FPL Gameweek 15 early Scout Picks: Triple Man City + Kane

We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Gameweek 15 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to the deadline.

We are limited to a £83.0m budget for our starting XI, while our bench is also price-capped after a reader vote.

In the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article – a term coined by the duo behind the Always Cheating podcast– will discuss the players who are likely to be in the running.

THE LIKELY LADS

There will inevitably be considerable representation from Manchester City in our Gameweek 15 Scout Picks, with Fulham up next at the Etihad. Marco Silva’s side have conceded 22 goals in 13 league matches so far this season and sit bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC).

Kevin De Bruyne (£12.4m) and Phil Foden (£8.5m) provide firepower and creativity in the ‘bus team’, yet Erling Haaland (£12.2m) will force his way in and replace one of the midfielders if fit.

Fulham continue to rack up impressive numbers offensively, yet Joao Cancelo (£7.4m) is also included, having averaged 7.5 points per home start in 2022/23.

Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Sevilla, injuries and press conference quotes, however, will all be deciding factors when we finalise our selection on Friday.

Newcastle United were utterly dominant at St James’ Park on Saturday, as they swept aside Aston Villa to continue their excellent start to the season. Now, they face a blunt Southampton attack that has managed just four goals in their last eight league games.

That further increases the appeal of FPL’s top-scoring defender, Kieran Trippier (£5.8m), who is able to contribute points at both ends of the pitch. Callum Wilson (£7.4m) is the most bought player ahead of Gameweek 15 and joins Trippier in the ‘bus team’, but what about Miguel Almiron (£5.6m)? The winger has now scored six in six games, so an attacking double-up isn’t completely out of the question.

IN CONTENTION

With Saturday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea giving Roberto De Zerbi his first win as head coach in the Italian’s sixth game in charge, Brighton and Hove Albion assets are in our thoughts. De Zerbi lined his troops up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) up front in Gameweek 14, with the Belgian putting his side ahead after only five minutes, his fifth goal under his new manager. Their opponents, Wolverhampton Wanderers, have scored just six goals in 13 league games and will be minus the suspended Diego Costa (£5.5m), so it’s highly likely one of Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) or Lewis Dunk (£4.7m) will be called upon, too.

In addition to Sanchez, Nick Pope (£5.3m) and David Raya (£4.6m) will also be in the conversation for the goalkeeper spot.

Back on home soil in Gameweek 15, Aaron Cresswell (£4.8m) plus the cheaper Kurt Zouma (£4.5m) will be in the mix. Despite losing at Old Trafford on Sunday, there were plenty of positives for David Moyes’ side to take, while it’s also worth noting two of their last three home outings have resulted in clean sheets.

Elsewhere, in addition to Foden and Trossard, there are several other appealing mid-price midfielders to consider, like Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.6m). The latter has seven goals in 15 appearances this season in all competitions, which is two more than the 24-year-old scored in the entirety of the last campaign. Unai Emery will be in the dugout for the first time for opponents Aston Villa, yet he won’t have had much time to work with a group of players that were battered 4-0 by Newcastle, a scoreline that could have been even more damaging had the home side not wasted a host of other chances.

A Leeds United midfielder could potentially sneak in, too, with Luis Sinisterra (£6.5m) leading the charge if he’s passed fit, yet we’ve landed on one of the opposing teams’ attackers in our ‘bus team’. After enjoying a six-game unbeaten run under Gary O’Neil, Bournemouth have now lost three in a row, but Dominic Solanke (£5.7m) has racked up 41 points over his last eight outings and feels like one of the better budget forwards to target in Gameweek 15.

Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool on Sunday, so we could end up ignoring their assets, favouring those with kinder fixtures. However, Liverpool’s current malaise does suggest Harry Kane (£11.6m) and Son Heung-min (£11.7m) might pick up some support from our Scout Squad panel, especially with them looking vulnerable to counter-attacks when their moves break down. However, it seems unlikely that Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) will make the cut, given that he is essentially up against Man City’s premium assets this week.

Bukayo Saka’s (£8.0m) knock will need to be monitored, with Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m), Martin Odegaard (£6.4m) and Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) on standby should we believe Chelsea’s defence can be got at, while an Everton midfielder or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m) could also potentially muscle their way into contention.

THE LONG SHOTS

Given that Nottingham Forest’s defensive issues flared up again on Sunday, it’s a shame we can’t call upon the suspended Ivan Toney (£7.4m) for Brentford’s trip to The City Ground. Had he been available, he would have been a shoo-in for selection, yet the alternatives on offer at Brentford aren’t too inspiring.

Bryan Mbeumo (£5.8m), Yoane Wissa (£5.4m) and Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.2m) are probably the best bets, but do we really want to invest in an attack which have only scored four times in seven matches (two of those goals were penalties), minus their talisman? They are at least cheap, however.

If we decide to add an additional defender into the mix, there are a handful of possible options to call up, all of whom carry some potential. However, it’ll be a tough ask for any of James Tarkowski (£4.4m), James Justin (£4.3m) and Diogo Dalot (£4.7m) to get in for various reasons, but they could potentially become shouts as the week goes on. The same applies to ‘keepers Jordan Pickford (£4.5m), Danny Ward (£4.1m), Illan Meslier (£4.5m) and David de Gea (£4.9m).

That leaves James Maddison (£8.2m) and Wilfried Zaha (£7.6m) as outside bets for a place in midfield, but they perhaps don’t carry the same potential as the ones we have included in the ‘bus team’.

Gianluca Scamacca (£6.7m) could be a cheeky differential against Crystal Palace, but shared minutes with Michail Antonio (£7.0m) is a bit off-putting.

GAMEWEEK 15 – BUS TEAM