Liverpool and Leicester continue to act as the spine for the Scout Picks yet again this season.
The two clubs account for four players in the selection for Gameweek 16, which kicks off on Saturday afternoon with Chelsea’s trip to Everton.
As per usual, we line up in the 3-4-3 formation and fell just within the budget this time, on £82.9m.
Goalkeeper
Vicente Guaita (£5.0m) has now delivered two eight-point hauls in a row as interest in Crystal Palace defence continues to rise. Having kept out both Burnley and Bournemouth, the Eagles travel to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon to face a Watford side that has registered the fewest shots on target of any Premier League team in their last four home matches. Meanwhile, Guaita himself has produced three saves in seven of his last eight outings.
Defenders
After showing potential for so long without delivering, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) now has three assists in his last two Premier League matches. Over the last four, no Liverpool player has created more than his nine chances so there is every chance that more attacking returns will follow in Gameweek 16. Furthermore, Bournemouth have mustered just three big chances since Gameweek 12, the joint-lowest in the league, so there is some clean sheet potential too.
Serge Aurier (£4.9m) can continue to offer value in the Spurs defence, even if it’s taking a little time to build up clean sheet potential under Jose Mourinho. A home meeting with Burnley could be just the time to get that first shutout under the new regime, as the Clarets are in the bottom three for shots on target of their last four away matches. Meanwhile, Aurier himself is third among all Spurs players for key passes since Mourinho’s first match in Gameweek 13.
Crystal Palace might be short a few first-choice defensive options but should still fancy their chances of a clean sheet in Gameweek 16. They face a Watford side that has blanked in six of their last 10 league games and will be encouraged by the performances of Cheikhou Kouyaté and Jeffrey Schlupp, who filled in at centre-back and left-back when required against Bournemouth. Therefore, nailed-on budget man Martin Kelly (£4.1m) is an easy inclusion in the Scout Picks for the weekend.
Midfielders
Sadio Mané (£12.3m) lit up Gameweek 15 with his scintillating 15-point haul against Everton and arguably should have pushed himself into the 20s after missing two big chances. We believe the Liverpool man will do enough to avoid rotation against Bournemouth, who have conceded at least twice in three of their last four Premier League games.
Dele Alli (£8.6m) has exploded into life since Jose Mourinho arrived at Tottenham Hotspur. The midfielder has played in four matches in all competitions and has amassed a total of five attacking returns in them, from four goals and one assist. While Spurs looked below par against Manchester United, Alli still displayed his quality with a well-taken goal at Old Trafford. A home meeting with Burnley, who have struggled against the bigger clubs this season could see him continue his incredible revival. Against sides who finished in the top-six last season, Sean Dyche’s men have conceded 13 times in four matches so far.
With four attacking returns in his last six outings, James Maddison (£7.6m) is proving one of the more reliable options in the mid-price midfielder bracket this season. Over the last four Gameweeks, only two players have created more chances than him and he’s scored twice, registering the same number of shots on target as Danny Ings, Gabriel Jesus, Alli and Mané. Maddison’s next opponents Aston Villa have allowed more shots in the box than any other side this season and conceded the most set-pieces goals too, boosting Maddison’s chances of returns.
Christian Pulisic (£7.5m) has been rather unfortunate not to have registered attacking returns in any of his last three Premier League matches, having scored five in the three before them. Still, since Gameweek 12, the American has registered 13 shots in the box, the joint-third in the league and more than any of his colleagues. Everton come into Gameweek 16 having finally parted company with Marco Silva. While Duncan Ferguson might bring out a spirited performance from the Toffees, he will certainly have his work cut out. Everton have conceded a total of nine goals across their last three outings, including a 2-0 home defeat to strugglers Norwich City.
Forwards
Do we even need to explain why Jamie Vardy (£10.0m) gets included in the Scout Picks now? The Leicester City forward continued his scoring run against Watford from the penalty spot and now has 11 goals in his last nine Premier League matches, netting in the last seven in a row. Gameweek 16 pits the division’s most in-form player against an Aston Villa side that has conceded more shots in the box than any other side this season.
Raúl Jiménez (£7.7m) may have blanked against West Ham but that was not for lack of trying. Over his last four matches, the Wolves forward has registered 18 shots in the box, four more than any other player, and sits second place for shots on target too. Jiménez has three attacking returns in that time so has been delivering on a relatively regular basis. Meanwhile, upcoming opponents Brighton are bottom of the league for shots conceded in the box over the last four Gameweeks.
Danny Ings (£6.2m) just cannot stop scoring right now, having found the net in each of his last four Premier League matches. The Southampton man looks to have been setting some sustainable numbers too, with only two players registering superior minutes per expected goal involvement (xGI) since Gameweek 12. Meanwhile, only Brighton have allowed more shots in the penalty box over the last four matches.
Substitutes
Rui Patrício (£5.2m) could be in for a second clean sheet in quick succession this weekend. Wolves are fourth-best for fewest big chances conceded over the last six Gameweeks and the Portuguese international has made a minimum of three saves in five of his last seven outings.
Kurt Zouma (£4.7m) could prove an effective route into Chelsea’s side this weekend. Only Aston Villa have conceded more goals from set-pieces than Everton, which could allow Zouma to demonstrate his threat from corners and free-kicks.
Sheffield United may have come unstuck against Newcastle but we think they can come back stronger at Norwich, whose defence is still giving up chances. John Lundstram (£5.1m) is therefore included as the second of our benched defenders.
John Fleck (£4.9m) could also benefit from Norwich’s poor defence in Gameweek 16 and has been posting some good numbers to back that up. Over the last four Gameweeks, he is top for key passes among Sheffield United players while only one colleague has managed more shots on target in that time.
The Captain
The Scout Picks has a captain for the 2019/20 campaign.
This skipper is chosen using the conclusions of the latest Captain Sensible article and a four-way vote between David, Neale, Paul and Geoff.
Because the use of Fantasy Football Scout data is used so heavily in this process, the captain we choose each Gameweek will be known only to those who have signed up to Membership for the 2019/20 season.
It will be revealed to the public only when the deadline for the Gameweek has passed.
Community Champion
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 16 is Boleyn Boy.
They have gone for a 3-4-3 of Martin; Doherty, Alderweireld, Lundstram; Son, Sterling, Salah (c), Mount; Jesus, Pukki, Maupay
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.
Community Champion Camzy was defeated in Gameweek 15, the Scout Picks winning by a 54-50. score-line.
The current winning margin of 17 points recorded by irfansheikh in Gameweek 7 and AK in Gameweek 10 remains the score to beat.
