We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Gameweek 24 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 Saturday’s deadline.
We are limited to an £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.
GAMEWEEK 24 FIXTURES
Times given in GMT
THE LIKELY LADS
There are few weeks when Erling Haaland (£12.2m) doesn’t feature in the Scout Picks and the Norwegian will yet again be pushing hard for inclusion ahead of Gameweek 24. That’s providing he shakes off the knock that forced him off at half-time against Aston Villa and also comes through Wednesday’s visit to Arsenal unscathed.
However, he could realistically end up being Manchester City’s only representative, with a trip to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League following Gameweek 24. Given their February schedule, which now includes five successive away matches, that could potentially force Pep Guardiola into a few (hard to predict) changes.
- Wednesday 15 February: Arsenal (a) – Double Gameweek 23
- Saturday 18 February: Nottingham Forest (a) – Gameweek 24
- Wednesday 22 February: RB Leipzig (a) – Champions League (R16)
- Saturday 25 February: Bournemouth (a) – Gameweek 25
- Tuesday 28 February: Bristol City (a) – FA Cup fifth round
Does that make Kevin De Bruyne (£12.4m) and Riyad Mahrez (£7.8m) riskier picks in Gameweek 24? And what about Man City’s defence – is anyone really worth the hassle, given their limited upside to date, plus the fact the last team to stop Nottingham Forest from scoring at The City Ground was Tottenham Hotspur in August? Perhaps the midweek match at the Emirates Stadium will provide us with more information.
Chelsea representation looks on the cards for the Scout Picks, with bottom-of-the-table Southampton up next. The Blues have got a midweek UEFA Champions League tie against AC Milan first and admittedly aren’t in the best of moments, with just two wins since the Premier League resumed after the World Cup. However, they rank fourth for minutes per expected goals conceded (xGC) in that time, so a defensive double-up, be it through Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.6m), Reece James (£5.8m) or Benoit Badiashile (£5.0m), carries appeal.
Further forward, we can also expect to see one of Mykhailo Mudryk (£7.0m), Kai Havertz (£7.7m) or Joao Felix (£7.5m) included. The latter is leading the charge. He’s looked dangerous across his two Chelsea outings so far, even if the first was spoiled by a red card, and is the most-bought player of Gameweek 24 at this early stage of the week.
Arsenal’s trip to Villa Park on Saturday is arguably more appealing for their attackers, given that Aston Villa have scored in every game under Unai Emery so far. Bukayo Saka, (£8.3m), Martin Odegaard (£7.0m) and Eddie Nketiah (£6.8m) are the key targets, with the home sides’ attacking left flank in mind when selecting the former.
Marcus Rashford (£7.3m) also deserves a mention in this section of our coverage. He’s now scored eight goals in nine Premier League appearances since the restart, racking up a whopping 74 points, 15 more than any other FPL player. Could team-mate Bruno Fernandes (£9.9m) join him? Perhaps, but opponents Leicester City have shown improvement of late.
IN CONTENTION
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