The Scout Squad – Gameweek 2

A week into the new season and certain players are already producing near-unanimity among our three Fantasy Football Scout regulars and current Hall of Fame #1 Peter Kouwenberg.

Romelu Lukaku’s brace against West Ham on Sunday means he’s the Scouts’ top forward pick for Gameweek 2, while Liverpool’s Mo Salah gets support across the board in midfield.

But there’s no such love for Harry Kane. One blank Gameweek against Newcastle United and more than 100,000 FPL managers have given him the not-so golden boot. Some Scouts are slightly sweeter on Kane, although only two want him in their side.

Gabriel Jesus is rather more to their taste, as are both Jamie Vardy and Steve Mounie – two strikers who scored twice to kick off their seasons.

At least our experts can agree on one thing – Burnley’s Tom Heaton needs to be in goal for the Clarets home match with West Brom. Except for Peter, who much prefers the pricier charms of David de Gea.

So, there’s still plenty to debate before we reveal the final Scout Picks on Friday.

Here’s the early thoughts of the selection panel.

Paul Says…

Kyle Walker is my premium defender of choice this week – he had more touches in the final third than any defender in Gameweek 1 thanks to his wing-back berth. Visitors Everton scored six goals in their final nine away matches of 2016/17 and will struggle without Lukaku.

I’m doubling up on Liverpool’s wide men to profit from the visit of Crystal Palace. While the in-form Mo Salah is an obvious candidate, I’m opting for Sadio Mane over the Spurs options – his average of 124.4 minutes per home goal last season was quicker than any regular midfielder.

Seeking out value in midfield looks key for our final XI. With that in mind, I’m backing Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser to profit from his collision with the Watford defence. He lined up on the left at West Brom and, with Daryl Janmaat crocked, the Hornets look likely to hand Kiko Femenía a testing full debut.

Fraser’s team-mate Josh King and Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino are unlucky to miss out due to the tough competition for places up front.

Again, cost is key in my final forward selection – aside from the bandwagon and his Gameweek 1 brace, Huddersfield Town’s Steve Mounie is up against a Newcastle United defence hit hard by injury.

Jonty Says…

Liverpool against Crystal Palace looks to be a key fixture when it comes to the Picks selection. The Eagles are already struggling to adapt to new boss Frank de Boer’s style of play and Anfield is not the ideal venue for a work in progress performance.

After shipping three against Huddersfield, I would like to see at least one, and possibly both, of  Salah (9.0) and  Firmino (8.5) in the Picks. Both got on the scoresheet against Watford, with the former’s pace and the latter’s penalty duties standing out among Reds options.

Elsewhere, several sides with cut price candidates have strong fixtures, which makes me think that a 3-4-3 formation could be affordable.

Huddersfield’s fine display against Palace propels their budget priced set-piece specialist Aaron Mooy (5.5) into my thoughts ahead of their visit from Newcastle. The Australian international notched an assist from one of his seven crosses and also racked up the same tally of corners at Selhurst Park.

His team-mate Steve Mounie (6.0), who scored a brace, is another stand-out budget option.

I’m heavily backing Leicester City, who face Brighton at home. Away from the Amex last season, the Seagulls shipped 26 goals, compared to 14 at home – a key statistic that backs my case for including Jamie Vardy (8.6), who is fresh from his brace against Arsenal in the season opener.

I’d also like to see one of Harry Maguire or Kasper Schmeichel (both 5.0) get the nod, given that Brighton could only manage two on target shots in their 2-0 loss to Manchester City last Saturday.

Chelsea against Spurs looks tough to call, but I still think there will be goals here. To play it safe, I think we should go with Christian Eriksen (9.5). He was involved in both his side’s successful strikes on Tyneside last Sunday.

I’ve only given tentative backing to an Arsenal asset for their trip to Stoke City. Aaron Ramsey (7.0) gets the nod for me after registering a goal and four shots off the bench in just 23 minutes against Leicester. A start this weekend looks likely following his impressive cameo against the Foxes.

Finally, if a Nathan Ake versus Charlie Daniels (both 5.0) debate crops up, I’ll have my baseline bonus points table at hand to back the case for including the former Chelsea centre-back as our Bournemouth defensive cover for Watford’s visit.

Peter Says…

Nothing I saw in the opening Gameweek diminished my faith in the two Manchester clubs, although their fixtures are perhaps tougher this week, particularly for City.

Nonetheless, I’m again going for an extravagant six-a-side ‘team’, with three players from both of these clubs.

I backed Sergio Aguero over Gabriel Jesus against Brighton, but on another day the Brazilian could have had a hat-trick, and I’m hoping that day is Monday.

I’m sticking with Mkhitaryan, who brought his outstanding pre-season form into the opening league match, in anticipation of his hot streak continuing.

One of the ‘easy’ opening fixtures – Chelsea hosting Burnley – failed to furnish us with points last Saturday. Chelsea now face a trip to face Spurs, albeit at a Wembley ground which signals caution, and that is not an easy bounce-back fixture.

I can’t even come close to predicting the outcome, so am including only Eriksen in my picks, as he sits joint top of all players for shots and efforts on target.

I barely resisted the temptation to treble up on Liverpool’s attackers, opting for Roberto Firmino instead, before a coin toss left me with Salah once again, rather than Mane.

I’ve finally bought into the hype and snapped up Sead Kolasinac after his energetic display. Meanwhile, I’ve gone with Vardy for his clash with Brighton – despite his slightly underwhelming baseline statistics – following his Emirates brace.

Watford are anaemic away from home, and so I’m turning a blind eye to their three goals against Liverpool and bringing in Bournemouth defenders.

I’m also not sure if West Ham will get into gear just yet, so am backing Maya Yoshida’s threat at both ends of the pitch – no defender had more efforts in the box than the Japanese centre-back.

Mark Says…

This looks another straightforward Picks selection; the formation appears to be the only likely flashpoint.

In goal, we can’t ignore Heaton’s heroics at Turf Moor last season, and I just don’t see Sean Dyche allowing his side to be exposed by West Brom set-pieces. That’s a Clarets shut-out for me.

At the back, with Bertrand dabbling in set-pieces he looks a shoo-in with West Ham still settling in new players and those recovering from injuries.

I know I face a potential battle when it comes to Charlie Daniels but I don’t quite buy into Ake as much as some. His threat will rely on set-pieces, and the Cherries weren’t particularly strong in this area in 2016/17. Only Sunderland and Middlesbrough had fewer attempts from corners.

With Watford likely missing Janmaat at right-back, I think Daniels and Fraser will find some joy down the left for Eddie Howe’s men

I’ve avoided the Man City backline. I just feel Everton will turn up with some threat and could trouble Ederson in goal – I’m not totally convinced by him yet.

The midfield looks settled. It’s too early to give up on De Bruyne, and Salah is the go-to Liverpool option, although again, I’m advocating the idea of doubling up with Mane – it would have paid off in Gameweek 1. Elsewhere, Eriksen showed more than enough at Newcastle to warrant his inclusion.

I probably face a battle to squeeze Kane into the frontline, and that may again force us to adopt just two strikers. I could lose Eriksen to ensure Kane’s selection, though I know that there will be other factions arguing for Jesus and Vardy.

A front two or a 3-4-3 is likely to be the main area of contention come Friday afternoon.

The Community Champion

Representing the Community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 2 will be Urchin. This is his fifth FPL campaign, with last season’s finish of 14,359 his best so far.

The community champion who has the best lead over the Scouts during 2016/17 will win a £100 Amazon voucher (currently we can only offer Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com vouchers).

Last Gameweek’s champion BabyB was narrowly beaten 51-49 by the Scouts.