There are some interesting returning faces to the Scout Picks this week, some that you’ve not seen since last season.
Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are the headline names to come into the side for the first time this season, after being backed by our pundits earlier this week.
Read on and find out what we believe to be the best starting XI in Gameweek 7 under a budget of £83m.
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart (£4.5m) gets the nod in goal after being picked out by all of our pundits except for Paul. Rui Patricio was actually ranked higher by the panel, but we didn’t want to double-up on Wolves coverage, with a certain wing-back getting a mention later on.
Defenders
Kyle Walker (£6.5m) steps into the Scout Picks to assume the spot kept warm for him by colleague Benjamin Mendy. Manchester City should keep a clean sheet in Gameweek 7 as they host a Brighton side typically goal-shy on their travels. The Seagulls should allow him space to be involved in attacking play at the Etihad Stadium so we’re hoping for some offensive returns too. We were initially going to go for Aymeric Laporte (£5.5m) for his increased sureness of starts but had some left-over cash and thought we’d upgrade to the marauding right-back.
Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) was an obvious inclusion in the Gameweek 7 Scout Picks squad. The Tottenham man was name-checked by all four pundits with Az sticking him top of the defensive pile. A clean sheet looks likely as Spurs travel to a Huddersfield side without a goal from open play in 2018/19. Trippier is also on set pieces and has created more chances than any defender in the last four Gameweeks, other than Everton’s Lucas Digne.
Matt Doherty (£4.4m) gets into the Scout Picks for the second time this season. Last time we selected him, he put up a cool 12-points in the 1-0 win over Burnley so we’re hoping for more of the same. Wolves’ defence has been an organised one in 2018/19, and the underlying numbers indicate a clean sheet is likely in Gameweek 7. Furthermore, right wing-back Doherty has been providing lots of attacking potential in his advanced runs in Nuno’s 3-4-3 system.
Midfielders
Raheem Sterling (£11.0m) gets included in the Scout Picks this season and is also our headline differential option too. We’ve always thought the Man City man is a good option but have been unable to fit him in with Mohamed Salah costing so much. With us finally not including the Egyptian for the first in 2018/19, the extra bit of cash allowed us to go for Sterling, who has registered attacking returns in all but one of his Premier League appearances thus far.
James Maddison (£6.8m) is another midfielder making his debut in the Scout Picks for 2018/19. He was put forward by Paul and Joe. But shockingly there was no mention for him from Az, president-elect of the Official James Maddison Fan Club – of which Danny Jamieson is also a proud member. As Paul reminded us in the Scout Squad article earlier this week, Maddison’s next opponents Newcastle have conceded 31 shots from set-piece situations. That is perfect for Maddison who assumes those responsibilities for his team. His underlying numbers from open play have been improving in recent weeks too, with Salah creating just one more chance than the Leicester man.
Richarlison (£6.6m) comes back into the Scout Picks XI for the first time since Gameweek 2. We really like the look of his fixture in Gameweek 7. Fulham look ready to concede a bucketload of goals once again, especially considering the attacking style of play implemented by Marco Silva at Everton. The Brazilian is a central figure to that and should be involved in the goals on Saturday.
Ryan Fraser (£5.9m) remains a strong option to choose from the budget bracket. Even though he blanked his way through Gameweek 6 after an 18-point haul the previous week, he can still deliver against Crystal Palace. The Scottish winger actually had more efforts on goal in the 4-0 defeat to Burnley than he did in the 4-2 win over Leicester anyway.
Forwards
Sergio Aguero (£11.4m) is now the only Fantasy asset to have been in every Scout Picks selection since the 2018/19 season began. It’s another favourable fixture for the Manchester City striker in Gameweek 7, as we’ve already alluded to with Sterling’s inclusion. We believe it will be a big win for the defending champions this week, hence the double-up on City’s attack.
And here it is, the momentous occasion has finally arrived. It’s a first inclusion in the Scout Picks for Harry Kane (£12.4m) in 2018/19. The premium Tottenham forward was name-checked by all four of our pundits this week ahead of a trip to Huddersfield Town. The Terriers have shipped 14 goals in the first six matches despite playing five at the back fairly often. Meanwhile, only three sides have found the net more often than Spurs thus far, and Kane scored a brace on his last visit to the John Smith’s Stadium.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£7.0m) is also becoming something of a mainstay in the Scout Picks as he gets his third pick of the season. The only player in the league to have had more shots than the Serbian in the opening six Gameweeks is Aguero himself and nobody has more goals than him. Everton’s defence is still without a clean sheet this season and has averaged 1.83 goals conceded per match thus far. That’s the perfect opportunity for Mitrovic to continue his scoring run.
Substitutes
Rui Patricio (£4.5m) gets his mention in the substitutes after being popular with our pundits. Wolves are looking like an organised side who can keep Southampton at bay in Gameweek 7.
Ben Chilwell (£5.0m) looks like he can present his owners with a chance to benefit from Newcastle United’s troubles in front of goal. The Leicester City man was touted by Joe and Az while Paul suggested Harry Maguire. The left-back has been bombing on this season and could get some attacking returns too.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£5.9m) is very much the central attacking figure at Burnley. With rotation rife among the forwards and the Icelandic international’s impressive assist record for the Clarets, he is the one to own for a favourable match-up with Cardiff.
Raúl Jiménez (£5.5m) is our back-up forward after registering attacking returns in his last two matches. His underlying numbers look good for a player of his price and he has a favourable match against Southampton in Gameweek 7.
Community Champion
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 7 is Boris Bodega, who actually won the tournament back in the 2016/17 season.
For his second attempt at glory, he has opted for a bold 5-3-2 formation of: Hart; Walker, Laporte, Trippier, Delph, Tarkowski; Son, Hazard, Richarlison; Kane, Aubamyenag.
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 three and lost three so far, with Hasselbaink Forever defeated 59-51 in Gameweek 6.
Eden Wizard still leads the way, with his Gameweek 2 victory over the Scout Squad crew coming by a 77-68 scoreline.
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5 years, 7 months agoWalcott to Rich or Maddison?