Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for FPL Gameweek 22

You’ve got to hunt for opportunities” declared Pro Pundit Lateriser in his Meet The Manager interview with Joe.

The Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Gameweek 22 is here to help you do exactly that. But first a reminder that we have a Friday 19:00 GMT deadline in FPL, so don’t forget to make those crucial transfers and captain decisions.

Starting with the team news headlines courtesy of Neale and Rotation’s Alter Ego: Pulisic is out for a few weeks, De Bruyne and Maddison are both declared fit following knocks in their League Cup matches, and Pukki will miss the trip to Old Trafford.

Spurs confirmed that Harry Kane will undergo an operation to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring. The striker is expected to return to training in April. Is there an opportunity here?

Pro Pundits Lateriser and Sam both examined the options. Lateriser analysed which Spurs players profited when Kane missed the end of last season, while Sam – currently the highest-ranked Pro Pundit – gave her thoughts in a Community Q&A video

Her feeling is that Aubameyang might be the better option to the potentially explosive Aguero. In one of several members-only articles over the last ten days, Neale delved into Arsenal’s improvement under new manager Mikel Arteta. Encouragingly for those considering Aubameyang he discovered that the Gabon international is one of the chief beneficiaries: 

Aubameyang has registered more penalty box touches, attempts on goal, shots in the box, efforts on target and big chances than any of his teammates.

– Neale

However Lateriser is finding himself seduced by Aguero with an enticing encounter against Aston Villa up next. 

The three-time top 5,000 manager opened his interview with Joe explaining that you need to find your identity as an FPL manager. He sees himself as someone who isn’t afraid to go against the crowd, citing his recent decision to captain Martial in Gameweek 19 as an example of this. 

And there may be another opportunity this week. David notes that the captaincy debate for Gameweek 22 is not as simple as Fantasy Premier League managers are hoping.

Jamie Vardy once again leads the captain poll and given that the Leicester City forward registered a season-high 20 points against Southampton in Gameweek 10 it is easy to understand why. 

However Southampton’s defence has been considerably better in recent weeks. Lateriser revealed that “only Liverpool have conceded fewer big chances than Southampton in the last four Gameweeks,” and the Reds only played three times. David agrees with the Pro Pundit that Aston Villa present a good opportunity for owners of Manchester City players:

Any side bottom of the league for shots conceded in the box heading into a meeting with Manchester City are always going to be in for a tough time. However, the issue comes from trying to pinpoint which of Guardiola’s men can do the most damage, primarily because of rotation.

– David

If the risk of “Pep-tation” is too much for you, Chelsea and Manchester United offer exciting alternatives. The two teams are second and third behind Manchester City in the latest DS stats, fixtures and clean sheet odds provided by G-Whizz.

And both sides are tipped for 3-0 wins by Pep Pig in his Preview and Predictions article. Strikers Tammy Abraham and Marcus Rashford are his players to watch. The latter is also selected in this week’s Scout Picks:

Marcus Rashford (£9.2m) has scored five goals and registered one assist in his last six league matches at Old Trafford and we expect such a run to continue against Norwich. The Canaries last kept a clean sheet away from home in Gameweek 13.

– Scout Picks

Let’s not forget Liverpool, who face a Spurs side unable to keep a clean sheet – just one since Mourinho took charge in Gameweek 13. 

Much of the talk surrounding their players is about which three to own for Double Gameweek 24. Upside-chasing Lateriser is very much in the Salah, Mane, Alexander-Arnold camp, whereas Az feels that owning both premium-priced midfielders is a step too far, given the structure of his team:

Overall, I’m just not convinced that major surgery is needed. I know Salah is an incredible player, and looks to be getting back to his best… but the damage it may do to my team if I did go for him may be irreparable. Would I captain him anyway, with Mané being in such good form alongside him? I doubt it.

– Az

Along with Joe and Karam, Az debated Liverpool’s upcoming Double Gameweek on the Scoutcast. They pointed out that with the two matches just under a week apart it could well be a good time to use the Triple Captain chip. They also highlighted which players perform better in away matches, given that neither game is at Anfield.

Firmino stands out as a differential to the costlier Mane and Salah for those who prefer to go with two Liverpool attackers. Indeed Reds-fan Lee backed his potential in a guest appearance in Sam’s Q&A.

The Scoutcast also debated players from Watford and Everton, given their recent managerial changes. The Hornets in particular have improved their attack, as David highlighted in his members-only piece.

[Watford] only scored nine goals in the first 16 matches of the 2019/20 campaign, a period which saw them managed by three different men, Javi Gracia, Flores and Hayden Mullins. By contrast, in the last five matches, Pearson’s men have found the net eight times, a drastic improvement.

– David

Midfielder Ismaïla Sarr was given a ringing endorsement by both Az and Karam, while goalkeeper Ben Foster currently finds himself in Joe’s team.

In fact, goalkeeper moves were all the rage this week with McGovern joining Joe’s team as a back-up in a typical dullard move, and Brighton’s Mat Ryan snapped up by Az. In an act of generosity, the Australian announced on Twitter that he was raising money for the Wildfire Rescue Emergency Fund:

I’ll be donating $500 for every registered save by all @premierleague goalkeepers this weekend.

– Mat Ryan

Let’s hope all our shot-stoppers put in great performances in Gameweek 22.

Pro Pundit and former FPL winner Simon March brought us another enjoyable and thought-provoking read, drawing analogies between FPL and the investment strategies of Warren Buffett. It includes ideas such as contextual value and explains why diversification, or spreading the risk in your FPL team, isn’t always a good idea. 

Finally thank you to luketownsend1997 who looked at which players have been providing value in different positions. Part One reviewed defenders and goalkeepers with part two looking at forwards and midfielders.

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.

Fantasy Football Scout Memberships are now available for a reduced price of £9.99 for the remainder of the season. Rolling monthly subscriptions are also available for £2.99 per month. Click here to sign up or upgrade your account.

Last Chance to enter Last Man Standing

This season’s competition has proved extremely popular with over 5,000 taking part and 1,000 managers still standing.

You just have time to join them – the deadline for final entries is 8pm today (Friday 10 January). However you must pass all previous safety scores to qualify – read TorresMagic’s recent article for more information.

The winner will receive a free Fantasy Football Scout Membership for the 2020/21 season.

Community Competitions

For an update on all FFS Mini-Leagues and Community Competitions, 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. The fixtures for Gameweek 22 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.

May your arrows be green!

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

1,325 Comments Post a Comment
  1. boogle
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Mount to repay patient owners this weekend with a goal and assist...

    1. Pep's Money Laundry
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      First time for everything but it won't happen this weekend

      1. boogle
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        I've got a sneaky feeling

  2. Oggle22
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Pope
    TAA Lundstarm Gomez
    Salah KDB(vc) Martial Moura
    Jiminez Vardy Rashford(C)

    Button Kelly Simpson Guendouzi

    Gomez to Holgate 1 week early?

  3. Mesh
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Who to lose for Holgate?
    A. Rico
    B. Kelly

    1. STORZ
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Kelly

    2. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      A

    3. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      b. ward back soon

  4. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Would love to see a highly owned GK score a goal in the PL. Would be crazy on here.

    1. UTD - HATED, ADORED, BUT NE…
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      If Ramsdale doesn’t score for me soon he’s gone

  5. FPL ElasticO
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    G2g for this GWk?? This my second team...

    Pope
    Sidibe/ TAA/ Lundstram
    Salah(c)/ KDB/ Traore/ Cantwell/ Alli
    Vardy (vc)/ Rashford

    Bench:: Button/ Connolly/ Rico/ Kelly

  6. Bruce Lee
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Captain one:

    KDB
    Jimi
    Vardy

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      KDB

    2. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      kdb

    3. Bruce Lee
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Surprising KDB love - I think the stats are in his favour... expected vardy to be the fav

  7. craigb123
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Ramsdale (heaton)

    Robbo TAA soyuncu (Rico) (Kelly)

    Grealish KDB mane rich (grealish) (Cantwell)

    Vardy Ings jimi

    2ft. 0itb. - don’t really want to burn a transfer any recommendations?

    1. STORZ
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Id play 11 players to be honest

      1. Dthinger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        they have 11 listed(though Grealish is starting an on the bench, so...)

    2. STORZ
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      If it aint broke...

    3. dontyouknowimloko
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Switch Heaton to any playing keeper. If Ramsdale gets injured/drooped then you’re currently left short.

      1. dontyouknowimloko
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Drooped, lol. Dropped.

  8. n14mul
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Mane captain.....Am I mad as i also have Salah KDB and vardy??

    1. Oggle22
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      KDB slaha Vardy owner and I've gone Rashford am I mad haha

      1. n14mul
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Really split this week

    2. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Nope not mad.

      1. n14mul
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Just think southapmton will be up for it....easy team talk show them the 9 nil

    3. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Arguably the best player in the league this season

  9. Coys96
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    gtg? 0ft. anything worth changing?

    Fabianski
    Trent Soy Lund
    Mane Kdb (c) Martial Grealish
    Vardy Ings Aubameyang

    Button Cantwell Rico Aurier

    Went Auba in the end.

    Captain:
    A) Martial
    B) KdB

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

    Fornals or Saiss to start?

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

    Guys best replacement for Ali?

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      How much money? Richalison might be worth a punt

      1. SHOWSTOPPERRR
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        9.8

    2. Team Cruel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Salah

    3. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      sarr

  12. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Bottomed out! G2G? Not seen any pressers today

    Fabianski
    TAA • Söyüncü • Lundstram
    KDB • Salah • Mané • Richarlison • Grealish
    Vardy(C) • Maupay
    (McGov. Greenwood. Rico. Aurier)

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      All good - some talk earlier that some academy player would play on the left for Everton. Don't know what that means for Rich but GTG.

      1. RAFA THE GAFFA
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Thanks MS. Good luck mate

  13. jorgenoj
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    What to do here? 2 FTs and 1.0 ITB

    Ramsdale - Button
    TAA - Soy - Lundstram - Holgate - Rico
    Salah - KdB - Martial - Maddison - Dendoncker
    Vardy - Rashford - Ings

  14. Bruno Commando
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    RP - Who to captain?

    A) KDB
    B) Vardy
    C) Jimenez
    D) Martial
    E) Mane

    1. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      E, against aurier

      1. Bruno Commando
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        thanks!

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

      I have no clue. Between A, B and D for me.

      1. Bruno Commando
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        yea big dilemma here

  15. Arteta
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Captain Raheem = madness?

    1. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      no

    2. El-Kloppico
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      After watching the league cup match.. I wiuld have serious doubt on his form.

  16. Defile
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    On a WC, any last minute tips are welcome! 0,2 in the bank

    Fabianski / button
    TAA / lund / soy / holgate / stephens
    Kdb / salah / mane / traore / grealish
    Dcl / ings / vardy

  17. FPLtfs
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Play Lundstram (WHU) or Grealish (MCI)?

    And Captain;
    a) Martial
    b) Salah
    c) KdB
    d) Vardy

    1. subhojit123
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Lund
      Vardy

  18. A Fat Spanish Waiter
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Start: 1) Rico (versus Watford) or 2) Grealish (versus Man City)?

    1. Team Cruel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish all day

    2. Karhumies
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      2 won't net you a negative score, so 2

      1. HashAttack
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        cue Grealish own goal followed by a red card (before 60 minutes)

        1. Karhumies
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Nah, sounds like KDB captain doing that this week.

  19. No Pirlo No Party
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Ryan - Button
    TAA - Soyuncu - Lundstram - Rico - Kelly
    Salah - KDB - Martial - Grealish - Dendoncker
    Vardy - Abraham - Ings

    2FT with £1.3 in the bank.

    Don't want to burn the free. Anything worth a punt for the week?
    Possibly Dendoncker to Traore and bench Grealish?

    1. Karhumies
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Dendoncker to Sarr, bench Grealish

  20. Long ago I drew a walrus
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Transfer done - Rashford out, before NOR at home. I feel sick already

    1. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Why on Earth

    2. Karhumies
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Would have captained Rashford if I had him

    3. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Huh??

    4. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Who did you get instead?

      1. Long ago I drew a walrus
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Mane and DCL for Rash and Alli, 2FT

  21. Jinswick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Best 5.0m defender to bring in this week?

    1. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Dunk For mid term

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

    Last time that Vardy scored more than 1 goal at home was in gw7 against Newcastle.

    1. jtreble
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Wrong.

  23. Nightf0x
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Start ryan or ramsdale

    1. Karhumies
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Ryan

  24. Monkey Pits
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Richarlison or Dilva for 3 weeks punt?

    1. A Fat Spanish Waiter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Rich. Good fixtures and at least he will play.

  25. subhojit123
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Apart from assured starter Vs unsure starter...who would info for this week -
    1. Sterling
    2. Martial

    1. subhojit123
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Go for *

  26. jorgenoj
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Start Holgate or Soy?

  27. Oggle22
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    The 3 lads above me have front 3 of
    Vardy Rashford Ings
    Vardy Rashford Jiminez
    Vardy Rashford Abraham

    Me-Vardy Rashford Jiminez

    Do I captain Vardy which I think they all will or punt on Rashford or KDB

    Cheers

  28. HD7
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Repost, mates

    Right order of starters and bench, mates?

    Kasper
    Rico Lundstram TAA
    Salah Mane KDB Maddy
    Vardy DCL Ings

    Subs: Button, Dunk, Kelly, Hayden

  29. arkom
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Pope
    Soy / Lundstram / Rico
    Salah / Mane / KDB / Willian
    Vardy / Ings / Jimenez

    1. Kelly 2. Cantwell 3. Aurier

    2 FT (0,8£ ITB)

    A) Pope --> Fabianski
    B) Willian --> Martial
    C) Aurier --> Sibide
    D) Other?

  30. Clarity
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Will Otamendi play?