Tom Carnduff delivers his fantasy football tips and advice for Gameweek 16 with transfers and captaincy choices discussed.
Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 16?
Usually the midweek European fixtures create some issues when it comes to the following Premier League weekend but for the large majority of English sides, their progress already being secured allowed for changes to keep players fresh.
That means we shouldn't be guessing as much as to who will be involved for the big-hitters which is a good thing given the decent looking weekend contests.
MANCHESTER UNITED will be heavily fancied for victory as they travel to struggling Norwich in Saturday's late kick-off.
They began the Ralf Rangnick era with victory over Crystal Palace and a nice run of games across December means that many may look to them for decent fantasy football options.
LIVERPOOL welcome Aston Villa on Saturday while MANCHESTER CITY kick off the day against Wolves. We can have more confidence in selection given the changes in midweek.
Elsewhere, Sunday presents some interesting contests and NEWCASTLE could actually turn out to be a differential team to target this weekend as they go to a Leicester side who have failed to hit the heights of last season.
The Foxes have conceded two or more in each of their last four Premier League outings and that can benefit Newcastle who have posted 19+ shots in two of their four games under Eddie Howe.
Another team to consider is WEST HAM, whose defensive injuries have opened up some value in that area of the pitch - more on that shortly.
What are the best transfers to make for Gameweek 16?
Based on statistics, form and fixtures, we pick out three players worth considering for Gameweek 16.
Issa Diop
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.3m
- Sky price: £7.1m
A bargain defender who should now be getting a starting role for a team in the top-four, Issa Diop is likely to see a run of fixtures for West Ham.
Angelo Ogbonna was already missing and - while Diop started as part of a back-three against Chelsea - the injury to Kurt Zouma sees just two fit central defenders available to Moyes.
In 18 Premier League appearances last season - 15 of which were starts - Diop scored twice from an xG of 1.39. So while we may be targeting him as a budget option that should deliver defensive points, there is every chance of attacking returns.
Gameweek 16 takes the Hammers to Burnley followed by an away contest at Arsenal and then a home fixture against Norwich. Diop is only in 0.3% of teams at the time of writing - a solid differential pick.
Diogo Dalot
- Position: DEF
- FPL price: £4.4m
- Sky price: £6.6m
I'll be honest, I did not expect to be talking about Diogo Dalot at any stage this season. However, given he has started in the last two games, it may be time to give him serious consideration.
Aaron Wan Bissaka returned to the squad but only on the bench at the weekend and Dalot's performance may see Rangnick opt to keep him there.
Dalot's a bargain £4.4m on FPL and United's run of fixtures should see plenty of points. They play teams rated 3 of lower on the FDR all the way up to Gameweek 23 - four of those are against those with a 2.
We're gambling a bit on Dalot's involvement here but it's that time of the season where the more ambitious plays have to be made. Worst case scenario is he's a £4.4m bench player with occasional involvement - that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Emmanuel Dennis
- Position: FWD
- FPL price: £5.6m
- Sky price: £5.5m
Not many would have predicted that Watford's Emmanuel Dennis would be the second-highest scoring forward on FPL after Gameweek 15 but his start to the season has been a very strong one.
Dennis has six goals from an average xG of 0.28 per 95 minutes - with a further five assists from a total expected assists (xA) of 2.06.
While his performances so far have made him a strong option - 24% of teams now have him with FantasyFootballFix's Elite XI also giving the Watford man a spot in the squad - their upcoming fixtures should hopefully mean further points.
The Hornets face Brentford (A), Burnley (A) and Crystal Palace (H) all prior to Christmas - those three teams carry ratings of 2 on the FDR.
Who is the best captain for Gameweek 16?
We've already discussed this week's fixtures for Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United so we can confidently predict that the main captaincy options will be found there.
MOHAMED SALAH is always popular but his fellow forward DIOGO JOTA has proven to be a decent choice who can rival him for points.
For United, CRISTIANO RONALDO retained his spot in a Rangnick side while some may target BRUNO FERNANDES or even JADON SANCHO for differential options there.
The form of Manchester City's BERNARDO SILVA means that he is currently the best captaincy option from Pep Guardiola's side - that is alongside JOAO CANCELO.
For differential options in other games, looking at Watford's EMMANUEL DENNIS may be a brave play that pays off.
They take on a Brentford side whose strong defensive showings early in the season are a thing of the past. For all their struggles, Watford's 20.1 expected goals for (xGF) is far from the worst in the division.
FPL: Gameweek 16 captain picks
Safer options:
- Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva
Alternative options:
- Diogo Jota, Joao Cancelo, Emmanuel Dennis
Sky Sports Fantasy Football: Gameweek 18 captain picks
Friday:
- Emmanuel Dennis, Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry
Saturday:
- Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva
Sunday:
- Michail Antonio, Jamie Vardy, Demarai Gray
Tuesday:
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo
Wednesday:
- Emile Smith Rowe, Michail Antonio, Emmanuel Dennis
Thursday:
- Mohamed Salah, Romelu Lukaku, Diogo Jota