This morning we roll out our Gameweek 4 Scout Picks Squad article, which offers an insight into the decision making process behind each Friday’s selection.

Here Mark, Paul and myself will list the 18 players we think have the best chance of success across the four positions, listing them in rank order.

This article will then highlight some of the likely discussions and disagreements that will take place behind the scenes as the Scouts look to back their players and secure a place for them in the Scout Picks as well as our Spot the Differential articles.

Finally, we will also reveal the Community Champion who has been selected by our lottery to represent the community and be in with a chance of winning a £100 Amazon voucher.

Goalkeepers

Tom Heaton is the clear frontrunner to be the Scout Picks goalkeeper, coming top for all three of us as his Burnley side host Hull. As well as a strong fixture, at 4.5 he represents excellent value for a stopper who is third in the Fantasy Premier League total points table but is still owned by just 7.4% of managers. Ben Foster (4.6) is another picked by all three Scouts and as a budget back up, Paul will be pushing for Jordan Pickford’s inclusion.

The 4.0-priced Sunderland keeper, who has an 8.3% FPL ownership, looks to have secured the number one jersey while Vito Mannone faces a lengthy injury lay off. It is worth noting though that the Black Cats are still negotiating with Fifa to draft in Boavista keeper Mika Domingues, who could eventually threaten his place. Pickford’s tough fixture at home to Everton may give Mark and myself the edge with our selection of Adrian (5.0), who takes on Watford at home, should Foster or Heaton not be selected.

Defenders

In defence things get a little more contentious. We believe Hector Bellerin is worth every penny of his 6.5 FPL price tag at home to Southampton and that James Collins (4.6) is a nailed on value pick for the Hammers but the rest of our picks are markedly different.

Mark will be looking to convince Paul and I that Charlie Daniels (5.0) should be included. The 3.5% owned Bournemouth defender faces West Brom at home, but with just three penalty box touches and no shots on target this term he looks way off the pace in terms of attacking threat. West Brom are no slouches in attack, too, delivering more shots in the box than Arsenal, Leicester or West Ham this season. He may struggle to pick up a clean sheet in this tie.

Antonio Valencia (5.5) is another surprise inclusion for Mark, given Jose Mourinho’s admission that the defender arrives back from international duties just 24 hours before Saturday’s lunchtime Manchester derby.

Meanwhile, I’ll be banging the drum for Everton’s Leighton Baines (5.5), who is seemingly back on penalties. The 9% owned left back has had four goal attempts, two of which were on target, this campaign, to further boost his cause. In the same fixture Paul prefers Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt (5.0), who has already scored once as he looks to replicate last season’s strong attacking form that saw him net six times.

Cesar Azpilicueta (6.0), who has an assist and a clean sheet so far this season, is backed by Paul and myself for Chelsea’s trip to Swansea. While Mark will be hoping to convince us Branislav Ivanovic (6.0) can roll back the years and add to his 26 Premier League goals for the Blues since joining in 2008/09. Of the pair Azpilicueta has the higher ownership, of 13.4% to Ivanovic’s 6.5%.

Midfielders

Following his goal, two assists and maximum bonus last week it is no surprise to see Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (11.0) in all three Scouts’ picks. He is also top of our captain poll and drafted in by more than 140,000 FPL managers so far ahead of Gameweek 4.

Eden Hazard (10.2) also features in all three of our selections and has an FPL ownership of 31%, with Paul placing him just ahead of Sanchez. Another backed by all three of us is West Ham’s Michail Antonio (7.0), who has scored twice this season and will no longer be fielded out of position at right back, according to Hammers owner David Sullivan.

“West Ham’s clash with Watford is another eye-catching fixture. The return to action of Dimitri Payet – in his first start of the season – is perhaps a better narrative but Michail Antonio’s home form wins it for me; six of his eight strikes were in front of the Hammers’ fans last year.” – Paul

Key squabbling points will centre on the remaining midfield places, with Paul and Mark pointing to form over fixture for their selection of this week’s most transferred in player Raheem Sterling (8.2) in the Manchester Derby. Rejuvenated under Pep Guardiola, the England winger has attacking returns in all three fixtures, including a brace against West Ham in Gameweek 3.

“If you’re going to use form as a factor in selection, then I can’t see how we can overlook Sterling. There is even a case to say that his potential is heightened by Aguero’s absence, with Pep Guardiola perhaps turning to Sterling to run into central areas.” – Mark

Paul will then be joining me in pushing for the inclusion of Everton’s Ross Barkley (7.7) The 19.2% owned midfielder has a goal and assist already this season and is also the Toffees most creative player, with seven chances for his team-mates so far.

Elsewhere, Mark and I will be going head to head in a battle of two 5.5 price midfielders when Middlesbrough host Crystal Palace. I fancy my chances of victory with my pick of Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon, who so far out guns Mark’s selection of Middlesbrough’s Gaston Ramirez in terms of chances, crosses, passes in the final third and goal attempts.

Forwards

There is plenty of potential for fisticuffs over our forward Scout Pick selections. But before we ring the bell for round one let’s take a quick look at two players where there is broad agreement.

All three of us are backing Diego Costa (9.7) to shine away to Swansea. The Chelsea striker is in red-hot form, scoring twice so far in the Premier League and a further two times this week on international duty for Spain. He also loves to score against Swansea, netting five times over the last two seasons.

“I’m backing Chelsea at both ends of the pitch as they look to maintain their 100% record under Antonio Conte. Diego Costa’s recent exploits for club and country highlight his renaissance ahead of their trip to the Liberty.” – Paul

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.8) is another backed by all three of us, as well as by 59% of FPL managers. The joint top FPL scoring forward, with 24 points, registered a brace in his last home outing and welcomes a Manchester City side that has yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this term.

In marked contrast, Romelu Lukaku (9.0) looks set to be a divisive figure. Mark and Paul are backing the Everton striker, who has scored 60 times since joining the Premier League in 2011. The 6.9% owned forward has also shown some promising underlying statistics this term, with six goal attempts across 152 minutes of play. But with no Premier League goal since March, I want to see far more from the Belgian before I back his selection – that’s despite last night’s brace against Cyprus.

“Lukaku has been hopelessly difficult to predict in previous campaigns but I don’t think we can necessarily judge him on what we’ve seen in the past. I rate Ronald Koeman highly and I firmly believe that he will realise that Lukaku holds the key to his success at Everton. Koeman will be working to get the best from the striker and I think that warrants re-assessing his potential as a consistent goalscorer. starting with the trip to Sunderland.” – Mark

Another source of possible conflict is Christian Benteke (7.4), who is owned by only 3.7% of FPL managers. Mark is not convinced he will score for his new side Crystal Palace, when he visits Middlesbrough. However, Paul and I are buoyed by a set of underlying statistics indicating goals are on the horizon for the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker.

In his Villa heyday, in 2012/13 when he scored 19 times, Benteke also topped the headed goal attempts table – meanwhile this season, no team has unleashed more crosses than Palace.

Among our other differential forward picks, Mark has opted for the 10.3% owned Jermain Defoe (7.1), despite home form that saw him score just five of his 15 goals last season at the Stadium of Light.

Paul is hoping Andre Gray (6.5), who is facing the possibility of FA action over social media comments made four years ago, will be available for Burnley’s plum home tie against Hull. Meanwhile, I’m taking a risk that Wilfried Bony (7.3) can shine on loan at Stoke, even though he faces a potentially tricky home tie against Tottenham this weekend. I’ll be loading up his fine record at Swansea, where he scored 26 times in 54 appearances, as ammunition.

Community Champion

Representing the Community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 4 will be Grand Thibauto, who is in his fourth season with 2015/16’s overall ranking of 274,188 his highest so far.

In Gameweek 3 Jac the Cat became the third champion in a row to be defeated by the Scout Picks. He lost out by 46 points to 48.

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).