The Scout Squad – Gameweek 10

As always on a Tuesday afternoon, we give you an early heads-up on our Scout Picks thinking for the Gameweek ahead. This list of 22 players will also include some names in contention for a place in our Spot the Differential article, though will, of course, be subject to change, depending on the injury situation as the week unfolds.

For Gameweek 10, here’s who we’ve got our eye on…

Goalkeepers

Back-to-back clean sheets have strengthened Jack Butland’s(4.5) case for inclusion ahead of a home tie against Watford. Considering that the Hornets rank bottom for goals (six) and shots on target (25) this term, a third successive shut-out is a strong possibility. Regardless, the former Birmingham City shot-stopper has amassed nine save points and two bonus, rendering him the choice route into Stoke’s back five.

Lukasz Fabianski (5.0) has failed to keep a clean sheet in six of his last seven outings, yet Swansea’s trip to Aston Villa provides the perfect platform to improve on that front. Underlining the weight of their recent travails, the Villains drew blanks in three of their last four home clashes, with only Watford (one) notching fewer goals (two) in their own backyard.

Defenders

Hector Bellerin (5.8) serves as a strong route into an Arsenal defence that’s snuffed out the opposition’s attack in five of their last seven outings. That being said, Nacho Monreal – who’s also notched two assists in three starts and possesses a near-identical shot and key-pass frequency – is running neck-and-neck with the young Spaniard ahead of a home encounter against Everton. The Toffees were unable to grace the scoresheet in two of their previous three road ties, piquing our interest in both men.

Crossing the North London divide, Toby Alderweireld (5.2) has forged a robust central defensive partnership with compatriot Jan Vertonghen that’s reaping the rewards. The Lilywhites are tied bottom with the Gunners with regards to goals conceded (seven), having accrued four clean sheets in their last six. The former Atletico Madrid centre-back gets the nod over Eric Dier by virtue of his greater haul of shots inside the box (seven compared to three) and knack for avoiding the referee’s notebook.

Craig Dawson (5.1) remains the prime route into a West Bromwich Albion rearguard that’s displayed all the hallmarks of a Tony Pulis side, racking up five clean sheets in their last eight fixtures. The Baggies could struggle to contain a Norwich side that’s scored in every home match this term, but Dawson’s also shown himself to be a potent threat from set pieces, with only four defenders tallying more shots (eight).

In the wake of Joe Gomez’s anterior cruciate ligament injury, Alberto Moreno (4.7) enjoys the security of starts at Liverpool’s left-back position. Despite clocking just 461 minutes this season, the Spain international has chalked up more key passes (16) than any defender in the league, illustrating his assist potential. The Reds battened down the hatches in Jurgen Klopp’s first game in charge and now host a Saints outfit that failed to net in two of their previous three road matches.

A brace of assists in Norwich’s last match-up against Newcastle thrust Martin Olsson (4.4) back onto our radar. For all West Brom’s defensive resolve, they’ve been far from a dominant force at the other end of the pitch – ranking in the bottom three for goals (seven), shots inside the box (50) and big chances (seven) – augmenting the appeal of a budget Canaries defender.

Midfielders

Alexis Sanchez (11.4) is now firing on all cylinders following a slow start to the campaign, with six goals arriving in his last three leagues starts. The 11.4-priced midfielder posted supreme underlying statistics over the last quartet of fixtures, placing joint-top for shots inside the box (12) and shots on target (seven) among midfielders. A home clash against Everton will be no walkover for Arsenal, but Sanchez’s form renders him a fixture-proof asset.

Theo Walcott (8.6) recorded two goals and assists in his last five appearances and ranks second for shots on target (six) among his counterparts since Gameweek 6. Rotation is still a concern – with midweek European football and Olivier Giroud’s impressive league form (three goals in five cameo outings) muddying the waters – but we expect the Southampton academy product to retain his lone-striker berth for the time being.

Despite being consigned to a bench role for the second Gameweek running, Riyad Mahrez (6.5) remains in our thinking as Leicester City prepare to host Crystal Palace. The Foxes were a much improved side when the Algerian entered the fray in the second half of their road tie against Southampton, which should convince Claudio Ranieri to start him against the Eagles.

Notwithstanding Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick last time out, Kevin De Bruyne (10.5) remains our top pick among Manchester City’s midfield contingent. The 10.5-priced Belgian has served up three goals and as many assists in four starts, offering consistency of returns that’s hard to ignore. Considering nine goals were scored across the last two Manchester derbies held at Old Trafford, De Bruyne could be at the forefront of an end-to-end affair.

Aside from Christian Eriksen’s obvious free-kick prowess, the Danish playmaker tallied at least double the number of attempts (nine) and shots on target (four) of any Spurs midfielder in the last three Gameweeks, suggesting that goals from open play are incoming. Now that Nacer Chadli faces six weeks out with an ankle injury, Eriksen looks best placed to cash in against a Bournemouth defence that shipped eight goals in their previous three outings.

Georginio Wijnaldum (6.8) proved to be an incredible differential for his modest ownership last Gameweek, claiming a four-goal haul in a 6-2 victory over Norwich. Although nobody would have expected such an explosive performance from the Dutchman, he’s been the Magpies’ most eye-catching operator by some margin and their only goal threat from midfield of late – indeed, amongst midfielders over the last three Gameweeks, only Alexis Sanchez has registered more attempts on target than the Dutchman.

Having not registered a single attempt against Stoke City, Andre Ayew (7.2) will be eager to showcase his talents when Swansea make the trip to Aston Villa in Gameweek 9. Bafetimbi Gomis has fallen out of our thinking in light of his five consecutive blanks, but we still rate the Swans’ attacking prospects against a Villa rearguard that’s not earned a clean sheet since the opening Gameweek.

Dimitri Payet (8.1) has been a revelation for Slaven Bilic’s new-look West Ham side this term, grabbing four goals and two assists in the last five outings. A home tie against Chelsea would have been a significant deterrent last season, but the Hammers rank second for goals scored (20) and square up to a back line that’s conceded 10 times on their travels – only three sides have been more generous.

Nathan Redmond (5.6) netted his fourth goal of the campaign at St James’ Park, surely now affording him a sustained run in Alex Neil’s favoured XI. Priced at 5.6, the England U21 international stands as an attractive route into a Norwich attack that’s drawn just one blank in nine matches. Sadio Mane (7.9) notched two goals and three assists in his previous four appearances and has picked up the the bulk of his points against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Swansea, which bodes well ahead of a challenging visit to Liverpool.

Forwards

Jamie Vardy (6.9) netted eight goals in his last six starts and hasn’t failed to deliver Fantasy returns since Gameweek 2. Form is indeed temporary, but it would be foolish to bet against the red-hot marksman prolonging his steak against an Eagles outfit that’s typically struggled to record shut-outs. No forward came close to Vardy’s figures for attempts (25), shots inside the box (22) and shots on target (12) over the last four Gameweeks, illuminating the ease with which he’s fashioning goal-scoring opportunities.

Wilfried Bony (8.3) has been quick to step up in Sergio Aguero’s absence, chalking up two goals and an assist against Bournemouth last time out. With the latter expected to return after the November international break, Bony is certainly a short-term solution, yet with 23 points over his three starts, is more than capable of deputising until the Argentine is injury free.

Graziano Pelle has dovetailed excellently with Mane in recent weeks and currently lies second (56) behind Vardy (65) in terms of total score this campaign. The Foxes frontman is the only player to muster more shots inside the box (22) than Pelle (16) over the last four Gameweeks, underlining his potency in the final third. The Italian frontman will be emboldened in the knowledge that Liverpool shipped six goals in their last three home clashes.

Diego Costa (11.0) reaffirmed his big-hitting potential with a goal and assist on his return from suspension. Valued at 11.0, the Blues’ divisive hitman will fancy his chances against an Irons defence that conceded eight goals in their quartet of home ties. The recruitment of Costa also carries the added benefit of easing the transition back to Aguero when he’s back in contention by virtue of his marquee price tag.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (6.2) has bagged two goals in three starts since serving out his suspension. Following their resounding win over Norwich, a jubilant Toon side square up to Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne derby, with Mitrovic a likely beneficiary of the fact that the Black Cats are yet to notch a clean sheet this campaign.

THE COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Having scrapped the weekly vote idea from last season, we now operate a lottery system to pick our weekly candidates. The community member who beats our picks by the biggest margin over the campaign will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Contributors and Moderators League for the following season.

In Gameweek 9, Community Champion Meinhoff beat the Scout Picks by 59 points to 50. Massive still retains top spot, however – he beat us by 16 points in Gameweek 6 and stays in the lead to claim the £100 Amazon voucher.

The Community Champion, as selected by lottery to take us on in Gameweek 10 is Boris Bodega. This is his third season, with 148,419th his highest overall ranking finish so far.