Our Fantasy EPL 22/23 Draft Kit promises to be the most comprehensive set of pre-season Draft Premier League articles ever produced! A key component of our Draft Kit will be the Team Preview articles which analyze key assets to sit alongside our all-important Draft Rankings. This article delves into the Best Fantrax Fantasy EPL Players from Crystal Palace, as we take a deep dive into the prospects of their three best assets! Click here for details on how you can access our 22/23 Draft Kit.
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Crystal Palace Best Fantasy Players
As noted above, these are the Best Crystal Palace Players for the Fantrax Fantasy EPL platform. We analyze the Eagles' top three prospects ahead of the new season, with a recommended draft pick for each player.
Wilfried Zaha
Position: Forward
21/22 Points: 338 (10th best forward)
21/22 Points Per Start: 11 (31 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 10.8 (32 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 40-48 (12 Team League: Mid-Late Round 4)
Overview: Ended the season in the form of his life. Wilf will look to continue turning heads as the 22/23 season kicks off, and the injection of energy and the team's newfound form inspired by Vieira should only help.
Long a thorn in the side of fantasy managers, Wilfried Zaha has been more cautionary tale than fantasy darling. Near the end of last year, however, he began to rewrite that narrative. We've always been aware that Zaha has FWD 1 upside, but more often than not he fails to deliver on that potential, and instead becomes known for his on-field antics rather than his attacking prowess. That hasn't completely changed... don't get me wrong. But he's certainly trending in the right direction.
Last year, the Ivorian averaged 11 points per start. For comparison, Virgil Van Dijk averaged 11.1. More importantly, after returning from AFCON in late January 2022, Zaha was the 7th highest-scoring fantasy player rest-of-season, averaging over 13 points per game. During that stretch, he scored goals against the big boys, Arsenal and Manchester United, and even totaled 6.5 ghost points against Manchester City. He was anything but a flat track bully. Many managers have been burned by him over the years and that bias could lead your league mates to disregard the late season renaissance. If he can keep this momentum, Zaha is a sneaky-valuable draft pick if he comes down even slightly in your draft.
Michael Olise
Position: Midfielder
21/22 Points: 174 (68th best midfielder)
21/22 Points Per Start: 9.8 (12 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 10.9 (29 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 50-56 (12 Team League: Early-Mid Round 5)
Overview: The highly anticipated youngster disappointed last year, except in small stretches. But we think he's primed to explode in 22/23.
Olise was drafted and coveted by many fantasy managers in the 21/22 season. Despite failing to make the starting XI time and again, many refused to drop him solely based on his promise. Surely, he had to crack the XI and start turning heads sooner or later. Unfortunately for those who held, it was later... much later. After several successful cameos, including 2 off-the-bench assists, he was hooked after 66 minutes vs NEW on Oct. 24 in his first start. The season continued in this same vein until January when he secured his place in the side and everything fell into place for him as a fantasy asset.
After January 14th (his first start since a poor performance vs AVL in November), Olise posted 6 scores of 10+. In games that he started, his lowest point total was 4 in February against a CHE team which hadn't yet become so porous. He is on set pieces and this hints at a solid floor of ghost points (his gpps was 8.1), even in games without attacking returns. Olise can usually be counted on for at least one key pass and (maybe surprisingly to some) his fair share of tackles won. Add to that the very real attacking threat that he poses, and it's obvious why we love Olise's potential. It's not 100% that he's nailed in the XI, so do not overpay for him in drafts. Temper expectations a bit in that department. However, with consistent starts and an ADP of the 5th round, he could be on a lot of championship-winning fantasy teams.
Eberechi Eze
Position: Midfielder
21/22 Points: 69.5 (113 best defender)
21/22 Points Per Start: 9.4 (6 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 9.9 (25 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 78-84 (12 Team League: Round 7)
Overview: After rehabbing from a brutal Achilles injury, Eze returned to find his spot in the XI filled. Now that Gallagher has departed, however, Eze looks to regain that spot... and his form.
To be completely honest, I had initially hoped that Eze would feature in the Crystal Palace Sleepers article. But after Gallagher returned to his parent club, our list of Palace's "Best Players" was basically exhausted. That's not to say that there aren't other talented players at Selhurst. But in terms of fantasy output, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel after Zaha and Olise. Unless CPFC make a statement signing this summer, that means we're left hoping that Eze can fill the fantasy void left by a super-fit, tireless Gallagher.
To make a case for Eze's potential as a MID 2 for your team, it's easiest to look back to the 20/21 season. In this breakout season, he finished as the 19th best midfielder and scored 10+ fantasy points in 10 matches. In the rest, he still provided a decent floor as his peripheral (or ghost) points kept fantasy managers from lamenting their choice in starting him. And, as evidenced by the stats above, when only considering the games he started in 21/22, Eze still delivered in all but one match (a 2-pointer vs BRI in January). Otherwise, his remaining 5 starts came at the end of the season, and he delivered 7.5 points or more in every one of those matches. In a recent tell-all on Palace's site, Eze stated, "It’s been tough at times, it’s been testing, but it’s been a good experience for me because I know I feel better, I feel stronger." Palace fans and fantasy managers alike are hoping that's true.
Honorable Mention(s):
Any new statement signings. Otherwise, not really, unless Edouard miraculously wins his spot back.
More Best Fantasy Players: Arsenal | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Chelsea | Everton | Fulham | Leeds | Leicester | Liverpool | Man City | Man United | Newcastle | Nottm Forest | Southampton | Tottenham | West Ham | Wolves
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