We have chosen our best starting XI of players for Gameweek 18 of Fantasy Premier League.
This weekend is proving a tricky one for Fantasy managers with Liverpool fixtureless and Manchester City hosting Leicester City.
We’ve been brave enough to select two players from Saturday’s Etihad Stadium clash while Wolves, Southampton and Everton are tipped for goals this weekend.
After deliberating over David, Neale, Paul and Geoff’s selections in the Scout Squad article we came up with this 3-4-3 team, that comes in at £81.2m, well inside our £83.0m budget.
Goalkeeper
Vicente Guaita (£5.1m) has averaged 8.5 points per game over the last four Gameweeks and has even proved he doesn’t need a clean sheet to deliver for his owners. He racked up nine saves and claimed three bonus in the 1-1 draw with Brighton on Monday night. Therefore, a Gameweek 18 trip to Newcastle looks promising. The Magpies are bottom of the league for shots in the box over their last four matches and are missing some key attacking personnel right now.
Defenders
Matt Doherty (£6.1m) makes the Scout Picks this week after a name-check from David, Neale and Geoff. Over his last four matches, only one defender has managed more touches in the penalty area as the Wolves right wing-back. Furthermore, his aerial presence could exploit Norwich’s weaknesses to set plays. No side has conceded more chances from dead-ball situations than the Canaries this season.
John Lundstram (£5.2m) was selected by all four of our pundits for Gameweek 18, three of them designating him as the best defender this weekend. Only Aston Villa have conceded more shots in the box over the last four matches than Brighton, which should lead to plenty of chances for Sheffield United. Meanwhile, during the same period, Lundstram is joint-top among the Blades for big chances created and has more touches in the final third than any of his colleagues.
Jetro Willems (£4.7m) joins Guaita in the Scout Picks as we predict a low-scoring affair at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon. Only Watford have found the net fewer times than Newcastle (17) and Crystal Palace (15) this season. Meanwhile, over the last four Gameweeks, the Eagles are bottom of the league both for big chances and shots on target.
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne‘s (£10.3m) 19-point haul against Arsenal has risen his stock back to the levels of several months ago. A new advanced position for the Belgian helped him score twice and get an assist. Crucially, no player has registered more shots on target than De Bruyne in their last four matches. If he is handed a place in the front three against Leicester then it’s hard not to see him involved in the goals somehow. The Foxes’ defensive statistics have been promising in recent weeks but they have conceded in all three of their away trips to so-called top-six sides this season (Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool).
Despite a blank against Wolves, no player has averaged more points per game during Jose Mourinho’s time at Spurs than Son Heung-min (£10.1m). Since the former Manchester United boss took over in north London, the South Korean has scored 7.8 points per game. Crucially, Son is offering both some goal threat and creativity in equal measure. This weekend he faces a Chelsea side struggling defensively and without a clean sheet away from home this season.
Richarlison (£7.9m) has rediscovered his form in recent weeks, averaging one big chance per game over the last four despite facing Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United in that time. The Everton man has converted three of those into goals, which bodes well ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Goodison Park, especially as the Gunners have conceded at least twice in six of their last eight outings.
Jack Grealish (£6.2m) has attacking returns in three of his last four and was arguably unfortunate not to improve on that form the penalty spot against Sheffield United. At Bramall Lane, the midfielder was the clear focal point of Aston Villa’s attack which bodes well for a meeting with a Southampton side still displaying defensive issues. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men last kept a clean sheet away from home in Gameweek 5.
Forwards
Jamie Vardy (£10.1m) may have a tricky fixture on paper in Gameweek 18 but we are still backing him for the trip to Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s men have kept just one clean sheet at home since Gameweek 7 while Wolves, Southampton, Chelsea and Manchester United have all scored there. Therefore, with Vardy top of the league (among those playing in Gameweek 18) for shots in the box and big chances and third for big chances over his last four matches, it seems likely his fine form can continue.
Marcus Rashford (£9.1m) may have blanked against Everton but since Gameweek 7 he has registered an impressive total of eight goals and four assists. Gameweek 18 takes him to Vicarage Road to face a Watford side being managed by Nigel Pearson for the first time at home. Despite showing some improvement against Liverpool last time out, the Hornets are inside the bottom six for big chances conceded across their last four home matches.
Danny Ings (£6.4m) looks set to benefit from Aston Villa’s serious problem defending their penalty box this season. No side has conceded more shots there over the first 17 matches and they are also bottom over the last four as well. Therefore, a man who arguably should have had a hat-trick last time out and has eight goals in his last 11 matches should do well against it.
Substitutes
Martin Dúbravka (£5.0m) represents an alternative route into the Newcastle defence ahead of facing a goal-shy Crystal Palace side.
Lewis Dunk (£4.7m) was selected by two of our pundits in their Scout Squad submissions. The Brighton centre-half has had more efforts in the box than any other FPL defender in the last six Gameweeks.
Martin Kelly (£4.4m) is a cheaper route into the Crystal Palace defence although arguably slightly less likely to pick up the extras compared to Guaita.
Joao Moutinho (£5.4m) could be set for an impressive Gameweek considering Norwich’s problems defending set pieces.
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.
Here’s how we voted for Gameweek 18:
- David: Rashford, Vardy, Ings
- Neale: Richarlison, Son, Vardy
- Paul: Son, De Bruyne, Grealish
- Geoff: Rashford, Son, De Bruyne
Here are the results:
- Son – 7 points
- Rashford – 6 points
- De Bruyne – 3 points
- Richarlison – 3 points
- Vardy – 3 points
- Ings – 1 point
- Grealish – 1 point
Therefore, Son Heung-min is handed the captaincy for Gameweek 18 with Marcus Rashford selected as the vice-captain.
Community Champion
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 18 is Mince n Tatties.
They have gone for a 3-4-3 line-up of De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lundstram; Son, Alli, Zaha, Grealish; Kane (c), Vardy, Jimenez.
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 THFC4LIFE was defeated in Gameweek 17, the Scout Picks winning by a 73-55 scoreline.
The current winning margin of 17 points recorded by irfansheikh in Gameweek 7 and AK in Gameweek 10 remains the score to beat.
