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 get right into our analysis of Per Guardiola's treble-winning Manchester City and their fantasy outlook in 23/24.
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!
Manchester City Team Preview 23/24
Check out our in-depth look at Manchester City'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 Manchester City 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.
It is no surprise that Haaland and De Bruyne are the two front runners here; both put up career seasons en route to the title win. Haaland captured the Golden Boot and EPL record and managers who got him in the mid first round were laughing their way to a top table finish.
The likes of Foden, Grealish, Mahrez, and Gundogan provided a mix of rotational frustration and high upside glory. All these players had the ability to win you a gameweek, but struggled to repay fantasy managers' faith with enough minutes on the pitch. A 14.5 PPS showing for Foden shows that all he really needs is more starts to be able to get the job done. Sneaking under the radar here is Alvarez with an incredible 13.5 PPS from last season. He proved very useful as a Haaland alternate, but was also a good option on the RW when needed.
Overall Team Performance
Last season was another success in the EPL for Manchester City. Not only that, they finally won their first UCL title as part of their incredible treble. They were the top goal scorers in the league with 94 goals, and tied for the best defense. Guardiola had this team firing on all cylinders. City were quite a way behind Arsenal when for most of the season, but it is the composure and confidence of this team that allowed them to win the title once again.
Fantasy Forecast
Past is prelude, as they say. So, turning to the 23/24 season, we've got Manchester City 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 Sky Blues' early-season fixtures.
23/24 Player Projections
Below, you'll find our season projections for Manchester City 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 ProjTotFPts (Projected Total Points) refer to Fantrax Default Scoring.
It's really no surprise that Haaland is the top projected player for Manchester City. After his record-breaking season, he should easily be a top 5 asset again this year. De Bruyne has quite a few question marks over him regarding his injury status. Despite being "on tour" he hasn't played a single minute of pre-season and has just returned to full team training. We know his quality, when he starts he is gold, but again how many starts? Foden and Grealish will provide great MID1 value again when they start, but there is really no guarantee of starts at all. It is strange to see that Pep Roulette can still be happening even though Grealish appears to have no competition at LW and while Foden might have some at RW, he is equally comfortable at either of the CM positions. Even more strange is, that Pep was able to keep all MIDs under 28 starts while simultaneously being the manager to use the least amount of players in 22/23 (24). Pep Roulette relies on a shallow squad of hyper talented players who know the tactics inside and out and are positionally and tactically flexible. Alvarez is the one to offer sneaky value this season; he could offer FWD1 upside when he is in the starting lineup.
3 Players to Watch
We've highlighted 3 players (and some honorable mentions) from Manchester City 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.
Jack Grealish
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 312.5 (21st best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 12.2 (23 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 12-16 (12 Team League: Early Round 2)
Analysis: Grealish had a decent 2nd season at Manchester City, but it is with confidence I can say he should kick on for an even better 3rd. He bettered his goals and assists (5G and 7A, up from 3G and 3A in 21/22) from the previous season, and seemed to gain Pep's trust in bigger games. Grealish also offered a decent floor with his 8.1 ghost points/start. City have had somewhat of a clear-out with Mahrez and Gundogan leaving, and De Bruyne potentially on the injury list to begin the season. Bernardo Silva also may have 1 foot out the door...more on that later. Grealish will be expected to step up and increase both his offensive output and overall consistency. If he can get closer to 30 starts this season, and average 12.2 PPS or slightly better he could offer more value than his draft capital. Improving on his 5 goals this season will only help his upside. We know Haaland is the focal point for goals, but Pep will be hoping his wingers and attacking mids can help ease the load. If Grealish falls to you at any point in the 2nd round he should be drafted to your roster.
Cole Palmer
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 38.5
22/23 Points Per Start: 10.5 (2 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: Round 15-16 flyer.
Analysis: Palmer is set for a bigger role at Manchester City this season. Just how much time he gets is still very much in the air. With Mahrez gone, he should at least start the season with more consistent off the bench minutes for either wing position or potentially in an attacking midfield role. Palmer had just the two starts last season, but showed why he is a future star in them. He managed an assist in the 1-0 win vs. Chelsea, with his second start coming just a week later vs. Brentford. These games were some of the last of the season, which is why Palmer features here. While I don't think he begins the season in a starting role he is one to monitor as Pep tinkers with his lineups as usual. If you really want to punt on Palmer before the season kicks off he is an upside punts for the later rounds, and an easy drop when you absolutely need to field a starter. The more minutes he starts to get off the bench the more inclined you should be to add him to your roster in the early parts of the season.
Julian Alvarez
Position: Forward
22/23 Points: 215
22/23 Points Per Start: 13.5
Recommended Draft Pick: 43-55 (12 Team Leagues: Rounds 4-5)
Analysis: Alvarez is about to enter his 2nd season under Pep, and we usually see an uptick in both minutes and output for players after their first season at Manchester City. Alvarez has a lot more routes to play time with multiple departures. He also is Pep's first choice to start in case Haaland gets hurt, or just needs a rest. On a team that scores as many goals as City does he has FWD1 upside anytime he is in the XI. He managed 9 goals in 13 starts, but also got 31 total appearances in 22/23. Pep clearly trusts Alvarez giving him the chance to play so often even if it is from the bench. With no Mahrez replacement in (yet?), the likes of Foden, Palmer, Silva and Alvarez will battle for that RW role, but these players' versatility means more than one can fit within the same XI. If you can grab Alvarez as your FWD2, after a more secure FWD1 such as Salah, Jesus, or Rashford you are well on your way to challenging for a league title.
Honorable Mention(s):
Phil Foden is worth a mention as always. He is one that fantasy managers have been waiting to get consistent minutes for years, but this could be the year. Based on mock data and rankings you should be able to get him sometime in the 2nd round. For me I would still take Grealish first but if he is off the board, then turning to Foden is a good option. Oscar Bobb is an academy product that should be given his first senior minutes this season. While I don't think he is worth drafting, keep an eye on his preseason minutes and early season playtime to see when to add him as an upside punt. Bernardo Silva always seems to have 1 foot out the door but City could really use him this season. His versatility, consistency, and the way he fits Pep's system are qualities that are near impossible to replace. The later your draft takes place the higher he should go. If you are drafting for pure upside Silva is one you must have in your draft queue this summer.
3 Players to Avoid
It's not all sunshine and rainbows at the Etihad. 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 Manchester City players you might want to avoid come draft day.
John Stones
Position: Defender
22/23 Points: 133.5
22/23 Points Per Start: 6.2 (21 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 133-145 (12 Team League: Round 12)
Analysis: Stones may be the best of the City defenders in term of upside, but there's really no reason to draft him as your DEF1 or DEF2...even DEF3 is a stretch. Manchester City defenders offer little to no ghost points as shown with Stones 4.6 ghost points/start. With Stones you are drafting him for his upside. He offers both clean sheet and attacking threats each week, but again it's just not enough to convince me to draft him early. Last season he managed 2 goals and 2 assists across his 21 starts, and he should offer a similar output this season.
When you enter the double-digit rounds you want to either punt on the players who could be gems, or offer you safe value to counteract your risky picks. Stones offers neither of those. If he falls to you in the 12th round then he may be worth a pick just because of the early season schedule. Outside of that, he has little upside, no ghost points, and offers a huge rotational risk. It should be noted that Stones has started 23 or fewer games every season at Manchester City, and there's no reason he should exceed that starting now.
All that said, later in the season Stones started to be more adventurous when stepping up into midfield and provided a box-crashing alternative to Gundogan on second balls. We are comfortable saying that Pep is always tinkering and trying to outthink his opponent, so there is every chance Stones has a role higher up the field come August, so he is worth keeping an eye on. While for full-season value, he is still an "Avoid" for us, early season fixtures could make him an intriguing punt if you are ow on defenders.
Ruben Dias
Position: Defender
22/23 Points: 134
22/23 Points Per Start: 5.8 (22 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 169-180 (12 Team League: Round 15)
Analysis: You should avoid Dias to similar reason to Stones. The big difference here is that Dias is considered more of a Pep starter, but offers even less ghost points and less upside to Stones. He had 0 goals and 0 assists last season, and basically relied on clean sheets to crack 10 points. City as a whole don't keep as many clean sheets as many would think. Despite having one of the "best" defenses, they are famous for giving up the odd random goal in a 4-1 victory. Last season they kept 13 clean sheets, 4 behind leaders Manchester United.
The only reason Dias doesn't have DND beside his name is because of the nice early season schedule. My advice is to let one of your other league mates overpay for the City CB, while you take a punt on a defender with a lot more upside, or with a lot higher floor. If you do draft Dias, don't be fooled by a few early clean sheets, look to trade him out on a high or simply drop him after the friendly run.
Mateo Kovacic
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 115
22/23 Points Per Start: 4.9
Recommended Draft Pick: 133-145 (12 Team League: Round 12)
Analysis: Kovacic is honestly a surprising signing for the reigning champions. After losing Gundogan, Kovacic is a player of a much different profile and one who has struggled with both injuries and form for the last few seasons. Kovacic is a lot less of an attacking type midfielder when compared with Gundogan. He seriously lacks the finishing composure and set piece taking ability of the ex-City midfielder. Where Kovacic thrives is as a ball-carrying #8 who can dribble and play a nice simple pass. Pep may give Kovacic some minutes from the start, but i expect him to be eased in as he learns to adapt to a new team and potentially different role than he played at Chelsea.
Kovacic will probably be taken in the 9th-10th rounds in most leagues, but you should avoid him in that range. We all know City players generally struggle in their first season, and for a player with as little upside as Kovacic he should be one you only look to as a MID6. He is easily droppable if he doesn't start the first few weeks, and isn't one I would recommend patience with.
Honorable Mention(s):
Ederson is an obvious mention here. A goalie who makes very few saves, will offer little to no upside with a clean sheet and nothing but frustration with those -2s. Avoid.
3 Question Marks
Not everything is crystal clear and predictable at Manchester City. These are 3 questions surrounding the Citizens 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 Manchester City's fantasy assets.
Replacing Mahrez and Gundogan - Mahrez and Gundogan have been nothing short of fantastic for Pep over the years. Despite them being in and out of the XI, they always delivered when called upon. Pep will be looking to the likes of Foden, Alvarez, Palmer, and maybe even Bobb to step up and provide the same composure and attacking threat as Mahrez, with Kovacic and Silva potentially stepping in to cover the gap left by Gundo. Mahrez and Gundogan both took quite a few set-pieces, and with De Bruyne potentially on the sidelines for a bit it remains to be seen who will get that added upside. I expect Foden and Grealish to get some chances at set-plays which should only help their 2nd round draft value. City should have no issues defending the title with their current squad, but it would also be no surprise if a new signing came in near the end of the window to either slot right in at the RW/CAM spot, or offer another depth option.
Defender Fantasy Value - This has been discussed in the avoid section, but City defenders (Cancelo excluded) have typically offered little to no value. It remains to be seen what happens to Cancelo, but whoever replaces him should be the only City defender on your radar, and I would be careful of where they get drafted. It would be foolish to expect Cancelo-type numbers, but they should at least offer DEF2 value. As for the rest of the bunch, I would try to avoid, or only stream in friendly matchups. The fact that City's tactics, have clearly moved away from those that allowed Cancelo to be a round 1 pick should further convince you to exercise caution when trying to value City defenders, especially new additions.
How to handle Pep Roulette - This is always the toughest part of rostering City players. Haaland is probably the only exception here, possibly a fully fit and healthy De Bruyne. Even elite assets like Foden and Grealish will get the most unexpected of benchings regardless of form or fixtures. You need to always be prepared for this. My best recommendation is to play week to week and have either an empty roster slot or a backup bench player who plays in a fixture after or at the same time as the City game. This will allow you the flexibility to swap out your bench City asset. A lot of times City assets offer little to no value coming off the bench, unless we take into account double gameweeks. There is no need to start Alvarez off the bench vs. Newcastle in gameweek 2. Instead look to play a decent streamer for upside or floor, but have them stashed on your bench ready to go. Unless you are stuck up in a situation of multiple injuries or blank gameweeks, you should never go into the City game without an extra roster spot or two on your bench to make the swaps.
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 Manchester City's early-season fixtures and our analysis of the fantasy implications they will have.
Manchester City have a great start to the season. Newcastle are really the only team that should give them a challenge, but of course in the Premier League you never know. While City defenders and goalies usually don't provide the best value over the course of a season, they are great early season streaming options. If they perform well, given their name value you can probably trade them out on somewhat of a high. City attackers are viable no matter what the matchup, but this early season schedule should bump the elite ones up even just a few spots in your draft board. Of course if you don't plan to keep these players for more than a few weeks you can definitely trade them out for more than you paid for them.
23/24 Man City Predicted Lineup
The following lineup represents our prediction for the most likely line-up for the long-term for City 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.
City while famous for rotation have actually used the smallest squad in the EPL last season. With a lot of players leaving and only a few coming in, the picture has become a bit clearer. The big question mark this season is Foden's role in the XI. His versatility allows him to feature on all of the front 5, yet it also means that he might not be first choice in any of them. Our bet is that his main role will be on the RW with frequent minutes in one of the CM roles.
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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