For the third time in just seven days, we reveal who has emerged from our midweek long list to earn a Scout Picks place.
During this congested period, rotation is once again set to influence our decisions as we look to select an XI of sure starters.
This earns Everton ever-present Jordan Pickford (4.8) the nod as we continue to back their renaissance under Sam Allardyce.
In the three league matches overseen by the former England boss, Pickford has picked up two clean sheets, earned save points twice and racked up five bonus points.
The shot-stopper now faces a travelling Swansea City side that has mustered just four goals on the road.
There looks to be plenty of other clean sheets on offer this week, prompting us to spread our 84 million budget across a 4-4-2 formation.
Chelsea’s rampaging left-wing back Marcos Alonso (6.9) is the most expensive of our backline quartet, but we think he will justify the outlay when Southampton visit Stamford Bridge.
The Saints’ bruising 4-1 home defeat against Leicester City last time out fills us with confidence that the Spaniard, who is top among defenders for shots on goal (28), can add to his season tally of three goals and an assist.
The visitors’ modest away goal tally of five also gives us hope that Chelsea will rediscover the knack of keeping clean sheets, having recorded just one in their last five outings.
Foxes defender Harry Maguire (5.3) also looks a key figure in both penalty areas for the visit of Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium. He earned his fourth assist of the campaign in midweek, and also found the net against Brighton earlier this season.
The centre-back faces an Eagles attack that has yet to score on the road. Leading the Foxes backline for both clearances, blocks and interceptions (115) and tackles won (30), Maguire has strong bonus point prospects should Leicester silence Palace’s toothless attack.
Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinc (6.2) is another defender bristling with attacking potential. His start against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium looks assured having been rested for the 0-0 away draw with West Ham on Wednesday.
The wing-back has produced all four of his assists and his solitary goal in front of his own fans, racking up 7.25 points per match on home turf.
Attacking threat also drives our selection of Watford’s 0.2%-owned Daryl Janmaat (4.8), who scored his second goal of the season against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 17.
He again looks set to deputise for Kiko Femenia, who is ruled out for Huddersfield Town’s visit. A Hornets shut-out looks highly likely, given that the Terriers last scored on the road back in Gameweek 1.
Janmaat have fired six shots over his two starts, more than any other Watford player.
Our Captain Poll leader Eden Hazard (10.9) is a shoo-in for the XI, particularly after scoring a brace and earning maximum bonus points in his previous Stamford Bridge encounter.
His last eight Gameweeks have produced five goals and more shots on target (16) than any other player.
Spot-kick duties in addition to top bonus returns on three other occasions bolster the Belgian’s appeal.
We have high hopes that the Premier League’s top scorer Mohamed Salah (10.0) will deliver an eighth double-digit points haul of the season when Liverpool travel to Bournemouth.
The Egyptian, who is FPL’s most popular player with a 56.9% ownership, failed to produce last time out, against West Brom at Anfield, for the first time in nine matches.
But the Cherries’ poor home form gives us hope he can once again prosper – no side has faced more shots in home matches this season (117).
Four goals in his last three matches almost guaranteed Manchester City midfielder David Silva (8.2) a Scout Picks berth. He scored a brace against Swansea in midweek and appears to be the key Sky Blues asset for Spurs’ visit to the Etihad Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino’s defence have been uncharacteristically slack on the road without the injured Toby Alderweireld, claiming just one clean sheet from their previous six away days.
Riyad Mahrez (8.6), who scored 17 goals and accrued 11 assists in Leicester City’s title-winning 2015/16 season, has rekindled that form over his previous four run-outs.
The Algerian has fired three goals and an assist across that recent spell, to attract more than 107,000 new owners ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.
A Crystal Palace defence, without the services of Mamadou Sakho and with Luka Milivojević suspended in midfield, will struggle to contain a rejuvenated Mahrez.
Newcastle’s dire away form has seen us double up on Gunners assets, with Alexandre Lacazette (10.3) earning a spot. Like Kolasinac, he was also rested midweek, but will be expected to take to the field against the Magpies.
The Frenchman also wins our trust as six of his eight goals have been scored at the Emirates.
The Swansea City defence has faltered on their travels of late, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last five road trips.
This has prompted us to hand a place to Everton’s Wayne Rooney (7.5), whose strike against Newcastle on Wednesday was a ninth of the campaign – and his fifth in just four Gameweeks. Managers are already taking note, with Rooney added to 185,000 squads ahead of Gameweek 18.
Phil Jones (5.4) takes a seat on our bench after making a welcome return to action against Bournemouth at Old Trafford following a five-Gameweek injury lay-off.
He earned his ninth clean sheet of the campaign in that encounter, as well as bonus returns for a fifth occasion. His prospects look similarly strong away to a West Brom outfit yet to score since new boss Alan Pardew took charge at the end of November.
Also on our bench is differential Marko Arnautovic (6.8 and an ownership of 0.6%), who has impressed in an attacking role under David Moyes at West Ham.
After scoring against Chelsea in Gameweek 16, he looks a strong bet to find the net again when he visits his former employers Stoke, who, along with Huddersfield, have shipped a league-high 10 goals over the last four Gameweeks.
Crystal Palace’s defensive fragility sees us offer a substitute’s role to Foxes striker Jamie Vardy (8.7), who has seven goals this season, and has also assisted twice. Again, it’s the Palace absentees that have us put faith in a fifth successive Leicester City victory.
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.
This week’s champion is Powell, who has opted for a 3-5-2 line up of: De Gea; Valencia, Williams, Azpiliceuta; Pedro, Ozil, Coutinho, Eriksen, Antonio; Firmino, Defoe.
