Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips, advice and best Free Hit squads for FPL Gameweek 18

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Blank Gameweek 18 ahead of today’s 16:30 GMT deadline.

The most important skills to cultivate as a Fantasy Premier League manager is flexibility.

Pro Pundit Sam hit the nail on the head when discussing her plans for the upcoming matches.

The 2020/21 season continues to present challenges – the goalposts moved once again yesterday with more changes to the fixture schedule. But do those changes present us with an opportunity?

Let’s take a look at Legomané’s latest fixture ticker.

This has been updated following Aston Villa’s postponed fixture against Tottenham Hotspur and the hastily rearranged Tottenham Hotspur versus Fulham match, shifted from Gameweek 16. 

There’s talk of Southampton’s trip to Leeds United being moved because Southampton need to play their FA Cup third round match against Shrewsbury – and that must happen before the fourth round matches. 

But there’s also the chance Southampton are handed a walkover because it was Shrewsbury who were unable to field a side. However, at this point in time we don’t know what will happen.

The ‘TBA’ entries are possible slots where postponed matches could be added. These are:

  • Aston Villa v Newcastle (Gameweek 11)
  • Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (Gameweek 18)
  • Burnley v Fulham (Gameweek 17)
  • Everton v Manchester City (Gameweek 16)
  • Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (Gameweek 33 – EFL Cup final)
  • Southampton v Manchester City (Gameweek 33 – EFL Cup final)

Given that both Newcastle United and Aston Villa have exited the FA Cup – and their Gameweek 11 fixture needs to be rearranged – it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Aston Villa end up with a Triple Gameweek 19. Although other slots are available.

Looking further ahead, the FA Cup quarter-finals are due to take place in Gameweek 29 and teams reaching that round could see their Premier League matches moved to Gameweek 26. That looks likely to be the next big double Gameweek, with a large selection of teams playing twice.

In general, for teams still in the various domestic and european cup competitions, further postponements are likely. And of course coronavirus (COVID-19) may cause further disruption.

In addition there’s also team news to consider, and a hamstring injury to the highly-owned Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.8m) will no doubt force a rethink for many.

The Best-Laid Plans

With both ‘mice and men’ struggling, assessing the best way forward is very much team specific. 

The Scoutcast provided a perfect example of this with Joe deploying his Free Hit chip, Karam navigating the blank using transfers and Seb undecided. 

For those using their Free Hit this Gameweek, Joe’s side is a good template, featuring triple-ups on Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Joe’s Gameweek 18 Free Hit team

Arsenal, all of sudden, provide a number of budget options. Their improved performances in recent weeks have seen their players appear on the Fantasy radar.

As Neale pointed out in his Big Numbers article, Bukayo Saka (£5.3m) has mustered seven shots in the box over the last three Gameweeks, a total that no other FPL midfielder has surpassed in that time.

And the 19-year-old has been much discussed. David looked in-depth at his prospects against Crystal Palace, where Tyrick Mitchell (£3.9m) has replaced Patrick van Aanholt (£5.4m).

David concluded that, despite the change, Saka owners need not be deterred:

There is enough in these numbers to suggest Mitchell has not improved things on the left as much as we might imagine.

But for those needing to squeeze a little more out of their budget, the cut-price Emile Smith Rowe (£4.4m) is a valid alternative.

Despite playing fewer minutes than Saka over the last three matches, [Smith Rowe] has outperformed him for assist potential.

– David

Encouragingly, Smith Rowe came off the bench to score the winning goal in Arsenal’s FA Cup tie against Newcastle United, and he’s been picked out by Pro Pundit Tom Freeman as one of his three differentials for Gameweek 18.

He appears to have established himself as an important component of Mikel Arteta’s side, with Tom pointing out:

What’s noticeable is how much quicker the Gunners move the ball with Smith Rowe in the number 10 role, and having that creative figure in central areas has really helped them click going forward. In fact, since Gameweek 15, no team can improve upon their 6.87 expected goals (xG)

Alexandre Lacazette (£8.3m) and Kieran Tierney (£5.4m) have impressed recently: no player has had more big chances (five) over the last four Gameweeks than the Frenchman, while Tierney’s total of seven key passes in the last three is bettered by just five other Premier League players (regardless of position).

But for Pro Pundit Lateriser, the upside option is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.3m). On penalties for the Gunners, his form has improved with that of his team-mates. Lateriser made the case:

Aubameyang’s registered 1.42 expected goals (xG) in his last two games, which is the same he managed in five full matches previously. His total of two big chances in the last two Gameweeks is also the same he managed in five full games previously.

His co-host on The FPL Wire, Pro Pundit Zophar, also included the Gabon international in his Free Hit selection for Gameweek 18.

Meanwhile, Pro Pundit Andy explored the option of using the Second Wildcard to set up a strong side for Blank Gameweek 18 and a potential Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 19. Although his article was written when Aston Villa still had a match in Gameweek 18. 

Which Man City Trio?

Elsewhere, form and fixtures have aligned for Manchester City.

Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) was Joe and David’s choice for the armband on the Captaincy video. And Jan Sienkiewicz had the Belgian ahead of team-mate Raheem Sterling (£11.4m) in Captain Sensible:

De Bruyne is certainly the safer of those two considering the most recent fitness update on Sterling but he remains the exciting explosive option considering his hat-trick performance against the Seagulls last season.

Tom Freeman highlighted the improvement at the backRúben Dias (£5.8m) and John Stones (£5.0m) have conceded just one goal in eight starts together.

A double-up on their defence appeals for many, with Joe including João Cancelo (£5.8m) alongside Stones in his Free Hit team. According to Tom, “attacking returns look imminent!” for the Portuguese.

But if you fancied a cheap attacking player then look no further than Ilkay Gündogan (£5.4m).

Karam’s differential on the Scoutcast, a player the creator of Live FPL, Ragabolly, picked out when interviewed by Lateriser and Zophar, and one written about in glowing terms by both Tom and Neale.

His seven shots in the box and four big chances in his last four matches are more than any other City player. And the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has spoken of a shift to a more advanced position:

… even though I like to be included in rotating the ball, when I am playing as a number eight and more offensive position, I try to put myself in the spaces where I think something could happen or I feel like the space is not occupied by a player of ours or the opponent. Both goals I scored in the last games were similar in the way they were from the right side and Raheem assisted me both goals and I tried to be in a space where I am free and able to get the ball and finish with one touch. It worked out quite well and as long as I am playing in that position I try to continue like that.

– Ilkay Gündogan

How to cope with a rollercoaster season

Mindfulness coach Dominic Watts wrote an excellent piece last week on how to handle the highs and lows of this uniquely challenging season.

On the face of it, I can understand the view that we should not get ourselves worked up about FPL. After all, you’re picking an imaginary team of real players who get points for you and then getting really annoyed when you don’t pick the right ones.

But if you want to pick it apart, you can make similar arguments about most things people care about. The thing is that as human beings we create meaning. We give meaning to the things that we care about and so if we decide to care about FPL, it becomes meaningful to us.

Without doubt FPL matters to those of us who play it seriously.

In his article, Dominic described how we are ‘time-travellers’ who ride the rollercoaster of FPL. He offered us ways to manage this uncertainty but acknowledged how difficult that can be:

Uncertainty relates quite nicely to acceptance because it’s hard to accept uncertainty. When we can’t accept something, we fight it, and this uses up a lot of energy.

The solution he proposed is to learn to look properly and that by connecting to the present, we will be able to see things in a different light. Well worth a read.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

RedLightning rounded-up the Community mini-leagues and competitions last week.

The ‘open-to-all’ Fantasy Football Scout mini-league and the Community Members mini-league are currently the top two leagues in FPL. Congratulations to the high-flying managers participating in those.

For the 8,000+ competing in the Head-to-Head Leagues, the main page can be linked to here, and the fixtures for Gameweek 18 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

2,473 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Gemma817
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Guys quick last moment suggestion please

    FH 18
    Darlow
    Cancelo, Shaw, Holding
    Sterling, KDB, Son, Rashford, Saka
    Kane, Wilson

    We good?

    1. suddenorgan
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      no Bruno no party

    2. JBG
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Gtg

  2. suddenorgan
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    a) Sterling/Yedlin/Darlow
    b) Rashford/Dias/DDG

  3. CelticBhoy1
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Best DCL replacement?

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Knee

    2. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Wilson/Laca? Depends on the rest of your team, $ etc.

    3. nico05
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I went Wilson

  4. Lebowski85
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Buzzing for the gameweek. Gonna turn my season around. What do you think of this. Is Martial worth the punt? Or safer to go for Wilson.....

    Lloris
    Stones Cancelo Tierney
    KdB (C) Bruno Son Saka
    Lacca Martial Kane

    Martial Riedewald 3.8

  5. WE GO FOR IT
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Pick one:

    A. Son
    B. Rashford
    C. Sterling

    1. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Rashford

      1. WE GO FOR IT
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers! 🙂

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

    Any reasons to captain KDB over Kane?
    I just don't get it why nobody's considering Kane against Fulham.

    1. Jimmy Boy
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Fulham have only actually lost once in their last six Premier League games, the only loss being a credible performance in defeat at the Etihad

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

        but they will be absolutely thrashed by Spurs...

  7. Rochdale_Cowboy
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Spurs 2 - 1 Fulham
    Ars 1 - 0 CP
    City 6 - 1 BHA
    Bur 0 - 1 MU
    Wol 0 - 0 Eve
    Sheff 1 - 0 New
    KDB benched

    1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      And where did you get this news of KDB benching?

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

        MCFc

        1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          The club called and told you?

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

            My mates chief ball boy there. This is

            1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Let's connect again.

  8. Tmel
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    KDB or Kane captain?

    1. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      KDB

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

        Kane

  9. Catastrophe
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    A) Wilson & Stones
    B) Foden & Maguire
    C) Gundogan & Maguire

    For Bench:

    1) Saiss & Doucoure
    2) Neto & Fernandez

    Currently on A1!

    Cheers!

    1. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A2

  10. grennans2
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Shaw likely to start does anyone know?

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

      Yes

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

    A Maguire or B Saïss in FH team

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Mag

    2. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Maguire

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

      Maguire. How's the team mate?

      I've gone with

      Lloris
      Stones Maguire Holding
      Rash Son Gundo KDB Bruno
      Kane Laca
      Mitchell Brewster Kilman

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

        Here it is....

        Lloris
        Cancelo Maguire Tierney
        KDB Bruno Son Gundogan
        Kane Lacazette Wilson

        Areola ESR Clark Mitchell

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

          play ESR over Wilson!

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

            Thanks- if doing that could drop Wilson to Brewster and get Saka over ESR?

    4. Flynny
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

  12. Flynny
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Any views on best free hit option here please??

      

    A.....343..

    Lloris
    Dias tierney maguire (YEDLIN Mitchell)
    Kdb Bruno son GUNDOGAN (SMITH-ROWE)
    Kane Lacasette WILSON

    B.....451

    Lloris
    Dias tierney maguire STONES (Mitchell)
    Kdb Bruno son RASHFORD SAKA
    Kane DAVIS BREWSTER

    Thanks

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

      I prefer A-

    2. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      B for me

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

        Impossible!!

  13. Karan14
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Boring question but..

    A) Yedlin/Bogle/Ampadu & 4.3FWD
    OR
    B) Brewster & Mitchell

    As bench cover?

  14. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Thoughts on Mané over Salah for the double? Gives me much more cash that I need right now

  15. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Dallas to Stones makes sense?

  16. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    DDG
    Dier Cancelo Dias Tierney
    Bruno Son KDB Saka
    Lacazette Kane

    First sub: Neto. G2G?

  17. OptimusBlack
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Simple Question Who would get more Score
    A- Rashford
    B- Gundo + Wilson
    Plzzzzzzzzz help

    1. MIGHTY JOE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

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

      For GW18 only
      I don't see Rashford getting double figures so I think B wins

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

        Thx

  18. ZLNR
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Areola
    Stones - Fernandez - Clark
    Sterling (c) KDB Fernandes Son ESR
    Kane Wilson

    Mitchell (and worse 4.0s)

    Besides the weak bench which is always a risk this season any thoughts?

  19. JustPark
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    WC activated. With BB19 in mid:
    1) Rashford + Gundogan
    2) Saka + Sterling

    1. SoShy
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      2

  20. SoShy
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Bruno (c) !!
    Goodluck people

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

      and to you sir

  21. Evil Greg
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Beers tonight fellas!

  22. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Don’t forget to get your vice on Bruno since we are pretty sure that’s going ahead

    1. Evil Greg
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      !00%

  23. Atimis
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Saka or Dias?

  24. afcblegend
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    How's it looking chaps?

    Lloris
    Saiss, Bellerin, Cancelo, Maguire
    Rashford (C), Smith-Rowe, Fernandes, De Bruyne, Son
    Kane

  25. Bad Kompany
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Is Smith Rowe much worse than Saka?

    Could afford him but it would mean no bench in case cancelo doesnt play

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

      I've gone Smith Rowe and a bench spot over Saka without.
      High chance we'll have someone we expect to play, not play.

  26. Punty McPuntface
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Cancelo over Dias then boys and girls?

    1. Bad Kompany
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes IMO.

  27. Rohun
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Best 9.0 or less mid for 1 week only? Can't stretch for rash

    1. JustPark
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Gundogan?

  28. Grounderz
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Anyone getting an error page to FPL?

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

      I was for a bit on the transfer screen, just heavy server load I'm guessing.

  29. Sid07
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    1) Dias ( Have cancelo)
    2) AWB

    1. MIGHTY JOE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      1

  30. Konstaapeli
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Will Cavani get decent minutes on next 2 GW's?

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

      Used as a sub in 2/3 I imagine

    2. JBG
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes