Who are the best FPL Challenge GW23 picks? All players will be awarded two additional points for each successful dribble this week. We use Opta data to find the top players to target in the Premier League.
It’s week three of the Archetypes theme in FPL Challenge, and the latest rule tweak, The Ball-Carrier, sees players awarded with an additional two points for each instance they successfully dribble past an opponent.
Players were only awarded one extra point for every chance they created last week, and that meant there was still good reason to choose players who could accrue points in a variety of ways.
But this week, with two points per successful dribble, we are incentivised to target the league’s take-on specialists.
The similarity with last week, though, is that midfielders are king. Among those with at least 500 minutes played in the Premier League this season, each of the top 10 players for successful dribbles per 90 minutes are coded as midfielders in FPL. For that reason, we’re sticking with a 1-1-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper
Robert Sánchez: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (A)
We’re using our goalkeeper pick on Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez, with the intention of capitalising on the negativity surrounding Crystal Palace at the moment.
Palace are currently winless in 10 games in all competitions, while they have just lost their captain, Marc Guéhi, to Manchester City.
Oliver Glasner’s side have a surprisingly poor record at Selhurst Park this season, with just two wins from 11 games in the Premier League, and that record has only come into sharper focus in recent weeks.
Across their last five home league matches, they have scored only two goals, with one of those coming from the penalty spot.
It remains to be seen how Chelsea’s defence will fare under Liam Rosenior, but his Strasbourg side were always one of the better defensive teams in Ligue 1.
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Lewis Hall: Newcastle vs Aston Villa (H)
Jeremie Frimpong averages the most successful dribbles per 90 minutes of any defender in FPL this season, with 2.4, but given Liverpool are away to a high-scoring Bournemouth side this week, we’re picking another great ball-carrier with better defensive potential, Lewis Hall.
With two successful dribbles per 90 minutes, Hall ranks second among defenders this season, while he faces an Aston Villa side who have begun to falter in the Premier League.
After winning eight league games in a row, Unai Emery’s side have since picked up one win from four games, failing to score at all in their last two matches, against Crystal Palace and Everton.
Newcastle comfortably beat PSV in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, while Villa have a much more arduous midweek schedule, with a UEFA Europa League game against Fenerbahçe in Istanbul on Thursday. Hall is a lock as our defensive pick.
Midfielders
Jérémy Doku: Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
With what may be the least surprising selection of the season, we’re choosing Jérémy Doku as the first of our three midfielders.
Doku is statistically the best dribbler in the Premier League – among players with at least 10 starts in the competition this season, his 4.7 successful dribbles per 90 minutes are a significant distance from second-place Mohammed Kudus, who averages 3.0 dribbles completed per 90.
It also helps that Wolves players have been dribbled past 7.9 times per game on average this season in the Premier League, the third-most of any team, after Brighton (9.9) and Bournemouth (8.1).
Doku was an unused substitute for Manchester City’s 3-1 defeat against Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, which may suggest he isn’t fully fit, so this pick does come with a level of risk attached.
Make sure to keep an eye out for City’s starting XI announcement on Saturday afternoon, and consider switching Doku to a player from our list of honourable mentions (below) if he doesn’t make the team.
Bukayo Saka: Arsenal vs Manchester United (H)
We would normally advise picking an Arsenal defender when they play at home, but Manchester United’s attacking performance against Manchester City in Michael Carrick’s first game in charge last week gives us enough reason to avoid such a decision.
The good news is that this frees up Bukayo Saka as a midfield selection. Saka ranks seventh for successful dribbles per 90 minutes among players with at least 10 starts this season, with 2.2.
The benefit with Saka is that, given this is such a big fixture, he is likely to stay on the pitch for the majority, if not all of the match, and that’s a key consideration for captaincy.
Saka has been short of goals and assists of late, but his expected goal and assist figures suggest he has been a tad unlucky in that department.
Meanwhile, only four teams’ players have been dribbled past more times than Man Utd in the Premier League this season (7.6 per game).
Iliman Ndiaye: Everton vs Leeds United (H)
Fresh from winning AFCON 2025 with Senegal in Morocco, Iliman Ndiaye’s return could not be better timed for Everton, who look to have lost Jack Grealish to a long-term injury.
With 2.3 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, Ndiaye ranks sixth in the Premier League this season among players with at least 10 starts.
He has mainly featured on the right wing for Everton this season, but the injury to Grealish likely means he could be brought across to the left, which should see him afforded more scoring opportunities on his stronger right foot.
Leeds are much improved in recent months, but they are still leaky at the back, with just one clean sheet away from home in the Premier League this season. They conceded four goals in their last league game on the road, against Newcastle.
Forward
Hugo Ekitiké: Liverpool vs Bournemouth (A)
He failed to do the business for us last week against Burnley, but we’re keeping faith in Hugo Ekitiké for GW23.
The Frenchman tops all forwards in FPL for successful dribbles per 90 minutes this season, with 1.9.
Bournemouth games tend to be high-octane, with defenders happy to track opposition forwards across the pitch, and that’s a good recipe for large spaces.
Indeed, Bournemouth players are dribbled past 8.1 times per game in the Premier League this season, the second most of any team. Ekitiké is well placed to benefit – both for goals and successful dribbles.
GW23 Honourable Mentions
Kevin ranks second in the Premier League this season for successful dribbles per 90 minutes, with 4.2, and the Brazilian faces a Brighton team who are dribbled past more often than any other side. If he makes the starting XI, he could be a great selection.
Antoine Semenyo was unavailable for Man City’s UEFA Champions League defeat against Bodø/Glimt, and that means he’s well placed for 90 minutes against Wolves. If Doku doesn’t make the XI, consider switching to the Ghanaian.
Jarrod Bowen has the most total successful dribbles of any forward in FPL this season, with 31. He always plays 90 minutes, and his West Ham side have put together consecutive wins in all competitions for the first time since November.
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FPL Challenge GW23 Picks: Two Points for Successful Dribbles Opta Analyst.
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