The Scout Squad’s best FPL players for Gameweek 6

The best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 6 are debated by Fantasy Football Scout contributors Az, Sam, Neale and Tom.

For those new to this feature, it’s a weekly piece that always takes the form of a ‘Free Hit’-type selection for 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.

It also serves as a precursor to the Scout Picks, as 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 final our weekly selection.

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: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ismaila Sarr, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michail Antonio (four), Robert Sanchez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Jamie Vardy (three)

AZ SAID…

There are some great matches this week and I’m expecting plenty of goals, namely at West Ham v Leeds, where I’ve selected three attacking players; I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game ending up as a 4-4 thriller. Said Benrahma was a bit fortuitous to get his deflected goal on Sunday but I think him and Raphinha could be in for returns in what looks like to be the most entertaining game of the weekend.

There are a couple of games that I think could be quite tight, however, and these are where I’ve focused my defensive picks. I would back Wolves and Chelsea to be two teams with a good chance of keeping their opponents out and both Nelson Semedo and Marcos Alonso have outstanding attacking appeal on their day – although Alonso does tend to actually deliver points, unlike the Portuguese wing-back.

In midfield, it’s a reflection on the season that four of my five midfield picks are all under £6.5m. I’m very confident in Ismaila Sarr‘s prospects at home to Newcastle: he ran the show against Norwich and has hopefully turned a corner after some less-than-impressive displays in Watford’s previous fixtures. Demarai Gray also features in arguably the best-looking tie at home to Norwich, although the Toffees’ injury woes mean that I won’t be rushing to grab Everton assets for my own team.

Up front, the top two picks were easy and don’t need any explaining. I’ve been so impressed with Allan Saint-Maximin, however, and do wonder if he could become a factor in our seasons if Newcastle can pick up a bit of form and he can stay injury-free. Jamie Vardy and Raul Jimenez both have good games and those who have invested in the Mexican must surely be thinking that returns are round the corner.

SAM SAID…

With Daniel Bachmann reportedly nursing a knee injury, now could be a good time for Ben Foster to become more than just a good enabler. Whilst Watford haven’t been solid defensively so far they face a Newcastle team without star man Calum Wilson and so it could be an ideal opportunity for the budget shot-stopper to nail down a start.

Having missed Gameweek 5 through illness, I’m expecting Trent Alexander-Arnold to be straight back in the Liverpool team this weekend. Whilst Lucas Digne had a Gameweek to forget last week, he wiped the memory of his own-goal by finding the net at the right end of the pitch in the cup in midweek. If fit, he should be one of the favourites for a clean sheet this weekend and the underlying attacking threat stats are always there.

No-one in the FPL community is really talking about Sadio Mane but the Senegalese has returned in each of the last four Gameweeks and if he hadn’t wasted so many opportunities against Leeds in particular, he could have been leading the FPL midfielder points table by now. He has a decent recent against newly-promoted sides, too, averaging 5.89 points per game.

I’d also expect Son Heung-min to return to scoring ways against Arsenal with the South Korean having found the target in three of the last four Premier League north London derbies.

If Luke Ayling misses out for Leeds this weekend, Michail Antonio goes from being a good pick to an exceptional one with regards to the captaincy conversation. He had a flawless start to the season until Gameweek 4 and I’m expecting him to bounce straight back from his red card this week.

Whilst Newcastle have started the season badly, if anyone is going to drag them out of the situation that they find themselves in it will be Allan Saint-Maximin; he could be a really nice differential this weekend.

TOM SAID…

With Chelsea and Manchester City squaring off in one of Saturday’s early kick-offs, I’ve overlooked both sides in favour of those who have ‘easier’ fixtures, at least on paper.

Everton fall into that category, with opponents Norwich City losing all five of their opening matches, scoring just two goals and conceding 14 in the process. There will understandably be reservations about investing in Rafa Benitez’s side after their heavy loss at Villa Park on Saturday, but I do think that it was a more even contest than the scoreline maybe suggested. With Jordan Pickford set to miss out, Asmir Begovic is a solid £4.0m starter who will also help free up some budget, while I’m also backing Andros Townsend and Salomon Rondon further forward.

Elsewhere, I’ve included a Liverpool triple-up via Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota. Brentford have impressed so far this season, especially defensively, conceding just five big chances and 3.92 expected goals. However, they haven’t yet faced a team as dominant as the Reds. Jota hasn’t quite been at it in recent matches, failing to put away his chances, but he is still taking a high volume of shots which interestingly are coming from a zone the Bees do look a little more vulnerable in.

Ahead of Watford’s trip to Carrow Road in Gameweek 5, Xisco Munoz’s side had lost their last three Premier League games without scoring a goal. They ended the match with a 3-1 win, having racked up six big chances and 2.46 xG, which is a reminder – if we ever needed it – of the importance of fixtures and how they often dictate form. With another shaky defence up next, I see no reason why Ismaila Sarr can’t add another goal to his tally, while Danny Rose was excellent against Norwich and should get another start having been rested in midweek.

With Leeds United in the midst of an injury crisis at the back, West Ham United’s attacking players will fancy their chances this weekend. Jarrod Bowen is an intriguing pick, given that the Whites often struggle against direct runners, while corner-taking duties also hands him another route to points. Kurt Zouma will test them aerially from those set-piece situations, while the return of Michail Antonio will also give them a boost through the middle. It’s also worth noting that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have given up more chances from the centre of the pitch than any other side so far this season.

NEALE SAID…

Five Gameweeks in and some familiar patterns are starting to form, with City, Liverpool and Chelsea comfortingly solid at the back and Newcastle, Leeds and Norwich anything but. Ismaila Sarr has the pleasure of facing all of the latter three teams from Gameweeks 5-7 and he showed just how an obliging defence can kickstart a campaign last Saturday, with a brace and a whopping four big chances against Norwich; a Newcastle side who have allowed exactly the same number of these Opta-defined gilt-edged opportunities as the porous Canaries are up next for Watford’s Senegalese winger.

Joshua King, creator of seven chances in just 233 minutes of pitch-time, and the line-leading Allan Saint-Maximin also get nominations in the battle of two teams who have yet to keep a clean sheet between them.

Leeds are also without a shut-out to their name and could be four centre-halves down by the time West Ham come calling, with Luke Ayling now a doubt. The Whites are fairly dismal at defending set plays even with a full complement of stoppers; three of the four goals that the Hammers scored against Marcelo Bielsa’s side last season were headers from dead-ball situations, the other being a penalty. The aerial danger posed by Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma, scorer of a combined nine set-piece goals in 2020/21, could be telling, then.

Burnley are, like the three much-maligned defences above, similarly without a clean sheet in 2021/22. They’ve also conceded more headed opportunities and set-piece chances than any other club, so towering stopper Jannik Vestergaard gets the nod alongside the in-form Jamie Vardy. Ademola Lookman is a bit of a punt based on what his manager described as an “outstanding” cameo against Brighton, with the winger racking up an eye-catching eight penalty box touches, two shots and a brace of key passes in just 45 minutes of pitch-time.

There’s a quartet of budget midfield picks alongside Mohamed Salah, indeed, and I’ve opted for Andros Townsend over Demarai Gray given the opportunities and goal-creating chances being allowed down Norwich’s left flank this season.

As for the goalkeepers, Alex McCarthy and Southampton come into a clash with Wolves, who have the worst shot-to-goal conversion rate in the league, off the back of two straight clean sheets. Vicente Guaita has back-to-back shut-outs at Selhurst Park and is second among shot-stoppers for baseline bonus thanks to his manager’s play-out-from-the-back approach, while Edouard Mendy – if fit – is my sole representative from the lunchtime kick-off at Stamford Bridge. The division’s two best defences lock horns in west London in a fixture that Chelsea have thrice edged since Thomas Tuchel took charge, and I think at least one of the goalkeepers on show could rack up a tidy score.