Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton are the key teams for the Gameweek 14 Scout Picks team.
Each club has contributed a double-up to our latest selection, chosen by Scout Squad pundits David, Neale, Tom and Andy.
Lining up in a 3-4-3 formation, the team comes in at £82.9m, £0.1m inside our budget of £83.0m.
Goalkeeper
We are backing Emiliano Martínez (£4.8m) to pick up a fifth away-day clean sheet at West Bromwich Albion this weekend. It might be a little too soon for the new manager bounce to impact the Baggies just yet, who have failed to find the net in six matches this season. Meanwhile, Villa’s goalkeeper averages 6.6 points per road trip this season.
Defenders
Andrew Robertson (£7.2m) has reclaimed his throne as the most appealing Liverpool defender, his 58 points more than double any other colleague in the same position after 13 Gameweeks. He has supplied either a clean sheet, an assist, or both in three of his last five league outings. On Saturday, the left-back faces a Crystal Palace defence that sits in the bottom four for most chances conceded from set plays this season – boding well for a man who shares corner-taking duties at Liverpool.
Despite going without a clean sheet in the last three matches, only one team can boast a superior score for expected goals conceded (xGC) since Gameweek 10 than Chelsea. Reece James (£5.3m) gets the nod over Ben Chilwell considering he has created more chances and registered more shots on target than his left-sided counter-part in that time.
Brighton’s best chances of winning a first home match of the season have to come when they host Sheffield United on Sunday lunch-time. Tariq Lamptey (£4.8m) goes into the Scout Picks ahead of facing the Premier League’s lowest scorers having touched the ball more times in opposition boxes over the last four than any other defender.
Midfielders
Crystal Palace are without a clean sheet at home since Gameweek 1, so we fancy Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) to continue his reliable streak of form on Saturday lunch-time. The Egyptian has registered three goals and two assists in the last four, joint-top of the division for shots on target over that time too.
Bruno Fernandes (£11.0m) may have finally blanked in a Premier League match but we think he’ll get back to his explosive best against Leeds. Marcelo Bielsa’s men have turned a corner in terms of performances and results but they have still conceded the highest number of big chances of any team in their last four matches. Crucially, only Leicester (seven) have given up more set-piece goals than Leeds (five) this season.
Considering the Foxes’ own problems defending set-pieces, Son Heung-min (£9.6m) feels like a sensible inclusion for the Scout Picks. He has taken the majority of Spurs’ corners in the last four matches and has averaged 7.5 points per game in that time.
Jack Grealish (£7.8m) was unfortunate not to get something out of Aston Villa’s frustrating Thursday-night stalemate with Burnley. We fancy him to capitalise on a West Bromwich Albion side in transition on Sunday evening. Despite earning a reputation as a player more comfortable at home, Grealish has registered either a goal or assist in two of his last three away trips this season.
Forwards
One clean sheet from the last six Premier League matches for Arsenal is enough to convince us Everton will find the net at Goodison Park in Gameweek 14. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m) may have gone two games without a goal but he was close to finding the net against Leicester and sits behind only two players over the last four matches for big chances.
Fulham may have made significant improvements recently but they still fare as the joint-third worst side for giving up big chances over the last four matches. Meanwhile, Callum Wilson (£6.6m) has been an effective weapon in home games for Newcastle this season, averaging 6.6 points per game at St. James’ Park.
Just two sides have given up more big chances than Sheffield United over their last four matches; surely the best time for Brighton, still in search of a first home win this season, to host the Blades. Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) was unfortunate to blank at Fulham on Wednesday and, since Gameweek 10, ranks highest among all Brighton players for shot accuracy (60%).
Substitutes
Robert Sánchez (£4.4m) is a cheaper route into the Brighton defence having gone above Mat Ryan in the pecking order as of Gameweek 13.
Matt Targett (£4.5m) can offer an alternative route into Aston Villa’s defence for those unable to make room in goal but with space in this position.
Charlie Taylor (£4.4m) gets a mention on account of Burnley’s improving defence. The Clarets have kept four clean sheets in their last six.
If Wolves are to pierce Burnley’s defence, Daniel Podence (£5.4m) stands a chance of being involved for Wolves. Despite facing Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the last four, he has registered two attacking returns.
THE CAPTAIN
We choose the Scout Picks captain using a four-way vote between our Scout Squad pundits.
Because the use of Fantasy Football Scout data is used so heavily in this process, the skipper we choose each Gameweek is known only to those with a valid Fantasy Football Scout subscription and revealed to the public only when the deadline has passed.
Here’s how we voted for Gameweek 14:
THE COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Each week, one of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Picks by pitting their chosen XI against ours.
The Community Member who beats our team by the largest margin will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.
Legomané secured victory over the Scout Picks in Gameweek 13, winning by a 48-34 score-line and pulling one back for the community champions, who trail the editorial team 7-6 this season.
ONEDENNISBERGKAMP takes us on for Gameweek 14 going with a 3-4-3 line-up of Martínez; Chilwell, Mings, Lamptey; Salah, B Fernandes, Son, Grealish; Calvert-Lewin, Wilson, Bamford.
AA33 is the current leader, defeating the Scout Picks by a 53-point margin in Gameweek 2.
