FPL Gameweek 16 Scout picks: ‘Threemium’ + five in defence

We’ve selected our best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 16 ahead of Saturday’s deadline.

We line up in a 5-3-2 formation this week and it’s as usual limited to £83.0 million for our first XI and, new for 2022/23 following a reader’s vote, a total price cap of £100.0m also for our 15-man squad.

GOALKEEPER

Crystal Palaces Vicente Guaita (£4.5m) is our goalkeeper of choice in Gameweek 16, ahead of a favorable away game at the City Ground. The 35-year-old has collected 22 points in his last four away games, thanks to two clean sheets, four saves and three bonuses. This week he will face a Nottingham Forest side who are struggling for goals, with just four in their last seven league games. As for Palace, their 5.87 expected goals conceded (xGC) over the last six games is the fourth worst in the league.

DEFENDER

After serving his red card suspension in the EFL Cup, João Cancelo (£7.4m) retains his place in the Scout Picks XI. The Portuguese full-back is averaging 6.1 points per start at the Etihad this season, with poor travelers Brentford next on Saturday. The Bees are in a slump, losing to Gillingham on penalties in midweek, while away from home they have scored just three goals and conceded 11 in their last three league games. Almost 260,000 FPL managers have sold Cancelo this week, a decision they may regret.

Newcastle United’s home meeting with Chelsea could be more favorable than the season tickets suggest: the Blues are four games without a win in the Premier League, a run that has seen them score just two goals. Furthermore, they are also at the wrong end of the table for both expected goals (xG) and xGC under Graham Potter. As a result, there is no surprise in the form Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) was backed by the majority of the Scout Squad panel, having averaged 7.6 points per start at St James’ Park this season.

A home meeting with Leeds United looks like the perfect opportunity for Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) to return to the Scout Picks XI. Jesse March’s men have looked better against the ‘bigger’ clubs this season, beating Chelsea and Liverpool and running Arsenal close. But they have been poor defensively of late, conceding at least two or more goals in four of their last six games. As for Perisic, he is creating chances faster than any other FPL defender this season, with Son Heung-min’s (£11.6m) absence giving him more of a say in set pieces. Another run-out peak may be unlikely, but the Croatian still offers plenty of scoring potential in a left-back role.

Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.1m) has been excellent for Arsenal this season, particularly recently: the Brazilian has returned in three of the last four matchweeks with his 15-point haul at Stamford Bridge last weekend taking him up to fourth in the defensive standings. While back-to-back goals are unlikely, it’s worth noting that no defender has found the net more often than Gabriel (seven) since the start of last season. The Gunners visit the divisions’ lowest scorers – Wolverhampton Wanderers – in Gameweek 16, with the best away record of 2022/23, having recorded five clean sheets in seven road trips.

Ideally we would have Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) or Andrew Robertson (£6.7m) in this slot, but due to budget constraints we have opted Ibrahima Konate (£4.8m) as our featured Liverpool defender in Gameweek 16. The Frenchman’s return from injury should help bolster the Reds’ backline as they prepare to face a Southampton side under new management. Liverpool are a dismal 20th in xGC over the last six games, but face a Saints side that have lost four of their last five away league games, failing to score in each defeat.

Midfielder

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COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Each week, a member of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Choice.

The community member who beats our team by the biggest margin will win a £100 Amazon voucher and a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.

Our champion this week is Er, just one more thing…who has joined this selection…

Ramsdale; Alexander-Arnold, Cancelo, Trippier; Zaha, Martinelli, Foden, Kulusevski, Gross; Haaland (c), Darwin

The scouting picks are tied 7-7 with the community this season, with Boleyn Boys 81-54 victory in Gameweek 6 gives them the biggest margin of victory (27 points) of 2022/23 so far.