With the FA Cup quarter-finals causing six matches to be postponed, we triple up on Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur in the Gameweek 29 Scout Picks XI.
As ever, we are limited by certain restrictions:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GOALKEEPER
There isn’t really a standout goalkeeper to back this week, but Brentford are the bookies’ favourite for a clean sheet so we’ve opted for Mark Flekken (£4.5m).
The Bees aren’t exactly in great defensive form, having kept just one shutout in their last 18 Premier League games, but Flekken has racked up a whopping 43 saves since the turn of the year, so should at least have save points to fall back on even if his side concede.
As for Burnley, they have the worst home record in the division, with just one win in front of their own fans. They’ve also failed to score in four of their last six at Turf Moor.
DEFENDERS
Destiny Udogie (£4.9m) gets the nod as Tottenham Hotspur travel to Craven Cottage in search of a third straight win.
The 21-year-old has two attacking returns in his last five appearances, with three shots and five key passes registered over that period.
Now, his infield movements are set to cause all sorts of problems for Fulham’s backline on Saturday evening, given that the Cottagers have conceded 48.7% of their chances from their right over the last six Gameweeks.
Alfie Doughty’s (£4.7m) attacking threat is enough to earn him a call up for Luton Town’s home clash with Nottingham Forest.
Although Rob Edwards’ side have kept just two clean sheets in 2023/24, Doughty has assisted nine times this season and leads the way among defenders for successful crosses (70) and ranks second for chances created (57).
His role at corners and free-kicks could be important, too: Forest have conceded 17 goals from such situations this term, at least three more than any other side.
Meanwhile, Sergio Reguilon (£4.4m) is our Brentford defender of choice after Thomas Frank said he “should be fit and available” in Thursday’s presser.
He’s registered seven shots and six chances created in his six starts for the Bees, with his raids down the left flank catching the eye. He’s been on set plays, too, adding to his appeal.
MIDFIELDERS
The top-rated player in this week’s RMT ratings, Son Heung-min (£10.0m) is an obvious candidate for Tottenham’s short trip to Fulham.
The South Korean delivered his seventh double-figure haul of the season at Aston Villa last Sunday and his goal threat at Craven Cottage will be key, with Spurs needing a win to boost their UEFA Champions League ambitions.
Son has produced eight goals and four assists in 11 away starts this year and should lead the line again.
He’s joined by team-mate James Maddison (£8.0m), whose eye for a killer pass will be key to unlocking Fulham’s backline.
Although he’s not as explosive as Son – with just one double-figure haul all season – his consistency on the road, where he’s produced 10 of his 13 attacking returns, is notable. The playmaker arrives on the back of a goal at Villa Park last time out, meanwhile.
Elsewhere, West Ham United’s home clash with Aston Villa brings Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m) into contention.
Unai Emery’s troops sit second-worst for big chances conceded (22) over the last six and will be without influential midfielders John McGinn (£5.4m) and Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) on Sunday, so it’s no surprise Bowen and Kudus are highly fancied midfield candidates for Blank Gameweek 29.
The pair have served up a combined six attacking returns in their last three league appearances, while both players were on the scoresheet in Thursday’s memorable 5-0 win over Freiburg.
We’re also backing Anthony Elanga (£5.1m) to do the business against Luton on Saturday.
The 21-year-old was benched last week but it was a tactical decision designed to flood Brighton and Hove Albion’s central midfield, so we’d expect him to return to the starting XI this weekend.
He’d had seven big chances in just four Gameweeks prior to that benching, and his pace could be key against a deflated Hatters side who were in action on Wednesday.
FORWARDS
Five goals and three assists in his last three away appearances highlight Ollie Watkins’ (£9.0m) current form.
The England international sustained a knee injury in Thursday’s 4-0 win over Ajax but hasn’t been ruled out, so we’re expecting the Aston Villa hitman to face a West Ham outfit that rank 18th for minutes per expected goal conceded (xGC) on home turf this season.
With Villa’s UEFA Champions League tilt taking a blow last weekend, Unai Emery’s men can’t afford another slip-up here.
Second to Son in this week’s captain poll, Ivan Toney (£8.2m) is nailed-on as Brentford visit Burnley on Saturday.
With blanks in each of his last four appearances, the £8.2m-priced frontman isn’t in a great moment but we reckon he’ll return to form this weekend. That’s because he faces a Clarets defence that’s kept just two clean sheets all season, conceding 2.21 goals per game on average.
A 90-minute man on penalties and direct free-kicks, Toney looks a great option for Blank Gameweek 29.
THE SUBSTITUTES
- Bernd Leno (£4.8m): The Fulham goalkeeper has two clean sheets in his last four at Craven Cottage.
- Vladimir Coufal (£4.6m): Coufal has six assists in 2023/24 and ranks among the top 10 defenders for attempted crosses this season.
- Neco Williams (£4.3m): The budget defender has put together seven starts in a row and could find joy in-behind Luton’s advanced wing-backs at Kenilworth Road.
- Rodrigo Muniz (£4.5m): The Fulham striker ranks inside the top two forwards for both shots (27) and shots in the box (24) over the last six Gameweeks.
THE CAPTAIN
We chose the Scout Picks captain using a vote between our Scout Squad panel.
Son Heung-min is handed the armband this week, with Ivan Toney as the vice-captain.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Each week, a member of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Picks.
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.
The-Red-1’s 64-30 victory in Gameweek 16 gave the community the biggest win (34 points difference) of 2023/24 so far.
Our champion this week is Shuddahaddum, whose selection is as follows: Flecken; Doughty, Reguillon, Romero; Son (C), Maddison, Bowen (V), Douglas Luiz; Toney, Watkins, Morris.
The Scout Picks are tied 14-14 with the community this season, having lost 57-59 to Could get Messi in Gameweek 28.
FOLLOW THE SCOUT’S WEEKLY TRANSFER PLANS
We’re running a Scout community team in FPL this season, with regulars like TopMarx, Tom Freeman, Marc Jobling and more contributing to the weekly decisions.
And we’re not just looking one week ahead like we are with the Scout Picks but instead planning in advance for the weeks and months to come.
You can follow our team via the Premier Fantasy Tools Pro Planner, which you can learn more about here.
