Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for FPL Gameweek 17

Happy New Year and welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Gameweek 17 ahead of today’s 16:00 GMT deadline.

As Fantasy managers, 2020 certainly kept us on our toes and its 366th day was no exception with the announcement of additional fixtures for Gameweeks 18 and 19.

Those with assets from both Manchester clubs, Aston Villa and Burnley now have more players available for the upcoming blank and double.

But are you leaping for joy or simply scratching your head wondering what to do?

As Pro Pundit Andy was at pains to point out when talking through the implications of the fixture changes yesterday, the ideal solution will depend on your team and chip situation.

Step forward the innovative FPL Community with two tailor-made graphics.

The first, by Legomané, helps us plan transfers by using a traffic-light colour code to highlight the rest periods between matches:

(click on graphic to enlarge)

And the second, by FPL Zh0u, is a handy flowchart on strategy, which can steer our teams in the right direction.

(click on graphic to enlarge)

Andy wondered if it was time to abandon our plans for Double Gameweek 19, especially with Manchester City now having arguably the most attractive fixtures, at home to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

The Pro Pundit, who leads the Mods & Cons mini-league, originally wanted to play his Bench Boost chip but is debating whether targeting his transfers to bring back Kevin De Bruyne (£11.7m) is perhaps the better course of action.

Liverpool also enjoy two home fixtures in the upcoming Double Gameweek and Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) had been the default captain choice for many, however two frustrating blanks has dampened our enthusiasm.

But reporting on the match against his beloved Newcastle United, Neale emphasised that it could have been very different for those who backed the Egyptian:

This was one of those games when the margins between double-digit haul and a three-pointer were slim …  But Salah has historically had a profligate side to his game and occasional frustrating afternoons come with the territory.

– Neale

Something our Captain Sensible writer Jan Sienkiewicz does when making his recommendations for the armband, is to consider how the games will unfold.

Often Fantasy managers like to target teams thought of as ‘whipping boys’, but sides frequently adapt their approach based on the opposition – and Newcastle are no exception:

The Magpies resemble a solid outfit in a backs-to-the-wall 5-4-1 but look less so in a 4-4-2/4-2-3-1, conceding goals against the likes of Burnley, Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Brighton and Hove Albion – all at home – this season when playing without a third centre-half.

– Neale

Leeds United, however, take a different approach: employing the same style of play no matter who they are facing.

The open end-to-end nature of their games means that no team has conceded more big chances than the Whites this season and, at the same time, no team has taken more shots in the box. 

On the Scoutcast, Joe and Az both identified the trip to a rested Tottenham Hotspur as the standout fixture for captaincy. And Jan agreed, making Harry Kane (£11.0m) and Son Heung-min (£9.7m) his top candidates for the armband, despite their recent poor attacking form.

But it was the attacking displays of Marcelo Bielsa’s side that caught the attention of Pro Pundit Zophar. Considering their budget options, the seven-time top 10,000 manager noted:

Raphinha’s numbers, in particular, are excellent as he is second for shots in the box (nine) and joint-top for chances created (10).

– Zophar

And like Zophar in his column piece, David picked out a cheap midfielder whose displays have impressed recently for Aston Villa:

His total of 24 attempts on goal is the highest in the league between Gameweeks 12 and 16, at least 10 more than any other midfielder at the time of writing. El Ghazi is also top of the league for big chances (six) and shots on target (15)

– David

However, it remains to be seen if Ross Barkley (£5.9m), returned to fitness and available for selection, will dislodge El Ghazi from the starting XI.

Moving up in price, the recent performances of Christian Pulisic (£8.2m) have been encouraging. In his Scout Notes on the match at Stamford Bridge, David observed:

It was noteworthy to see Christian Pulisic start a second game in two days and manage to last 90 minutes each time – perhaps suggesting he can offer a robust route into Chelsea’s attack for matches against Fulham (away) and Leicester (away) in Double Gameweek 19.

– David

Finally, Harry Maguire (£5.4m) is the headline differential pick for the New Year. Pro Pundit Tom is impressed by his attacking threat with no defender having taken more shots in the box, and Manchester United sitting top of the ticker from a defensive perspective until Gameweek 25.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

RedLightning rounded-up the Community mini-leagues and competitions in a hot topic yesterday.

As mentioned, the Manager of the Month in the Community Members mini-league is Josh Paulin. Josh wins a £50 Amazon voucher. Josh, please contact Geoff (geoff@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk) to claim your prize.

The Manager of the Month winners in 2020 were:

SeptemberHamdy Sameeh
OctoberEmmanuel Oloche
NovemberJames Frimpong
DecemberJosh Paulin

And for those interested in the Head-to-Head Leagues, the main page can be linked to here. The fixtures for Gameweek 17 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

2,511 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Davidwes
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    James replacement- Free hitting in 18
    A) stones
    B) Cresswell

    1. dbeck
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I’m on A as I have coufal

      1. Davidwes
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Have coufal aswell, but is stones an asured starter?

    2. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Stones

    3. the dom 1
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Just did Matip > Stones

  2. PogChamp
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Arsenal coverage for the next 2 GWs? I did KWP > Bellerin.

    1. the dom 1
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      just got Leno in 🙂

      1. PogChamp
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I'm thinking about too. Shame they don't have a DGW

  3. Paddy Gooner
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Play A: Johnstone (ARS)
    or B: McCarthy (LIV)

    ?????

    1. dbeck
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

  4. Pino
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Play?

    A) Soucek
    B) Coufal

    1. jernej93
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Souvek6

  5. dbeck
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Bit out the loop, safe to bring stones in?

    1. Paddy Gooner
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      i wouldn't trust him

  6. Clarity
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Mitchell nailed again?

    1. rdamjan
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      too soon...

  7. Tango74
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    captain for this week is tough!

    Son or Bruno?

    1. jernej93
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Son

      1. Tango74
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Spurs not win in last 4 and son Haeckel blanked concerns me

  8. jernej93
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Have 1FTs to spend with DGW in mind...

    1.) DCL to Watkins/Ings/Rodrigo?
    2.) Dier to Dias

    🙂

  9. Hulk Smash
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Captain:
    Son (LEE)
    Bruno (AVL)

    Bench 2 of these. I am already playing Dias and Grealish:
    Dallas (tot)
    AWB (AVL)
    Stones (che)
    Watkins (mun)

    1. Releasebreaks
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Bench Stones and Watkins

  10. rdamjan
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Holdin or Shaw?

  11. drughi
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    adams or soucek playing ?

  12. Releasebreaks
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Choose 1 to bench:
    Maybe i will go to Justin

    A - Zouma (MCI)
    B - Dier (LEE)
    C - Justin (new)
    D - Bellerin (wba)

    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B

  13. RamaJama
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Which 1 to bench?

    A) Balbuena
    B) Dallas
    C) Mitchell
    D) Zouma

  14. tommo1989
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Which 3 defenders to start this week out of Zouma, Stones, Shaw, Justin & Coufal?

    1. Abra Dubravka
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Zouma, Stones, Justin

      1. tommo1989
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I’ve currently got Stones, Justin & Shaw. Shaw taking corners and more likely to keep a clean sheet against Villa than Zouma against Man City? I know there’s the risk of Zouma scoring too..

  15. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start Johnstone or Martinez?
    Do we think Taylor will be ready for the Double?
    Thanks and good luck

  16. Salah’s Sonnet
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Quick two questions guys:

    1) Is Balbuena Nailed?

    2) Is Holding Nailed?

    Cheers!

    1. Lev Yashin
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Maybe

      Definitely

    2. Kane Train
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No idea for either tbh

    3. Delph & Safety
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Could be at risk for Dawson apparently which is quite annoying.

      Holding is though.

    4. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Cheers guys!

  17. Garam MOSALAH
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Who will you play 1

    A) Dallas (tot)
    B) Coufal (eve)
    C) Targett (mun)

    1. Releasebreaks
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Dallas

  18. DeadStarComing
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    So from what I've read Fulham are travelling up to Burnley tomorrow but recent test results won't be in until the morning of the game. Can't decide what to think. I was considering putting a Burnley defender in this week.

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I wouldn't bring any Burnley players in

    2. Won't sleep till after…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Who will play if you don't bring in a Burnley def?

      1. DeadStarComing
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I have no one. Taylor and Lamptey on bench.

    3. Kun Tozser
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      From Parker’s comments he must be expecting a few positive results

  19. Tempestic
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Adams doesnt have concussion does he?

    Has Hassenhuttl said anything?

  20. Abra Dubravka
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Play 2:

    A) Dallas
    B) KWP
    C) Soucek
    D) Rapinha
    E) Coufal?

    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Cd

  21. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Antonio likely to start?!

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No I don't think so, Moyes said he will be cautious

      1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Thanks mate.

    2. Won't sleep till after…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      75% chance. But I got burnt by bringing Danny Ings back too early so I'd assess him over the next 2 games and bring him in for the double if he looks good.

  22. Tonyawesome69
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    I'm looking for a DGW 4.6 replacement for Taylor (probably stay away from Lowton due to the game may not go ahead) Any suggestions to consider? Thanks

    A. Stephens (SOU)
    B. Targett
    C. Furlong
    D. Holding

    FH18 BB19
    1FT 0.1itb
    Martinez
    Taylor* Robbo Cancelo
    Son Bruno Salah Raphinha
    Bamford Kane Rodrigo
    (Johnstone Soucek Coufal Balbuena)

  23. Kane Train
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Feedback plz

    Already have these 5 for GW18. Any point using my Free Hit when I can get 7. Gonna be so many players cancelling each other out. KDB, Bruno, Dier, Son & Kane I have already

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      depends which 7 you have.

      i have looked at it and I have 6, could be 8 or 9 but may miss a few key players so may fh

    2. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Depends on how the 6 other punts (City defence) etc do.

      1. Kane Train
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Would only be 4 as I have 2 transfers to use

  24. ZeBestee
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is bringing in Pieters worth a transfer? Or will he lose his place when Taylor is fit?

    1. Delph & Safety
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Think he would lose his place but he can also play in midfield. I’m avoiding though.

    2. Warbling Wendy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Waste of a transfer down the line

    3. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Wasn't he playing when Taylor was picked anyhow?

  25. Heisenberg W. W.
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start 1

    1. Coufal
    2. Soucek
    3. Adams

    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      3

  26. Weasel51
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    If I free hit and I have 2 FT’s will that go down to 1 next week?

    1. Lev Yashin
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

  27. Patio Kev
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    I like that Flowchart in the article from FPL Zhou but it’s left me very confused.

    Why if I already have 8 or more players for Gameweek 18 (I do) but I don’t have 15 players for GW19 does it suggest I need to buy more players for GW18 ?

    I’ve already got 10 for GW18 so would be best just leaving GW18 alone and loading up on GW19 players using 2 FT surely ?

    1. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I also have 10 and yes that's my thinking. Especially because my players who blank in GW 18 are not ones I'd want to sell just to field an 11th player (Salah, Robertson, Dallas and Bamford).

    2. CBonci
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I think 10 is plenty for GW18 too

  28. Drexl Spivey
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Son (c), Salah (c) or Bruno (c)?

    1. Lukakwho
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I’ve gone Sonny, I own all. I also get it wrong every time.

    2. ZeBestee
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Just go wth whom u think will do best, its tough this week

    3. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Son

  29. Lukakwho
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start Mccarthy or Johnstone you reckon ?

  30. Nemanja Vidic
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    GTG? Help with sugestions

    Want to keep WC, TC and FH for end of season.
    BB GW 19.

    2FT 1.3 ITB

    Mendy (Steer)

    Regulion Saiss Justin (Coufal) (Mitchel)

    KBD Fernandes Son (VC) Grealish Saka

    Kane (C) Bamford (Brewster)

    17) Steer -> Martinez
    18) Regulion - > Dias
    19) Kane Son Mitchel -> Watkins Salah AWB