We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Blank Gameweek 28 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
This round of fixtures will see six teams blank due to clashes with the FA Cup quarter-finals: Brighton and Hove Albion, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham United.
In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to Friday’s deadline.
We are limited to an £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.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 28 FIXTURES
Times given in GMT
THE LIKELY LADS
We’ll not waste any time explaining why Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane (£11.7m) will feature, so we’ll swiftly move on to north London rivals Arsenal.
A triple-up against Crystal Palace feels almost inevitable but who takes the coveted slots is up for debate.
Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.2m) are the frontrunners at the back, but we’ve sided with the former in our ‘bus team’, given that no top-flight side has conceded more headed attempts (38) than the Eagles since the restart. There is real clean sheet potential, too: Patrick Vieira’s side have failed to register a single shot on target in three straight Premier League games.
Further forward, we can be fairly sure two of Bukayo Saka (£8.5m), Martin Odegaard (£6.9m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.6m) will make the cut. Manchester City enjoyed their best forays down Nathaniel Clyne’s (£4.5m) flank on Saturday evening, which could suit Martinelli, who has five goals in as many Premier League games. Could we potentially shift Leandro Trossard (£6.6m) into that group too, given his recent form? Maybe, although Gabriel Jesus’ (£7.9m) return from injury complicates matters. Even if the Brazilian isn’t ready to start until after the international break, he will surely eat into Trossard’s minutes.
Chelsea have the best defensive home record this season, surprisingly conceding just eight goals at Stamford Bridge. Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.7m) is averaging 5.0 points per match under Graham Potter, while Gameweek 28’s most-bought player Ben Chilwell (£5.9m) has delivered an attacking return in three straight games in all competitions.
Kieran Trippier (£6.0m) is very much in the running too, having produced his first assist since Boxing Day at the weekend. The last side to keep a clean sheet at The City Ground was Tottenham Hotspur all the way back in Gameweek 4, but Nottingham Forest do concede a lot of crosses from their left flank, so it’d be a bit of a surprise if Trippier didn’t end up being a consensus pick among the Scout Squad panel.
IN CONTENTION
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