FPL best midfielders: Budget, differential and premium tips for Gameweek 2

A strong midfield can be the difference between mid-table mediocrity and FPL superstardom, so you’re in the right place if you’re looking for tips that could propel you to the top of your mini leagues. 

Among the higher point-scorers in FPL are the players who pull the strings from the middle of the park, whether they excel in making or taking goals.

Our FPL rating system — Squawka Score — has been engineered to identify the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, judging a player’s output per 90 minutes for a group of specifically selected stats.

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

If you think you can beat our FPL boffins, you can join the Squawka Challenge League here.

Best FPL midfielders
Top midfielder pick for Gameweek 2
Best cheap midfielders for Gameweek 2
Best midfielders with easy fixtures

Best FPL Midfielders

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

Top midfielder pick for Gameweek 2

Every week, we will bring you a Differential Duel to highlight a player who both ranks well according to our Squawka Score system and isn’t being picked by the vast majority of FPL managers.

We will then crunch the numbers and pit the chosen differential against a comparable asset who is proving popular — it is then on you to choose your fighter.

This week, we are comparing Liverpool team-mates Luis Diaz (7.8% ownership) and Mohamed Salah (29.1%).

Understandably, Salah is one of the most popular and high-value players in FPL at £12.5million. But for just shy of £5m less, it may be worth considering swapping him for Diaz — goalscorer at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend — who has plenty to prove this season after missing a large chunk of last term through injury.

Here’s how their stats compare on our Comparison Matrix. 

Best cheap midfielders for Gameweek 2

We all want to load up on premium picks, but your £100million budget must always be in the back of your mind.

This is where bargains come in handy to balance out your squad. Using our Squawka super computer, we have picked out some budget midfielders for consideration who fare best according to the key fantasy football metrics. Where a Squawka Score cannot be provided, players did not reach the minimum Premier League minutes threshold for the calendar year 2023. Scores will be available from Gameweek 6.

The best 4.5 picks for 23/24 FPL

1. Carney Chukwuemeka, Chelsea (N/A)
2. Shandon Baptiste, Brentford (23%)
3. Elliot Anderson, Newcastle (N/A)

The best 5.0 picks for 23/24 FPL

1. Jacob Murphy, Newcastle (66%)
2. Harvey Elliott, Liverpool (51%)
3. Sean Longstaff, Newcastle (41%)

The best 5.5 picks for 23/24 FPL

1. Julio Enciso, Brighton (68%)
2. Willian, Fulham (50%)
3. Anthony Gordon, Newcastle (50%)

The best 6.0 picks for 23/24 FPL

1. Said Benrahma, West Ham (61%)
2. Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool (61%)
3. Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest (49%)

 Best midfielders with easy fixtures

Is your midfield almost set and ready to go? Hold fire for a moment — we have only more factor for you to consider before submitting your team.

Below, using our Squawka Score system and the FPL’s official Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR), we have the identified the top selections from each of the Premier League clubs deemed to have an ‘easy’ fixture in Gameweek 2.

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