the end of the year, his 143 FPL points trailed only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland at the forward spot. We should expect that form to carry over.
What run of fixtures favors Aston Villa the most for the 2023/24 FPL season?
- Over the first 10 gameweeks, Aston Villa has the sixth-easiest schedule for their defenders. Tyrone Mings, Alex Moreno, and Matty Cash should be popular as your squad's third or fourth defenders. Gameweeks 5-10 are especially tempting with four games against teams that placed in the bottom-eights for goals scored last season and a home game against newly promoted Luton Town.
How many Aston Villa players will you have in your Gameweek 1 squad?
- I'll watch Villa closely in the preseason to see how all their pieces fit together with a full summer under Unai Emery. However, unless something catches the eye, the maximum I'll have is two, but it's more likely to be one from the defense. Alex Moreno at £5 million could come in later for that Gameweek 5-10 run, but Tyrone Mings for £0.5 million less is likely the safe play. Matty Cash will also be in my thoughts if he looks extra-attacking in the exhibitions.
What is one bold FPL prediction for any Aston Villa player?
- Youri Tielemans (£6 million) is the highest-scoring midfielder for Aston Villa. After abandoning the sinking Leicester City ship, the 26-year-old will thrive under Unai Emery. The Belgian is a lock for any starting XI the Villans put out on the weekend and will be looking to make his mark and match his career-high 133 FPL points he racked up during the 2021/22 campaign.
