Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for FPL Gameweek 5

It’s back to business for FPL managers after the first international break of the season. The Fantasy Football Scout Gameweek Guide returns to round-up all the latest goings-on covering captaincy, team news, stats (yes, even xG), and opinion. And find out exactly what Az meant when he said Joe had:

Taken all the ‘wild’ out of a Wildcard.

Let’s start with the perennial captain dilemma – who should we trust with the armband this week?

The main contenders once again come from Liverpool and Manchester City. Salah currently leads this site’s captain poll with 35%, while opinion is split between City pair Sterling and Aguero on 21% and 14% respectively.

Part of Salah’s appeal is that he is fully rested: the international break was a proper football break for him. Whereas Sterling started both matches for England, playing the full 90 minutes in the second match. FP Elephant kindly summarised the player activity over the international fixtures, while David goes into more detail in his Scout Notes.

To help us decide who we should trust, David dissects the credentials of the leading candidates in his Captain Sensible article. Examining player stats, opposition stats, and the RMT before making his conclusion. Neale also offered his opinion in the Captaincy Video he did with Joe.

Newcastle-fan Neale pointed out that the Magpies are likely to set up defensively with no real attacking ambition. However, discussing Norwich’s ability to contain Manchester City, he noted:

I don’t know whether Daniel Farke’s got it in him to really sit back and defend – he hasn’t really got the personnel to do that anyway – so I think this could be an absolute bloodbath myself.

Speaking of personnel, Neale reported in his team news article on Friday that the Canaries’ fitness issues had reached almost farcical levels: they will be without all four senior centre-halves and first-choice right-back.

So while the potential is there for City to do well, the problem for many is which of their players to get? 

Norwegian fantasy expert, Aleksander Våge Nilsen, currently eighth in the Fantasy Football Scout Career Hall of Fame, did his best to decipher ‘Pep Roulette’ in this week’s Panel Consultation. And it looks like he might be buying himself a big sofa to hide behind because Aleksander would go without Aguero:

I just have to take the unavoidable Aguero hat-tricks on the chin and hope KDB and Sterling can keep up.

His third City player, in addition to Sterling and KDB, would be a defender:

After Laporte’s long-term injury, an opportunity to go for the cheaper Otamendi has opened, and on a Wildcard, I think I would take that chance.

And it was on the subject of Wildcards that Az accused Joe of being a little boring with his picks. Joe is known, perhaps a little unkindly, as a dullard manager. Although with seven ranks in the top 10,000 he’s also a very good one. 

Joe discussed his Wildcard picks which include Nicolas Otamendi, Sterling, Salah, and KDB, and faced criticism for being too template – for turning his team into everyone else’s team. 

In his opinion piece, the FPL General urged managers to think for themselves:

It’s not about following the pack, the goal is to beat the pack… Trust your own judgement/research/instinct/eye test. FPL is a simple game which we overcomplicate. The only ‘Template’ you need to worry about is your own.

Joe, in his defence, pointed out that at this early stage of the season, player ownership numbers haven’t settled so in that sense it’s hard to define the template. One of the ways Joe picks players, we discovered, is through the “ear test”: in addition to watching games – the eye test – Joe also listens to matches on the radio. 

It was a topic that was touched upon by his latest Meet the Manager guest, Josh Landon, who wonderfully described himself as “maverick within a box”. Josh uses the eye test to help break through all of the noise, and as the FPL General counselled – to trust yourself. 

Stats also play a big part in our decision-making process, but one particular statistic that receives a rather mixed response is expected goals. Essentially a measure of chance quality, there are a number of new xG stats that are available to members, and Neale explained how xG can be used

Elsewhere, David provided a members-only article on the best fourth midfielder to own. A fourth midfielder is defined as a player under £6.5m. While Neale examined Burnley’s appealing fixture run – which players should we own? Three of their number make this week’s Scout Picks.

Greyhead brought us two installments of The Great and The Good. The first looked back to how our managers fared in Gameweek 4 and the second, a treat for Adele fans, examined The Great and The Good Alumni.  

A regular hot-topic, G-Whizz collected all the DS stats, fixtures and clean sheet odds – no surprise that Liverpool and City are predicted to do well. While for fans of Swedish football and true fantasy lovers, Meltens previewed Gameweek 23 in Fantasy Allsvenskan.

To view all our discussions please visit our Hot Topics page, and if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article.

If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.

COMMUNITY TOURNAMENTS

Last week we decided to turn the Community Tournaments section into its own article. Updates on the latest mini-league and community run competitions can be found here.

And for those who may have missed it, registration is now open for the Pundit’s Play-Off Community Tournament. The deadline for entry is 30 September.

Best of luck for Gameweek 5!

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

2,530 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Tonyawesome69
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    who to captain?
    a. sterling
    b. kdb
    c. mane

    1. Flynny
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    2. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    3. AVFCChris1984
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    4. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    5. Jonny HOW SON?
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      a

    6. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      cheers everyone! had some slight doubts about game time but hopefully gets his goals early against a weak norwich

    7. zdrojo187
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A or C

  2. Dosh
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    A. Pukki
    B. Greenwood
    C. Coleman

    Bench one please..

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      b, surely thats obvious?

      1. Dosh
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Greenwood could start with all the injury issues.

    2. AVFCChris1984
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

  3. Thunder Warrior
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Sterling to Salah for a hit madness or genius?

    1. Thunder Warrior
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Have Kun and KDB btw..

    2. PM
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Do not take the hit for that

    3. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Do you think that all 3 will deliver?
      Stick with those 2

      1. money face bandwagon
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        It really depends on who u believe are the 2 that will perform

        1. Peter Ouch
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          The ones you have, not worth a hit. It's pure luck

    4. Railwayman
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      madness

    5. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Logout, stop being daft.

    6. Chill, we'll call you
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Calm down everyone. The appropriate authorities are on their way to confiscate his computer,

  4. Peter Ouch
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    There is something that the kop want you to know, the best in the world his name is Bobby Firmino!

    1. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Ignore me, just practising

    2. Jonny HOW SON?
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      great chant that

  5. PM
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    QUICK POLL, on WC:

    1. Aguero, Guilbert

    2. Aubameyang, Otamendi

    1. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2

    2. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2

    3. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2

    4. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      1

    5. Jonny HOW SON?
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2

    6. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2. Would be closer if Guilbert was nailed.

  6. Thomas M.
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Help a pal out... Captain:
    Salah at Home vs Newcastle
    Sterling vs a weak weak Norwich side?

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      it's a coin flip - Salah got two weeks rest, Norwich are without half their defence...

    2. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Sterling

    3. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

    4. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      That's the question alright, heads or tails is the answer. Very valid and logical and against reasons to be had for both this week. Personally I've flipped to Sterling at the last minute, an injury decimated defence in an already attacking team is too much to turn down plus If Sterling is rested then he's unlikely to get a cameo and Salah VC solves the problem.

  7. French Gooner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Thoughts on my WC Team ?

    Pope / Button
    Digne / Lowton / Mings / Lund / Kelly
    Salah / Sterling / KDB / James / Dedon
    Kun / Pukki / Greenwood

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I like it, v. similar to mine. I have Barnes and Ayew up front instead and am poorer than you so an even worse defence. good luck!

      1. French Gooner
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        defence is horrific - I was hesitating between
        Matip / Pieters / Dunk
        Digne / Lowton / Lund

        In the end i didn't want to get rid of Digne

        1. beric
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          mine is Lowton - Montoya - Engels - Lundstrum - Kelly,, so dont feel too bad

    2. Mr G
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Brave with no pool defence, bit guess that’s the price you pay for that all star attack...

      1. French Gooner
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        could go Digne>Matip but don't think it's a good move

  8. Mr G
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Last minute WC jitters, do I go with...

    A Heart - Lanzini Pieters (Cantwell)
    or
    B Head - James Otta (Dendoncker)

    Good luck all!

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      b

  9. Meinhoff
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Montoya or Diop on WC?

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      dunk if possible

  10. beric
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    do people think greenwood is gunna magically start today?

    1. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      No as makes more sense to start him in Thursday's Europa league game instead.

  11. Lucky Z
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Guys, last question for WC. Please help on front six for 4-3-3

    Defence is:

    Pope
    TAA | Digne | Otamendi | Pieters

    A. Mane | Sterling | James
    Auba | Haller | Pukki

    B. Salah | Sterling | KDB | James
    Haller | Pukki

    C. Son | Sterling | KDB | James
    Auba | Pukki

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      b

    2. luk46
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

  12. United10
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Is Barnes going to start this weekend?

    1. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      This and the next one also

    2. Railwayman
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      He should start.

    3. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      start, score and shag your girl

  13. Jonny HOW SON?
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Score prediction for Watford-Arsenal?
    I say 1-3

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2-3

    2. Peter Ouch
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      1-2

    3. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      1-0 to the Arsenal

  14. Tmel
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Pope
    LAPORTE Robbo TAA Digne
    TROSSARD Sterling Salah Mount
    Pukki Haller
    (4.0 Greenwood Dendoncker Rico)

    a) Laporte & Trossard > Otamendi & Dilva (-4)
    b) Laporte & Trossard > Otamendi & Ceballos (-4)
    c) Laporte, Robbo & Trossard > 4.0, VVD & KDB (-8)
    d) Play WC to get in KDB/Kun

    1. Lucky Z
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      How much ITB? Make just one move withiout hit, play Den if required

    2. Jolly Good
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

  15. woodles
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Been tinkering all week on WC. How’s this looking?
    Pope (4m)
    TAA, Digne, Ota, Lundstram, (Mings)
    Sterling, KDB, Salah, (Cantwell), (Hayden)
    Barnes, Haller, Abraham

    Mings, Cantwell, Lundstram fighting it out for the final spot seems pretty good to me.
    Any thoughts appreciated!

    1. woodles
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Alternatively can have mount/James in midfield and downgrade Tammy to a 4.5 but I’m leading towards this

  16. Clinton19
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Hi guys would you
    A. Haller, cantwell
    B. Richarlison, ings

    1. Frucke
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A, because ings game time. Richarlison is great tho

  17. The Pep Revolution
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Who is the best 4.5 defender to get on a wildcard?

    1. French Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      lowton imo

    2. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      lowton

  18. Frucke
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Play heaton or pope? My heart says pope and head heaton

  19. windowview
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Why play Lundstram over Pukki?

    1. tique
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Are you replying to my post lol?

    2. luk46
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Lundstram oop and could either get cs or a return, Norwich missing half their team

  20. tique
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Guys Pukki or Lundstram to start?

    I also have Masuaku starting so he can be benched.

    1. Jambot
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I’d start Pukki

      1. tique
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Thank you that's how I currently have it

    2. gooner_112233445566
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I would bench masauku

    3. FCSB
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I’m starting Lundstram, bit of a gamble but makes sense

  21. Jambot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Bench maguire or Pieters?

    1. tique
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Bench the slab

  22. JJeyy
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Bench one :

    Wan B
    Lundstram
    Pukki
    Coleman

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Lundstrum

  23. Dele
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Right boys I’ve got 1FT burning a hole in my pocket... or am I G2G?

    Pope,
    TAA, Digne, Lund
    Salah(c), Sterling, KDB, Mount
    Haller, Pukki, Barnes

    Button, Guilbert, Cantwell, Soy

    1. tique
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I had almost the same team and I ended up doing mount out for iwobi as a punt. I'd say your gtg

  24. gooner_112233445566
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    REPOST

    Who scores more Over next 6...

    Jimenez
    Pukki

  25. Bubz
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Do we think Raheem plays 99 despite his international efforts? The thing swaying me toward Mo for C is his rest

    1. Dele
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      This

  26. Josserz
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Last bit of the wildcard to sort....
    A) Salah & Pépé
    B) Mane & Auba
    Any thoughts?

    1. gooner_112233445566
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B but only just for me.
      I think Pepe could be a sensation soon, but with laca injury, auba will be through the middle 90 minutes every game

  27. Frank Koscielny
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Hayden or Stephens?

  28. Aubamewho
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Play one

    A) Hayden
    B) Dendoncker
    C) Greenwood

  29. Legohair
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    My WC team:

    Pope-Button
    TAA-Otamendi-Souncy-Lundstram-?
    Salah-Sterling-KDB-Cantwell-?
    Haller-Pukki-?

    A. Digne, Cantwell, Greenwood
    B. Pieters, Ceballos, Ayew

    Cant decide which one is better!

    1. tique
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A for me

  30. Eleven Hag
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    A or B for this GW alone?

    A) James, Iwobi
    B) Ceballos, Lanzini

    Thank you