We have chosen our best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 22.

The earlier deadline – Friday at 18:30 GMT – means we’ve brought forward the Scout Picks by a day, so there is the caveat that an injury or two could emerge from the 16 pre-match press conferences still to come.

This Gameweek will be a ‘double’ for two sides, Manchester United and Leeds United.

As ever, we are limited to £83.0m for our first XI. And, after a reader vote ahead of 2022/23, an overall price cap of £100.0m is in place for our 15-man squad, too.

GOALKEEPER

Illan Meslier (£4.5m), nominated by all of our Scout Squad panel, gets the nod between the posts this week. The Frenchman has kept two clean sheets in his last four appearances but his selection here is mostly for his ability to pick up save points across the two fixtures, given that Leeds’ clean sheet prospects look a bit iffy, particularly at Old Trafford. Meslier has already racked up 16 save points in 2022/23, more than any other ‘keeper bar Bernd Leno (£4.5m) and David Raya (£4.7m).

DEFENDERS

FPL auto-pick Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) has 44 more FPL points than any other defender this season, last scoring fewer than seven in Gameweek 13. Since the restart, no player in any position has created more chances, with his -1.12 expected assists (xA) delta suggesting he’s been unfortunate not to add to his solitary Boxing Day assist. As for Newcastle United, they have kept six clean sheets in a row and are flying at home – they are yet to lose this season and have conceded just five times in 10 games.

Having recovered from the illness that has seen him sit out Man Utd’s last two cup matches, Luke Shaw (£5.3m) takes his place in the Scout Picks XI. Even though he has blanked in his last three appearances, the Red Devils’ record of one goal conceded in their last six league matches at Old Trafford increases his clean-sheet potential in the next two games. His ability going forward means there is always a possibility of attacking returns as well.

A major part of Arsenal’s success this season has been their defence, especially away from home. In 10 away games, they have secured seven clean sheets, conceding just six. In contrast, opponents Everton – who will have Sean Dyche in the dugout for the first time – are without a win in their last eight league matches, with only Wolves scoring fewer goals than them in 2022/23. Here, Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m) is our chosen pick, having had 10 more shots than any of his defensive colleagues.

Pervis Estupinan (£4.6m) has impressed at both ends of the pitch recently, registering 15 points in the last two Gameweeks courtesy of two assists, a clean sheet and two bonus. Since Roberto De Zerbi was appointed in September, only five FPL defenders have created more chances than the Ecuadorian, highlighting his growing influence in the attacking third. Bournemouth, meanwhile, visit the Amex Stadium in poor attacking form. They have scored just one goal in their five matches since the season resumed.

MIDFIELDERS

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COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Each week, a member of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Picks.

The community member who beats our team by the largest margin will win a £100 Amazon voucher and a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.

Boleyn Boy’s 81-54 victory in Gameweek 6 gave them the biggest win (27 points difference) of 2022/23 so far.

Our champion this week is Dre who has gone for the following: Pope; Trippier, Shaw, Gabriel; Fernandes (c), Mahrez, Rashford, Odegaard; Haaland, Darwin, Nketiah

The Scout Picks are 11-9 up on the community this season.

FOLLOW THE SCOUT’S WEEKLY TRANSFER PLANS

We’re running a Scout community team in FPL this season, with regulars like TopMarx, Geoff, Tom Freeman and more contributing to the weekly decisions.

And we’re not just looking one week ahead like we are with the Scout Picks but instead planning in advance for the weeks and months to come.

You can follow our team via the Premier Fantasy Tools Pro Planner, which you can learn more about here.