The Scout Squad – Gameweek 13

Our Tuesday evening regular returns once again, as 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 13, here’s who we are considering…

Goalkeepers

Between the posts, David de Gea (5.6) is the cheapest secure route into a United defence looking for a fifth straight shut-out away to Watford. With doubts over Kurt Zouma’s availability, we turn to Asmir Begovic as a cut-price Chelsea option – the Bosnian should, at the very least, offer us save points if he concedes at home to Norwich.

Defenders

If, as expected, we plump for our customary three-man defence, Scott Dann (5.2) looks likely to make the cut, given that he’s pitted against a Sunderland attack that’s failed to score in three of their previous four road ties. Amongst defenders, Dann is joint-top for efforts in the area in the last four Gameweeks.

Eric Dier (5.2) also has a great shot at making our final XI as Spurs gear up for West Ham’s visit. With Dimitri Payet sidelined for the Hammers, the England international gets the nod over the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose by virtue of his out-of-position potential and threat from set pieces.

Chris Smalling (6.7) remains the only sure-fire starter in Man United’s defence ahead of their Vicarage Road encounter. Over in the blue half of Manchester, Nicolas Otamendi (6.5) is our preferred City option for their home match against Liverpool due to concern over Vincent Kompany’s calf injury and the increased competition at full-back.

Everton’s home encounter against Aston Villa – who’ve scored twice in five outings – looks conducive to their first clean sheet in seven fixtures, bringing the attack-minded Seamus Coleman (5.9) onto our radar.

Doubts over Hector Bellerin’s capacity to start at West Bromwich Albion means that Laurent Koscielny is our favoured route into Arsenal’s rearguard. Moreover, the France international lays claim to superior form, with two goals in his last three outings.

Virgil van Dijk (5.6) left the Netherlands squad because of a knee injury but expects to be passed fit for Saturday, as Saints go in pursuit of their third consecutive clean sheet when Stoke roll up to St Mary’s Stadium.

The Magpies face a tall task carding their third straight clean sheet when the Foxes pay a visit, but Daryl Janmaat’s (4.9) marauding instincts could be facilitated by the visitors’ generous defence.

Midfielders

City’s Kevin de Bruyne (10.7) is an obvious option in the centre of the park. The Belgian brought his fine form onto the international stage with a goal and an assist for Belgium and could profit from the return of Sergio Aguero against the Merseysiders.

Arsenal’s dominance on the attacking front has us weighing up the merits of doubling up on Alexis Sanchez (11.6) and Mesut Ozil (8.9), given that hosts West Brom have conceded three times in four of their six home outings. Such a scenario would likely prompt us to go with five across the midfield to exploit the wealth of enticing mid-priced pick-ups.

Sadio Mane (8.0) also netted for his nation during the international break but faces off against a Stoke outfit that’s claimed four clean sheets in the last five Gameweeks. In appreciation of the Potters’ recent form, we’re unlikely to go heavy on our Southampton coverage and Mane may yet slip below Graziano Pelle in the Scout Picks pecking order.

Considering that all six of his goals have arrived at home and Leicester’s defence has been breached in all their away matches, Georginio Wijnaldum (7.0) continues to pique our interest. Meanwhile, if Jamie Vardy fails to shake off his hip complaint prior to the weekend, we’ll be eyeing up Riyad Mahrez (6.7) for Leicester’s trip to St James’.

Finally, it would be remiss of us to ignore Gerard Deulofeu’s (6.2) form ahead of the Toffees’ favourable head-to-head against the Villans. The winger produced one goal and four assists in his last trio of league starts and has notched twice for Spain Under 21s this evening, taking his tally to five strikes over the international break.

Forwards

At this point we’re not considering the aforementioned Aguero until we hear more from the City camp. Instead we’ve opted for a cast of alternatives, headed up by a pair of in-form goalscorer.

Romelu Lukaku looks certain to be included in our Scout Picks, given that the 8.6-priced hitman has scored in back-to-back ties and locks horns with a Villa defence that conceded 13 goals in their previous five road fixtures.

Similarly, Harry Kane’s (9.4) renewed confidence has harvested five goals in three outings. The Lilywhites are unbeaten at home this campaign and have already put four past leaders City at the Lane.

We’re leaning towards the Gunners’ midfield in terms of attacking coverage, but there’s a chance that Olivier Giroud (8.8) could muscle his way into our lineup. The French target man has flourished in Theo Walcott’s absence, quietly accruing six goals in just 622 minutes. With Walcott still on the sidelines, Giroud’s Hawthorn’s start looks guaranteed.

Graziano Pelle’s (8.5) propensity for scoring on home turf bodes well for the Potters match-up, yet the Italian’s inferior form when compared to the above-mentioned trio of forwards works against him – he’s managed just one shot on target in the last four Gameweeks.

A shoo-in under normal circumstances, fitness concerns over Jamie Vardy (7.4) could yet steer us towards fielding a two-man strike partnership, affording us more freedom to explore the possibility of an Arsenal double-up in midfield.

On Standby

Beyond those players listed above, there are myriad of honourable mentions that could yet push themselves into the weekend reckoning.

Bournemouth midfielder Joshua King (4.6) looks set to retain his role up front , furnishing us with a budget, out-of-position option ahead of the Cherries’ trip to Swansea. Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez (5.1) notched three goals in his last six starts and is emerging as a viable enabler.

Southampton’s Dusan Tadic (7.1) has amassed eight more points (63 compared to 55) than popular team-mate Mane, while Mousa Dembele (5.3) is experiencing a rare purple-patch on the goal front (two in three). We need to see if he shrugs off an injury before assessing the Belgian as an option, though. Yannick Bolasie (6.1) is handed a great chance to score in successive matches when the Eagles host a Sunderland side that places top for goals conceded (26). The Eagles wide man has netted in both matches for DR Congo over the break.

We’re also not ruling out the likes of Wayne Hennessey, Willian, Jonathan Walters, Andre Ayew and Christian Eriksen, who are all well placed to serve as profitable investments in the upcoming Gameweek.

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.

Gameweek 12’s community champion Prophet failed to defeat the Scout Picks, as we clinched victory by 48 points to 32. Massive stays in the lead to claim the £100 Amazon voucher, though, after beating us by 16 points in Gameweek 6.

Gameweek 13’s Community Champion as selected by our lottery, is Jossy, who is a seasoned veteran currently in his tenth Fantasy Premier League season. Over the last decade he has accrued two top 5,000 finishes.

In addition to a shot at the £100 Amazon prize, FantasyBet are offering a chance for further prizes to Community Champions that are eligible to play their games. More details can be found here.