Fantasy Football

FPL best forward picks: Gameweek 5 complete budget, differential and premium tips

By Andrew Francis

Published: 9:30, 15 September 2023

Goals mean points in FPL so getting the best strikers in is vital. We’ve looked at the numbers ahead of Gameweek 5. 

Using our new FPL rating system — Squawka Score — we are providing you with our top recommendations for selection heading into Gameweek 5.

What is Squawka Score? You can learn more about how we devised our fantasy football ranking system here.

Best FPL forwards
Top forward pick for Gameweek 5
Best cheap forwards for Gameweek 5
Best forwards with easy fixtures

Best FPL Forwards

Here are the top 10 Premier League forwards based on their FPL Squawka Score from the 2023 calendar year.

Player FPL Squawka Score 23/24 Team 23/24 FPL Price
Erling Haaland 76% Man City 14.1
Gabriel Jesus 70% Arsenal 7.9
Callum Wilson 69% Newcastle 7.8
Eddie Nketiah 63% Arsenal 5.6
Ollie Watkins 62% Aston Villa 8.0
Alexander Isak 61% Newcastle 7.7
Danny Welbeck 60% Brighton 5.8
Cody Gakpo 60% Liverpool 7.3
Evan Ferguson 52% Brighton 6.0
Yoane Wissa 50% Brentford 6.2

Top forward pick for Gameweek 5

In our Differential Duel feature, we look for a player who scores well on our system but is not being selected by most FPL managers.

We will then pit that player against a comparable asset who is being widely selected and it’s on you to make the all-important final decision.

Ahead of Gameweek 5, we take a closer look at Crystal Palace’s Odsonne Edouard (2.6% ownership) and Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea (19.3%)

Edouard has taken Selhurst Park by storm this season, scoring three goals in four games and picking up 24 FPL points. The loss of Wilfried Zaha may have been a blow to Crystal Palace but it could also be the catalyst for a big season for Edouard.

Costing 1.7m more than the Frenchman, Nicolas Jackson has failed to arrive at Stamford Bridge with the fanfare he would’ve liked. He’s found the net just once, picking up 10 FPL points along the way, struggling to adapt to the Premier League.

Could you pick up a big saving this week and transition from West London to South?

Here’s how their per 90 stats from 2022/23 compare on our Comparison Matrix

Best cheap forwards for Gameweek 5

We have run the numbers from 2023 through our Squawka Score super computer to find some budget forwards ahead of Gameweek 5.

Here are our recommendations.

The best 5.5 picks for 23/24 FPL

  1. Odsonne Edouard, Crystal Palace (41%)
  2. Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace (36%)
  3. Neal Maupay, Brentford (33%)

The best 6.0 picks for 23/24 FPL

  1. Danny Welbeck, Brighton (60%)
  2. Evan Ferguson, Brighton (51%)
  3. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton (39%)

Best forwards with easy fixtures

You more than likely have a pretty good idea of who you want leading your line this weekend, but we have one more factor for you to take into consideration.

Combining the numbers on the FPL’s official Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) with our Squawka Score system, we have determined below the best forwards to pick from each club with what is considered an ‘easy’ match this Gameweek.

Team Top pick FPL Squawka Score 23/24 FPL Price
Arsenal Gabriel Jesus 70% 7.9
Aston Villa Ollie Watkins 62% 8.0
Burnley Lyle Foster* 5.0
Chelsea Nicolas Jackson* 7.2
Fulham Raul Jimenez 26% 5.4
Liverpool Cody Gakpo 60% 7.3
Luton Carlton Morris* 5.5
Nottingham Forest Taiwo Awoniyi 40% 6.6
Spurs

*Does not qualify for a Squawka Score because he has not yet met the minimum Premier League minutes played threshold for 2023.

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