Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice to FPL Gameweek 21

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Gameweek 21 ahead of today’s 11:00 GMT deadline.

The headlines in this edition: Everton are discussed as key players return and the fixtures improve, Chelsea’s new manager Thomas Tuchel is put under the spotlight, Manchester City continue to excel, and Raphinha (£5.4m) stars for Leeds United with Patrick Bamford (£6.7m) in a slump.

Elsewhere, Pro Pundit Tom is excited about Wilfried Zaha (£7.2m) as he looks to target an easy run for Crystal Palace and a match against Newcastle United in particular. While Az suggests taking more risks with our armband choices – but does Captain Sensible writer Jan agree?

Couldn’t score for Toffees

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6m) started the season in sensational form bagging 10 goals in the opening nine Gameweeks, but the Everton No 9 has since endured a barren spell, last scoring in Gameweek 11. 

However, with an appealing set of fixtures and key players returning, Joe asked the Scoutcast panel – can good fixtures breed good form?

For Ted the answer is an emphatic yes. The visual stats creator revealed that he has taken a minus eight to triple up on Carlo Ancelotti’s men:

What I really like about Everton is that you‘ve also got Lucas Digne as a ‘world class’ left-back, he’s just a sensational crosser of the ball, and you’ve got James Rodriguez on that other side, a perfect marriage of creativity on either flank. Dominic Calvert-Lewin just needs to get some form going, because he’s without a goal in seven matches, he’s underperforming his stats, and once he starts scoring in the league – he got one in the cup – if he starts scoring in the league I think he could really start firing with the fixtures.

In fact, Lucas Digne (£6.0m) played out-of-position on the left of midfield against Leicester City, further enhancing his prospects of attacking returns. 

Everton average positions vs Leicester City (FFS Match Data)

And with Abdoulaye Doucouré (£5.2m) returning from suspension to add thrust in midfield, could Everton be on the brink of a purple patch?

Ted is not the only one adding a Toffee to his selection with Az eyeing-up Digne and Calvert-Lewin.

Owners of Harry Kane (£11.2m) have an easy route to the Everton target man after the Tottenham Hotspur striker was ruled out by Jose Mourinho.

Bamford’s Pukki Moment

Another way to free up a slot in our forward lines is to sell Patrick Bamford, whose recent downturn in performance makes him a prime candidate for the chop. 

Joe described it as a ‘Pukki Moment’, which is defined as “a highly-owned-once-high-performing player, who you can hop-off for a player that you are assuming will be the next big thing.

Against Newcastle United, the Leeds striker managed just one attempt, an off-target header, and three penalty area touches. Instead it was left to Raphinha to write the headlines, the Brazilian now has three goals and as many assists from a season in which he only started his first match in Gameweek 10.

But questions are being asked about Bielsa’s side, who suffered recent defeats to Spurs and Brighton before the narrow win over the Magpies. 

The convenient narrative is that they are knackered, Bielsa is like this harsh taskmaster and these poor Leeds guys are all sitting in the Victorian orphanage, all like “oh I can’t move any more” – and I just don’t buy that myself because these are fit blokes.

– Joe

But how do we explain the recent performances – have they been found out?

I think these players are at the maximum level of their ability and they are, on average, Championship players.

– Seb

Speaking on the Scoutcast, Leeds fan Seb gave an insightful explanation about the problems his beloved team encountered against Newcastle, before outlining what needs to change:

The solution for us is a new left-back and a new centre-mid but until that happens if teams continue to put pressure on us in the right places, which is the midfield and not centre-back … and force us into pressing high up the field and then out-numbering us with quality one-on-one players … teams can beat us.

Not a particularly optimistic outlook.

Chelsea’s New Tuch 

However, things are decidedly more upbeat in affluent West London with the arrival of head coach Thomas Tuchel. His appointment has got Fantasy managers wondering which Chelsea players will thrive under his stewardship.

Jamie highlighted a possession style of football and a preference for a narrow 4-2-2-2 formation, as well as an impressive number of goals per game achieved at previous clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.

It’s worth noting that Tuchel tends to use high possession as a means of defending rather than attacking. And Tom included cut-price centre-back Antonio Rüdiger (£4.5m) in his trio of differentials for Gameweek 21, the 27-year-old could prove to be a budget route into the Blues backline.

Tuchel’s teams also favour shot quality over shot quantity. Consequently they can be a little boring to watch, as the goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers illustrated.

And there will be question marks over several players including Reece James (£5.1m), who may find himself marginalised under a manager whose previous teams have produced a very low number of crosses.

Instead, Kai Havertz (£8.2m) could become a key figure for Chelsea, thanks to his ability to get the ball into the penalty box from central areas. Pro Pundit Lateriser noted the German playing closer to goal in Tuchel’s first match.

Target Teams Playing Newcastle

Tom signed midfielder Wilfried Zaha ahead of Gameweek 20 and is another looking to incorporate Calvert-Lewin. 

Part of his thinking behind those moves is a good run of immediate fixtures for both sides, especially upcoming matches against Newcastle. The Aston Villa fan noted:

Towards the end of Steve Bruce’s reign at Aston Villa, they were lacking any kind of structure with the same approach in every game, and there are a lot of similarities at Newcastle now.

– Tom

Az is even considering handing Calvert-Lewin the armband for Everton’s home encounter with Newcastle. Reflecting on a failed captaincy pick, the co-host of FPL Black Box wondered if we should start taking risks:

The logic of Fernandes was completely sound of course, but there is huge potential to get ahead if you can get the captaincy call right. The captaincy allows us to roll the dice for one week and if we want to elevate our seasons to the next level, getting on the right end of some of these calls could be a great way to rise up the ranks.

However Jan is not ready to trust Calvert-Lewin with the armband just yet:

Over the last six matches, only three teams have registered fewer goal attempts than Carlo Ancelotti’s men. While Everton are expected to win this match, it is probably a step too far to trust any of their attacking assets with an armband, especially as Newcastle and Steve Bruce will be “fighting for their lives”.

Instead, the double-points maestro turns to Pep Guardiola’s troops for his preferred armband picks.

Manchester City’s impressive form continued with lkay Gündogan (£5.8m) and João Cancelo (£6.0m) thriving against West Brom as Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) posted impressive stats and Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m) put pressure on John Stones (£5.2m).

And, courtesy of G-Whizz, the clean sheet odds favour returns at both ends of the pitch, with City most likely to record a shutout (61 per cent) and Sheffield United least likely (nine per cent).

Sterling, Gündogan, and Cancelo all have their merits. But if you are struggling to decide between them, or suffering from ‘decision fatigue’, Seb has some advice:

There are too many variables to consider them all, you’ve got to make a decision that you can explain and then be happy with, and move on.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

RedLightning rounded-up the latest Community mini-leagues and competitions

The FFScout Community Members mini-league remains the Best League in FPL just ahead of Andy‘s youtube channel with the open-to-all league in fifth.

In the Head-to-Head Leagues, the fixtures have been generated for the second half of the season. The main page includes links for each Gameweek, while the fixtures for Gameweek 21 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

3,029 Comments Post a Comment
  1. ChelseaGuy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Play Antonio or Bamford

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Tough, Antonio

      1. ChelseaGuy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Thanks, doing just that

    2. Elly88 > KTR (Kevin The …
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Antonio by far

    3. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Just sold Bamford for Antonio

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Good move. I've benched him, selling Kane for Antonio.

  2. Magic Zico
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    4 min

  3. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Nuts in, double West Ham defence, let’s go!

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      What? Both are in my bench Cress and Couf

      1. Steve The Spud
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Yeah, my bench players all play each other so just going for the high ceiling and gut feeling

        1. Magic Zico
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Damn it I should have my BB on! 😆

  4. HD7
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sterling, Salah, Cancelo, DCL
    Who to C, mates?

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

      Sterling

  5. Rover
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sell Rashford and get Mane in?
    For a hit?

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No

  6. Better Call Raul
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Final decision start Holding or Targett ?

    1. DA Minnion (Former great)
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Target

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Targett 100%

  7. FallingDuck
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one:

    A) Bamford?

    B) Adams?

    C) Mitchell?

    so its mitchell vs attckers or CS vs goal/assist. what do you think?

    1. ChelseaGuy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Mitchell

  8. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    City may well have a job on with Sheff U today.

  9. Yankee Toffee
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Captain Digne!

  10. HD7
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Start Coufal or Mitchell?

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Same dilemma. Going Mitchell (I think)

  11. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Johnstone or Martinez, last choice?

    1. Homer21
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Marty

  12. Catastrophe
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Right to start Mitchell (WOL) over Coufal (LIV)? Bookies have Palace CS @ 7/4 and West Ham @ 5/1.

    Cheers.

    1. Crunchie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yeah

      1. Catastrophe
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Cheers.

    2. Homer21
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I would

      1. Homer21
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Starting Mitch and benching Cresswell

  13. 20LEGEND
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Neto or Bamford?

    1. SHOWSTOPPERRR
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Neto

  14. Gobigorgohome
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Barnes C

    chasing so why not

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      See top post 🙂

      1. Gobigorgohome
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        yessss

    2. Mika-eel
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Good luck with that pick.

  15. Crunchie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Soucek against poor liverpool centre backs or Bamford out of form?

    Sorry for the last question

    1. Crunchie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Late

  16. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Oliver Burke is the one to have today.

  17. umerlfc
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Not overthinking much and going with Son(c)

  18. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    McCarthy
    Stones Dias Mitchell
    Gundagon(c) Son(vc) Bruno Rashford Grealish
    Antonio DCL

    Forster, Bamford, Coufal. Holding.

    LETS GOOOOOO

  19. iL PiStOlErO
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    GTG?

    McCarthy
    Cancelo Dallas Justin
    Sterling(C) Salah Bruno Gundo
    Antonio Bamford DCL

    Forster Romeu Lowton Coufal

  20. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Burke to Grealish or Barnes -4?

    1. Crunchie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes

  21. balint84
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Other cleansheet a than City this week?

    1. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Palace.

  22. Bonus magnet
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    leaked team news please

  23. Heisenberg W. W.
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Just changed the armband from Son to Gundo.

  24. Better Call Raul
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Why no one capping Salah ?

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      terrible form

      1. boc610
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        you cant be watching many pool games, was unlucky not to haul v spuds and mane had been awful up until that game

      2. mezza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Scored a brace against Man Utd last week

        1. Goooo Rickie
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          I am

  25. FER FUSCH AKE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Teams are so similar, will be hard to gain ground unless the likes of Watkins, Chillwell get something.

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      not mine, I have Digne, barnes, maddison and mane

  26. SuperDan
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Pick one:

    A) Play Bamford & Soucek
    B) Play Mane (-4) & bench one of Bamford/Soucek

    1. Taegugk Warrior
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

  27. thegaffer82
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    GL everyone.

    Kane > DCL & Bamford > Antonio (-4) done

  28. OLEgend
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Maddison (c)

  29. JT11fc
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Benched Fernandes and capped Barnes.
    Ahwell fun times

    1. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      You my friend are crazy!

      Arsenal away is the kind of game where Fernandes will return

      1. JT11fc
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Ye I know....Im crazy, it was him or Antonio so I just went by gut.
        GL

  30. Gobigorgohome
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Barnes(C)
    Digne(VC)

    lets go