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 Newcastle United, 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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Newcastle United Best Fantasy Players
As noted above, these are the Best Newcastle Players for the Fantrax Fantasy EPL platform. We analyze the Magpies' top three prospects ahead of the new season, with a recommended draft pick for each player.
Allan Saint-Maximin
Position: Midfielder
21/22 Points: 381 (10th best midfielder)
21/22 Points Per Start: 11.7 (31 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 11.8 (31 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 18-24 (12 Team League: Mid-Late Round 2)
Overview: Coming off his best season, the main man in the Newcastle attack looks primed to get some additional support from his teammates. Will that help or hurt his output? Improving on his top-20 finish may be difficult, but not impossible if he can stay fit.
The 21/22 Premier League season was a tale of two halves for Newcastle. They faltered badly during the opening 12 weeks of the campaign with Steve Bruce at the helm, looking certain relegation candidates on the back of just 5 points and sat level with Norwich at the bottom of the table in early November. The writing was perhaps already on the wall for Bruce a month earlier, when longstanding club owner Mike Ashley sold the club to a Saudi-backed consortium that promised significant investment in the club to reinstate it to its former position among the League’s biggest and most successful clubs. Still, what Eddie Howe was able to achieve in the second half of the season, not only securing safety but pushing for a top-half finish, is nothing short of incredible.
The arrival of the new owners and the promise of a billionaire’s checkbook started the rumor mill swirling for which players in the Magpies’ squad would be replaced by a Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe type. While January investment was more modest, one man whose name never entered the replacement conversation was Allan Saint-Maximin. The dynamic Frenchman was among the first names on the team sheet for both Bruce and Howe, and delivered his most productive season in both fantasy and real-life terms since joining from Nice in 2019. He remained consistent in fantasy output across the managerial spells, averaging 11.7 PPS, with an impressive 9.2 of those coming in the form of ghost points.
It’s safe to say Newcastle built their attack around Saint-Maximin in 21/22, with a supporting cast of characters rotating around him due to injury or inconsistent form. In addition to his 5 goals (T-2nd on NUFC) and 7 assists [2 fantasy assists] (1st on NUFC), ASM led the league in successful contests (CoS) by an incredible margin, completing 150 dribbles across his 35 league appearances (the nearest competitor in this category, Dwight McNeil, managed 90 in 38 matches).
While the dazzling dribbler will remain a critical component of the Newcastle team, the big question heading into this season is whether the arrival of higher quality players (particularly in attack, where a new right winger appears to be a priority) will negatively or positively impact the talisman’s fantasy production. Even if he doesn’t have as many touches, though, he should reap the benefits of an improved attacking contingent by being involved in more goals than the below-average 44 the team managed last campaign.
Kieran Trippier
Position: Defender
21/22 Points: 71 (73rd best defender since GW20)
21/22 Points Per Start: 14.4 (5 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 12.1 (30 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 44-52 (12 Team League: Late Round 4/Early Round 5)
Overview: A massively promising return to the EPL was curtailed by a long-term injury. While he may not be able to replicate his huge numbers from his first month back, he will be a nailed on starter in a much-improved Newcastle defense and on set pieces for his team.
Shoring up the defense was priority number one for the new owners in their first transfer window back in January, having conceded a staggering 42 goals across the opening 19 games of league play. The club moved quickly to secure former Burnley and Tottenham right back Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, where he had been plying his trade since the 2019-2020 season. The England international was a fantasy darling in his first tour of the Premier League, with his attacking endeavor and set piece delivery earning him returns on both sides of the ball.
Trippier hit the ground running upon his reintroduction, taking the lion’s share of set pieces for the Magpies, scoring two goals and helping secure two clean sheets for his team in his first four appearances. Four consecutive fantasy scores over 15 points put him in the upper echelon of fantasy performers in the entire Premier League, but a serious foot injury just after halftime in his fourth Newcastle appearance meant the defender missed all but the last two matches of the season, coming on as a sub in the penultimate match against Man City before closing out the year with a paltry 1.75 point performance in 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over Burnley.
Looking ahead to where you should value Trippier this season, while 14.4 PPS is a mouthwatering figure, it should be taken with a grain of salt. The sample size of five starts falls short of our own metrics for assessing draft value, and a set piece goal every other game is far from sustainable as a predictor for points. That said, Trips should remain on the majority of set pieces and has the additional benefit of a much-improved defense to hopefully deliver clean sheet points as well. Newcastle righted the ship with the addition of defensive reinforcements in January, conceding only 20 goals over the remaining 19 matches of last season, and they’ve since added even more defensive quality with the summer signings of Sven Botman and Nick Pope. While you can expect a drop-off in points here, the Magpies’ right back still has the potential to rival top-tier defenders like Lucas Digne and Virgil Van Dijk in 22/23.
Bruno Guimaraes
Position: Midfielder
21/22 Points: 147.5 (10th best midfielder since GW22)
21/22 Points Per Start: 12.4 (11 starts)
22/23 Projected Points Per Start: 9.7 (33 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 58-64 (12 Team League: Late Round 5/Early Round 6)
Overview: The first indication of the ambition of the new owners, Bruno G. was sensational in black and white last time around. But will he remain the box-to-box link in midfield, or shift into a more defensive role? If the former, he’s a shoe-in as a consistent midfield scorer with high upside for your fantasy roster.
The biggest statement of intent from Newcastle’s new ownership group came with the January acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon. The Brazilian midfielder was reportedly on the shopping lists of some of Europe’s top teams, so the transfer represented something of a coup for a team clawing its way out of a relegation scrap. Bruno G. didn’t disappoint, partnering brilliantly with his compatriot Joelinton to transform Newcastle’s spine and facilitate quick transitions from defense to attack.
The midfield maestro has all-around quality, equally capable of breaking up attacks (2nd in TkW for NUFC since his debut with 23) or contributing goals (1st for NUFC since his debut with 5). Guimaraes should be a mainstay in the starting lineup for the Magpies in the upcoming season, so he’ll have plenty of opportunities to build on the strong start to his Premier League career. However, there has yet to be any concrete transfer rumors for a defensive midfielder, an area of the pitch where Newcastle have yet to strengthen. Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff may have cut it for a club with mid-table aspirations, but you have to imagine the new owners won’t be content with anything less than a push for European football this time around.
Keep an eye on the transfer window and pre-season; if Bruno is the deepest lying of the midfield 3 and there aren’t any strong links to incoming holding midfielders, he may be set for a more defensive role in the team, which would be a shame given his box-to-box quality, but may be a short-term reality for a team building responsibly.
Honorable Mention
Callum Wilson spent a significant spell on the sidelines last season, but still finished as the club’s top scorer with 8 goals, and ended the campaign in red-hot form. He’s always been reliant on goals and assists (50% GACS last season) and prone to injuries, but if (and it’s a BIG if) he can manage an extended run in the side as the spearhead of a team on the rise, he could be a steal around round 6 or 7.
More Best Fantasy Players: Arsenal | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Chelsea | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Leeds | Leicester | Liverpool | Man City | Man United | Nottm Forest | Southampton | Tottenham | West Ham | Wolves
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