Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice to Double Gameweek 25

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Double Gameweek 25 ahead of today’s 18:30 GMT deadline.

Leeds United and Southampton are the two teams with the extra fixture – the Saints travel to Elland Road on Tuesday evening.

The other main talking point as we plot our moves for the current round of fixtures and beyond, is the potential of more Double Gameweeks in the near future. Pep Guardiola hinted that Gameweeks 26 and 27 will be Doubles for his side but at the time of writing, we await confirmation from the Premier League.

Captain Candidates

Patrick Bamford (£6.9), Raphinha (£5.4m) and Danny Ings (£8.5m) are the leading trio in the captain poll, with the highly-owned Bamford the popular choice.

The best-value forward in FPL, returning over 19.1 points per million spent, Bamford has garnered over 50 per cent of the vote. This in itself poses Fantasy managers an intriguing shield/sword dilemma:

[Bamford]’s currently in just over 53 per cent of teams, the bulk of those will captain him so if you don’t captain Bamford you will probably get pretty much no ranking gain from him, [and] you could possibly get a red arrow if there’s a surge of support in people drafting him in. Whereas Raphinha was in under three per cent of teams [so] if you captain him the gains could be absolutely huge.

– Joe, Captaincy Video

The potential for either Leeds player to do well is there, especially in that Tuesday fixture. As Jan pointed out in his Captain Sensible article, Southampton have given up 11 big chances in the last four matches, the joint-most in the Premier League, while only Liverpool have a worse expected goals conceded (xGC) figure.

Encouraging stuff. But two bits of team news could influence our decisions.

Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that Kalvin Phillips (£4.9m) will miss the first match against Wolves and could possibly sit out the Southampton game too. While Ralph Hasenhüttl revealed that Southampton will be without Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.7m) for a few weeks. 

Without Kalvin Phillips they are really not the same team, he is the guy that holds the whole thing together both defensively and going forward … he’s missed five games this year and … Bamford’s blanked in three of those five games so it makes me a bit worried about him.

– David, Captaincy Video

Speaking on the Scoutcast, “professor of LeedsSeb, as he was dubbed by Joe, conceded that Phillips offers more than Pascal Struijk (£3.9m) in an attacking sense. But, nonetheless, his optimal Leeds trio for the Double would be Bamford, Raphinha and Jack Harrison (£5.5m).

The absence of Walker-Peters is good news for Harrison in particular. The Saints have conceded 17 chances down their right flank over their last four matches and with Walker-Peters missing out, it means we could see one of the centre-backs filling in.

Although, Brazilian Raphinha could also benefit:

Harrison and Raphinha have swapped sides a couple of times in the last few matches … Harrison was obviously subbed off last match … but Raphinha actually moved to the left with Hélder Costa coming on the right, so there is a chance you’ll see Raphinha on the left.

And on Harrison himself, his last two goals I believe, certainly his last goal, came straight down the middle. So if he’s up against the weak full-back that might be more for the assist [but] for the actual goals we might see him making those runs through the middle.

So I think realistically, what’s the crux of this conversation, it’s all quite close. Get the three attackers if you can, if you can’t get Bamford and Raphinha.

– Seb

Raphinha and Harrison touch heatmap last four matches

When it comes to deciding who to captain, it’s worth noting that Raphinha takes corners while Bamford is expected to stay on penalty duties.

No Premier League team has conceded more spot-kicks this season than Wolves (seven). And Southampton are not doing particularly well in that department, either, having given up four penalties  in 2020/21.

But Danny Ings should not be discounted, the Saints talisman has recorded six attempts on goal in his last two Premier League fixtures, including three big chances. And Southampton’s high-press could prove effective against Leeds, as Arsenal discovered in Gameweek 24 scoring four goals. 

Speaking on FPL Black Box, Pro Pundit Mark revealed that he is contemplating buying Ings with one of his two free transfers, factoring in that Southampton may have three Double Gameweeks in the next four. Although, as Greyhead noted in the 100th edition of The Great and The Good, how many of us will trust Danny Ings’ fragile hamstring to manage two games in quick succession?

And, as Jamie pointed out in his Members-only analysis of Southampton, if Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side are to get the best out of Ings, then they will need to create more chances, with the Saints creation ranking near the bottom in their last six matches.

Nonetheless, Ings is the only Southampton player included in the Scout Picks starting XI alongside a triple up of Bamford, Raphinha and Stuart Dallas (£5.0m) from Marcelo Bielsa’s troops.

Pro Pundit Plans

Along with Jack Harrison, the other players who could exploit the weakness down Southampton’s right side are Timo Werner (£9.2m) and Marcos Alonso (£5.7m).

I get the feeling that [Alonso] could drop a 15-pointer in any game if he continues in the same attacking vein. It looks like Tuchel is going to persist with the 3-4-3 formation and his comments with regards to Alonso seems particularly encouraging.

– Lateriser

As high-flying Pro Pundit Andy mentioned, the Spaniard offers massive potential at both ends of the pitch if you can cope with him missing the odd game.

Chelsea were picked out by both Andy and Lateriser due to their appealing fixtures, despite a difficult-looking Gameweek 26.

West Brom, Leeds and Palace are all in the bottom three for expected goals conceded this season, with Everton the seventh-worst team in the league. The fixtures from Gameweek 27 look prime for goals.

– Andy

Werner, who has started Chelsea’s last four matches under new boss Thomas Tuchel, has accumulated the joint-highest number of big chances (five) over the last four Gameweeks. 

Lateriser also noted that for those who are not Wildcarding in Gameweeks 25/26, there is a decent fixture swing in Gameweek 31, and it could be a good time to Wildcard. Something fellow Pro Pundit Az is planning to do, his thinking no doubt supported by some colourful spreadsheets!

Meanwhile, Werner was not one of the forward options being considered by Hall of Fame No 1 Fábio Borges.

The consistent top 10,000 manager is looking to replace the injured Michail Antonio (£6.6m) in his side and, after running the rule over several candidates, it boiled down to getting Danny Ings now or benching Antonio before buying Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) for Double Gameweek 26.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

This is your last chance to enter the open-to-all Fantasy Football Scout Cup with qualifying for the first round taking place in Gameweek 25. Qualifying for the Members Cup – entry for Premium Members only – gets underway in Gameweek 26.

A total of £300 in prizes is available across the two tournaments.

RedLightning rounded-up the latest Community mini-leagues and competitions.

Impressively, the two main FFScout mini-leagues are the top two Leagues in FPL, followed by Andy’s own mini-league. Well done to the top five managers in each of those mini-leagues.

There’s been another small tweak this week by Mat (aka matzi11a) to the fixtures and results displayed on the Head-to-Head Leagues main page.

From now on the scores and tables will update each night, so managers can see how they are getting on as the Gameweek unfolds.

The fixtures for Gameweek 25 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!

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

2,870 Comments Post a Comment
  1. YEAH PITCH!
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play

    A) Soucek

    B) Stones

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

    2. JELLYFISH
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      B

    3. Baby Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      B

    4. 2's Kompany 3's M…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      B for me

  2. Baby Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Who do you think is more likely for minutes over the potential double?

    A) Kilman
    B) Mitchell

    Thanks

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

      1. Baby Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Thanks

    2. marcos11
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

  3. JELLYFISH
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench one:

    A) Son
    B) Stones (playing Dias)
    C) Struijk

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      C

    2. 2's Kompany 3's M…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      C also

  4. Kitman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    I'm already midway through Bottling my Bamford Triple Captain

    1. cm790
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Fortune favours the brave

  5. Muchentuchel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Which defenders to play out of:
    Holding, TAA, Cancelo, Creswell, Rudiger?

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      TCR

      1. Muchentuchel
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        sooo tough, can't decide between Rudiger and Creswell 🙁

  6. Riggs
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Who to bench:
    A) DCL
    B) Watkins
    C) Gundogan

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      B

    2. highsguy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      B

  7. gooberman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    These decisions are killing me. Can't decide between Shaw, Vesterguard and Dunk.

    1. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Shaw fo shaw

    2. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      D

    3. fn.jota
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      shaw

      1. gooberman
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Southampton look like having at least 2 or even 3 double weeks though over 25, 26 and 27. Shaw will have only 1 and Dunk none.

  8. JustPark
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start Stones or Gundog?

    1. Egg noodle
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Gundog

      1. JustPark
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Cheers.

    2. gooberman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Stones. High chance he starts and high chance of a Gundog cameo

  9. Rick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Will Max Kilman play next DGW ?

    thanks

    1. Hooky
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      May as well throw a dart blinfolded

  10. Egg noodle
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    20 minutes until FIXTURE ANNOUNCEMENT!

    1. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Would be so troll of them to release the fixtures half hour after deadline.

  11. Muscout
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Davies more secure to Start than Dier? who are Spurs main defenders to play every week?

    1. asquishypotato
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I’m keeping an eye on this post!

  12. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Fellas, what would be your perfect BB DGW26 squad?

  13. Jindaljain
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start Grealish or bench Stones and Antonio?

  14. Pep's Money Laundry
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    A. Dunk
    B. Soyuncu

    Dunk looks really good for next 2 weeks plus has game GW29, it would mean I would save my FH. The plan is to BB26 (possible Leicester dgw)

    1. 2's Kompany 3's M…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I would go Dunk.
      Brighton playing much more to the XG conceded these days

  15. asquishypotato
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bottomed:

    Which Spurs defender under 5?

    Was set on Dier but he seems to be in and out.

    Davies looks like he has the position only Unitl Reguillon returns, but could he hold for longer?

    Seems they all have a risk.

  16. Plagued by indecision
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    G2G? (-4)

    Pope
    Stones / Cancelo / Shaw / Dallas
    Raphinha / Gundogan / Fernandes / Salah
    Bamford / DCL

    Subs: Martinez / Antonio / Bednarek / Saka

    Leaves cash in the bank to do Antonio > Kane for potential DGW26

  17. 2's Kompany 3's M…
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Is it silly to bring in Raphinha for a -4 hit to replace Rashford?

    1. FPL Alaska
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No for me

    2. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Probably yes

    3. mezza
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yeah I don’t think it’s worth a hit.

    4. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      yeah probably. I'd leave it

    5. 2's Kompany 3's M…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Thanks all

  18. ClaireT
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Done Antonio to Ings. Have 1 more FT left, anything else worth doing with that? 4.5 itb

    Pope, Martinez
    Dallas, James, Dias, Cancelo, Creswell
    Raphinha, Bruno, Rashford, Tielemans, Lingard
    Watkins, ;Bamford, Ings

  19. FPL Alaska
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Already did Soucek > Raphinha. 1 FT left, 2.8 ITB. Save other FT or bring Ings in and bench Gundo?

    Martinez
    Mee - Stones - Dallas
    Salah - Bruno - Gundo - Son - Raphinha
    Kane - Bamford (C)

    (Areola; Cancelo, Antonio, Coufal)

    A) Antonio > Ings (Bench Gundo)
    B) Save FT to manage 26 doubles

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I'd say B tehre, nice team, just brought in Kane myself also

  20. Luton_Fan
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    A. Shaw - dbl in 26 no game 29
    B. Dunk sgw 26. Game in 29

    Up to gw29. Which one? Thx

  21. GoonerSteve
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Sanity check please folks.

    Current team:

    Pope
    Cancelo, Stones, Dallas
    Gundogan, Raphina, Son, Salah, Bruno
    Bamford (c), Ings

    Bench: McCarthy*, DCL*, Mitchell, Coufal.

    Main concerns are McCarthy and DCL. Feels wrong to bench dgw keeper but Southampton are terrible and fixtures aren't easiest. DCL Also could do well in the derby. Am I wrong to bench either of them?

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Nope

    2. frankiefernandez
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I've gone McCarthy over Pope, although more in hope than expectation

      1. GoonerSteve
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Yeah I'm really tempted to do the same.

      2. GoonerSteve
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Have a horrible feeling DCL will burn me also. Half hoping Gundogan misses out.

  22. FallingDuck
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench 2 of these

    Cancelo, Stones, Cresswell, Mee, Mitchell.

    I know MCI might rotate. Is it worth taking -4 to bring in Shaw for a MCI defender?

  23. Giles G
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start Martinez or Sanchez? And Gundo or Barnes?

    Thanks!

  24. HD7
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Switch Sterling to Gundo this GW or save and do it next GW?

    1. FPL Alaska
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No, Gundo may not play

    2. Messiah Hazard
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Next week is fine... Although you should have both

  25. Bury94
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Watkins or Dias first sub?

  26. PL Ball
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    1st Bench..

    Soucek or Cresswell?

  27. EWH2020
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start who?

    A) Martinez
    B) Ederson

    1) Barnes
    2) Gundo

  28. tibollom
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    G2G guys? Have some doubts on bench and hesitating btw bam and raphina as captain..

    Lloris
    AWB Cancello Struijk
    Raphina(c) Son Salah Bruno Gundo
    Bam Ings

    Button Mee Watkins Dias

  29. Nightf0x
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench 1

    Dias stones dcl

  30. Jindaljain
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start one A) Grealish, B) Stones, C) Antonio

    1. Benjustjamin
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A