We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Gameweek 16 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to the deadline.
We are limited to a £83.0m budget for our starting XI, while our bench is also price-capped after a reader vote.
In the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article – a term coined by the duo behind the Always Cheating podcast– will discuss the players who are likely to be in the running.
THE LIKELY LADS
The final Scout Picks before the winter World Cup will undoubtedly feature representation from Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, all of whom have outstanding home fixtures in Gameweek 16.
Their opponents – Brentford, managerless Southampton and Leeds United – all sit in the bottom half for goals conceded in away matches this season. The Bees have been particularly porous of late, allowing 11 in their last three outings on the road.
It’ll once again come down to budget as to how many of the premiums we can squeeze in, but here, we’ve found room for three, with Mohamed Salah (£12.7m), Erling Haaland (£12.1m) and Harry Kane (£11.6m) all included.
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.6m) is on standby if a start for Haaland is still in question following Pep’s Friday press conference.
Elsewhere, Darwin Nunez (£8.9m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£8.0m) are cheaper alternatives at Liverpool and Spurs should we find that three premiums is too limiting.
Joao Cancelo (£7.4m), meanwhile, is selected at the back, with the City full-back’s suspension to be served in the Carabao Cup. The Portuguese is averaging 6.1 points per start at the Etihad this season, even accounting for Saturday’s red card and subsequent -2 score.
We could also include a Liverpool and Spurs defender, with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) and Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) the most appealing routes in. However, Ibrahima Konate (£4.8m) and Ryan Sessegnon (£4.5m) are backups if savings are needed, which may well prove to be the case if we’re set on accommodating three premiums. Konate was excellent in Gameweek 15, making clearance after clearance (nine in total) and protecting Alexander-Arnold, who was often targeted by the Spurs’ attack.
It’s almost certain that an Arsenal defender – perhaps even two – will be included, with Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.1m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.0m) and Ben White (£4.6m) in the mix. No defender has scored goals than Gabriel (seven) since the start of last season, with opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers the division’s lowest scorers. The Gunners, meanwhile, have kept a clean sheet in five of their seven away league matches in 2022/23.
Above: Arsenal’s 104.8 minutes per xGC in away matches is the best rate among all Premier League sides
IN CONTENTION
The rest of this article is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout account for access – you can get yours at no cost here.
