The Fantasy Football Scout 2022/23 end-of-season awards are up and running, with the poll for best forwards open for voting in this article and on the sidebar.

We’ll be assessing the key candidates in each position in four separate articles, ending with this look at forwards.

Overall score, points per match and value in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) were all factors we considered when compiling this shortlist – the rest we’ll leave up to you.

You’re allowed up to three votes for this poll, with the top name definitely making our Team of the Season at the very least; as many as two others could also make the cut and that too will be your call after a run-off vote.

2022/23 CANDIDATES

ERLING HAALAND

• Points: 272
• Points per match: 7.77
• Start cost: £11.5m
• End cost: £12.4m

In one of the greatest debut FPL seasons we’ll ever see, the phenomenal Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City with a huge reputation but has already broken the all-time Premier League record for goals in a season. Amongst these 36 strikes was an early run of three consecutive home hat-tricks, as it took ten games for him to record his first blank.

Let’s try to keep everything else brief. Haaland ended with the most points (272), double-digit hauls (11), attempts inside the box (115), shots on target (60), big chances (59) and expected goals (xG, 28.66). His 8.1 points per start are the best, also leading the way for an expected goal involvement (xGI, 31.79) which is 12.21 below his actual tally.

Interestingly, Haaland’s penalty area touches (227) is the most of all forwards but he’s only tenth for total touches (833), indicating that he’s purely a box player. The downside to such a magnificent season is that Haaland will surely get a large price rise heading into 2023/24, a value that will force managers to think hard.

HARRY KANE

• Points: 263
• Points per match: 6.92
• Start cost: £11.5m
• End cost: £11.5m

Meanwhile, not only is 30-goal Harry Kane the only player to amass more shots (130) than Haaland but he’s also the forward that has created the most chances for others (57). It’s near-perfection for his position, yet Kane’s greatest season largely remained in the shadow of Haaland.

The 16 points of Gameweek 38 means Kane ended up just nine behind the Norwegian and this final-day bonanza was an exception to his year of consistent returns that rarely brought multiple goals. In fact, Kane never blanked in successive games – only failing twice since Gameweek 23 – making it his best campaign for goal involvements (39) and points.

A big summer question will revolve around Kane’s future at Spurs. With one year remaining on his contract, could he actually leave the club for a Premier League rival? The answer will determine his initial popularity heading into Gameweek 1.

IVAN TONEY

• Points: 182
• Points per match: 5.52
• Start cost: £7.0m
• End cost: £7.1m

This vote up front could be fairly simple, as Ivan Toney‘s 20 goals bettered the 12 of last season and were highlighted by a Gameweek 6 hat-trick versus Leeds United and the brace that grabbed Brentford a win at Man City.

He was ranked third amongst forwards for big chances (33), with a fourth-best xGI (22.28) throughout the whole game that was only beaten by a trio of premium assets.

Although April saw Toney miss his first penalty since 2018, he successfully scored six of them. Yet an eight-month ban handed out by the Football Association (FA) means he’ll be out of action until January 2024.

OLLIE WATKINS

• Points: 175
• Points per match: 4.73
• Start cost: £7.5m
• End cost: £7.3m

The fortunes of Ollie Watkins have been transformed since Unai Emery arrived as head coach. Aston Villa’s forward netted once in his first ten starts and was on a mere three heading into Gameweek 21, exceeding six points on one occasion.

However, after the January sale of Danny Ings (£6.3m) re-established Watkins as Emery’s main man, he scored in ten of the following 12 matches – delivering 11 goals and three assists.

The superb run meant that, between Gameweeks 17 and 31, Watkins was ranked as the league’s number one for shots both on target (27) and inside the box (43). Goals faded in the closing weeks but he grabbed one more on the final day, making up for Gameweek 37’s penalty miss at Anfield.

CALLUM WILSON

• Points: 157
• Points per match: 5.06
• Start cost: £7.5m
• End cost: £7.3m

A campaign of 18 Premier League goals is Callum Wilson‘s best, influenced largely by a bizarre late run between Gameweeks 29 and 36 that saw him find the net 11 times despite starting just five matches and playing a low 555 minutes.

It means that he ends as the fourth-best forward for xG (17.49) and, of those with over 300 minutes, only Haaland has a better minutes-per-goal rate (104.8). Furthermore, he’s played least often out of all assets with over 11 goals.

Highlights include a 19-point haul against Aston Villa in Gameweek 14 and ending Double Gameweek 36 with 24 of them. Even so, the presence of Alexander Isak (£7.0m) means Wilson remains a rotation risk and this will only increase further with Champions League football on its way.

BRYAN MBEUMO

• Points: 150
• Points per match: 3.95
• Start cost: £6.0m
• End cost: £5.7m

Next up is the best forward priced under £7.0m, Bryan Mbeumo. Given a pre-season positional change from midfielder to forward, he was therefore overlooked by many in favour of team-mate Toney and never exceeded 570,000 owners.

Three goals and two assists during Brenford’s last trio of outings means Mbeumo finished on nine of each, ending as the season’s best value forward based on points per million (26.32).

Managers may be keen to see what initial price he’s given for next time, given that he’ll be leading the lines and likely taking penalties whilst Toney is banned.

GABRIEL JESUS

• Points: 125
• Points per match: 4.81
• Start cost: £8.0m
• End cost: £8.1m

Arsenal’s summer signing Gabriel Jesus (£8.1m) was in over six million teams all the way up to the World Cup break, notching five goals and four assists in his first nine appearances before his Fantasy form dipped and an injury occurred.

But the season’s final quarter yielded six goals for the Brazilian, allowing him to end on a high.

Whilst the points column has him well adrift of the players above, he did miss a dozen of the Gunners’ fixtures due to his enforced lay-off.

And so, in terms of points per match, he finished ahead of Watkins and Mbeumo. That also includes two sub appearances, so 5.1 points per start was a pretty decent effort.

NOT QUITE MAKING THE CUT

Of the other candidates, Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.6m) was one of the early-season stars, netting 11 times in his first 15 matches. Goalless for the next six, he then received a large FA ban and – although he scored a few late on – Gameweek 38 brought his fourth missed spot-kick.

Finally, the forward with the most assists was Dominic Solanke‘s (£5.6m) total of ten. He didn’t often score but was around to help those FPL managers that needed money placed elsewhere. Some even benefitted from his 15-point haul at Spurs in Gameweek 31.