We’ve gone with the triumvirate of premium defenders for the Scout Picks ready for Gameweek 3.
We’ve been going over the pool of players assembled by our four-man panel of Paul, Joe, Az and Peter this week to find the best selection. Finally, we have made some tough decisions about who gets a place in our 11-man team, with an £83 million Fantasy Premier League budget.
For once, we are actually using the classic 3-4-3 formation after using 4-4-2 and 4-4-2 previously in 2018/19.
GOALKEEPER
Ben Foster (£4.5m) gets the nod in goal after receiving two top picks, one from Paul and Joe while Peter also name-checked the former West From man. Watford actually rank better than any other side in the league right now for expected goals conceded suggesting they could keep Crystal Palace out this weekend.
DEFENDERS
Andrew Robertson (£6.0m) extends his Scout Picks streak to a third week in a row, handed three top spots from our pundits ahead of an appealing home match against Brighton. The Reds have kept eight clean sheets in their last 12 Premier League matches, and registered six from a possible seven when playing in front of their own fans. Brighton are typically poor away from home, averaging just 10 goals on their travels last season, the joint-worst with West Brom. Robertson has been sought out by more passes than any other defender so far in 2018/19 highlighting his importance to Liverpool’s attacking play and should be involved in goals in this one.
Benjamin Mendy (£6.2m) makes it into the Scout Picks with another name-check from all four pundits. With as many assists in just two matches it’s difficult for us not back the Frenchman in another fixture that has goal potential for Manchester City. Wolves have been breached four times in their first two matches back in the Premier League which suggests either they are unlucky at the back or have conceded chances they really should not have. Either way, with Mendy touching the ball more times in opposing final thirds than any other defenders, it’s hard to say he doesn’t have potential for multiple point-scoring avenues once again in Gameweek 3.
Marcos Alonso (£6.6m) completes our triumvirate of attacking premium defenders to create back-line that really is the stuff of fantasies. No stopper has fired off as many shots as Alonso in the first two Gameweeks and he goes up against Newcastle side short on goal threat. The marauding full-back was tipped by Paul, Joe and Peter.
MIDFIELDERS
Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) comes in with a full house of top picks from our pundits this week. That home fixture against a travel sick Brighton side is just too good to turn down considering that the Egyptian has already had more shots than any other FPL midfielder so far in 2018/19. Furthermore, Salah also tops the expected goals table in that position too.
Sadio Mané (£9.8m) was unanimously chosen as the second-best midfield option this week after his impressive start to the season. He is currently ahead of Salah both for goals and FPL points and has been matching him in pretty much every pertinent underlying statistic apart from total shots. While Salah has had more efforts on goal, the Senegalese is level with him for those in the box and those on target. Mané is a must-have this weekend and a strong captain candidate for those without Salah.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£7.1m) looks to be the best way to invest in Arsenal’s attack ahead of their extended run of appealing fixtures. He has matched Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m) both for goal attempts and shots in the box so far this season, making it hard to include them both given the striker’s price. Meanwhile, West Ham leaked goals away from home last season, averaging 2.21 conceded on their travels.
Ryan Fraser (£5.5m) gets a second pick of the season ahead of an appealing fixture against Everton in Gameweek 3. The Bournemouth man strikes a fantastic balance between goal threat and distribution, joint-fifth for shots and joint-third for chances created among midfielders. We actually wanted to include Richarlison (£6.8m) here after he was tipped by all our pundits bar Paul, but we had to make this particular switch to stay within budget. Given Fraser’s recent attacking numbers and form against Everton, he scored twice on the Toffees’ last trip to the Vitality Stadium, we think he could match the Brazilian in this match.
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero (£11.2m) goes straight back into the Scout Picks, his hat-trick lighting up Gameweek 2 and his current shot tally higher than any other player. The comments made by Pep Guardiola after the 6-1 win over Huddersfield show he is very much in favour right now. The Argentinian has started the last three matches in a row now and is working towards shaking off that rotation risk, which does still, admittedly, remain in part. But with more uncertainty over midfield roles than strikers at Man City right now, Aguero was the best choice from the reigning champions for a Gameweek 3 trip to Wolves.
Just one shot behind Aguero is Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.5m). The fact that he has achieved more efforts on goal than Salah in two matches against Crystal Palace, one of the best defences in the latter part of 2017/18, and Spurs, one of the top six, shows his determination to find the net. With a Burnley side arriving at Craven Cottage just days after a difficult European night in Greece, there is every reason to believe that the trend Mitrovic’s willingness to shoot will continue and lead to goals.
And finally, fresh from being named as one of our key differentials for Gameweek 3, Danny Ings (£5.5m) gets a place in the Scout Picks too. The only players to have registered more shots among forwards in the first two weeks of the season so far are the aforementioned Mitrovic and Aguero, all of that achieved in fewer minutes. Following a goal scored at Everton last week, and very nearly two, Ings should start against a Leicester defence that conceded 38 goals on the road last season, an average of two per game.
SUBSTITUTES
Fulham goalkeeper Fabri (£4.5m) gets an honorary mention among the substitutes this weekend as he has made more saves than any other FPL asset so far this season and earned three selections from our pundits.
Florent Hadergjonaj (£4.5m) and the Huddersfield defence face a Cardiff City side yet to score in the Premier League in Gameweek 3. No side has been more wasteful with their chances as the Bluebirds according to Expected Goals data.
As we couldn’t fit him in the £83m restricted starting XI, Richarlison (£6.8m) gets an honorary mention in the substitutes after scoring three in his first two matches and preparing to face the porous Bournemouth defence.
Up front, Callum Wilson (£6.1m) gets a plug ahead of an expected goalfest at the Vitality Stadium.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 2 is Rasping Drive who has opted for a 3-5-2 line-up of: Fabri; Mendy, Alexander-Arnold, Hadergjonaj; Salah, Hazard, Sterling, Walcott, Brooks; Aubameyang, Ings.
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.
The Scouts have won one and lost one so far, Eden Wizard beating us by 77 points to 69 in Gameweek 2 without using Salah in his line-up.
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