Scout Picks – Gameweek 14

After revealing the long list for our Gameweek 14 Scout Squad yesterday, it’s now time to announce who made the final cut.

Mark Hughes’ confirmation that regular Stoke stopper Jack Butland is still not ready for first team action means his deputy 3.1% owned Lee Grant (4.1) earns a recall to the Scout Picks.

On the back of a clean sheet against Watford last weekend we have high hopes for another shut-out when travel sick Burnley drop by the bet365 Stadium. Sean Dyche’s troops have scored just once away from Turf Moor in the league so far.

Another strong performer in Gameweek 13 was Gareth McAuley (4.8), who tops the defenders’ goalscoring charts after netting his third of the campaign at Hull.

The Northern Ireland international, who is FPL’s second most popular defender, is expected to be a similar menace at set-pieces when Watford visit. The Hornets are the third worst Premier League side when it comes to conceding headed goal attempts.

Danny Rose’s (5.9) assist potential could profit from Swansea’s visit to White Hart Lane tomorrow. The 5.3% owned left-back is level with midfield team-mate Christian Eriksen at the summit of the Spurs chance creation table over their last four matches.

We’re opting for Middlesbrough right-back Antonio Barragan (4.5) in this week’s final XI for Hull’s visit to the Riverside on Monday night.

The Tigers have conceded more chances down their left flank (40) than any other team on the road this term, offering the 1.3% owned Spaniard the chance of points at both ends of the pitch.

His budget price tag has also come in handy as we have included three players with 10m plus valuations.

The first of these is Alexis Sanchez (11.4), whose brace at home to Bournemouth last weekend served as a powerful reminder of his explosive potential.

A trip across the capital to a West Ham side, who conceded four goals in the midweek League Cup defeat to Manchester United, adds further weight to his selection. Already more than 94,000 FPL managers have drafted the Chilean in this week.

Roberto Firmino (8.8) is expected to overcome a knock picked up in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Sunderland in time to visit Bournemouth this Sunday.

The 18.9% owned Brazilian ‘false 9’ has accrued 27 points in the last four Gameweeks, making him our favoured Reds’ option in the absence of the injured Philippe Coutinho.

After scoring against Chelsea last weekend, we’re backing Christian Eriksen (8.1) against a Swansea outfit that have conceded 11 times in their last four matches. As mentioned above, the 5.4% owned Dane has also shown plenty of assist potential in recent matches.

With a kind price tag of 5.3, West Brom’s Matt Phillips earns a rare Scout Picks call-up ahead of a home clash against Watford.

But the 4.4% owned Baggies winger is not just an enabler – with two goals and three assists over the last three Gameweeks, he clearly has the form to reward our faith.

Harry Kane (10.9) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.1) take up almost a quarter of our 84m budget but we think they will be worth every penny.

The Spurs striker, who tops our Captaincy Poll, has five goals in his last five starts and, with an ownership of just 8.9%, has emerged as a key differential ahead of the visit of Swansea.

The 25.7% owned Ibrahimovic is in similarly fine fettle, scoring three in his last two Premier League matches and adding another brace in Wednesday’s EFL Cup victory over West Ham.

In stark contrast, his hosts Everton are in woeful form, shipping 11 goals in their last four fixtures. We are banking on Goodison Park being another happy hunting ground for the big Swede.

Our final selection is another prolific veteran striker, Jermain Defoe (7.6).

The 34-year-old Sunderland frontman has been rolling back the years with seven goals already and welcomes a Leicester side that has conceded 16 times on their travels in the league.

Liverpool’s improving defensive form has prompted us to give a nod to 6.8% owned Dejan Lovren (5.1). He travels to Bournemouth with a strong chance of winning a third league clean sheet in a row for the Reds.

Middlesbrough’s Gaston Ramirez (5.3) earns a place among our substitutes for the visit of struggling Hull. The 0.7% owned Uruguayan has a goal and an assist in his last four and faces a defence that – like Leicester – has conceded 16 times on their travels.

West Brom striker Salomon Rondon (6.6) takes the final bench role, based on Watford’s vulnerability to headers. The 5.8% owned Venezuelan has scored twice already this season with his head and is second only to Christian Benteke in terms of this form of goal attempt. We expect Rondon to shrug off an illness in time to face the Hornets.

The Community Champion

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. The current champions to beat are VS10_ and Ziro, who have both achieved a 32-point margin of victory over us.

This week’s champion is Prichardson311, who has opted for a 3-4-3 line up of Valdes; Mustafi, Matip, Rojo; Hazard, Mahrez, Alli, Allen; Anichebe, Ibrahimovic, Costa.