“You’ve got to hunt for opportunities” declared Pro Pundit Lateriser in his Meet The Manager interview with Joe.

The Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Gameweek 22 is here to help you do exactly that. But first a reminder that we have a Friday 19:00 GMT deadline in FPL, so don’t forget to make those crucial transfers and captain decisions.

Starting with the team news headlines courtesy of Neale and Rotation’s Alter Ego: Pulisic is out for a few weeks, De Bruyne and Maddison are both declared fit following knocks in their League Cup matches, and Pukki will miss the trip to Old Trafford.

Spurs confirmed that Harry Kane will undergo an operation to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring. The striker is expected to return to training in April. Is there an opportunity here?

Pro Pundits Lateriser and Sam both examined the options. Lateriser analysed which Spurs players profited when Kane missed the end of last season, while Sam – currently the highest-ranked Pro Pundit – gave her thoughts in a Community Q&A video. 

Her feeling is that Aubameyang might be the better option to the potentially explosive Aguero. In one of several members-only articles over the last ten days, Neale delved into Arsenal’s improvement under new manager Mikel Arteta. Encouragingly for those considering Aubameyang he discovered that the Gabon international is one of the chief beneficiaries: 

Aubameyang has registered more penalty box touches, attempts on goal, shots in the box, efforts on target and big chances than any of his teammates.

– Neale

However Lateriser is finding himself seduced by Aguero with an enticing encounter against Aston Villa up next. 

The three-time top 5,000 manager opened his interview with Joe explaining that you need to find your identity as an FPL manager. He sees himself as someone who isn’t afraid to go against the crowd, citing his recent decision to captain Martial in Gameweek 19 as an example of this. 

And there may be another opportunity this week. David notes that the captaincy debate for Gameweek 22 is not as simple as Fantasy Premier League managers are hoping.

Jamie Vardy once again leads the captain poll and given that the Leicester City forward registered a season-high 20 points against Southampton in Gameweek 10 it is easy to understand why. 

However Southampton’s defence has been considerably better in recent weeks. Lateriser revealed that “only Liverpool have conceded fewer big chances than Southampton in the last four Gameweeks,” and the Reds only played three times. David agrees with the Pro Pundit that Aston Villa present a good opportunity for owners of Manchester City players:

Any side bottom of the league for shots conceded in the box heading into a meeting with Manchester City are always going to be in for a tough time. However, the issue comes from trying to pinpoint which of Guardiola’s men can do the most damage, primarily because of rotation.

– David

If the risk of “Pep-tation” is too much for you, Chelsea and Manchester United offer exciting alternatives. The two teams are second and third behind Manchester City in the latest DS stats, fixtures and clean sheet odds provided by G-Whizz.

And both sides are tipped for 3-0 wins by Pep Pig in his Preview and Predictions article. Strikers Tammy Abraham and Marcus Rashford are his players to watch. The latter is also selected in this week’s Scout Picks:

Marcus Rashford (£9.2m) has scored five goals and registered one assist in his last six league matches at Old Trafford and we expect such a run to continue against Norwich. The Canaries last kept a clean sheet away from home in Gameweek 13.

– Scout Picks

Let’s not forget Liverpool, who face a Spurs side unable to keep a clean sheet – just one since Mourinho took charge in Gameweek 13. 

Much of the talk surrounding their players is about which three to own for Double Gameweek 24. Upside-chasing Lateriser is very much in the Salah, Mane, Alexander-Arnold camp, whereas Az feels that owning both premium-priced midfielders is a step too far, given the structure of his team:

Overall, I’m just not convinced that major surgery is needed. I know Salah is an incredible player, and looks to be getting back to his best… but the damage it may do to my team if I did go for him may be irreparable. Would I captain him anyway, with Mané being in such good form alongside him? I doubt it.

– Az

Along with Joe and Karam, Az debated Liverpool’s upcoming Double Gameweek on the Scoutcast. They pointed out that with the two matches just under a week apart it could well be a good time to use the Triple Captain chip. They also highlighted which players perform better in away matches, given that neither game is at Anfield.

Firmino stands out as a differential to the costlier Mane and Salah for those who prefer to go with two Liverpool attackers. Indeed Reds-fan Lee backed his potential in a guest appearance in Sam’s Q&A.

The Scoutcast also debated players from Watford and Everton, given their recent managerial changes. The Hornets in particular have improved their attack, as David highlighted in his members-only piece.

[Watford] only scored nine goals in the first 16 matches of the 2019/20 campaign, a period which saw them managed by three different men, Javi Gracia, Flores and Hayden Mullins. By contrast, in the last five matches, Pearson’s men have found the net eight times, a drastic improvement.

– David

Midfielder Ismaïla Sarr was given a ringing endorsement by both Az and Karam, while goalkeeper Ben Foster currently finds himself in Joe’s team.

In fact, goalkeeper moves were all the rage this week with McGovern joining Joe’s team as a back-up in a typical dullard move, and Brighton’s Mat Ryan snapped up by Az. In an act of generosity, the Australian announced on Twitter that he was raising money for the Wildfire Rescue Emergency Fund:

I’ll be donating $500 for every registered save by all @premierleague goalkeepers this weekend.

– Mat Ryan

Let’s hope all our shot-stoppers put in great performances in Gameweek 22.

Pro Pundit and former FPL winner Simon March brought us another enjoyable and thought-provoking read, drawing analogies between FPL and the investment strategies of Warren Buffett. It includes ideas such as contextual value and explains why diversification, or spreading the risk in your FPL team, isn’t always a good idea. 

Finally thank you to luketownsend1997 who looked at which players have been providing value in different positions. Part One reviewed defenders and goalkeepers with part two looking at forwards and midfielders.

To view all our discussions please visit our Hot Topics page, and if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article.

If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.

Fantasy Football Scout Memberships are now available for a reduced price of £9.99 for the remainder of the season. Rolling monthly subscriptions are also available for £2.99 per month. Click here to sign up or upgrade your account.

Last Chance to enter Last Man Standing

This season’s competition has proved extremely popular with over 5,000 taking part and 1,000 managers still standing.

You just have time to join them – the deadline for final entries is 8pm today (Friday 10 January). However you must pass all previous safety scores to qualify – read TorresMagic’s recent article for more information.

The winner will receive a free Fantasy Football Scout Membership for the 2020/21 season.

Community Competitions

For an update on all FFS Mini-Leagues and Community Competitions, please click here to read the latest round-up.

For those interested in the Head-to-Head Leagues, the main page can be linked to here. The fixtures for Gameweek 22 can be found below:

Use the drop-down menus to show your league and division. To find out which league and division you are in, follow the instructions on the main Head-to-Head page.

Once the Gameweek starts, if you click on your opponent’s name you will be linked to their team on the FPL website.

May your arrows be green!