Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for Double Gameweek 26

Strap yourselves in for the biggest Double Gameweek 26 of the season, with 17 matches and 14 teams playing twice. The next six days promise to be another rollercoaster ride of unrelenting (Fantasy) Premier League action.

With potentially season-defining decisions to be made ahead of today’s 11:00 GMT deadline, the feeling among the Fantasy Community is that we are spoilt for choice.

The roll call of potential armband candidates ranges from the reassuringly expensive to enticing differentials. And for those with a selection of chips at their disposal the choice is made even trickier.

A Double Gameweek is the perfect time to deploy one of our four power-ups with the points ceiling raised for Bench Boost, Triple Captain, Free Hit and Wildcard thanks to the extra fixtures.

Indecision is final.

– Alan Hansen

Famous words from the king of pundits and decorated centre-half Alan Hansen. Although, strangely, the former Liverpool captain wasn’t referring to his Fantasy football team. Given the furore surrounding Aston Villa and their players this week you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

But we’re not about to hesitate at the crucial moment when it comes to FPL decision-making. And you can’t fault the effort, attitude and commitment of our very own pundits and experts. 

Divisive Kane

The captain poll favourite heading into the bumper round of fixtures is Harry Kane (£11.1m). A vote that left David and Joe somewhat perplexed. Never ones to dilly-dally when presented with an opportunity, the pair aren’t convinced of Kane’s credentials, despite the support among Community members.

The fixtures on paper do look nice but both Burnley and Fulham are very capable these days of chucking everyone behind the ball knowing full well that Spurs are having problems breaking people down … Both of these teams will take a point against Spurs, so they’re not going to overstretch themselves to go and win the game.

Over the last four matches, Burnley have the third-best expected goals conceded in the league, 3.18, the only two teams better than that are Chelsea and Man City. Fulham are in the top five, 3.23 goals they should have conceded, and they’ve only actually conceded the one goal. Their defence is doing much better as well and they’ve both got fantastic goalkeepers too … These are teams that can frustrate Spurs.

– David, Captaincy Video

Alan Hansen once said that for Tottenham to be a successful side they will need to get away from the philosophy of ‘pretty football’. Well, with Jose Mourinho in charge they’ve arguably done just that. Except without the success.

But what does Alan Hansen know about Fantasy football? We need a real expert, a man with three top 10,000 finishes and a best-ever rank of 817. Step forward Az

According to the FPL Black Box co-host, Harry Kane is the best captaincy pick. The handsome and dashing Az backs up his opinion with some impressive stats: citing Twitter user FPL_Swede he pointed out that in 10 games against the bottom eight teams, Kane has delivered an attacking return in every one, averaging 9.2 points a match. 

And the trio of wise Pro Pundits appearing on the latest episode of the FPL Wire, Zophar, Lateriser and Tom Freeman, all have the armband placed on the top-points-scoring forward in FPL this season. 

More heavyweight backing for the Spurs striker came from FFScout founder Mark Sutherns. Perhaps not that much of a surprise given that “Mark loves Kane”, to quote AZ, but Mark was worried he was being blinded by his own bias.

The best person to help us understand the flaws in our thinking is Pro Pundit and behavioural economics graduate, Simon March.

Expected Yakult

Stats are probiotics for gut feelings, reasoned the former FPL winner is his latest offering. 

Instinct may help you see opportunities that other managers don’t, or avoid the traps that others will fall into, but it may also create such traps if followed without sufficient interrogation. This is why it is important to sense-check decisions with some form of objective data or a second-opinion.

– Simon March

Jan Sienkiewicz noted in his Captain Sensible article that the form stats don’t favour Kane and co:

Both [Kane’s] and Spurs’ attacking statistics have been somewhat underwhelming in recent weeks. Only Crystal Palace have recorded fewer shots inside the box than Jose Mourinho’s team in their last six matches.

– Jan Sienkiewicz

So was Mark able to find a healthy dollop of Bifidobacterium Statisticalus to support his gut instinct?

The expected data is a problem, but with expected data, you’ve got to bear this in mind – that Kane and Son are just complete outliers … Son and Kane are the top two players in the Premier League [for xG Delta], they have exceeded their expected data by the biggest margins for goal involvement … they don’t need a lot of good quality chances to score goals.

– Mark Sutherns.

So convinced is Mark that he’s using his Triple Captain chip on Harry Kane.

But, as ever, other options are available. 

Mohamed Salah (£12.6m), a player who’s perhaps been slightly overlooked by the masses, is Jan’s top pick. The leading goalscorer in the Premier League with 15 goals, Salah boasts impressive underlying stats: second only to team-mate Sadio Mané (£11.8m) for shots in the penalty box over the last six matches.

In the first of their two fixtures Liverpool take on a Sheffield United side down to the bare bones in defence. Their three first-choice centre-backs that helped them reach dizzying heights last season, John Egan (£4.7m), Jack O’Connell (£4.7m) and Chris Basham (£4.6m), are all ruled out for Chris Wilder.

But it’s their second fixture against Chelsea that, along with Liverpool’s poor form, is putting many off the Egyptian. However, Jan did unearth some encouraging news for Salah captainers:

Klopp holds an impressive head-to-head record against Thomas Tuchel. Out of the 14 meetings between the Germans, Klopp came out victorious on nine occasions. Additionally, those matches have produced as many as 43 goals, which makes it over three goals per game on average.

– Jan Sienkiewicz

Meanwhile, city rivals Everton are top of the fixture ticker when looking at Gameweek 26 in isolation: the Toffees host Southampton before a midweek trip to West Brom. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) therefore comes into contention.

And once again the stats make impressive reading. The forward has been particularly threatening on the road in recent times, accumulating 4.32 xG in his last six away matches – more than any other forward in the Premier League.

But the list of armband contenders goes on. Let’s not forget the Manchester teams with the in-form Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m), İlkay Gündoğan (£6.2m), Raheem Sterling (£11.6m), and the returning Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m).

If only we could fit them all in.

It’s Mo Sacrifice

Karam, Tom, and Zophar are all using their Wildcards and face several tricky selection dilemmas. 

On the Scoutcast Karam was given a hard time by Joe and David over his omission of Mohamed Salah.

Joe argued that it was easier to run from Salah than it was to run to him, explaining that because of Salah’s lofty price tag, downgrading to the likes of Son or De Bruyne is easy, whereas upgrading would be harder without sufficient funds in the reserve.

However, Tom Freeman is also sacrificing the most expensive FPL asset in order to benefit from a more balanced squad. A particular concern for Tom given that he plans to Bench Boost in Gameweek 27. 

One intriguing pick in his side is Jesse Lingard (£5.9m). West Ham take on Leeds United next Gameweek and Tom feels the direct running of the on-loan Manchester United midfielder could trouble Marcelo Biesla’s side. 

Ricardo Pereira (£5.9m) is another differential to catch the eye, featuring in both Tom’s and Karam’s Wildcard XV’s. 

Karam is going all-in on Leicester City – tripling up with Harvey Barnes (£6.9m) and Jamie Vardy (£10.2m) coming in alongside Pereira. He’s even trusting the evergreen Englishman with the armband.

Manchester City-fan Karam has decided to abandon his conservative approach and take a few calculated risks in the hope of surging up the ranks. Encouragingly, the Foxes are on a par with Man City when it comes to shots on target (21) over the last four Gameweeks. 

Another forward to consider is Mbaye Diagne (£6.0m). The Senegalese has been on the end of five big chances in his four and a half games since joining West Brom, and is included in the Scout Picks, Tom’s Wildcard team, and was talked up by Lateriser.

Interestingly, all three Wildcarders still have their Free Hit chip available but none have committed to using it in Blank Gameweek 29.

When planning ahead in his usual meticulous fashion, Zophar identified Gameweek 33 as a better round for the Free Hit. The League Cup Final takes place between Spurs and Man City, meaning they will blank along with their scheduled opponents Southampton and Fulham.

The six-time top 5,000 manager sees greater potential for a big score compared to the four-match Gameweek 29.

Finally, Neale frisked the upcoming fixtures. The Team News compiler included a look at Gameweek 30 and beyond for those considering “dead-ending” their squads in Gameweek 29 and Wildcarding straight after.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

This is the last chance for Premium Members to enter the FFS Members Cup with qualifying for the first round taking place in Gameweek 26. Click here for details on how to enter.

The draw for the first round of the Fantasy Football Scout Cup has thrown up a real ‘David vs Goliath’ clash with the highest-ranked team, The Fighting Cock (273rd overall), taking on the lowest-ranked manager in the competition, Ahmed Eid, who is not far off the five-million mark.

A total of £300 in prizes is available across the two tournaments.

Elsewhere, RedLightning rounded-up the rest of the Community mini-leagues and competitions. And the Head-to-Head fixtures for Gameweek 26 can be found below. 

The scores and tables update each night on the Head-to-Head Leagues main page, so you can keep track of the action as the Gameweek unfolds. 

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

3,547 Comments Post a Comment
  1. aardvark22
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    #

    Any thoughts?

    Martinez
    Cancelo, Stones, Rudger
    Salah, Bruno, Son, Gundo, Raph
    DCL, Bamford,

    Mendy, Lowton, Antonio, Coufal
    1FT 2.7 ITB

    a) Son, Antonio to Kane (TC), Barnes
    b) Raph to Barnes
    c) Lowton to Digne/ Reguilon

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

      C

      1. aardvark22
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Digne or Reguilon?

  2. FDMS All Starz
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bottomed

    Chasing a 100pt mini league, leader probably TC Kane this week, now do I...

    A) Just normal captain Kane and hope he doesn’t go mad and then TC a differential in the future that I know the leader won’t have

    or

    B) Just TC Kane? Which doesn’t really help me catch up

    Or

    C) Normal captain DCL (leader won’t have probably)

    1. tm370
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Take the decision you think is the best for the team. There are plenty of weeks left yet - 100 isnt unassailable.

      1. FDMS All Starz
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Which one makes logical sense though? What would you do?

    2. Puncheon Guly
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Differential captains (captain a player he doesn't own) are the only way of making that up. So go DCL either C or TC.

    3. Mr. Funny Name
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I know it sounds stupid but in this situation just captain who you think will score the most, if you think DCL out scores Kane the 100% captain him

    4. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      D) TC DCL. He has two perfect attacking fixtures and all the key Everton attackers are fit. If you're chasing 100 point lead you need take an educated risk, which is different from a blind punt.

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

    Salah, Bruno or Vardy TC?

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

      Salah

      1. Gabbiadini
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        who would you have second out of interest?

        1. boroie
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 29 days ago

          Probably Vardy. But that’s only because I have a feeling that Bruno’s game time against Palace might be managed with the Manchester Derby 4 days later.

          1. Gabbiadini
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 29 days ago

            interesting point, cheers.

            what makes you choose salah over vardy then, Leicester arguably have better fixtures playing 11th and 15th.

            1. boroie
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 29 days ago

              Just gut to be honest..

              Sheff Utd missing 3 main CBs and Liverpool will be looking to make a point.

              Although the Chelsea fixture isn’t very appealing.

              1. Gabbiadini
                • 6 Years
                3 years, 29 days ago

                I may have to flip a coin, also torn.

  4. jackhammer1
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bamford to Watkins for free?

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

      I would. I can’t figure out whether to do it for a -4

      1. jackhammer1
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        I'd say borderline for a bit

        1. jackhammer1
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 29 days ago

          Hit

    2. Bob.
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Yes

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

    Anyone capping salah is bruno?

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

    A. Lloris / Rich
    B. Areola / Werner

    Have DCL

    1. Weeb Kakashi
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Richarlison plays too wide ... Not great stats too... Still fancy him?

  7. Enes_Sahini1
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Captain?

    A) Son
    B) Salah
    C) Fernandes
    D) Gundogan

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

      B

    2. Fantasy Pig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Really struggling with this myself... currently on Salah but could still change

  8. Aubamewho
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    A) Bamford
    B) Elmohamadi (DGW)

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

      A

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

    FH. 3 spots left to be decided.

    Ederson
    Digne Pereira Reguilon ****
    Salah Bale ****
    Kane **** DCL

    Pick one
    A Vardy , 2 of (M.Pereira Stones/Cancelo/Gundo)
    B Richarlison Barnes Dias..

    1. boroie
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Vardy Canc Gun

      1. Puncheon Guly
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        This

  10. Releasebreaks
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Best Grealish replacement :

    A - Mount (have difficult fixtures on dgw)
    B - J.Rodriguez (Hardly will play 2 games in a row)
    C - Matheus Pereira (Have nice fixtures in dgw)

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

      Not sure on rest of your squad but Barnes, Gundogan, Foden all better options than those

      1. Releasebreaks
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Already have Gundo and Barnes, and no more space for city slots

        1. boroie
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 29 days ago

          Thought that might be the case. I’d probably take a punt on JRod out of that lot then.

  11. R.C
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Anyone going for TCL?

    1. KEN YA DIG IT
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Am not that brave

  12. Nightf0x
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Pope (forster)
    Lowton stones dias target (dalas)
    Salah son gundo bruno (raphinha)
    Dcl bamford (ings)

    Which? (Still got WC + 3 chips left)

    A) ings pope -4 to kane 4.9 gk & BB or TC
    B) ings pope forster -8 to vardy 2 gks with 9.8 & BB
    C) forster salah ings -8 to gk barnes kane & BB
    D) ings gundogan forster -8 to kane areola 4.7 mid.

  13. tm370
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Hi guys, I got this side for a -12 for BB, moving Ings, Antonio, Coufal, and Forster out. I have WC and FH left.

    Martinez,
    Dias, Cancelo, Digne,
    Fernandes, Son, Salah, Raphinha, Gundogan
    DCL, Watkins.

    Areola, Dallas, Lowton, Bamford.

    Would you play BB or FH, meaning I get Ings and my WH players back next week?

    1. Dion D's Solo Shower
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I'd BB that, save FH for later

      1. tm370
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Cheers!

  14. NULL-X-VOID
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo//DIgne (C)//Shaw//Pereira

    Gone full attack in the def (On WC), the only issue I'm having is cancelo over dias, but what's the point if you don't take in a def that's taking one of the most amount of shots

    1. Teomi
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      How is rest of your team ? looking at something similar..

  15. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Buy Targett Aina or Dier ?

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

      Dier

  16. SharkyT
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    First sub
    A) Ings
    B) Dallas
    C) Kilman *Dgw

    1. boroie
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      B

  17. Kodap
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Okay, I've already used my BB, have TC and WC left, currently locked in with this.. would you do Stones > Digne for -4?

    Martinez
    Stones - Dias - Shaw
    Salah - Gundo - Bruno - Raphina
    DCL - Kane (TC) - Bamford

    Bench: Pope - Dier - Soucek - Coufal

    1. Mork calling Orson
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      100% no & id probably play Dier over Shaw

  18. AW127
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    A) Pope
    B) Johnstone

    1. djaddy
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      B

      1. AW127
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Thanks

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

    Those without Kane, who is your cap?
    Currently on Bruno c dcl v/c, even though dcl has better fixtures

    Also have gundo Ster, not sure on their game time after a recent dgw, plus m week game just played

    1. umerlfc
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Without Kane, it's Bruno for sure

      1. Gizzachance
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Same cheers

    2. Dion D's Solo Shower
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I've gone DCL due to fixtures

      1. Gizzachance
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Very tempting, not sure which eve we will get, one that lost to new, Fulham etc, or the one that put 5 past utd an pool !
        Cheers, good luck

    3. Fantasy Pig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Currently on Salah (c) DCL (vc)

      1. Gizzachance
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Also have salah, difficult choice this week, good luck

  20. Klopp For The Kopps 😆
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    How many games do you think Stones will play over next 4?

  21. mozzatechmo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DCL triple capo, is that as crazy as it sounds? I need a rank boost

    1. Scots Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I think with those fixtures, it's a worthwhile risk

    2. Dion D's Solo Shower
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I've seen worse ideas. Go for it.

      1. Toe-Knee Yeboah
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        I'm doing it. Rested, eve full attack, fixtures.

        1. mozzatechmo
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 29 days ago

          Yup, I'm just wondering about whether that injury could be niggly is the only doubt

    3. mozzatechmo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Thanks gooners, it's either him or Bruno in my squad and no one seems to be recommending him either!

  22. Siva Mohan
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    already on -8 and playing TC

    A. play Mee
    B. Stones (-4)
    C. Dier (-4)

    choose one, thanks

    1. Gowiththeflow
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      A

  23. COLLIN QUANER
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Good morning all. What a glorious sunny day.

    Would you do Sterling, Antonio > Gundo, Kane?

    Many thanks

  24. Mr. Funny Name
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Pages flying haha

    On WC

    A) Stones & Saka
    Or
    B) Gundogan & Burn

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

    keane, holgate or godfrey?

    1. Bobby_Baggio
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Holgate save cash

    2. Voodoo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Keane.

    3. Rolls-Royce
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Keane. easy.

    4. Cojones of Destiny
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      k

    5. R.C
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Keane

    6. AW127
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Godfrey most nailed

    7. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Keane or Godfrey are both pretty nailed (given Mina is out).

      Given Keane's history of being able to get his head on a set piece, if go for him. It's not extremely likely, but feel the chance is there.

    8. SHOWSTOPPERRR
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Holgate

  26. Bobby_Baggio
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    First to 5 wins for TC...

    A) Kane
    B) Salah
    C) Bruno

    1. COLLIN QUANER
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      B

    2. Bob.
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      A

  27. Arteta
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Would you rather own Salah or Son for this gameweek?

    1. Cojones of Destiny
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Mo

  28. Cojones of Destiny
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    play:
    a. konsa
    b. raph

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      hate to bench raph but dgw player

  29. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Out of Stones, Cancelo and Gundo only confident about Stones starting.

    1. Weeb Kakashi
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Starting both you mean?

  30. ..RL..
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Is Watkins Injured?

    1. Thescaff
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Freak incident with ice cream van apparently

    2. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      no idea, some rumours spread on twitter yesterday

    3. Cojones of Destiny
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      rumors