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! Now, it's time to dive in to David Moyes's European trophy winning side, West Ham United, and their fantasy outlook this season.
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!
West Ham United Team Preview 23/24
Check out our in-depth look at West Ham'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 West Ham 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.
Following an excellent 21/22 campaign that saw them finish 7th (earning a Europa Conference League berth as a result), draft managers had plenty of reason for optimism heading into last season. For the most part, despite their dreadful Premier League season, the majority of managers who drafted Hammers players wouldn't have been too disappointed in how their recruits fared if they decided to hang on for the long haul. However, given that they took just 15 points from their opening 19 games, it's more likely they jumped ship.
Midfielders proved to be the best avenue into points, with five players earning top 75 overall finishes. Jarrod Bowen led the way due to his set piece involvement, attacking threat and general availability, while Declan Rice elevated his game to the level that warrants his £105 million transfer to Arsenal. Tomas Soucek flattered to deceive with many of his performances, but had a few big points hauls to bring him pretty much in line with his ADP. The big winners were those managers who were able to bring in Said Benrahma and/or Lucas Paqueta in the latter half of the season when they established themselves in the team and began to help their club charge out of the relegation zone.
On the flip side, managers who drafted Hammers forwards ended up on the losing side of the equation. Michail Antonio was drafted around the end of round 4, but only delivered round 13 value, while big-money summer signing Gianluca Scamacca never seemed like the right fit for David Moyes' tactics before succumbing to injury. Danny Ings ended up being the highest scorer among West Ham's forwards, but very rarely warranted selection even as a streamer.
Defensive players are nowhere to be found in the list of fantasy relevant players for the London club last season, with Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Kurt Zouma coming just shy of the 7 PPS threshold. Based on ADP, it was only Cresswell who was expected to provide much in the way of fantasy value.
Overall Team Performance
You might think the defense would be particularly to blame, but it was actually a precipitous drop in attacking output that contributed to David Moyes' side tumbling seven places down the table in 22/23. The Hammers only conceded four more times than they did in the 21/22 season, but they scored 18 fewer goals. Bowen (12 to 6) and Antonio (10 to 5) each saw their goals cut in half, with only Rice (1 to 4) and Zouma (1 to 2) improving their scoring records from the 21/22 season.
Moyes struggled to find his preferred starting lineup, particularly as he balanced the team's season-long involvement in the Europa Conference League. To be fair to him, bringing home a European trophy is a massive achievement for the club so he can perhaps be forgiven for having competing priorities. Still, only three outfield players (Bowen, Rice and Soucek) managed 30+ starts in the Premier League. You might expect the lower number of starts for the defenders (24 at most) and forwards (21 at most) to be attributed in large part to injury, but West Ham surprisingly had one of the best injury records in the League last season.
Moyes was eventually able to navigate his side to safety and save his own job (which was very much on the line around the halfway point of the season) in the process, but the Hammers were in the relegation zone as far into the season as week 28. They'll need to rediscover their form in front of goal first and foremost if they're going to improve upon their fortunes in the 23/24 season, but there will also be massive question marks around how they cope with the loss of their best player in the heart of the midfield.
Fantasy Forecast
Past is prelude, as they say. So, turning to the 23/24 season, we've got West Ham 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 Hammers' early-season fixtures.
23/24 Player Projections
Below, you'll find our season projections for West Ham 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.
Similar to last season, projections for the upcoming campaign don't reflect a settled side. Outside of Bowen and Paqueta, you're really gambling on who is going to be in the starting lineup in a given week. Given their Europa Conference League victory, the Hammers will be moving up a competition to compete in the Europa League this season so we could see more of the same in terms of heavy rotation once that competition kicks into gear. I've intentionally omitted Soucek from the list of safe starters, as the search to find a replacement for Declan Rice casts a lot of doubt over his role in the team (more on that below). The same can be said of Flynn Downes, the de facto Rice replacement in the team at the moment, who may be offloaded in an attempt to bring in a more qualified replacement. Even if the youngster stays put, he'll surely see his starts significantly reduced when there's a new midfield man through the door.
While Bowen's starting role isn't under threat, his set piece dominance could be if rumors of a move for James Ward-Prowse materialize. That would put a dent in his fantasy prospects for sure, though the former Hull City man was only 12% reliant on set pieces for his points last season. With no reinforcements yet, the defense looks set to be similarly uninspiring as it was in 22/23, with a move for Harry Maguire potentially offering the most fantasy upside of the bunch. Probably best to stay away until West Ham show they can be relied upon at the back.
The forward landscape at the club is as murky as it gets, with no clear answer for who will start up top. An even split of 13 projected starts for Ings, Scamacca and Antonio is a fair reflection of the uncertainty and perhaps an indication that Moyes will look to the transfer market to find a player that suits his preferred tactics. That said, they're quickly running out of time and have other areas they need to prioritize, so it could be that the season begins with the current crop and a late arrival for a starting-quality candidate. Definitely an area to avoid given the middling production from these guys last season.
3 Players to Watch
We've highlighted 3 players (and some honorable mentions) from West Ham that we're monitoring for fantasy purposes. 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 keeping an eye out for these players in EPL Draft Fantasy this year.
Said Benrahma
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 299.5 (28th best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 11.5 (22 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 40-50 (12 Team League: Round 4/5)
Analysis: An incredibly high-upside Algerian winger that doesn't get the play time he deserves, but is a fantasy stud when given the opportunity? No, I'm not talking about Riyad Mahrez. Benrahma, for whatever reason, has spent much of his time at West Ham on the fringes of the starting lineup. He started less than 60% of West Ham's Premier League matches last season, but still ended up as their second best scorer and inside the top 50 overall. As the 22/23 season wore on, Benrahma seemed to work his way more and more into Moyes' plans. That's a good sign for the upcoming season, and at the moment the winger faces competition from an aging Michail Antonio who's better suited to playing up top these days, a very injury-prone Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals -- the player who Moyes opted to remove as a regular starter in favor of the Algerian around the time of the World Cup break. If Benrahma can get back to the 26 starts he made in the 21/22 season, his double-digit PPS numbers should result in a top-50 overall score yet again. He is also among the team's top choices for penalty kicks and direct free-kicks, though that could change based on new arrivals.
Lucas Paqueta
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 267 (40th best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 10.0 (27 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 50-60 (12 Team League: Round 5/6)
Analysis: Looking at the former Lyon midfielder's percentile rank chart above, particularly in comparison with Benrahma's, showcases Paqueta's broad skillset as well as his general proficiency across both the attacking and defensive aspects of the game. Most widely recognized as an attacking midfielder, the Brazilian has spent a fair amount of time in a double pivot for his national team alongside Casemiro. I'm calling him out as one to watch not strictly in a "you should expect him to improve upon his output this season" perspective, but more from a place of cautious optimism. It's a common refrain throughout this post, but so much depends on who West Ham signs in midfield for Paqueta's fantasy prospects this season. More defense-oriented signings could push him further up the pitch to try to build upon his 4 goals and 3 assists from last season, but he could just as easily be seen as a suitable option to step back into the double pivot instead. With Rice out of the picture, Paqueta should be one of the key men in midfield regardless of the role he plays, and should be considered a reliable week-to-week performer with the potential to occasionally win you a gameweek, but even in the more advanced role he's not likely to consistently offer the MID1/MID2 value consistent with his current 3rd/4th round ADP valuation. He becomes a potential value pick a bit in the range recommended above, but his name value may mean you have to reach a round or two earlier if you really believe in him improving this season.
New Signing(s)
Position: TBD
22/23 Points: N/A
22/23 Points Per Start: N/A
Recommended Draft Pick: TBD
Analysis: Until we have more clarity on how the club reinvests the sum received from Declan Rice's transfer, it's difficult to know who else in the squad is worth keeping an eye on. The obvious first priority is at least one central midfield signing, possibly two. Current rumors for a more defensively-minded midfielder include Edson Alvarez and Joao Palhinha, neither of which would be particularly useful for fantasy purposes. In terms of the more attacking side of Rice's profile, both Conor Gallagher and James Ward-Prowse have been linked with the club. There's much more likelihood of providing fantasy value there, but we could see some pretty significant knock-on effects where set pieces and on-pitch positions are concerned for the current squad. Both Antonio and Scamacca have been linked with moves away this summer and Divock Origi has been touted as a potential replacement that could be worth a punt. In defense, Harry Maguire is the main name that has cropped up, though the club may also need reinforcements in the fullback areas, particularly if Aaron Cresswell departs for Wolves as rumored. At the moment none of this is particularly useful information, but there's no way to provide a helpful assessment of who else you should have your eyes on from this West Ham squad without seeing what shakes out in the transfer market.
Honorable Mention(s):
The only other recognized striker at the club not mentioned above, youngster Divin Mubama has been showing some positive signs of his development in pre-season and may get his opportunity to prove himself at some point this season. Watch out for his name in starting lineups and consider streaming in good match-ups.
While Lukasz Fabianski was able to hold off the challenge from Alphonse Areola last season, many West Ham fans are viewing this as the season that the Polish keeper makes way for the younger French international in the Premier League. Keepers are exceptionally difficult to predict in terms of fantasy value, but Fabianski was the 8th best goalkeeper last season, averaging 3 saves per game and finishing 80th overall ahead of the likes of more popular options in Aaron Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford.
3 Players to Avoid
It's not all sunshine and rainbows at the London Stadium. 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 West Ham players you might want to avoid come draft day.
Tomas Soucek
Position: Midfielder
22/23 Points: 265 (41st best midfielder)
22/23 Points Per Start: 7.9 (32 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 150+ (12 Team League: Round 13 or later)
Analysis: The 22/23 version of Soucek was halfway decent for fantasy (finishing just 4 points behind Paqueta, albeit from 5 additional starts), but was a liability for the team in real life. The big Czech was a revelation in his first full season with the club in the 20/21 season, scoring 10 goals from central midfield and amassing more than 400 points in Fantrax. His drop-off in 21/22 had fans questioning where their star man went, and things went from bad to worse in 22/23. Asked to take on more defensive duties to accommodate more forward ventures from his pivot partner Declan Rice, Soucek found himself unable to influence games as frequently, only scoring on two occasions last season. Disappointed fans have started calling for him to be replaced in addition to Rice in a midfield rebuild, and they could get their wish as rumors are beginning to crop up of interest from abroad. Even if Soucek remains with the club, his prospects are not great if he remains in a more defensive position. On surface level, his overall score belies how poor he was for most matches, masked by a few occasions where he scored at the level he was back in 20/21 (31.5 vs. Palace, 20 vs. Bournemouth, 20 vs. Tottenham). Even though his average points per start last year was a respectable 7.9, his median PPS was 6.0, a better representation of what you could expect from him most often. That's streamer level and you should be able to find better options until the late stages of the draft.
Gianluca Scamacca
Position: Forward
22/23 Points: 82.5 (65th best forward)
22/23 Points Per Start: 7.0 (11 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 160+ (12 Team League: Round 14 or later)
Analysis: I could have chosen any of the West Ham strikers here, but Scamacca is the one I've seen being selected most frequently in mock drafts, so it seems clear enough that people know to avoid Danny Ings if he's not a guaranteed starter (and perhaps even if he is). Scamacca's story is an interesting case. His arrival in London was met with much rejoicing from fans and media outlets, who viewed the signing as a coup for the Hammers and as a significant step in the right direction for a club with European aspirations. The Italian recently revealed that he spent a significant portion of the first half of the season playing with an injured meniscus before missing the second half of the campaign and finally having surgery in April to repair it. The striker has recovered and has been taking part in pre-season training and matches, even scoring a couple of goals, which is likely the cause for him showing up on draft boards in the late rounds as fantasy managers look for lottery tickets that could pay off. Unfortunately for fans of the 24 year-old, he's also been quite vocal about his desire to leave the club and return to Italy, even going so far as to share his dreams of linking up with Jose Mourinho at Roma. If media reports are to be believed, West Ham are willing to let Scamacca go if they can secure a transfer fee for him (rather than a loan situation). There's still a possibility he could stay and make an attempt to prove himself in England, but he's not someone you should be looking to as a reliable starter in your draft squad.
Aaron Cresswell
Position: Defender
22/23 Points: 167.25 (31st best defender)
22/23 Points Per Start: 6.8 (24 starts)
Recommended Draft Pick: 160+ (12 Team League: Round 14 or later)
Analysis: Gone are the days of Cresswell being a set-and-forget defender in your fantasy squad. None of West Ham's defenders had a good season for fantasy purposes in 22/23 (the left-back was the highest scorer among them with an overall rank of 133), which is enough cause for concern. But there are also rumors of Cresswell being a transfer target for Wolves, another team that looks set to struggle in the upcoming season. The only way Cresswell will regain enough fantasy value at either of these teams to be worth any more than a late-round punt is if he is able to establish himself as a regular starter and command at least some percentage of set piece duties. At the moment, neither is a sure thing at either club.
Honorable Mention(s):
After some transfer speculation made it seem like he was on his way to the Saudi Pro League, it looks like Michail Antonio could be set to stay in London for another season. He's fallen off a considerable amount since his days as a draft fantasy legend, and with the club seemingly willing to let him go, you'll be better off if you look elsewhere to fill out your squad.
Vladimir Coufal is another former fantasy stud who seems to have lost his way. He may yet rediscover his best form, but there's not enough to be excited about on last season's evidence to warrant spending a draft pick on the Czech fullback.
3 Question Marks
Not everything is crystal clear and predictable at West Ham. These are 3 questions surrounding the Hammers 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 West Ham's fantasy assets.
Will they be able to successfully replace Declan Rice? - We know for sure that the club will have to dip into the transfer market to bring in a replacement for the new Arsenal midfielder. What we don't know is whether they think they can accomplish that with a single signing or if they'll look to spread the funds to facilitate a larger overhaul of the squad. Rice provided a fairly unique profile as an exceptional defensive disruptor with the ability to progress the ball in possession. Based on the names they've been linked with, they're going to struggle to recreate his profile, so we could see the pack shuffled a bit to try something new. The big question will be how well whatever solution they come up with works for a side that almost certainly would have been relegated without the midfielder's presence last season.
Can Moyes figure out how to work with a number 9? - One of the criticisms leveled at the former Everton and Manchester United manager is that he was unable to get the best out of a highly promising traditional striker in Gianluca Scamacca. Whether that was the case or if the Italian's adaptation to a new league and subsequent injury issues played into his disappointing campaign last season, Moyes will need to figure out a way to get whichever forward he is working with back among the goals this time around. We'll find out whether the issue was Scamacca or Moyes soon enough.
Is Europe a priority this season? - The road to the Europa Conference League championship was grueling and long, running from mid-August 2022 all the way through June 7 of this year. The trophy made it all worthwhile, but came at the detriment of West Ham's security in the Premier League. With them making the step up to a more difficult competition in the Europa League, will Moyes and the club's owners shift their focus back to the Prem, or will they attempt to compete on both fronts again? If they do, will they have enough depth and quality to sustain another long campaign?
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 West Ham's early-season fixtures and our analysis of the fantasy implications they will have.
Given the uncertainty around what the starting lineup will be on opening day, the early fixture run for the Hammers is average at best. The three most favorable fixtures listed here (Bournemouth, Chelsea and Luton) all warrant caution when making an assessment on difficulty to begin the season. Luton carry with them the default score for a promoted club, as we don't have the data available to assess how they performed against Premier League sides last season. Bournemouth and Chelsea both have new managers in place who are expected to play wildly different styles to their predecessors. It could be early on enough in the tenure of those managers that the Hammers could capitalize on some growing pains, but don't take last season's numbers under previous managers as gospel.
23/24 West Ham Predicted Lineup
The following lineup represents our prediction for the most likely line-up for the long-term for West Ham in the upcoming season. Note that this doesn't account for injuries or transfers (of which there should still be a couple for the Hammers), but this should serve as a guide for what you can expect to see most often from the London club. European competition will naturally play a role in rotation as well.
The imminent signing of Edson Alvarez is the first step to replacing Declan Rice, with the club also rumored to be interested in Scott McTominay, whose arrival would likely mean Tomas Soucek becoming more of a reserve option. The striker situation is still tenuous at best, while reinforcements on the right wing would certainly help keep Jarrod Bowen fresh. If Harry Maguire is brought in, he could challenge either of the CBs for a starting role.
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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