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. tibollom
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    WHo to captain?

    a. sterling
    b. salah
    c. KDB

    1. jason_ni
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    2. Riverside Red
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Sterling

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

      A !

    4. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

    5. Bumbaclot
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

    6. Artemis Titans
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      C

    7. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A iI'd say

  2. jason_ni
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Looking at my WC, Im not fully sure it was worth activating 2 weeks ago when I was in a drunken state.

    Net 7 Players Out
    Ederson
    AWB - KWP - Diop
    Martial - Perez - Dendonk

    7 Players In
    Pope
    Otamendi - Lundstrom - Rico
    Kdb - James - Cebllos

    Suppose I did get rid of some doubts for this gameweek, and the team is better of with KDB/James/Cebellos/Ota, but will soon find out

  3. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    what would you prefer going forward/next 4 gameweeks?

    TAA *Ota* *Matip* (Lundstram Kelly)
    Salah Sterling KDB *Martial* (Cantwell)

    TAA *Digne* *5.1* (Lundstram Kelly)
    Salah Sterling KDB *D.Silva* (Cantwell)

    1. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Ota Matip Martial vs Digne 5.1 D.Silva

    2. kennethrhcp
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      taa digne and a burnely def

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

      Digne 5.1 D.Silva

    4. Artemis Titans
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      2nd one

    5. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      thanks all

  4. UnitednationsXI
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Best option for next few weeks:

    A: Lanzini + King
    B: Mount + King
    C: James/Cebellos/Iwobi + Barnes (from gw6)

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      C

      1. UnitednationsXI
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Which option in C though?

    2. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

  5. Z3US
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Which is better please!!

    A) Pukki / Mount / Schar

    B) Abraham / James / Soy

    THANKS!

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

      A

    2. Riverside Red
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

    3. Z3US
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Decider anyone?

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

        B

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

      B

    5. DantheManinaPan
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B with Pukki for me

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

    Repost Gtg guys? Bench order correct?
    Pope
    Lundstram Zinc Pieters
    Mane KDB Sterling Pepe(C)
    Haller Pukki Abraham

    Button Montoya Soyuncu Donkey

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      dont captain pepe
      kdb mane or sterling C

    2. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Nice team but the captains armband has to be in sterling or KDB

  7. MikeBravo
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Will Pep disappoint everyone and play Jesus instead of Aguero????!

    1. HonestBlatter
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      No. Aguero rested during IB

    2. kennethrhcp
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      I hope so

    3. Slartibartfast
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Seems unlikely

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

      More like instead of Sterling, I hope not as an owner!

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

      Jesus had a rest as well!

    6. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Don't think so but anything is possible. I think jesus comes on for Aguero late on (75 min) if city are winning

  8. FPL Virgin
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Cancelo to start (assume at left back).

    Pep confirms it twice: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4FYCGgkdPDo

    1. Crisnel Ronessi
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Ban

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

      Sorry - meant right back, not left back.

      1. Crisnel Ronessi
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Fair

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

      Saying he's ready to start doesn't mean he's going to.

  9. HonestBlatter
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Once more on WC and 0.3M in bank
    --> Would you do any alterations to this for long term?

    Adrian-Pope
    Lunds-TAA-Digne-(Lowton-Hanley)
    Salah-KDB-Mount-James-(Guendouzi)
    Aguero(C)-Abraham-Barnes

  10. Norsemen
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    How does my WC-team look?

    Pope - Button

    TAA - Digne - Ota - Mings - Lundstram
    Salah - KDB - Cantwell - Mount - James
    Aguero - Abraham- Greenwood

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

      No sterling could hurt you.

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

        I know, but it could also be points 😀

  11. ChippyT
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Pope
    Lund | Zinchenko | Digne | VVD
    Sterling (C) | Salah | KDB | Mount
    Pukki | Jota

    Button | Montoya | Greenwood | Donck

    GTG or do i ship Jota for Haller/Barnes for a -4 ?

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

      Rather you ship jota for Abrahams but the team looks good

  12. BraxterStockman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Who to play?

    A) Montoya
    B) Pukki

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B monyoya as 1st sub

  13. vova
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Start Lundstram or Barnes?

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      barnes

      1. vova
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Thanks! Was thinking the same thing.

  14. OldBenKenobi
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    A or B?

    A
    Pope
    TAA Guilbert Lundstram
    Mane Sterling KDB Mount Cantwell
    Aguero Barnes

    Button Greenwood Söyüncü Hanley

    B
    Pope
    TAA VVD Digne Zinchenko
    Salah KDB Mount James
    Aguero Barnes

    Button Lundstram Cantwell Greenwood

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

    2. Shineonme
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

  15. tokara
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    The League starts today for Alonso/Chelsea

  16. FantasyFS007
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    In what order would you play Ndombele, Mina, Greenwood and Cantwell?

    Currently last place in the team, sub1, sub2, sub3....

    (But concerned Ndombele will get 10 mins, and Greenwood too)

    1. FantasyFS007
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Pogba and AWB starting so likely bench will be involved....

      1. JustPark
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Thought they both out?

        1. FantasyFS007
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Exactly

  17. Dirty Harry
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Hold Martial or ship for a hit?

    1. TheBrazilianRonaldo
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      In same position now. Promised myself I would not do hits but..

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

        I’ve done a hit for James and will likely stick with him now

      2. Dirty Harry
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Same I've been holding all IB. Got Dunk as an autosub my god haha

  18. RyanMK
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    A. Soyuncu or Pieters
    B. Barnes or Abraham

    1. F0oTBall GuRu
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B with barnes

    2. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      If you've pope then soyuncu if not then pieters or lowton to save funds and then for form wise it's Abraham atm

  19. Whats the Mata?
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Any chance TAA gets rotated today?

    1. Captain_Shirokov
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Nah.

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

      Nah

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

    Which wildcard team gets your vote?

    a
    Pope, Button
    Digne, TAA, Lundstrum, Ota, Rico
    Sterling, KDB, Cebellos, Cantwell, Mane
    barnes, Pukki, Haller

    b
    Pope, Button
    Soyuncu*, TAA, Lundstrum, Ota, Rico
    Sterling, KDB, James*, Cantwell, Salah*
    Barnes, Pukki, Haller

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

      A

    2. HonestBlatter
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      B

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

    If Robbo doesnt outscore TAA today I’ll sob uncontrollably. Sold TAA two gameweeks ago for AWB and kept Robbo... AWB got 0 then 2 then injured whereas TAA has gone mental

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

      I sold TAA at the same time, also for AWB.

      I think we got very unlucky with AWB given the xGC for Man United (Neves screamer & Lindelof switching off), but out fault for the fall man being Trent. Decent punt, but risked it given the quality of the dropped player.

      I brought back Trent this week. Know when I've made a mistake!

  22. Hitmonlee
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Twitter seems to think Greenwood is primed to start!

    Thoughts?

    1. Crisnel Ronessi
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Not happening

  23. Delph & Safety
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    WC ok?

    Heaton
    Digne Otamendi TAA
    Mane Sterling De Bruyne Mount Ceballos
    Pukki Barnes

    Pope Lowton Soyncu Greenwood

  24. Crisnel Ronessi
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    30 mins

  25. SHOWSTOPPERRR
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Bottomed
    Last minute panic guys
    A) cantwell soyuncu barnes
    B) Rico/hanley mcgin pukki

    Wc team
    Pope button
    Taa otta digne lund ***
    Salah sterling kdb mount ***
    Haller green *****

    Replies needed

    1. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

  26. Tshelby
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Need help on this one!
    Which one should I pick on my wc?

    A) Barnes
    B) Pukki
    C) Both but change Mount to McGinn and Otamendi to Kelly

    1. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Tough one, for me it has to be pukki he's just unpredictable and scores

      1. Joyce1998
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        However Burnley have some good fixtures

        1. Joyce1998
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Coin toss if needs be

  27. Snapes on a Plane
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Play Diop (avl) or Montoya (bur)?

    1. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Can see Burnley scoring so A for me

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

    Play one:
    A) Lundstram (Sou)
    B) Cantwell (Mci)
    C) Dendoncker (Che)

    1. BraxterStockman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A!!!!

      1. Joyce1998
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        A

  29. DR0GBA
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Who in on WC?

    a) James
    b) Ceballos

    1. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      A

  30. Rash
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Let's talk fpl vs breakfast club

    Which one will you watch?

    1. Crisnel Ronessi
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      So they no longer work as a team? 😮

      Once a teammate, now a competitor