Tips

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

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Gameweek 22 ahead of today’s 16:30 GMT deadline.

The January transfer window has now closed and Neale rounded-up the deadline-day deals including two new centre-halves joining Liverpool, and Takumi Minamino’s (£6.0m) switch to Southampton.

David examined how Gabriel Jesus (£9.2m) impacted Ilkay Gündogan (£5.8m) as the German didn’t manage a single shot on target against Sheffield United:

The return of Gabriel Jesus to the Manchester City team appeared to be a negative influence on Gündogan’s goal threat against Sheffield United … with a recognised centre-forward leading the line there were fewer opportunities for the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder to make dangerous runs into exposed pockets of space.

And Pep’s infamous roulette wheel struck again with John Stones (£5.2m) and João Cancelo (£6.0m) left out of the starting XI. David suspects this is just rotation and both players are in Neale’s predicted line-ups for the match against Burnley.

Are Newcastle not the pushovers we hoped they would be?

Last week Pro Pundit Tom thought the writing was on the wall for Newcastle United and suggested we target them when considering which players to buy. But the Magpies took everyone by surprise, including a lacklustre Everton, with a change of tactics.

In his Scout Notes, Colm Hayes included a revealing quote from manager Steve Bruce:

We’ve played a certain way for a long, long time – play a bit deeper, play on the counter attack. That’s something we’ve tried to work on and change. You hope you get a few results from it but that’s the way we want to go about our work. Over the last few weeks in particular we’ve tried to work on getting after the ball, pressing higher up the pitch and being more forward-thinking.

None were more disappointed than Ted, who had talked up the Toffees on the Scoutcast and tripled on Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a minus eight:

[Everton] showed signs of brilliance but the overwhelming thought was they struggled to create clear cut opportunities to score. I am hoping it’s just a matter of time before the key players start gelling again. Everton will need to get their mojo back fast ahead of the midweek clash with Leeds.

New Pro Pundit Seb Wassell will doubtless experience conflicting emotions tomorrow when his favourite football team comes up against his new centre-forward. A 4-3 Leeds win with a Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6m) hat-trick the perfect result?

The actor and Leeds fan discussed his attempts at “dispassionate objectivity in his first Pro Pundit article. His decision to sell Patrick Bamford (£6.6m) for Calvert-Lewin had an element of overcompensating for a bias towards his own team:

Realistically, I do not believe my error was in interpreting the stats this way or that – plenty of people will have seen those and made their own, well-reasoned decisions – but rather in the fact that I am seemingly still looking for reasons to avoid Leeds, even now.

And Scout Network member El Statto isn’t quite ready to take the plunge on Everton players just yet:

The Toffees’ upcoming games are mixed so I’m not sure I would be rushing to bring in any of their assets. Lucas Digne could be a possible option due to the attacking threat he offers, but with everyone else averaging less than 4.0 points per game I feel there is much better value elsewhere.

Wasting Your Wildcard

David Wardale, the author of Wasting Your Wildcard, provided a typically informative and entertaining FPL round-up of the weekend’s matches. A formation switch for Crystal Palace and another blank for Bruno Fernandes (£11.4m) were discussed, and there was a game of contrasting 45 minutes for West Brom.

Matheus Pereira (£5.6m) was the star but could Mbaye Diagne (£6.0m), who emerged as a second-half sub, kickstart an unlikely revival?

David also reported on a resurgent Mohamed Salah (£12.6m), confirmed that Patrick Bamford might not be this season’s Teemu Pukki afterall, and found that Son Heung-min (£9.7m) struggles without Harry Kane (£11.1m). 

Salah is Jan‘s top pick for the captaincy this week:

With Liverpool’s Egyptian king ramping up back to his best, it is difficult to look past him, especially with increased goal-scoring responsibility if Mané is confirmed out for the visit of Brighton.

The Egyptian is included as part of a strong midfield three alongside Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) and Fernandes in the Scout Picks, with the selection panel hopeful the Portuguese can return to form:

Fernandes has still had the most shots, the most shots on target and has the highest expected goal involvement (xGI) of any midfielder over the last six Gameweeks, suggesting his good form should return soon.

Meanwhile, Marc Jobling reflected on Chelsea’s second match under new head coach Thomas Tuchel. The German is known to dislike his players crossing from wide positions and it was noticeable that the wing-backs, Marcos Alonso (£5.6m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.7m), both drove inside towards the penalty area. A role Alonso is well suited to:

It’s the Alonso we remember from the past. His touches were in extraordinarily attacking positions and his 42 in the final third were ahead of everyone on the pitch, except for Mount.

One of Tom’s differentials this week, the Pro Pundit acknowledged the FPL legend comes with a health warning:

A move for Alonso this week does carry risk, knowing that Ben Chilwell is also pushing for a start, but there is a lot of upside too, given the Spaniard’s potential for big hauls. Will he now become first-choice? It’s impossible to say, but if Tuchel does opt to regularly use a back-three system, he’s certainly put forward a strong case.

Considering the competition for left wing-back berth, Antonio Rüdiger (£4.5m) could be a safer – and cheaper – route into the Chelsea backline. Picked out by Tom as one of his three differentials last week, as Marc noted, “the German has taken Zouma’s place in five of the last six matches and seems to be a Tuchel favourite”.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

The latest Community mini-leagues and competitions round-up from RedLightning will be published shortly after the deadline. It will include the winner of the January Manager of the Month award for the Community Members mini-league.

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

1,174 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Bezdon
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Martinez
    Cancelo Stones Digne
    Bruno Son Salah(c) Grealish Gundo
    Bamford DCL

    Bench: McCarthy, Coufal, Brewster, Dunne

    Thoughts...

    A. Son > Barnes (form)
    B. Dunne > Holding/Maguire (Strengthen for inevitable benchings! Maguire leaves Kane unattainable in future)
    C. Hold FT

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

      Son to Barnes and we’d be twins bar Dias for Stones

      The better move may be Zaha looking forward.

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

        Thanks mate...fpl twin friends haha. Quite fancy NUFC against Palace tonight which is what put me off Zaha. Wish I had Dias instead of Pepe roulette victim Stones!

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

        Barnes is in. Appreciate the last minute help!

    2. Pulp Minion
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      C: Hold

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

        Thanks mate

    3. Futureform
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I have almost this team and am considering Son > Barnes too. I'm not sure though. Son is lethal when spurs on form. Of course they're not right now.

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

        I know...been debating it all day. Son looked out of sorts without Kane against Brighton...can see it being a low scoring game anyway against Chelsea. It all points to shipping him out and wouldn't lose any value. But then he might go off!

        1. Futureform
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          If you don't lose value I'd shift him this week. I would lose value so am still in 2 minds.

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

            You convinced me. It's done. Barnes in...if son blanks I can only see him dropping further.

            Son hattrick incoming haha

            1. Futureform
              • 3 Years
              3 years, 1 month ago

              Ha - good luck!!! If it goes wrong it's all salvageable next week!

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

                I'll meet you back here to talk about my rebuild!

                1. Futureform
                  • 3 Years
                  3 years, 1 month ago

                  Haha - look forward to it!

  2. itommy
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Saka > Barnes
    or
    C. Wood > Watkins

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. Krafty Werks
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Wood > Wat

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

      Cheers

  3. The Wanton Trader
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Going to be a lot of bench-foolery this week. 🙂

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

      Yep - we’ll be seeing the other XI playing for City tomorrow. Who knows with Chelsea

  4. jimmy.floyd
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one:
    A AWB
    B Cresswell
    C Souček

    Play one:
    1 DDG
    2 Johnstone

    1. Pulp Minion
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B 1

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

      I benched Cresswell as first sub and played Soucek... thinking if Cresswell assists, it may be to Soucek... and seems that bookies are expecting goals in this game, but personally I was thinking it may not be more than 1-1

  5. Salah’s Sonnet
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    would you bench boost a bench of soucek dallas and holding?

    cheers.

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No

    2. Mattador
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No BB always on a DGW if you can

      1. Salah’s Sonnet
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        cool cheers guys

    3. linkafu
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No

      1. Salah’s Sonnet
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        thanks

  6. tinear
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Martinez
    Stones Cancelo Digne Coufal
    Bruno Salah Gundo Son
    DCL Bamford

    Steer Bissouma Mitchell Kane

    1 ft 0.8itb

    Kane to Antonio or save and play Coufal?

  7. Mattador
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Is it mad to bench 3 west ham players?

    Johnstone
    Dias Cancelo Justin Dallas
    Salah Bruno Son Gundogen
    DCL Bamford

    Bench: Antonio Soucel Coufal

    GTG? Or who would you bench instead?

    1. h3nh3n
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      who's in goal

      1. Mattador
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Johnstone Starting McCarthy on bench

    2. URMothersLover
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Switch ant for Dallas

  8. Seamus Goalman
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    a) Meslier (EVE)
    b) Johnstone (shu)

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. All about the galacticos
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    3. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

    4. Krafty Werks
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Tight, just B

  9. Mane Mane Mane
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Anyone going Fernandez as captain. Can’t decide between him or Salah...

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      salah

    2. The Mighty One
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Salah will have one eye on Sunday while probably getting hooked at 60mins, but he will be playing up top! Bruno will get 90 against SOU with some DEF injuries, and Utd need a reaction this week. I'm torn between them too...I'm on Salah but I might switch to Bruno in a few minutes. Good luck! What is your instinct here????

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

      Salah cap and bruno vc for me.

  10. AzzaroMax99
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Anything on Mane's injury?

    1. Begbie.
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Klopp said they're as they were which suggests he's out.

  11. linkafu
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    first on the bench?

    A Raphina
    B Justin

    1. All about the galacticos
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. Viper
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I'm trying to decide who to play between these and I'm going for Raphinha I think

    3. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    4. Studs Up
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    5. Krafty Werks
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    6. Pulp Minion
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Found to my cost last week - always play the attacker (or have first on bench)

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

    A. Save FT. Play Raphinha. Get Son next gw

    B. Raphinha -> Grealish

    C. Raphinha -> Son

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      BB

    2. Krafty Werks
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I'm saving and playing Raph...Dallas first bench.

  13. D.Glynn
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    A) Play Dallas
    B) Wood to Watkins with ft

    1. Begbie.
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. linkafu
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

  14. G Banger
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Hi all, quick last call, play who:

    A) Soucek
    B) Holding

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    2. The Wanton Trader
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Soucek

    3. Royal5
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I'm on A atm

  15. tabby98
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Johnstone
    Stones, Cancelo, Justin,
    Salah (C), Bruno, Son, Raphinha
    DCL, Antonio, Bamford

    Mccarthy | Digne, Soucek, Coufal

    GTG?

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yeh

  16. Viper
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Play Justin or Raphinha?

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Raphina with Justin first sub

  17. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Any team rumours or leaks?

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Nope

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Cheers

  18. Weeb Kakashi
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Start

    Dallas OR AWB?

    Dallas could play in midfield. AWB has a good chance of cs with Soton injuries.

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      AWB

  19. abhirup780
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Play Soucek or Wan-Bissaka?

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Soucek

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

      s

  20. acidicleo
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Any Bambam injury updates?
    First on the bench is Coufal...

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No updates besides self announced dead leg after the match

  21. Ghost86
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one?

    A) Watkins

    B) Antonio

    C) Gundogan

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

      a

    2. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Watkins

    3. AzzaroMax99
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Maybe A

    4. linkafu
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      C

  22. AzzaroMax99
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    G2G?

    3.0 IDB
    1 FT

    McCarthy
    Cancelo Dias Cresswell
    Salah(C) Bruno Grealish Barnes Gundo
    Antonio Bamford

    Forster Dallas Mitchel Vardy*

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yep

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

      Play Dallas over Cresswell this week?

      1. AzzaroMax99
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        That is my main dilemma. There is some kind of consensus that Dallas is OOP defender, playing for more attacking team. Probably both will concede but Dallas has greater chances for attacking returns.

  23. Flynny
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Hi....Scout picks making me consider playing Johnstone....who to start please?

    A...Johnstone at sheffield

    B.....martinez v villa (I'm starting antonio)

    Thanks

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Martinez for the save points (I’m playing Johnstone cos I don’t have Martinez)

    2. Viper
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Martinez. Every time

  24. Gudjohnsen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    What's this rumour Bamford won't play?

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      He had a dead leg after the last game

    2. AzzaroMax99
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Dead leg. Nothing serious imo. People like trolling around.

  25. Make Arrows Green Again
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Leno or Mendy guys, advice much appreciated. So hard to choose!

    1. rubberdignerapids
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Mendy

      1. Make Arrows Green Again
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        thanks

  26. Ibacchus
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Who would you bench?
    A) DCL
    B) Antonio
    C) Gundogan
    D) Bamford

    1) Chilwell
    2) Dallas

  27. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Wilson or Antonio? thinking get wilson this GW & antonio next GW
    need not save FT as WC in GW25

  28. linkafu
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    captain

    A Salah
    B Cancelo
    C Bruno

    1. FPL Alaska
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I am on Salah (C), Bruno (V)

    2. potatoace
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      C

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

      A

    4. Krafty Werks
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

    5. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A

  29. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    GTG?

    Did Sterling & Kane to Salah (C) & DCL (-4)

    Martinez
    Cancelo | Stones | Cresswell
    Salah (C) | Bruno (VC) | Son | Grealish
    DCL | Bamford | Antonio

    Steer | Soucek | Dallas | Mitchell

    Thanks

  30. jimmy.floyd
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one
    A AWB
    B Cresswell
    C Souček

    Play one
    1 DDG
    2 Johnstone