If you’re in a rush or panicking over last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) transfers, here’s what you need to know about Gameweek 16 in brief.
WHEN’S THE GAMEWEEK 16 DEADLINE?
Get your transfers in before 11:00 GMT on Saturday 9 December.
This is the last Saturday deadline before Christmas.
HOW LONG IS MBEUMO OUT FOR?
“Weeks”, according to Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
Assessment is ongoing but he’ll definitely miss the trip to Sheffield United. The use of the plural indicates that he’ll also be a major doubt for Gameweek 17, while Brentford then blank in the following Gameweek.
Mbeumo, if fit, will be off to the Africa Cup of Nations after Gameweek 20.
WHO ARE THE BEST REPLACEMENTS FOR MBEUMO?
We dedicated an entire article to this on Thursday, looking at the credentials of some of the obvious names – Anthony Gordon (£6.1m), Cole Palmer (£5.4m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) – and some of the more differential replacements like Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m), Pascal Gross (£6.3m) and Phil Foden (£7.6m).
Two-time India FPL champ Lateriser took a further look at the data of the sub-£7.0m midfielders in his weekly piece this morning, while seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar also had his say in his weekly Q&A.
Three-time top 500 finisher FPL General has already made his move.
WHAT’S THE LATEST ON SON’S INJURY?
Son Heung-min (£9.6m) will be assessed in training after he picked up a knock in the defeat to West Ham United.
The South Korea international was visibly in pain following his substitution against the Hammers but he was moving more freely when conducting his post-match interviews.
Ange Postecoglou couldn’t offer us too much new in Friday’s pre-match presser, ahead of the visit of Newcastle United.
“Nothing new really, last update I got was late last night. He’s a bit sore after the game, we’ll see how recovers today.” – Ange Postecoglou on Son Heung-min
WHAT’S THE OTHER TEAM NEWS FOR GAMEWEEK 16?
Alphonse Areola (£4.3m) remains a doubt with a wrist injury, while Jordan Pickford (£4.4m) is another flagged goalkeeper with a niggly knee.
Alisson (£5.6m) and Jose Sa (£5.0m) could make swift returns from injury, however, having trained fully with their team-mates. That’s bad news for their £3.9m understudies in FPL.
Eddie Howe meanwhile said that Martin Dubravka (£4.1m) had taken a couple of knocks to his back in Thursday’s loss to Everton but wasn’t aware of any lasting damage.
Newcastle also have a worry over Jamaal Lascelles’ (£4.1m) dead leg.
It doesn’t look like we’ll see Christopher Nkunku (£7.3m) this weekend, while Marcus Rashford (£8.5m) is a doubt with illness.
Lewis Dunk (£5.0m) and Rodri (£5.6m) are among the players returning from suspension.
WHEN IS THE CUT-OFF POINT FOR YELLOW CARDS?
A total of 29 players, including Kieran Trippier (£7.0m), are sitting on four bookings, so are one yellow card away from a ban.
They need to get through their side’s next four Premier League fixtures without being cautioned if they are to swerve a suspension.
GET THOSE BENCHES READY
Gameweek 15 was the first midweek round of Premier League games, so there could be further rotation this weekend as top-flight head coaches manage minutes and weary legs.
No team has a shorter turnaround time between games than Liverpool during this period, with only 63 hours separating their Gameweek 15 and 16 matches.
Be prepared for a surprise benching or two this weekend, then, and get those substitutes primed for action.
WHO SHOULD I CAPTAIN?
Over half of the responders in our on-site poll (55%) favour Erling Haaland (£14.0m), which actually seems on the low side considering this weekend’s match-ups.
Hibbo takes a detailed look at all the armband alternatives in his weekly Captain Sensible piece, although it’s a tough task to look beyond the Norwegian.
GAMEWEEK 16 SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – features a trio of Brighton and Hove Albion assets.
Meanwhile, our three differentials – FPL picks owned by fewer than 5% of managers – are all players who cost less than £5.0m. And yes, one of them is Neal Maupay (£4.9m)…
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We can’t offer you ‘in the know’ team leaks but we’ve nevertheless got predicted line-ups for all 20 Premier League sides.
HOW MANY POINTS WILL MY TEAM SCORE?
What are we, psychic?
In the absence of an in-house clairvoyant, we can at least offer you projected points for not just Gameweek 16 but the weeks and months to come.
