The attacking trio of Sergio Aguero (£11.3m), Eden Hazard (£10.7m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) have all been included in our latest Scout Picks selection.
Meanwhile, two defenders earn their third and fourth successive picks respectively.
This week we’re lining up in the 4-3-3 formation and are £0.1m inside our £83m budget for the first XI.
Goalkeeper
Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) gets the nod in goal after being name-checked by all four of our pundits this week. Paul also mentioned his colleague Jannik Vestergaard too. The clamour for Southampton defence is easy to understand when you consider their Gameweek 5 opponents. Brighton will come to St. Mary’s on Monday night bottom of the league for big chances and shots on target recorded in away games. McCarthy is also third for total saves so far and ranks second for xG Prevented.
Defenders
Once again, Marcos Alonso (£6.8m) has the potential to pick up Fantasy points from all kinds of different directions. Firstly, a clean sheet looks likely with Cardiff registering fewer shots on target than any other side in the first four matches. Alonso is also top for shots among defenders and ranks second for touches in the penalty box. It is no surprise that every single one of our pundits picked him as their top choice.
Benjamin Mendy (£6.4m) gets a fourth successive inclusion in the Scout Picks selection ahead of another appealing fixture for Manchester City. A clean sheet might be hard to come by with the attacking threat of Aleksandar Mitrovic right now, but the Cottagers are incredibly leaky at the back. No side has allowed more shots in the box than them across the first four matches of the season. With Mendy already four assists to the good and more completed passes in the final third than any other defender, it’s hard not to include him once again.
Matt Doherty (£4.4m) acts as a budget route into the Wolves defence this week with requests for both him and Rui Patricio to be present in the squad. The newly-promoted side look set to start collecting clean sheets very soon having allowed very few big chances, only Bournemouth and Liverpool rank better than them for that across the first four matches. Furthermore, Doherty provides plenty of forward-thinking play as the right-sided wing-back in their 3-4-3 system. Fantasy managers are encouraged to take advantage of his reduced price following a recent price fall too.
Patrick van Aanholt (£5.5m) looks ready to remind us all of his Fantasy credentials as Crystal Palace travel to a struggling Huddersfield Town. The wing-back has had a heavy presence in opposing penalty boxes in the first four Gameweeks, just three defenders registering more touches there in that time. Meanwhile, Huddersfield remain a goal shy outfit ranking 19th for efforts on target thus far, meaning van Aanholt could get himself a clean sheet too.
Midfielders
Eden Hazard (£10.7m) is the headline midfield option this week with all four of our pundits picking him as their top choice. The groundwork has already been laid for a big Chelsea win with Neil Warnock opting to attack in this one. Space is certain to be left open for the Blues and, with returns in every match so far, Hazard is bound to be at the heart of that.
We’ve made the big call and kept Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) in the Scout Picks selection even though he’s got a so-called “tough fixture” against Spurs. The fact that he scored three times against the north London side last season had both Joe and Peter confident enough to include him in their choices for the Scout Squad. We can also inform you that he currently sits second overall for shots and leads the league for chances created.
Level with Salah for chances created is Manchester City midfielder David Silva (£8.5m). Of those on the roster at the Etihad Stadium, he is the most-assured of a start in his classification and also has a hand in set pieces. Given the opposition available to him this week we are expecting big things from Silva.
Forwards
Sergio Aguero (£11.3m) is the winner of this week’s captain poll and also top pick from all four of our Scout Squad pundits too. He should be fresh and ready for Gameweek 5, having not been involved in international duty for Argentina and looks ready to score big in a favourable fixture. No player has had more shots than Aguero so far, which could lead to a big haul against a leaky Fulham side.
Callum Wilson (£6.2m) has both form and fixture on his side in Gameweek 5. No forward has more touches in the penalty box or shots in that area of the field than the Bournemouth man, which is why he has two goals and three assists already under his belt. Leicester are still without a clean sheet on the road, and that should continue given the form Wilson is in.
Danny Ings (£5.6m) completes the starting XI as he prepares for an appealing fixture too. Monday night pits Southampton against a Brighton side still without a point or a goal on the road this season. The Seagulls are in the bottom half of the table for both shots on target allowed and big chances conceded too.
Substitutes
Rui Patricio (£4.5m) received three votes in the Scout Squad article, which is enough for him to earn a place on the bench. We’ve already mentioned the clean sheet potential of Wolves and he can provide an alternate route into it.
We came close to adding Diego Rico (£4.5m) into the side but wanted to see a bit more from him before selecting him. However, there are still encouraging factors for the new Bournemouth man. With Ryan Fraser (£5.6m) an injury doubt he looks set to be involved in set pieces against Leicester and the Cherries have some clean sheet potential based on their big chances conceded count in recent weeks.
Pedro (£6.8m) received three votes from the Scout Squad pundits this week and is definitely a viable cheaper alternative for anyone struggling to fit Hazard into their team. The Spaniard has actually registered more shots than his Belgian colleague and has nearly doubled his tally for efforts in the box.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.7m) is bound to be overlooked by many this week as he faces a trip to Manchester City. While we’ve included him on the substitutes bench here, those owning him should strongly consider starting him considering the form he is showing and the fact that the defending champions are without a clean sheet at home this season.
Community Champion
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 5 is zophar who has opted for a 3-4-3 line-up of: McCarthy; Mendy, Doherty, Alonso; David Silva, Hazard, Pedro, Özil; Aguero, Lacazette, Ings.
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 Scouts have won two and lost two so far, AA33 narrowly winning by 41 points to 37 in Gameweek 4.
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