After naming the players under consideration in our earlier Scout Picks Squad article, the time has come to reveal those who made the final shakedown.
Despite increasing the budget for our starting XI from 83m to 84m, we are still on the hunt for value, particularly in defensive roles.
At a price of 4.1 and with a continuing kind run of fixtures, Stoke City stopper Lee Grant is becoming a regular enabler in our weekly selection. The veteran boasts back to back shut-outs and hosts a Swansea City side that looks to be focusing more on defence under new boss Bob Bradley.
We expect another false nine set-up on the road from the new Swans’ boss, who fetched a first clean sheet in the stalemate with Watford last time out. An array of long-range efforts from Gylfi Sigurdsson should provide Grant up for some save points, but we’re also backing a third successive shutout.
Watford’s Jose Holebas (4.7) is another budget pick to claim a Scout Picks berth. He has accrued an incredible 27 Fantasy Premier League points over his last three outings and with Hull City visiting Vicarage Road, the 5.9% owned wing-back looks primed for further returns. Over the last four Gameweeks, the Tigers have conceded 15 times and scored just two goals.
With the money saved on that pair, we have some spare change to spend on two premium defenders.
Two assists and three clean sheets in his last four league games promotes Watchlist darling Hector Bellerin (6.6) in out thinking. The buccaneering Spaniard looks well worth the outlay, particularly as he travels to face a Sunderland outfit that has mustered just four goals on home turf.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker (6.1) completes our defensive trio and is another expensive asset to offer the prospect of attacking points.
The 38.5% owned right-back has picked up FPL bonus points in half the league matches he has started, chalking up six clean sheets and two assists. He will relish facing a Leicester City side that are winless on the road, scoring just three goals.
Given Sunderland’s abject form, we had hoped to triple-up on Gunners’ assets, with Theo Walcott joining Alexis Sanchez (11.3) in midfield.
However, Arsene Wenger’s concerns about Walcott’s hamstrings have forced us to jettison him from our final XI.
While his 23.9% owned Chilean team-mate has suffered in recent Gameweeks, registering just one assist in his last three league matches, his strong away form gives us hope. Sanchez has already notched three goals and two assists on his travels at Watford and Hull City.
It’s Philippe Coutinho (8.4) turn to claim his place as our Liverpool midfielder of choice. With three double-digit FPL hauls this season, thanks to four goals and three assists, we currently feel that the 37.5% owned Brazilian has a slight edge over his team-mates. Crystal Palace are without a clean sheet this season, and we see goals at both ends at Selhurst Park, drawing the sting from Jurgen Klopp’s attacking contingent.
Given Leicester City’s woeful away form, we are more than happy to double up on Spurs assets.
Our initial choice of Dele Alli (8.2), who has two goals in his last three starts, took us just over budget, so we’ve settled on his 7.7-priced team-mate Son Heung-Min as an able deputy.
With four goals and two assists this season, we expect him to be at the heart of Spurs’ attacking play against the travel sick Foxes.
As was discussed on this week’s Scoutcast, West Brom’s Nacer Chadli (6.6) appears to be a surprising source of points for Gameweek 10.
Manchester City are without a clean sheet on the road and with three double-digit scores this season, Chadli is undoubtedly the Baggies’ chief threat, having been involved in 75% of their goals so far. His 5.1% ownership also plucked him from our Differentials selection.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic tussled with Sergio Aguero as our heavy-hitter striker of choice. With confidence in both on the wane, ultimately it was the cheaper 11.3 price tag and the stronger fixture that swung it for the United man.
Burnley have conceded nine goals in their three away matches, indicating that Jose Mourinho’s men should have some joy, even with the shot-stopping brilliance of Tom Heaton between the Clarets’ posts.
Still retaining a healthy 37.9% ownership, Ibrahimovic is set to be a popular captaincy option for Gameweek 10, even though he has returned just a single goal and assist in his last seven league outings.
There was no such procrastination with our other two striker selections.
Romelu Lukaku (9.7) has scored in all of his last six encounters with West Ham while at Everton and also boasts six goals in his last six Gameweeks.
The Hammers have tightened up significantly at the back of late, but we feel that the 30.9% owned Everton frontman is destined for yet another strike against the Irons’ rearguard.
Hull City’s truly awful recent form, particularly away from home, propels Watford’s penalty-taking striker Troy Deeney (7.1) into our thinking.
Although the 8.7% owned forward has failed to net in back-to-back road trips, he boasts far better form at home and has scored in his previous two at Vicarage Road.
Daley Blind (5.7)’s greater bonus point potential, plus his role at dead-balls, earned him the edge over Manchester United team-mate Antonio Valencia.
With competition fierce in our defensive picks this week, he is perhaps unfortunate to be left on the timber, considering visitors Burnley scored just once on the road and have the lowest away goal attempt tally on show.
Our midfield bench berth goes to Stoke City’s Joe Allen, who, despite being priced at just 5.1, has accumulated a pair of double-digit point hauls this season from an attacking midfield role for the Potters.
Liverpool’s quest for defensive stability remains largely fruitless, which earns Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke (7.7) a bench selection ahead of the reunion with his former employers.
Even Liverpool fans think the 8.1% owned Belgian will be the man to take advantage of their error-prone backline, according to Bolivian Seaman’s latest What the Fans Are Saying article.
The Community Champion
The community member who beats our picks by the biggest margin over the campaign will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Contributors and Moderators League for the following season. The current champion to beat is VS10_, who had a 32-point margin of victory over us in Gameweek 6.
This week’s champion is Mince n Tatties who has opted for a 3-5-2 line up of: De Gea; Blind, Valencia, Holebas; Sanchez, Mane, Firmino, Coutinho, Allen; Costa, Lukaku.
