We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ for Gameweek 8 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In this initial selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks, which will then be finalised and published much closer to Saturday’s deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, with Scout Squad nominations, two more Double Gameweek 7 fixtures and a whole host of press conferences still to come.
But 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.
We are, as ever, limited by certain restrictions in our selections:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 8 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 8 fixtures sorted by ‘difficulty’ on our Season Ticker
THE LIKELY LADS
There aren’t too many players at this early stage who you would say are ‘nailed’ for Scout Picks duty.
Son Heung-min’s (£9.3m) resurgence probably makes him the closest thing we have: the in-form midfielder has six goals in his last four matches ahead of Saturday’s clash with Luton Town and has been involved in seven Opta-defined ‘big chances’ (six of his own, one created for Brennan Johnson) in that time.
The Hatters have shipped 12 goals in six so far, so James Maddison (£7.9m) will surely be in the Scout Picks running, too.
At least one of Pedro Porro (£5.0m) or Destiny Udogie (£4.8m) also seems like a no-brainer.
The former is bossing the underlying stats, leading for shots (9-1) and key passes (9-7), yet Udogie could haul against a Luton side that have allowed 30 chances from their right flank over the last six, one of the four highest totals in the division.
Above: Just over 44% of the chances Luton have conceded this season were created from their right flank
Can we say anyone else is assured of their place in the Scout Picks at this stage, however? Probably not, although there are multiple names in the mix.
IN CONTENTION
