Welcome to The Draft Society’s team-by-team previews, a vital part of the 23/24 Draft Kit! These articles will provide a one-stop-shop for all the important Fantasy EPL themes from a Fantrax perspective. With players to watch, players to avoid, points projections and early season fixtures analysis, we've got it all covered. Our Draft Premier League Team Previews will help set you up to dominate your draft! Let's dive deep into the ever-youthful Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace.
Check back often! Our team previews will be updated throughout the summer as any new transfer, injury, or rotation developments come to light.
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more!
Crystal Palace Team Preview 23/24
Check out our in-depth look at Crystal Palace's prospects for the new EPL season below. This information will form a key component to your draft prep and set you up to dominate your draft!
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Fantasy Flashback
Let's review how Crystal Palace players fared in 22/23, with an emphasis on their Draft Premier League fantasy assets. But, we'll also discuss any pertinent info regarding managerial tactics, formation, injuries, etc. What can we learn from their performance in the last campaign?
Note: The following table is interactive. Desktop users can apply the Filter, Group, and Sort buttons to arrange the data to their preferences. Mobile users can tap on a player card to view all data points. The table can be reset to its default state by refreshing the page.
Well, this is a sobering snapshot of this Crystal Palace team. In case you were wondering, the above table has a cut-off of 7.0 points per start, a very low bar. In fact, 90% of players who average 7.0 PPS are not worth rostering except in a very favorable matchup. As far as outfield players are concerned, Palace had 4 players who met this threshold... and barely at that.
However, once Hodgson took the helm in late March, things definitely improved. From March 21st until the end of the season, we saw Eze and Olise's PPG numbers skyrocket to 17.5 and 16.1, respectively. And strangely enough, Jordan Ayew became a favorite end-of-season FWD 3, as Palace enjoyed a fixture list from heaven. Aside from that, fantasy managers may have flirted with the now-and-again streams of Joel Ward, Marc Guehi, or Jeffrey Schlupp, who scored decently on their day. The hard part was figuring out which day that would be. The rest of this team was basically barren in terms of fantasy assets and, at time of writing, that doesn't look to be changing any time soon.
We can't conclude a look back without mentioning Wilfried Zaha. The once-great fantasy asset posted his lowest PPG (8.0) since joining Crystal Palace 8 years ago. Along the same lines, he produced his fewest total fantasy points ever, his fewest starts ever, and his fewest minutes per game ever in a Palace shirt. Sure, these stats were exacerbated by injuries, but that has also become a problem for Wilf, as he's missed time the last 3 years. It was well and truly a year to forget for the Ivorian. Now, a free agent, it looks like the fantasy darling of yesteryear is departing Selhurst without the fanfare that he probably deserves.
Overall Team Performance
Let's keep this short and sweet. Above, we discussed all of the fantasy options worth rostering last season. The team as a whole was much more defensively organized under Roy the Boy, leading to more opportunities on the break for counter attacks. Hodgson preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ayew as the tip of the spear. Interestingly, they also used more long balls and through balls in the build-up. We saw shots/90, xG, and crosses/90 all improve under Roy. This led to some amazing returns from Eze and Olise, and decent scores from several other players already mentioned. We're hoping to see this continue into the 23/24 season, though it must be restated that Palace's last 9 opponents (when Hodgson was the gaffer) were Leeds, Southampton, Everton, Wolves, West Ham, Tottenham, Bournemouth, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest, so temper expectations.
Fantasy Forecast
Past is prelude, as they say. So, turning to the 23/24 season, we've got Crystal Palace player projections, 3 key players to keep an eye on, 3 players we're staying away from, 3 question marks surrounding the club at this moment, and an analysis of the Eagles' early-season fixtures.
23/24 Player Projections
Below, you'll find our season projections for Crystal Palace fantasy assets. Our projections are created using a number of contributing factors such as past performance, fixture difficulty ratings, anticipated minutes played, and more. PPS (Points Per Start) and ProjFPts (Projected Total Points) refer to Fantrax Default Scoring.
Running the risk of depressing you, or worse... boring you, I present what will become a refrain in this team preview: no news is bad news at Selhurst Park. As of now, and this will be updated should this change, Palace have not been strongly linked with any big-name transfers. Zaha is a free agent and has left the club. Not only that, but Michael Olise has picked up a grade-3 hamstring tear on international duty and will miss up to 3 months (from early July). So, I suppose, in this case, literally no news is good news... because it's all bad news at the moment.
Our projections above speak to the issue at Crystal Palace, which appears to be a lack of ambition or just general complacence. Eze and Olise are the only significantly positive WAR options, and Andersen should be ok. We're about to head into another season with Palace midfield options like Schlupp, Hughes, Reidewald, Lerma (new signing), and Doucoure all completely underwhelming fantasy managers. Ayew, Edouard, and Mateta continue their game of starting striker musical chairs as they all take turns disappointing the manager. Rinse. Repeat. And in the real world, one has to wonder how long this team can continue treading water. With a departing Zaha, an injured Olise, and rumors circulating that their only solid defensive options in Andersen and Guehi might get poached by top-6 teams, Palace supporters must be feeling dire. All of us collectively should be hoping for any ambition at all to bubble up from the powers-that-be at Selhurst to rescue this sinking ship, both IRL and in fantasy footy.
3 Players to Watch
We've highlighted 3 players (and some honorable mentions) from Crystal Palace that we're keeping an eye on. Some players mentioned below may be sleepers. Some may be up-and-coming youngsters. Some may be vying for a spot in the XI. Whatever the case, we'll tell you why we're watching these 3 in EPL Draft Fantasy this year.
Eberechi Eze
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 389 (10th best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 11.8 (30 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 15-20 (12 Team League: Early/Mid Round 2)
Analysis: Eze was humming under Hodgson to end the season. Trust Roy to know what he has in this still-young English starlet. Called "The Drunken Master" by his coaches at QPR because of the way he would slide by defenders, Eze is the obvious one to watch in a team where there aren't many. And without Olise, he will be the main man and likely on all set pieces. Take him in round 2 and feel very confident about it.
Michael Olise
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 389 (11th best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 12.3 (31 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 40-48 (12 Team League: Round 4)
Analysis: This can go one of two ways with Michael Olise and we'll discuss them both:
Someone in your league sees his PPS numbers and takes him way higher than they should, not knowing that their 3rd round (or god forbid, 2nd round) pick will miss the beginning of the season with an injury that very well could linger. It could be October before Olise is 100%. In this case, try to trade for him in early September, because that manager will be quite frustrated.
You know his true value and have factored in the injury to your valuation. If the hammy scares off your league mates and you see Olise still chilling in the player pool in the 4th or 5th round, pounce immediately and laugh yourself all the way to the bank.
Matheus França
Position: Forward/Midfielder
22/23 Points: N/A
22/23 Points Per Start: N/A
23/24 Projected Points Per Start: ? (? starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: ~120 (12 Team League: Round 10ish)
Analysis: As I write this, França is at Selhurst for a medical. Many are reporting that this coup of a deal for Palace is almost done. França's representatives were reportedly approached twice by Chelsea, but they were unable to finalize a deal. So, off goes the 19-year-old attacker from Flamengo to Palace looking to make good on effusive praise such as "wonderkid," "highly-rated," "ridiculously high development ceiling," and even "the new Vinicius Jr" to name a few. South American football expert Nathalia Tavares recently joined the Copa Club Podcast to discuss this transfer. About França she stated, "He literally can play anywhere in attack... He shows things that players his age don't really show."
The obvious question is... how good can he be for Draft?
There are a couple of big "IFs" that accompany the analysis I'm about to provide:
França needs to break into the XI. I tend to think he'll get his chance considering Zaha's departure, Olise's injury, and Palace's general lack of any other notable signings. (No offense to Jefferson Lerma.)
If he can break into the XI, he needs license to be himself. He needs to be able to roam, to dribble, to run, to be creative, and to experiment.
If these conditions are met, I think we have a pretty dynamic fantasy asset on our hands. Compared to his peers (previously... not the new Premier Leagues ones), França ranked in the 99th percentile in take-ons, the 91st percentile in progressive carries, the 95th percentile in progressive passes, the 99th percentile in progressive passes received, the 87th percentile in total shots, and the 80th percentile in both non-penalty goals and shot-creating actions among forwards. Equally impressive are his defensive numbers: 92nd percentile in blocks and 99th percentile in both tackles and interceptions. He looks to be an absolute livewire and I'll be adding him in every league I can.
Honorable Mention(s):
Not really. Andersen or Ward could maybe do a job as your DEF 3 or 4 on your roster, but why not just stream that position instead? Deeper cuts include Malcolm Ebiowei and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi who could compete for wing starts with Olise out, Ayew up top, and no new signings in. Both are tricky wingers who have excelled at lower levels, but never the Prem.
3 Players to Avoid
It's not all sunshine and rainbows at Selhurst Park. At least, not as far as Draft Fantasy Football is concerned. Below, we will also highlight 3 fantasy assets that we're not so thrilled about. These are the 3 Crystal Palace players you might want to avoid come draft day.
Odsonne Edouard
Position: Forward
22/23 Points: 147 (35th best forward)
22/23 Points Per Start: 6.3 (20 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: Don't.
Analysis: Edouard's ghost points per start last season were 3.6, which put him 221st on our Ghost Point Tracker and 30th at his position. That, my friends, is dreadful. Just dreadful. For a team that already doesn't score many goals and may be losing their talisman, counting on returns is a massive risk. Do not gamble on him late in drafts. He's not a lottery ticket. Draft someone like Garnacho, Adingra, or Chiquinho if you want a real lottery ticket.
Jordan Ayew (with a caveat)
Position: Forward
22/23 Points: 247 (18th best forward)
22/23 Points Per Start: 7.2 (31 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: Round 16 (if at all)
Analysis: Here's the caveat right off the bat: I know that the forward pool is quite shallow. If you feel like you're about to leave your draft with a glaring deficit of forwards who consistently start, then ok... grab Ayew. In every other situation, leave him be. He can be a fine streamer in an absolute pinch, but he's not the caliber of player you want occupying a roster slot immediately post-draft. Read Tottiandor's article Draft for First or Last, not Mid-Table for more info on what I mean by this. You want potential home-runs, not low-floor duds. If GW1 rolls around and you need a striker, watch for lineup leaks. There will be at least one promising name in the free agent pool, and depending on your league, Ayew himself will likely be one of them.
Tyrick Mitchell
Position: Defender
22/23 Points: 165 (30th best defender)
22/23 Points Per Start: 4.9 (34 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: Don't.
Analysis: It's unfortunate now to think back on the dynasty picks article that The Draft Society staff wrote 2 years ago in which I touted Mitchell as one to watch for the future. But, as you can tell from the graphic above, things haven't exactly worked out in that department. We could still be waiting for that "future," but all indications point to this year not being it. When you roster a fullback, you're really hoping that they get involved in the attacking third. You're hoping for successful dribbles, accurate crosses, and key passes. Mitchell excels in exactly zero of those categories, unfortunately. I'd stay away from him in drafts.
Honorable Mention(s):
As we've discussed, most Palace players fall into the "Ones to Avoid" discussion, except in certain streamable situations. If they're not named Eze, Olise, Andersen, or Ward, you can basically chuck them in this category until we're given any reason to reconsider.
3 Question Marks
Not everything is crystal clear and predictable at Crystal Palace. These are 3 questions surrounding the Eagles that we’re grappling with this preseason. We’ll try to note whether or not (and how much) these questions are affecting our perceptions of Crystal Palace's fantasy assets.
Dearly Departing - Some optimistic Palace accounts have spun the outgoings as a positive. I.e. without the money from Andersen and Guehi, they won't have the funds to rebuild the rest of the team. While this is a masterful attempt at marketing, it's hard to see losing either of those two as anything but a massive step back for this defense. Add to that Zaha leaving on a free, and (in a world where all three of those outgoings happen) Palace are prime relegation candidates for me.
Low Floors... and Ceilings - With the exception of the two superstars on this team, the remaining cadre have incredibly low floors when it comes to their fantasy scores. Not only that, but their upside is also quite limited. This makes even a streaming play in a great matchup quite risky. We'll see if this holds true in the new season, but barring a clean sheet or a goal (in the case of Ayew or Edouard), Palace players will normally leave you wanting week in and week out.
Bad Start Blues - There's a very real scenario in which Palace have left it late in the transfer window to bring in any new talent. They're missing Olise. Zaha and maybe one or both of their talented CBs have left for greener pastures. Sheffield United come away with one or more points in GW1 at Bramall Lane, Arsenal absolutely pound Palace in GW2, and now the vultures start to circle. Hopefully I don't speak this into existence. But, if this team preview has shown you anything, I worry about this team. They desperately need reinforcements and some bloody good news.
Early-Season Fixture Difficulty
The way that teams come out the gate has big implications in EPL Draft. A red hot start creates red hot trade targets. A dismal start means plummeting player values and losses for your fantasy team. Check out our thoughts on Palace's early-season fixtures and our analysis of the fantasy implications they will have.
It's not exactly the opposite of the way they ended the season (when they played 8 bottom-half teams in their final 10 matches), but the start of the 23/24 season is not a kind one for Palace. I know that Sheffield United appears to be a positive matchup, but factor in what we know about playing a promoted team in their first home match of the new season. Arsenal speaks for itself, as should Brentford and Villa away. It's brutal, folks. I would probably shy away from all Crystal Palace defenders during the draft. Instead, pick them up in early October when Palace play Forest, Burnley, Everton, Luton, West Ham, and Bournemouth between Oct. 7 and Dec. 5.
23/24 Palace Predicted Lineup
The following lineup represents our prediction for the most likely line-up for the long-term for Crystal Palace in the upcoming season. We can't account for injuries or new transfers, but this should provide a reasonable guide for who will be the preferred starters for the majority of Premier League matches this season.
Olise's injury and transfer speculation is the main crux of this predicted XI as the RW spot will see a lot of different options tried out before the young prospect is back (if he doesn't go to Chelsea). Franca has arrived with a knock, so admirers will have to wait to see how and where he is integrated into the lineup. Palace are in advanced talks with Chelsea about a move for young left-back Lewis Hall, who should be a starter when/if he arrives.
More Team Previews: Arsenal | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Burnley | Chelsea | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Luton | Liverpool | Man City | Man United | Newcastle | Nottingham Forest | Sheffield United | Tottenham | West Ham | Wolves
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more. Dominate your draft!
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