We have chosen our best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 33 ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
We line up in a 3-5-2 formation and are limited to £83.5m for our first XI.
Our four substitutes, meanwhile, are always picked from the budget/cheaper crop of players, not to serve as bench fodder but to give some alternative options who don’t cost as much as some of the names in our line-up.
GOALKEEPER AND DEFENDERS
With rotation rife amongst Brendan Rodgers’ defenders, Kasper Schmeichel (£4.9m) is the most secure route into Leicester’s backline. In Gameweek 32, Schmeichel was among only four players (there were no defenders) who kept their place from the previous Thursday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final, which is worth noting given that their Gameweek 33 opener at Newcastle arrives just three days after this week’s second leg. The Foxes aren’t exactly in stellar defensive form, but they have conceded just five goals in their last six matches, keeping a couple of clean sheets in the process. In that time, only Alisson (£6.0m) has racked up more FPL points than Schmeichel, while his +4.10 xG prevented figure is the best among ‘keepers.
Fabian Schar (£4.4m) has amassed 58 points in 12 outings since the turn of the year, thanks to two goals, one assist, four clean sheets and seven bonus points. It’s also worth noting that Schar’s 12 goal attempts over the last eight Gameweeks can’t be beaten by any defender, with seven of those efforts arriving in the box. Newcastle United’s ‘double’ is arguably the pick of those in Gameweek 33, as they are on home soil in both games and face opponents who will be in cup action just three days before they head to Tyneside. Only four goals have been conceded by Eddie Howe’s troops in their last six home matches, highlighting the defensive improvements made under the new boss, while it’s also worth noting that Leicester City and Crystal Palace are both at the wrong end of the table for set-piece goals conceded this season.
Joao Cancelo (£7.0m) averages more points per match (6.0) than any other midfielder or forward in FPL bar Mohamed Salah (£13.2m), Son Heung-min (£11.1m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m). With 10 attacking returns and 16 clean sheets to his name in 29 Premier League appearances, the Portuguese should comfortably hit the 200-point mark by the time the 2021/22 season draws to a close. He’s also, remarkably for a defender, 14th among outfield players for goals attempts – only one of which has been converted, admittedly – in the current campaign. Manchester City aren’t actually ‘doubling’ in Gameweek 33, but given that opponents Brighton have managed only three goals in their last eight outings, Cancelo – who is suspended in Europe, to boost his chances of avoiding domestic rotation – has the potential to outscore any defender playing twice.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m) makes a late burst into the Scout Picks after a unanimous vote from the Scout Squad. He’s top among defenders for everything from xGI, key passes and big chances created in the last six matches (and beyond), and he hauled in the reverse fixture of Wednesday’s match at Old Trafford. At the other end, Liverpool have conceded just two goals in their last eight matches at Anfield.
MIDFIELDERS
Eight returns in 15 matches for Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m) under Ralf Rangnick simply isn’t good enough for a premium FPL midfielder as a long-term hold. The Portuguese schemer has an uncanny knack of saving his best for a Double Gameweek, however, with five of those goals/assists arriving in United’s previous two ‘doubles’. Top for big chances created (nine) among Fantasy midfielders since Rangnick took charge, he’s perhaps been short-changed on the FPL returns front: only three orthodox assists have arrived in that time. Fernandes is also, perhaps surprisingly, second among all Premier League players for xGI minus penalties over the last six matches. Our Rate My Team tool predicts that Fernandes will be the highest scorer of the Gameweek but much of that hope rests on Saturday’s match, as not a great deal will be expected from a trip to Anfield in midweek.
James Maddison (£7.0m) is on a phenomenal run of 14 attacking returns in as many starts – and he even scored another goal arriving as a substitute in Gameweek 27. Even Salah can’t match that level of output. Rotation risk is a big concern with the Foxes due to their continued involvement in Europe but if we accept that most Leicester players will get a benching across the two Gameweek 33 fixtures, why not opt for the man who is approaching something near top form.
The fact that Son Heung-min (£11.1m) is the second-most-bought FPL asset of Gameweek 33, despite Spurs not having a ‘double’, says much about the South Korean’s recent form. Since Antonio Conte first took charge in north London, Son is the leading points scorer among FPL midfielders. His current rate of returns will soon slow down but that doesn’t mean to say that the goals and assists won’t continue to arrive with more sustainable regularity from now until the end of the season, and he enjoys making a mockery of Opta’s expected goals (xG) stats, too. While he may not be able to match Salah for shots, big chances or xG over an extended period, he has exceeded the data-collectors’ predictions ever since he came to the Premier League. As for Brighton, Son’s opponents this weekend, they have kept only one clean sheet against a side who are higher than 13th in the Premier League table all season.
Arsenal’s Champions League push has been derailed over the last fortnight and the FPL returns have dried up too after a long purple patch from December onwards. But Gameweek 33 offers hope for Gabriel Martinelli (£5.3m) and co, particularly the first fixture against Southampton this weekend. Saints have conceded more goals than any other team (15) since their form took a turn for the worse in Gameweek 28, not keeping a clean sheet during this period. In fact, their total of 22 big chances conceded in the last five Gameweeks is eight more than any other side has allowed. Martinelli has narrowly had the edge over Bukayo Saka (£6.8m) when it comes to xGI over the last six matches, while Alexandre Lacazette’s (£8.4m) potential absence on Saturday raises the possibility of an ‘out of position’ run-out for the Brazilian.
We always try to avoid a clash between the Scout Picks and Spot the Differential but price rises over the last few days has actually priced us out of a few intended selections. So we’ve called upon Bruno Guimaraes (£4.9m) as a budget-freeing differential. The Brazilian’s minutes-per-chance average (37) is better than any Newcastle regular this season and while he regularly drops deep, he’s not quite the stationary midfield axis that Jonjo Shelvey (£5.3m) is in the current set-up under Eddie Howe. Instead, he’s allowed a bit more freedom to get forward as a ‘number eight’, as evidenced by his seven shots in the box in just 407 minutes of game-time. Guimaraes went close to a few attacking returns in Gameweek 32.
FORWARDS
As is the case with Fernandes, the appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.2m) rests squarely on the shoulders of bottom-of-the-table Norwich City, who the Red Devils admittedly struggled to see off in the reverse fixture. Stats fans will have noticed that Ronaldo sits joint-third respectively among all Premier League players for xGI minus penalties over the last six matches, so the visit of the side with the worst xGC this season does seem like a good match-up – even if Ralf Rangnick’s side don’t look easy on the eye at present.
Chris Wood (£6.7m) netted his second Premier League goal for Newcastle United in Gameweek 32, both of which have arrived in his last five matches. Team-mate Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.8m) has been the livelier of the two Newcastle forwards and bossed most of the key underlying numbers of late, but eight of the Magpies’ last 12 goals have arrived from dead-ball situations, which may hand Wood the edge given his aerial prowess and penalty-taking duties. Leicester and Palace, as previously mentioned, have been vulnerable from set plays in 2021/22.
THE CAPTAIN
We choose the Scout Picks captain using a four-way vote between our Scout Squad pundits.
- Az: Ronaldo, Son, Maddison
- Sam: Maddison, Son, Wood
- Tom: Fernandes, Ronaldo, Son
- Neale: Fernandes, Son, Martinelli
Son Heung-min is handed the armband, with Bruno Fernandes his deputy.
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.
THFC4LIFE, who triumphed 74-48 in Gameweek 19, has set the target to beat.
Overall, the Scout Picks are 23-9 up on the community this season.
Our champion this week is Badgevilla, who has gone for Schmeichel; Targett, Telles, Dias; Ward-Prowse, Son, Sterling, Gordon, Martinelli; Ronaldo (c), Kane.
