Fantasy Premier League: Gameweeks 15 and 16 Preview – Captain Picks, “Who’s hot, Who’s not?” and Ones To Watch

Liverpool vs West Brom is the pick of the bunch games in the first gameweek as the Reds look to replicate their Crystal Palace demolition and Spurs vs Fulham peaks our interest in the following gameweek.

Gameweek 15 transfer deadline: Boxing Day at 11am.

Gameweek 16 transfer deadline: 28 December at 1.30pm.

Follow the in-house Yorkshire Post Fantasy Football expert John Mount (@Gameweek38) on Twitter for more FPL hints and tips.

Captain Picks

Mo Salah (£12.5m) – GW15 vs West Brom (H) & GW16 vs Newcastle (A)

With two seemingly straightforward fixtures between Christmas and New Year, you can feel very comfortable on leaving the armband on Salah over these two games.

No player in the league has had more shots on target than the Egyptian over the last four gameweeks and last week’s two goals and assist in 33 minutes showed his potential. Rotation, however, may be an issue. Jurgen Klopp benched Salah last week and may look to do the same again over this busy time.

That said, this could happen to almost any player in the league as two games in three days limits recovery time.

Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) – GW15 vs Newcastle (H)

De Bruyne remains to be Man City’s most threatening and most creative outlet. With an increased licence to stay forward compared to previous seasons, over the last four gameweeks De Bruyne has taken more shots, shots in the box and created more chances than any other City player.

On penalty duty too, if you think City will beat Newcastle on Boxing Day then there’s a strong chance that the Belgian will be involved in the goals.

Harry Kane (£11.0m) – GW16 vs Fulham (H)

Having topped the league earlier this month but having picked up only one point in their last three games, a turnaround in form is needed if Spurs are to mount a serious title challenge.

Although they’ve only scored four goals across their last four games, only one player in the league has taken more shots than Kane in this timeframe (El Ghazi), albeit 60% of them missed their target.

If Kane looks good against Wolves before facing Fulham, he will rightly be a popular captain pick.

The Form Guide - Who’s Hot?

Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, £9.3m)

As with Salah, Firmino has great fixtures over the Christmas period with games against West Brom and Newcastle before the year ends.

The Brazilian has scored three goals across his last two games and all seven of his shots from this time were inside the box. For £9.3m Firmino is the cheapest of the Liverpool front three and with Jota out injured, his place in the side seems very secure – and has a strong start of starting both games.

Stuart Dallas (Leeds, £4.7m)

Despite having the worst defensive record in the league, Leeds’ upcoming games against Burnley and West Brom provide hope as they are two of the three lowest scoring teams in the league.

No defender has taken more shots than Dallas across the last two gameweeks, show by scoring two goals in his last two games.

The Form Guide - Who’s Not?

Ben Chilwell (Chelsea, £6.1m)

Having twisted his ankle in the early minutes of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over West Ham on Monday, Chilwell is rumoured to be out of action for the next two weeks, potentially missing Chelsea’s next three games as a result.

It will be worth keeping up to date with his injury as best you can before the transfer deadline to find out the true extent of his injury but as for now, it looks like he will definitely miss the Boxing Day game away at Arsenal.

Being the fifth most expensive defender in the game, replacing Chilwell should be a quick fix and will free up funds to spend elsewhere in your team.

Tariq Lamptey (Brighton, £4.8m)

Lamptey’s recurring hamstring injury coupled with Brighton’s tough upcoming fixtures may cue fantasy managers to sell the attacking right-back soon.

Brighton’s number two has only featured in two of their last five games and with games against Arsenal, Wolves and Man City up after West Ham away on Boxing Day, clean sheet points look unlikely.

Ones to Watch (Less than 5% ownership)

Joel Matip (Liverpool, £5.4m, 1.7%)

Being the cheapest way into the Liverpool defence, Matip could be a great Chilwell replacement to take advantage of Liverpool’s favourable festive schedule.

West Brom have only managed three shots on target across their last two games, signalling a straightforward day at the office in store for Matip on Sunday.

Vladimir Coufal (West Ham, £4.6m, 3.5%)

For those planning ahead to gameweek nineteen when West Ham play Burnley and West Brom in the season’s first double gameweek, bringing Coufal in now will put you ahead of the curve.

Over the last four gameweeks only Andy Robertson has created more chances and whipped in more crosses; yet being £2.7m cheaper than the Scot, Coufal provides great value for money.

The Explainer

Transfers

After picking your initial squad, you receive 1 free transfer each Gameweek. Each additional transfer you make in the same Gameweek will deduct 4 points from your score.

If you do not use your free transfer, you are able to make an additional free transfer the following Gameweek. If you do not use this saved free transfer in the following Gameweek, it will be carried over until you do. You can never have more than 1 saved transfer.

For example, since you get 1 free transfer per gameweek, if you make no transfers between gameweeks, you will have 2 free transfers in preparation for the next gameweek. You will incur a 4 point hit per transfer over your free transfer allowance.

Point Scoring

During the season, your fantasy football players will be allocated points based on their performance in the Premier League. Remember, every week your captain scores double points, so pick them wisely!

Points Action

1 For playing up to 60 minutes

2 For playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time)

6 For each goal scored by a goalkeeper or defender

5 For each goal scored by a midfielder

4 For each goal scored by a forward

3 For each goal assist

4 For a clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender

1 For a clean sheet by a midfielder

1 For every 3 shot saves by a goalkeeper

5 For each penalty save

-2 For each penalty miss

1 to 3 Bonus points for the best players in a match

-1 For every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender

-1 For each yellow card

-3 For each red card

-2 For each own goal

For more information on the rules of the game, visit https://fantasy.premierleague.com/help/rules

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