Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for FPL Gameweek 8

With the next international break breathing down our necks, be sure to savour the thrills, heartache, jam, and (fingers crossed) joy that Gameweek 8 will undoubtedly provide.

As ever, Fantasy Football Scout is here to help you separate fact from rumour, stat from gobbledegook, and Pep from his roulette wheel. Well, ok separating Pep from his roulette wheel is probably surgically impossible, but two out of three ain’t bad. And, just for the heck of it, we’ll even explain what a “compound differential” is. Oh yes.

Talking points

The main headline this week has undoubtedly been the injury to Kevin De Bruyne. Guardiola confirmed on Friday that the brilliant Belgian will miss Gameweek 8

No, tomorrow [De Bruyne] is not fit. After the international break, he will be ready. It’s not a big, big problem.

Over half a million managers have wasted no time in ditching De Bruyne with Mount, Yarmolenko, and Mahrez (more on him later), the popular replacements. 

For other more patient souls – willing to trust Pep when he says the midfield maestro will return for Gameweek 9 – this will mean a substitute taking his place in their fantasy teams. 

If you’ve got options like John Lundstram (£4.5m) or Todd Cantwell (£5.0m) on your bench, hold on to Kevin.

The FPL General

However, as Neale reported in his team news round-up, some may have reason to worry. Speaking on Friday, Norwich City boss Daniel Farke reported a problem with 27%-owned Todd Cantwell:

There is a little doubt, a little question mark behind Todd Cantwell. He’s got some hamstring problems. He was out Wednesday and Thursday, returned back today on the training pitch, it looked alright. We have to wait a bit, how his body reacts. I hope to have him available for tomorrow.

For the low-down on all the treatment room latest, we not only have Neale’s quote-filled articles, but Rotation’s Alter Ego has kindly summarised the key points for each team. Could Allison be about to make his return this weekend?

Who to trust with the armband?

Raheem Sterling leads the captain poll with 25.8% of the vote, ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mohamed Salah, and Sergio Aguero. Without an overwhelming favourite to stick the armband on, FPL managers face another tricky decision. 

The underlying statistics once again point to the potential of Manchester City assets ahead of their home encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as David highlighted on the Captaincy Video

Only three teams have conceded more shots in the box [than Wolves], and no team has had more shots in the box than Manchester City.

Digging a little deeper – using data available to FFS Members – TheFantasyFreÆK focused on Wolves’ defensive problems this campaign:

… the stark contrast I notice in Wolves 19/20 v Wolves 18/19 from a defensive point of view is very worrying. Wolves have conceded triple the number of big chances this season than they did at this stage last season (12 v 4), hence their xGC (expected goals conceded) has nearly doubled (5.5 to 10). Shots in the box conceded have also witnessed an alarming rise of 46%.

The problem is knowing which City player to trust. 

In Gameweek 7, many FPL pundits and experts felt Aguero would definitely start following his midweek rest. They were wrong. This week it’s Raheem Sterling’s turn to be the favoured captain pick.

Sterling has scored in his last three matches in all competitions and emerged from the bench in the Champions League on Tuesday night to inspire City to victory. The 24-year-old will lead the FPL General’s troops on Sunday. 

However, one manager who won’t be giving Sterling the armband is Career Hall of Fame number one Sean Tobin. Sean, as Greyhead informed us in the latest installment of The Great and The Good, omitted Sterling from his Gameweek 7 Wildcard. Instead he’s chosen to go with Aguero and Salah as his only players costing over £11.0m.

Backing up Sean’s decision to favour Aguero, David observed in his Captain Sensible article:

Once again, we come into a Gameweek with Aguero as the busiest attacking player in the penalty box over the previous four matches. He has shot 17 times there from Gameweek 4 onwards, more than any other player in their last four outings.

While The FPL General feels that we shouldn’t be put off by Salah’s upcoming fixtures:

On paper, Liverpool have a tricky run of games but is it really that difficult? It’s Leicester at home this weekend (Salah’s lowest score at Anfield this season is nine points), then a trip to face mid-table side Manchester United before a home tie against a Spurs outfit who conceded seven goals to Bayern Munich this week.

Second in the captain poll, Aubameyang is attracting interest and it’s easy to understand why. Brandon pointed out in FPL Question Time:

With no blanks through the first seven weeks of the season, Aubameyang is indeed the real deal.

Discussing the Gabonese international in the Captaincy Video, Joe enthused:

It’s a six-point floor!… At the Emirates Bournemouth have conceded eleven goals and scored just three over their last three league visits, and Aubameyang has scored in his last two encounters against the Cherries.

High-end Purchases on a Limited Budget

The challenge facing many FPL managers is deciding which of the £11.0m+ players to own, with many offering the promise of points. Three premium-priced assets make this week’s Scout Picks: Salah, Sterling, and Aubameyang.

To help ease the pressure on our limited budgets players such as McGinn, Pukki, and Abraham – as well as a shift towards cheap defenders – are proving popular. All three offer the promise of goals this weekend.

In his analysis of the underlying stats, Neale revealed that Abraham had been presented with nine big chances in the last four Gameweeks:

Abraham had four of those gilt-edged opportunities in the last two Gameweeks, so he has still been getting into dangerous positions despite recording back-to-back blanks.

And goals are expected when Norwich City host Aston Villa later today:

486 shots conceded by Arsenal (126), Aston Villa (121), Norwich City (121) and Bournemouth (118) combined this season. Those four clubs have allowed the most attempts on goal in the Premier League this season and play each other this weekend, with Norwich entertaining Aston Villa and Arsenal hosting the Cherries.

Compound Differential

The form of Riyad Mahrez has been discussed this week. The injury to Kevin De Bruyne and a potential ban for Bernardo Silva increasing his appeal.

Neale goes into impressive depth exploring not only how well Mahrez has performed this season, but also his potential for minutes. While the Algerian does not have the luxury of guaranteed game-time, Neale observed:

If we are to accept the occasional rest for [Sterling, Aguero, and De Bruyne], then why not the more affordable Mahrez?

The most transferred-in player ahead of the Gameweek 8 deadline and with an ownership fast approaching 10%, Mahrez just about squeezes into the differential category

But it’s as a “compound differential” that he could really make a difference. Appearing on the Scoutcast this week Tom, from Who Got The Assist?, explained:

Where I think Mahrez is really interesting is that because he’s a compound differential, so it’s not really a differential in and of itself, it’s a differential because you’re pairing him with other players and making a unique combination, which is a little bit different to everybody else.

Tom went on to point out that selecting a triple City midfield of Sterling, De Bruyne, and Mahrez is pretty maverick: that combination is owned by just 0.04% of managers.

Even selecting City’s three most highly-owned players – Sterling, De Bruyne, and Aguero – each owned by over 29% of managers, as a combination is only selected by 2.3%

In Case You Missed It

There was another take on the De Bruyne injury / Mahrez appeal, tuvok thinks that perhaps De Bruyne’s absence could have a negative impact on Mahrez.

Elsewhere, Sebastes asked can Spurs bounce back? And Meltens kindly previewed Gameweek 27 (only four Gameweeks to go!) 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

For a full update on all FFS Mini-Leagues and Community Tournaments, please click here to read the latest round-up. 

For those interested in the Head-to-Head Leagues, the main page can be linked to here. A link has also been added to the ‘Scout Leagues’ section on the home page

The fixtures for Gameweek 8 can be found below:


Use the drop-down menus to show your league and division. To find out which league and division you are in, follow the instructions on the main Head-to-Head page.

Once the Gameweek starts, if you click on your opponent’s name you will be linked to their team on the FPL website.

Best of luck for Gameweek 8!

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

2,244 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Compound differential is the dumbest and most unnecessary term Ive heard in a while.

    1. Pacer.
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      My compound differential is Emmanuel Eboue

    2. BrutalLogiC
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yeah lol, feel like I'm at school

    3. Joggers Nipple
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      so so true, this whole thing is becoming duller and duller

    4. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Hahahaha just read the paragraph Jesus Christ

    5. Cok3y5murf
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I don't think it's dumb. I get what it means, and I've seen things that way before, just didn't know there was a term for it. But people shouldn't be selecting players based on ownership.

      And this statement: "If we are to accept the occasional rest for [Sterling, Aguero, and De Bruyne], then why not the more affordable Mahrez?" is dumb because Mahrez doesn't just get the occasional rest like the other three. He's rotated way more often.

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        It doesnt mean anything. If you own Mahrez, Sterling and De Bruyne then Mahrez is your differential. Sterling and De Bruyne are not differentials. Theres no need in the example they give to call it a "compound differential" rather than just differential.

        1. Cok3y5murf
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          He is, but with the limit that everyone can own only three players from a team, your set of three players can be a bit rarer. It's just like doubling or tripling up on a defence. Most people own one Liverpool defender (could be any of them), but a double up is rare and a triple up is rarer.

  2. FDMS All Starz
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    How many points do we see Saka this week?

    1. Pukki Party
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Haul

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

      5 & upwards

    3. TheBrazilianRonaldo
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      This would make my weekend. He is so good on the ball, always turning to face goal, aggressive with shooting. He looks quality. Like Sterling but without daft arms as he runs

    4. Pinturicchio10
        4 years, 5 months ago

        2

      • TAT
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Am likely to bring him in, but I won't expect more than 2-3.

        1. Pacer.
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          ^ wise words

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

            I mean, he's very young. There's a talent there, but there's no telling if he's going to deliver on a regular basis – nor do we know for certain that he'll start. I think he'll start, so that's why I'm taking the chance.

      • Goat
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        2

    5. Pukki Party
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Bench one:

      Cantwell
      Saka
      Lundstram

      1. dunas_dog
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Lundstram

        1. mookie
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          +1

      2. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Saka

      3. Slitherene
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Lundstram

      4. Evasivo
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Saka

      5. wulfrunian
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Lund

      6. The Senate
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Saka

    6. dunas_dog
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Bottomed last article-
      Bit concerned with bench if Cantwell out. Still holding WC. Would you

      A Play team and carry transfer
      B Cantwell to Saka free
      C Go B and KDB to Mahrez -4
      D Any other suggestion welcome if was your team?

      Pope
      TAA Otamendi Diop Van Dijk
      Salah Sterling (c) Mount Cantwell
      Pukki Abraham

      McGovern Rico Greenwood KDB*

      1. Pukki Party
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        A, i'd have Greenwood first on bench as Rico could be on 0 or minus in Arsenal game

        1. The Senate
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Yes

      2. wulfrunian
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Just sell KDB imo.

        1. dunas_dog
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Thanks- guess just that slight fear of Mahrez benching holding me back

    7. wulfrunian
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Good to go?
      Heaton
      Coleman Tarkowski Zinchenko
      Sterling Mount Pepe Son
      Kane(c) King Abraham

      Button Dendoncker Rico Reid
      0ft 0.6itb

    8. Evasivo
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      How am I looking?

      Ryan
      Otamendi TAA Lundstram
      Salah(vc) Sterling(C) KDB Cantwell
      Barnes Abraham Pukki

      Button Diop Lowton Dendo

      1. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Better than most. GTG

        1. Evasivo
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Cheers mate

      2. CRO KLOPP
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Gtg

    9. Ruinenlust
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Will Aguero stert? Should I sell for Aubemeyeng?

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

        Don’t have either but I’m sat go For Auba

    10. Slitherene
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Pope/Heaton
      VvD Digne Tomori Diop
      Salah KdB* Son Mount
      Callum Pukki
      Ayew Soyuncu Stephens

      Can't afford to go without MCI cover.

      KdB + Heaton -> Sterling(c) + Button (-4)??

    11. Steevo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Adrian -> anyone (except Ederson) worth a hit?

      1. Van der Faart
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Who is your sub keeper

      2. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Don't think so

      3. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Why sell Adrian this week?

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

        Steklenburg... Klopp seems incredibly bullish on Alisson.

        I guess if there’s a 25% chance Adrian starts then it’s not worth a hit.

    12. Leeds-Utd
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Cantwell to
      1- Saka
      2- Jorghino
      Just for a punt.who gets more points ?

      1. Evasivo
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        If you're after a punt, I'd recommend Buendia

        1. Leeds-Utd
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Ok thanks let's see!!

    13. BrutalLogiC
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Ederson, McGovern
      Vvd, TAA, Soyun, Lund, Digne
      Salah, mcginn, mount, kdb, cantwell
      Abraham, pukki, wilson

      Think I should WC to get Auba, Sterling, Son, maybe Mahrez? No ft.

      1. Van der Faart
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Not this week

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

      Cantwell or digne to start?

      1. OptimusBlack
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Digne

      2. Kevin Twine
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Cantwell

    15. Kevin Twine
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      De Bruyne -> Mahrez for a -4 worth it?

      1. Evasivo
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Depends on your bench, but I'd say no

      2. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Depends who comes in.

      3. drughi
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        depends what sub you have for KDB and what he scores

      4. Deulofail
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Who's actually going to play instead of KDB in your team, though? That is essential information for this decision, right?

      5. Kevin Twine
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Rico would be coming in

        1. Evasivo
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Save

    16. OptimusBlack
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      KDB+Cantwell >
      A- Yaramolenko + Mount
      B - Mcginn + Mount
      C- Son + Guendouzi
      D- Another Thought
      I have
      Salah - Sterling - Kün - Abraham & Pukki

      1. OptimusBlack
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Plz help 🙁

      2. rverity2828
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        How about Mahrez and McGinn?

        1. OptimusBlack
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Also Great but mahrez i feel that he may not play 90 minutes

      3. KGFC
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        I’m not in favour of selling KDB. So just Cantwell to Saka?

      4. Gerd Mueller’s thighs
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        I went KDB and Cantwell to Bilva and Dilva....mostly driven by my search for some differentials.
        And honestly, I don’t get the Cantwell love.

        1. OptimusBlack
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Thank You

    17. Kasper the ghost keeper
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Thanks in advance. Start which?
      A: Rico
      B: Cahill

      1. The Senate
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Def not Rico

        1. Kasper the ghost keeper
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Both unlikely to keep a clean sheet but maybe Rico has more attacking potential?

    18. Taegugk Warrior
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Who 2 to play... the other one will be first sub
      A. Lundstram
      B. Cantwell
      C. Digne

      1. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        B and C probably

      2. Kasper the ghost keeper
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        B and A 1st sub. Any help above? Cheers

    19. Tinmen
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Folks, Can’t decide. who’s the better option?

      Yarmolenko
      Lanzini

      1. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yarmolenko imo. Lanzini is more the AA type.

      2. The Senate
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yarm

      3. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yarm

        Is Lanzini even fit?

    20. rodragon
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Start cantwell or lundstram?

    21. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Morning boys! Got 1FT, 0ITB.
      Any ideas what to do please?

      Adrian
      Soyuncu | Tomori | Guilbert | Lundstram | Kelly
      Salah | Sterling | Mane | Cantwell
      Kane

      Button | Greenwood | Connolly | KdB*

      Thanks

      1. The Senate
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Son for KDB

      2. mookie
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        That's different. 3 oop mids and 1 poo striker.
        Might as well save and downgrade one of the 4 11m+ players next GW. Don't know about Kelly and Guilbert, are they likely to start?

      3. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Save for the break

        keep KdB. Getting rid is just storing up headaches and wasted value and multiple FTs for a POTENTIAL extra 2-8 points this week

    22. ludaslol
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Decent WC?

      Pope
      Otamendi TAA Lundestram Soy Rico
      Sterling Mahrez Son Mount Saka
      Auba Tammy Pukki

    23. The Senate
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Still yet to decide on who to bench between Lundstram and Digne (or Robbo?)
      What do we reckon?

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

        I’m benching Digne. Playing Lunds/ Alonso/ TAA

    24. Donhush
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Bench one;

      A. Lundstram
      B. Digne
      C. Cantwell

      1. The Senate
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        C

    25. rverity2828
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Digne or Lowton? I already have Pope so wondering if Burnley double up against goal shy Everton ahead of premium defender?

    26. fc_skrald
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Worth doing Hayden to Saka for free or better to have two free transfers for the international break?

      a. Hayden -> Saka
      b. Have two free transfers for next gameweek

      McGovern
      TAA, Digne, Lundstram
      KDB, Sterling, Salah, Cantwell
      Abraham, Wilson, Pukki

      Heaton, Tomori, Rico, Hayden

    27. Captain_Shirokov
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Just did:

      KdB + greenwood
      to
      Auba + yarmolenko

      yolo

      1. OptimusBlack
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yes

      2. Gregor
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Nice.

    28. Here's the manager
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Morning.

      Planning on playing:

      TAA Otamendi Lund Rico
      Mount D Silva Salah Son
      Abraham Pukki
      (Greenwood, Walker-Pieters, KDB)
      0FT, 0.4ITB

      Used FT bringing in D Silva for a punt, couldn't afford Sterling without a hit.
      A - Stick
      B - Consider bringing in Tomori for Walker-Peters for -4.
      C - something else!

      Thanks in advance

    29. Erez Avni
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      The decision between Mahrez and Son is destroying me from inside

      1. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Just keep KdB. Selling is a mistake

    30. fpljob
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yarmolenko / McGinn / Madison

      What's the best option?

      1. Gregor
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yarmolenko.

      2. OptimusBlack
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yarmooo

      3. Lumberjack
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Madd after this week

    31. corderz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Best 5m mid?

    32. Alli
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      A. KDB > Mahrez
      B. Save

      Heaton
      VVD - Otamendi - Diop - Digne
      Salah(vc) - Sterling(c) - KDB* - Mount
      Tammy - Pukki

      Ryan - Cantwell* - Greenwood - Dunk