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

    Play Soucek or Adams?

    1. Ruudy Van
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I’ve got soucek ahead of Adams

      1. Johnny 8
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Ditto

  2. as33
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    KWP>Holding?

    1. Sid1891
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      For free?

      Yes l would

  3. Futureform
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Next few weeks - who gets more points?

    A) Grealish
    B) Zaha

  4. Ruudy Van
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start 1

    A) coufal
    B) Adams
    C) targett

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

    Are you sure Grealish will be benched?

    1. Bubz
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Huh?

    2. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      What?!

    3. Forever In Our Shadow
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Stfu

  6. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Happy New Year everyone!
    Apologize for the RMT post but I don't post RMT's here ever!

    My WC16 team plan has now changed; I want City players and own none.

    How do we feel about the following transfers:

    GW17: Robbo --> Dias with a FT
    GW18: FH
    GW19: Son + Kane --> KDB + Vardy for a -4

    OR

    GW17: Robbo --> Justin
    GW18: FH
    GW19: Son --> KDB with a FT

  7. Oldie99
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    On wildcard, buy Maguire or chance Cancelo??

    1. MyBall MyRules
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      City defence way more appealing over next 5 weeks.

    2. jimmyabs1987
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Cancelo all day

  8. gooberman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Start Adams or Cresswell?

    1. Ruudy Van
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Similar issue with coufal debate. Really not sure who to go for

      1. gooberman
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        If I had Coufal instead of Cresswell I would go Adams. Cresswell offers a greater assist threat than Coufal in my opinion with his set pieces.

  9. Nightf0x
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    pick 2 to get from these
    saka neto soucek ghazi raphinha

    will FH in gw19 soucek & raphinha will likely be in my FH team

  10. Bonus magnet
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Take 2

    Would you do

    Salah + Adams-> Kane + Zaha

    Have Son already

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

      Hard to sell Salah. Could work with Kane(C) though. I probably would if you have a plan to get mo back

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

    Moves done. G2G?
    GL all! 🙂

    McCarthy
    Robbo, Dias, Lowton
    Salah, Son(C), Bruno(v), Raphinha, Soucek
    DCL, Bamford
    (Johnstone, Adams, Coufal, Dallas)

    1. THFC4LIFE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Nice team good luck

    2. Sid1891
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Nice team

      Good luck

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

      Johnstone has better cs odds than McCarthy. Adams or soucek is what I’m stuck on

  12. Pringle
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    James to Maguire a decent move?

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

      Yeah

  13. Bishopool
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Would you?

    KWP -> Maguire

    1. Sid1891
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

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

    Remember, Rich is back for EVE so DCL might be firing again.

    That's why I'm backing Dallas over Coufal.

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

      Also I couldn't ignore DCL's record against West Ham which is very good.

  15. Muchentuchel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Would you rather:

    A) lose out on 1 FT
    B) Look for a potentially playing 4.0m defender instead of Mitchell?

    Got Mitchell + 0.1itb

  16. LSK
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Lol pages are flying (this pointless post won’t help either)

  17. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Play Dallas instead of Coufal or Stones or first on bench?

    Robbo, Stones, Coufal - Zouma , Dallas

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Play Dallas

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

        See my comment above...

  18. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Has there been any news on Klich at all?

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No

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

    Anyone know who Sivert is captaining?

  20. Maddamotha
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Mahrez, Taylor > Rash, Holding for free?

    1. COLLIN QUANER
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Like it

    2. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

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

      Thanks guys

  21. GoonerGirl
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Hi guys,
    Happy New Year.

    A couple of questions:

    Zouma to Stones this week to free up some funds for my 5th midfielder in double GW19? Yes/No?

    Holding or Alioski for Taylor?

    Thanks

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes and Alioski

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

        Thanks.

  22. seanmcging
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Which 2 to start of these 4:

    A) Dallas
    B) Pieters
    C) Soucek
    D) Coufal

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

      B c

  23. Gizzachance
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Taylor to
    a holding no dgw
    B Shaw dgw
    C stones dgw
    Cheers

    1. seanmcging
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I would say C

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

        Thanks

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

      doing a myself

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

        That was my initial thought
        Just don’t know whether playing f/h in 18 or 19, or save and just use trans
        Will have 7 for blank, plus 1ft
        Bout 10 for dgw plus 1 ft
        Cheers

  24. YLK13
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Kilman, Coufal or Dallas?

    1. Johnny 8
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Coufal this GW

  25. Mr Chelski
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    James out for a -4? I want to build for BB Gw 19

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      yes

  26. CheesyZoot
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Don't want to burn the transfer this week so should I do either:

    A) Dunne > Johnson

    B) Burke > Smith Rowe

    Cheers!

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

    Who to bench?

    A) Zouma (MCI)
    B) Stones (che)
    C) Cresswell (eve)

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

  28. DeeGee
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Burke -> Soucek worth a -4 this week. Seems like Burke's price is going down today and I plan to FH in GW18. That way I will effectively loss 0.1m before GW19 transfers.

    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

  29. flippetyflop
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    How does my plan look for the upcoming GW's guys?

    Martinez/Forster
    TAA/Robbo/Dias/Semedo/KWP
    Salah/Son/Fernandes/Burke/Bissouma
    DCL/Wood/Bamford

    GW 17 - Save
    GW 18 - Trent to Maguire gives me 10 players in the BGW (although it's very likely Burke does not start.
    GW19 - 2 FTS - Son to KDB and DCL to Che Adams

    Would give me 11 For DGW of Martinez, Maguire, Robbo, KWP, Dias, Salah, KDB, (triple cap) Bruno, Wood, Bamford, Adams.

    Am i putting too much emphasis on getting as many DGW players as possible at the expense of longer term points..i.e is DCL to Adams a bad move?

  30. Lucky Z
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Guys what about DDG as an option for upcoming fixtures? Is there Henderson threat?

    1. COLLIN QUANER
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Nothing wrong with getting the best keeper in the world