We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ for Gameweek 24 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In this initial selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks. We will then finalise and publish them much closer to Saturday’s deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, of course, with FA Cup replays and a whole host of press conferences still to come.
But in the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article 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 24 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 24 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker
THE LIKELY LADS
Liverpool’s home clash with Burnley has to dominate our thinking this week.
We’ve opted for Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m), Diogo Jota (£8.0m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.4m) in our ‘bus team’, but others are in the mix, including Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) and Luis Diaz (£7.4m).
Alexander-Arnold was hooked on 57 minutes at the Emirates on Sunday but with another week’s training under his belt, should hopefully be able to avoid the bench and get in amongst the points.
If he starts, it’s a hugely appealing match-up, given how poor Burnley’s Vitinho (£4.4m) looked playing out-of-position at left-back in Gameweek 23.
Further forward, we have to include Jota. It seems silly not to pair him up with a second Liverpool attacker, given the strength of the fixture. For now, that’s Darwin, who has five attacking returns as many matches.
Manchester City also demand representation.
The inclusion of Erling Haaland (£14.2m) is a no-brainer, but who joins him is up for debate.
The much-maligned Ederson (£5.5m) supplies defensive cover, but Kyle Walker (£5.5m), Nathan Ake (£5.0m) or Josko Gvardiol (£4.8m) could potentially muscle their way in.
If we choose to double-up in attack, which is a very real possibility, players such as Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m), Monday’s hat-trick hero Phil Foden (£7.9m) and Julian Alvarez (£6.9m) join the conversation.
Elsewhere, Alfie Doughty (£4.5m) looks a shoo-in, with the 24-year-old offering superb value ahead of a home match with Sheffield United.
The Luton Town wing-back’s assist at St James’ Park on Saturday was his seventh of the season so far. He’s also created 38 chances, more than any other FPL defender bar Kieran Trippier (£6.8m), Alexander-Arnold and Pedro Porro (£5.9m).
We also like team-mate Ross Barkley (£4.9m), who has plundered 19 points in two matches since he was included in our Spot the Differential column.
So, Liverpool v Burnley, Man City v Everton and Luton v Sheffield United are the most obvious fixtures to hunt down this week, but there are others to consider.
IN CONTENTION
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur players are firmly in our thoughts, as they prepare to face West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively.
Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) has reignited his season with three goals in four, but Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) is at least now challenging him, given his equally good form and cheaper price tag.
Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m) could be overlooked in defence, however, given that Trippier is up against a Nottingham Forest side who have conceded 13 goals from set plays this season (excluding penalties), at least three more than any other club.
As for Spurs, a swaggering attacking display from Brighton in Gameweek 23 somewhat dents the appeal of Porro and Destiny Udogie (£4.8m), but they could still stake a claim, while Richarlison (£7.2m) has 10 goals in nine matches and will probably get the nod in midfield.
Should Son Heung-min (£9.6m) return in time, he too becomes a factor.
And let’s not forget about Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford, who meet at Molineux.
Matheus Cunha (£5.7m) and Pedro Neto (£5.6m) are both flying and the former has got 12 attacking returns from Gameweek 12 onwards (no Fantasy asset has more), so is arguably deserving of a place in our Scout Picks.
Raiding wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) is another interesting shout.
Other forwards in the mix include Ivan Toney (£8.1m), Dominic Solanke (£7.1m), Ollie Watkins (£8.8m), Callum Wilson (£7.8m) and Rasmus Hojlund (£6.9m).
That leaves Cole Palmer (£5.9m), who only narrowly missed out on the ‘bus team’.
A trip to Selhurst Park is a much more appealing fixture for attackers nowadays and it could end up being a straight shootout between him and a Wolves attacker for a place in our XI.
THE LONG SHOTS
If we do decide to look elsewhere, which is admittedly unlikely, there are several other midfield options, all of whom carry some appeal.
Still, it’ll be a tough ask for any of Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m), Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m), Leon Bailey (£5.6m), Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m), Marcus Rashford (£8.4m), Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m) or Ben Brereton Diaz (£5.0m) to force their way past others.
But what about Pascal Gross (£6.4m)?
He’s in this section of our coverage for a reason but given how much Spurs struggled to defend set-pieces at Goodison Park on Saturday, he could perhaps become a shout.
GAMEWEEK 24 BUS TEAM
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