The Scout Squad’s best FPL players for Gameweek 4

Fantasy Football Scout contributors Az, Sam, Neale and Tom pick out what, in their opinion, are the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 4.

Having assessed the medium-term targets in our Watchlist series, our weekly Scout Squad feature always takes the form of a ‘Free Hit’-type selection, with the focus exclusively on the upcoming Gameweek.

All of our panelists have put forward an 18-man long-list of Fantasy assets and will explain their notable inclusions and omissions below.

The players listed will then be narrowed down to a squad of 15 (with the starting XI not exceeding a total cost of £83.0m) for the weekly Scout Picks selection ahead of the deadline at 11:00 BST on Saturday.

Each writer must meet the following requirements:

• At least one goalkeeper costing £5.0m or less
• At least one sub-£5.0m defender
• At least one midfielder listed at £6.5m or below
• At least one forward priced at £7.0m or lower
• No more than three players from the same club

SCOUT SQUAD PICKS

Most popular picks: Hugo Lloris, Luke Shaw, Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, Michail Antonio, Romelu Lukaku (four), Nelson Semedo, Lucas Digne, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Cristiano Ronaldo, Teemu Pukki (three)

AZ SAID…

It’s been a wild international break and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the mayhem slowing down, with some absolutely cracking fixtures to be played out over the coming weekend.

I think clean sheets could be in short supply, as players get back from international duty or clubs have to deal with injuries and suspensions to key men. I’ve gone for some attacking defenders to try and capitalise on this, with Luke Shaw, Kieran Tierney and Nelson Semedo proving to be key routes to unlock defences for their sides. I fancy all three of these players to get attacking returns in their respective fixtures. Shane Duffy may be on borrowed time, but until we see either Dan Burn of Tariq Lamptey back on the scene, I think his place is relatively safe.

In midfield, we’re all waiting to hear the latest from Jurgen Klopp on Roberto Firmino but a spell on the sidelines will shift Diogo Jota up many of our watchlists, given his superb underlying stats. Liverpool may be understrength going into the Elland Road encounter, but they should still have enough to score a couple against a Leeds side who continue to look ropey at the back.

I’m also banking on Ferran Torres to get another start and Caglar Soyuncu has had another nightmare while on international duty, so he’ll be confident when he (hopefully!) comes up against him at the weekend. My final two midfielders are the much-sold Bruno Fernandes, who many are losing faith with despite him having arguably the best fixture of the weekend, and Adama Traore, who surely will get a goal in the coming weeks and make good on his early-season promise.

Up front, all eyes will of course be on Old Trafford to see if Cristiano Ronaldo starts and I think it’s highly likely he will. Romelu Lukaku also faces an Aston Villa side without two key players in Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia and I can’t see anything other than a comfortable win. Dominic Calvert-Lewin‘s injury is a concern, but if he can shrug it off, he should do well against Burnley, who allow an alarming number of crosses and shots which he should thrive on. The on-song Michail Antonio needs no introduction and Teemu Pukki, well… he’s playing Arsenal: the Gunners continue to look vulnerable, with Mikel Arteta under immense pressure to get a result in this game.

SAM SAID…

Even though they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, Wolves’ defensive stats look solid: they have only conceded 27 shots, 20 from inside the box and three big chances so far. Romain Saiss has also had three goal attempts to date in 2021/22, the most of any Wolves defender, as well as one big chance and two chances created.

Lucas Digne hasn’t had the returns that his FPL managers would have hoped for this season but Burnley have conceded 16 crosses from their right flank in 2021/22, which is the most in the division. This could bode well for returns on Monday evening.

Arsenal and Norwich have had difficult starts to the campaign and I think both will be looking at this match as an opportunity to kickstart their season. Milot Rashica has had three goal attempts, three penalty area touches and is top for take-ons (nine) across the Norwich team, totals that are made to look decent given the three fixtures that Norwich have played to date. Alongside Teemu Pukki, he could benefit from the shakey Arsenal defence we have seen so far this season.

With Aston Villa missing shotstopper Emiliano Martinez this weekend, Romelu Lukaku (if fit) and Mason Mount could run wild. Mount is averaging a chance every 43 minutes and without Reece James, he is also likely to be on more corners for this match.

In the debate over premium forwards, Harry Kane seems to be the forgotten man. He returned to the Spurs starting XI for the Watford game in Gameweek 3 and was unlucky not to score. He has also now returned in all of England’s last 15 qualifiers and so goes into a game against Crystal Palace, who have conceded five goals so far, in good form. Of course, you can’t not pick Cristiano Ronaldo for his second Manchester United debut – the last time he played Newcastle in the Premier League he got a hat-trick and over his last three FPL seasons, averaged 7.3 points per match.

NEALE SAID…

Premium selection headaches abound in Scout Squad this week, with even some previously overlooked heavy hitters sidling into view.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for example, has (justifiably) barely had a mention in the endless stream of columns and podcasts over the last fortnight and yet his record against the whipping boys is something to behold: he averages 10.67 points per match against newly promoted clubs at the Emirates, with a 20-pointer against Leeds last season being the latest example of his flat-track bullying. For a more recent example of his minnow-menacing, look to his hat-trick against West Brom reserves in the EFL Cup last month.

Kieran Tierney is also someone I wanted to include, with Norwich allowing more crosses from their right flank than any other club – but it’s hard to argue much of case for the Arsenal backline, who admittedly will welcome back some key personnel this week, when we have defences in much better shape elsewhere.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers backline, despite their lack of clean sheets, is one of those. I’d recommended Stevie’s excellent eye test piece on why I’ve gone for Nelson Semedo over any of the cheaper alternatives, with the marauding right-back channelling the spirit of Wolves-era Matt Doherty with alternate overlapping/underlapping runs. The fact that Adam Masina looks a tad ropey down the Watford left further solidifies my preference for the £4.9m-rated defender. Against my better judgement and having even previously pointed out that Adama Traore‘s shot-to-goal conversion rate is historically woeful, I’ve doubled up on Wolves with the oily wideman; he’s top for chances created and joint-second for shots among FPL midfielders in Gameweeks 1-3, so attacking returns are surely imminent even for someone as profligate as him.

I’m usually one for introducing some alternative names in my Scout Squad picks but there aren’t too many surprise packages this time, with even Mason Mount hardly a leftfield selection. The Chelsea midfielder was surely only a clinical striker away from hitting double figures for assists last season, having matched the minutes-per-chance-created average of Bruno Fernandes. He has a proven poacher alongside him now in the form of Romelu Lukaku and I think we’ll see Mount hit the 20-mark for attacking returns in 2021/22 as a consequence, with the Belgian’s link-up play in turn creating goalscoring opportunities for the players buzzing around him.

Probably the main source of discussion from my selection is the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s not that I’m being deliberately contrary; far from it, had I had the luxury of a fourth United pick he would have made the cut. The nagging doubts at the back of my mind are the lack of training time with his new teammates and the gradual integration into the starting XI of fellow big-name buys Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho – but then again, the one-man media circus that is the 36-year-old Portuguese is a unique case altogether.

TOM SAID…

Manchester United representation feels like a must this week, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side taking on Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

At the back, Luke Shaw is my top defender pick. The England international hasn’t quite hit his 2020/21 heights so far, but still ranks amongst the top five defenders for chances created and should benefit from the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo. Shaw’s crossing ability from dead-ball situations and open-play attacks is excellent, and with one of the world’s best headers of the ball now leading the line, I’d be amazed if he doesn’t surpass last season’s total of five Premier League assists. I also think United’s defensive-line will look a whole lot stronger with the addition of Raphael Varane.

Further forward, Bruno Fernandes shouldn’t be completely written off, remember he did score a hat-trick from open-play in Gameweek 1. However, it does feel like Ronaldo is the one to own this week. These types of fixtures, where the opposition will naturally sit a bit deeper, should allow him to thrive, and with the Magpies probably setting up with Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie as wing-backs, getting quality balls into the box shouldn’t be a problem for United’s wide players.

Edouard Mendy is my first-choice goalkeeper in Gameweek 4, for obvious reasons. The Senegalese stopper has already racked up 17 FPL points and takes on an Aston Villa side, who despite a kind opening schedule, have managed just nine shots on target across their opening three fixtures. Add in several missing first-teamers, and it’s no surprise to see Chelsea top the bookies’ odds for a clean sheet this week. I also want attacking coverage, given that Villa will line up with Jed Steer in goal, so Romelu Lukaku’s inclusion is a bit of a no-brainer.

Having already combined two goals and two assists this season, Mohamed Salah is the stand-out premium midfielder on offer. The Egyptian’s total of 13 goal attempts ranks top amongst all midfielders, while he has also supplied three big chances for his teammates. However, if Roberto Firmino is out, team-mate Diogo Jota looks like an equally good option. Since arriving at Liverpool last summer, the Portuguese has proved himself a reliable source of goals. The only issue has been minutes, which shouldn’t be a problem this weekend.

Meanwhile, as the focal point of Everton’s attack, with penalties in his locker too, Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks like an excellent pick against Burnley. It really feels like the perfect game for the England international, given his aerial ability and the fact that no team has conceded more headed attempts than the Clarets so far this season. With James Rodriguez probably missing out, most of the Toffees’ creativity should stem from wide areas, which should suit Lucas Digne.

An Arsenal double-up is a bold move, given that the Gunners have lost all three games so far, conceding nine goals in the process and failing to score a single goal themselves. However, Mikel Arteta needs results, and fast, and with Norwich City up next, I’m backing them to get back on track. I did consider including Ben White as a value option, but instead opted for Kieran Tierney, who will probably spend most of the afternoon camped in the Canaries half. I also found a spot for Bukayo Saka, who is chosen as my ‘£6.5m or below’ midfielder pick.

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