The Scout Squad’s picks for FPL Gameweek 11

The Scout Squad crew have assembled ahead of Gameweek 11 to submit their Fantasy Premier League player longlists.

In this weekly feature, our four regular panelists – editorial staff Paul, David and Neale plus community manager Geoff – each submit an 18-man squad of Fantasy assets (with the focus exclusively on the coming Gameweek) and explain their notable inclusions/omissions.

The 72 nominations listed below will then be narrowed down to a squad of 14 (with the starting XI not exceeding a total cost of £83m) for the weekly Scout Picks selection ahead of the Gameweek 11 deadline at 11:30 BST on Saturday.

There are requirements for at least one sub-£5.0m goalkeeper, at least one defender under £5.0m, at least one midfielder priced £6.0m or below and at least one forward priced at £7.0m or lower.

Each panelist is restricted to no more than three players from the same team, as is the case in FPL.

We will again be adding a captaincy to the Scout Picks, with details of that revealed on Friday.

Most popular picks: Roberto, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raheem Sterling, Tammy Abraham, Neal Maupay (four), Dean Henderson, Mathew Ryan, Benjamin Mendy, John Lundstram, Kevin De Bruyne, Andriy Yarmolenko (three).

DAVID SAID…

No side has conceded fewer goals in the last four Gameweeks than Sheffield United (two), while Burnley are top of the league for big chances conceded during that period.

Therefore, a healthy dosage of defensive players from Saturday’s Bramall Lane encounter seems sensible.

I’ve included Nick Pope, Dean Henderson and my hero John Lundstram – although he does continue to (understandably) soar in price.

I’ve recently seen a few people wavering on Trent Alexander-Arnold and at 3.5 points per game since Gameweek 5, I can understand it. But during that period, no player in the whole league has played more key passes than him. The attacking returns will be back soon, I’m sure, especially with Aston Villa up next.

Outside of the Liverpool man, it’s a sea of more budget defenders. Fikayo Tomori came close to collecting another clean sheet at Burnley before two wonder-strikes and, considering Watford’s wastefulness in front of goal, I expect Chelsea to keep them out.

Diego Rico might seem a left-field choice, but I am still not convinced by Manchester United’s attack and he remains a threat both from set-pieces and in open play. Meanwhile, Bournemouth now have three clean sheets in a row.

Raheem Sterling is comfortably the best midfield choice for this Gameweek. The return of Benjamin Mendy has allowed him to return to more central positions.

After a midweek rest against Southampton, he’ll be ready to punish an incredibly poor defensive side who were the masters of their own undoing against Leicester.

For that reason, Kevin De Bruyne also gets chucked in for good measure.

The news that Mohamed Salah is fit and ready to face Aston Villa is welcoming. He got back to scoring ways against Spurs, admittedly from the penalty spot, but I don’t think Dean Smith’s defence will be able to contain him this week. Over the last four Gameweeks, no side has allowed more shots inside the penalty box as Villa.

Leandro Trossard is my differential pick for Brighton’s hosting of Norwich. He was back against Everton and provided the spark that won the Seagulls the match and after his exciting performances at the start of the campaign, lining up against the Canaries’ defence should see him do well.

Sergio Aguero‘s role in the midweek win over Southampton has concerned some of his remaining owners but I still fancy him to light up Gameweek 11.

While he has had time off in Gameweek 9 and 10, Gabriel Jesus started both of those matches as well as the EFL Cup meeting with Southampton.

I believe that for one week only, Aguero is finally the more likely of the two to start. As already mentioned, Southampton’s defence looks in disarray and given the Argentinian has the best minutes per xGI in the Premier League over the last four Gameweeks, he is primed to punish them.

NEALE SAID…

Often in these articles, I highlight some of the opposition weaknesses that have influenced my Scout Squad selections.

Statistical analysis can sometimes feel like a waste of time amid the chaos of FPL and it’s not always a given that my picks will go on to exploit their opponents’ Achilles heels but occasionally, logic does win out.

Last week was a prime example, with Leicester taking advantage of Southampton’s vulnerability down their right flank – at the time, the Saints had allowed more chances from that side of the pitch than any other club.

With that in mind, I’m backing Manchester City’s left-sided trio Benjamin Mendy, David Silva and Raheem Sterling – all of whom were rested for their team’s EFL Cup tie on Tuesday – to twist the knife into Ralph Hasenhuttl’s right flank.

Kevin De Bruyne could just as easily rack up another double-digit score at the Etihad but, as an owner, I was a mite concerned at how deeper and more central he was against Villa – perhaps as a result of the gung-ho Joao Cancelo operating outside of him and maybe on instruction from his manager to not leave Ilkay Gundogan (deputising for the injured Rodri) exposed in midfield.

As a consequence, I’m backing the cheaper Silva (who had 13 penalty box touches to De Bruyne’s five in Gameweek 10) to carry on his good form against the Saints.

The Villans have since assumed Southampton’s mantle as being the most defensively suspect team down their right flank.

Dean Smith’s side are also ranked third bottom for headed chances conceded, so Sadio Mane – who is excellent in the air – is my preferred Liverpool pick over Mohamed Salah.

With Villa having allowed more chances from dead-ball situations than any other club, Trent Alexander-Arnold will similarly be licking his lips.

On the opposite side of the pitch, Watford continue to be susceptible to opportunities created from their left side (the presence of Jose Holebas partly explaining that) despite their recent improvement at the back.

Cesar Azpilicueta, supplier of 13 chances from the right-back position this season, ergo gets my nod given that a clean sheet (one goal in the last five for the Hornets) is the bare minimum to expect.

While Watford are more solid than they were pre-Quique Sanchez Flores, Chelsea are rampant on their travels and I’m also backing Tammy Abraham to continue his purple patch (an average of ten FPL points per match over his last four away fixtures) on the road.

Newcastle’s weakness in the air prompts my selections of West Ham’s set-piece specialist Robert Snodgrass, who was mightly impressive on his return to the starting XI in Gameweek 10, and Sebastien Haller, who has won more aerial duels than any FPL forward this season.

Triple Brighton can be explained alone by the fact that the Seagulls face Norwich this weekend but Pascal Gross and Neal Maupay merit inclusion based on their underlying stats, with the former joint-third among midfielders for chances created and the latter fourth among FPL forwards for shots in the box in 2019/20.

PAUL SAID…

Similar to last week, I’m advocating a triple-up on Man City that consists of Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and one of their full-backs.

Having tipped Joao Cancelo for Gameweek 10, it’s the turn of Benjamin Mendy at home to the Saints this weekend.

Neale’s Big Numbers article pointed out the visitors’ weakness down the right last week, a frailty that the Frenchman looks set to exploit.

Mendy produced four assists in just five home matches last term – only three defenders bettered that tally in front of their own supporters.

Enda Stevens’ all-round potential is worth mentioning ahead of Sheffield United’s home encounter with Burnley.

He sits joint-third among FPL defenders alongside Liverpool pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson on 43 points thanks to a series of consistent displays.

Stevens has produced an assist or clean sheet in six of the last nine Gameweeks, yet due to the popularity of John Lundstram, sits in just over 1% of squads.

Andriy Yarmolenko is another strong differential candidate for West Ham’s clash with Newcastle.

The Ukrainian has averaged 7.0 points per home appearance, yet is owned by less than 6% of managers.

At home, no team-mate has surpassed his nine shots or eight key passes.

Yarmolenko has also stepped up his supply line in recent matches. He has created six big chances in the last four Gameweeks, more than any other player.

Up top, Neal Maupay boasts an ownership of just over 1% for the visit of Norwich.

Brighton’s summer signing has scored in each of his last three at the Amex and also looks to be on penalties.

He’s averaging a shot every 24 minutes – virtually identical to Tammy Abraham’s 23.5 – while there’s little to separate the pair for shots in the box, with the Chelsea man just edging it by 26 to 25.

Given that the Canaries have conceded a league-leading 68 shots on target, Maupay arguably merits consideration as a big alternative for the armband.

GEOFF SAID…

Mat Ryan and Dean Henderson get my top two goalkeeper spots: they share third place in the overall shot-stopper standings this season, only two points behind leader Ederson, and they both have strong home fixtures. Roberto is my third pick at home to goal-shy Newcastle.

After Trent Alexander-Arnold, I look to the attacking threat of Benjamin Mendy. It’s now two straight starts in the league and City play Southampton, a side they already played once this week.

John Lundstram only has two attacking returns this season but, as a cheap defender with good clean sheet potential this week, he’s an easy inclusion.

Ricardo Pereira and Leicester have confidence and form, and my fifth defender slot goes to Harry Maguire. Manchester United look strong defensively and it’s only a matter of time before Harry heads home for his first United goal.

Little needs to be said about my first three midfield picks: Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mané and Kevin De Bruyne.

In fourth spot, I look to Anthony Martial, who linked up well with Rashford and a fluid United side in Gameweek 10. Martial has attacking returns in each of his starts this season.

Andriy Yarmolenko has returned in three of his four home games this season and could profit at home in Gameweek 11, hosting Newcastle.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has now blanked in three straight favourable fixtures, after a run of seven straight games with returns, but I back him to find his form at home to Wolves.

Marcus Rashford is my third United pick, and I’m once again looking to the link-up play and movement between him and Martial.

Tammy Abraham should have chances at Watford, while I can see Neal Maupay extending his run of three straight home games with a goal.

I round off my picks by once again loudly proclaiming that an out-of-form player, highly owned player will rediscover his early-season form – I’m backing Teemu Pukki to punish sellers with attacking returns and begin to stop the tide of sales.

THE COMMUNITY CHAMPION

In Gameweek 10, AK beat the Scout Picks 60-43.

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.

AK has now matched Irfansheikh’s 17-point winning margin from Gameweek 6, which remains the current target to beat.

Our Scout Picks article on Friday will have further details on who is representing the community this week.

Lessons learned from Gameweek 10

• Southampton 0-9 Leicester City
• Manchester City 3-0 Aston Villa
• Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 Everton
• Watford 0-0 Bournemouth
• West Ham United 1-1 Sheffield United
• Burnley 2-4 Chelsea
• Newcastle United 1-1 Wolves
• Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
• Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Norwich City 1-3 Manchester United