The Scout Squad’s best FPL players for Double Gameweek 28

The best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards for Double Gameweek 28 are debated by the Scout Squad panel.

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.

Fantasy Football Scout contributors Az, Sam, Neale and Tom each propose an 18-man long-list of Fantasy players, explaining their notable inclusions and omissions in the article below.

The Scout Squad 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 £83.5m) for our final weekly selection ahead of Friday’s deadline.

If you didn’t see it previously, we’ve started doing a ‘bus team’ Scout Picks earlier in the week in order to share our initial selection thoughts with Fantasy managers who perhaps couldn’t be around closer to the deadline – but we’ll still be publishing our final squad as we were before.

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’S PICKS OF THE BEST FPL PLAYERS FOR GAMEWEEK 28

Most popular picks: Jose Sa, Martin Dubravka, Romain Saiss, Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Digne, Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho, Raphinha, Kai Havertz, Harry Kane, Raul Jimenez, Ollie Watkins, Armando Broja (four), Tino Livramento, Che Adams (three),

AZ SAID…

Off the back of one of the more disappointing Double Gameweeks in recent memory, I have faith that Gameweek 28 will deliver on its promise.

I’m on a Free Hit this week, so my selections here will also guide my own team, and all of my current XI draft unsurprisingly feature prominently on this list.

Captaincy is a very tough call, and many will look to the safety of the league’s best player, Mohamed Salah, after his obliteration of Leeds in his last Premier League game. I am still backing the Egyptian to deliver, but my own captaincy will almost certainly fall on a Double Gameweek player.

Kai Havertz looks a strong option, having scored in the Club World Cup final, and having put in a great shift in the Carabao Cup final too. A rest for him in the FA Cup, alongside a below-par Chelsea performance, means that surely he keeps his place in the line-up as Romelu Lukaku continues to struggle.

The defence also looks an almost guarantee of returns, as Chelsea play the two worst attacks in the league for non-penalty expected goal involvement (xGI) over the last six matches in Burnley and Norwich.

One of the more surprising statistics over their last half-dozen games is how impressive Southampton have been in an attacking sense, with only Liverpool (4.3) and Arsenal (4.4) creating more chances per minute than the Saints (5.3). Che Adams looks the standout option: his minutes per xGI over the last six fixtures (160.1) dwarfs that of the other Saints attackers, including (and whisper it quietly) the popular budget forward Armando Broja (273.3).

Elsewhere, Aston Villa and Newcastle present some intriguing options. Those not Free Hitting this week might prefer the likes of Ryan Fraser and Joe Willock to Philippe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey, given that the Magpies have back-to-back Double Gameweeks. For this week though, I slightly prefer the look of the Villans, and it’s actually Ramsey who has looked the more likely to deliver points for his owners, despite his modest price tag. However, given what we saw Coutinho do to Leeds just a few weeks ago, I’m still backing the Brazilian to come up trumps.

SAM SAID…

There is always so much anticipation ahead of a Double Gameweek. However, Gameweek 27 served as a timely reminder not to overlook the single Gameweek players, as often they outscore their doubling opponents. That being said there are some excellent options with two fixtures in the upcoming week.

Chelsea’s progression in the FA Cup means that they will now play twice against Burnley and Norwich. With Reece James being eased back into the team following a long injury lay-off, the only Chelsea defender I am certain will play twice is Antonio Rudiger. Doubling on him with Edouard Mendy in goal should bring a security of starts and defensive returns: no team have conceded fewer goals away from home this season than Chelsea, with the Blues’ seven clean sheets on the road also a league-leading total. Couple that with the fact that Norwich and Burnley are bottom and second-bottom respectively for goals scored, and targeting the Chelsea defence looks wise. I would have picked James had it not been for concerns about minute management, especially with the Champions League to consider, too.

Southampton have scored 20 goals in their last 10 matches, a total beaten by just three other sides, so investing in the Saints attack seems like a sage move. Che Adams is the in-form forward at Southampton right now but Armando Broja‘s goal in the FA Cup puts him firmly back on the radar. Owning both seems an excellent option this week. I have also added Tino Livramento to my picks: whilst many managers worry about the possible rotation, his attacking prowess and a potential injury to Kyle Walker-Peters means that I am hopeful of starts in the Double Gameweek.

Ollie Watkins returned his first Premier League goal since Gameweek 17 away at Brighton on Saturday. He has had 43 attempts on goal so far this season, 39 of those coming from inside the box. In addition, he has also had ten big chances in 2021/22, ranking fifth amongst forwards across the division. I am expecting Aston Villa to struggle to break down the Southampton defence but Watkins, along with Philippe Coutinho, could nevertheless prosper against Jeese Marsch’s Leeds.

There are key single Gameweek players that also shouldn’t be overlooked, with Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane being prime examples of this. Both of these players have good records against their Gameweek 28 opponents: Kane averages 6.92 points per match against Everton, with Salah returning an average of 9.33 per game against West Ham. Indeed, Salah has only blanked once against the Hammers in nine games in the Premier League and has four double-digit hauls in that time.

TOM SAID…

Following the confirmation of Chelsea’s double-header in Gameweek 28, I’ve doubled up on their backline ahead of back-to-back away matches at Burnley and Norwich City. No team has conceded fewer goals than the Blues on the road in 2021/22, whilst their opponents have managed just 10 and eight goals respectively on home turf. Antonio Rudiger feels like the more secure option, having missed just one Premier League game all season through injury, but I’ve also found a spot for Reece James. The wing-back does carry more risk of rotation, having only recently returned from injury, but the Saturday-Thursday turnaround is kind, whilst it’s also worth noting that no team has allowed more crosses from their left flank than Burnley this season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers also get a defensive double-up from me, via Jose Sa and Romain Saiss. Despite just one clean sheet in their last seven outings, Bruno Lage’s side have remained difficult to break down – only Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have conceded fewer goals in 2021/22 – and now take on Crystal Palace and Watford at Molineux. The latter fixture is particularly appealing, with the Hornets managing just two goals in six matches under Roy Hodgson.

Rounding off the picks at the back are Martin Dubravka and Lucas Digne, plus Southampton duo Fraser Forster and Tino Livramento, all of whom play twice in Gameweek 28.

Further forward, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane’s inclusions need little explanation despite playing just once, so I’ll focus on some of my other selections.

Aston Villa’s shift to a more compact 4-3-1-2 shape against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend may have reigned in their attacking instincts a little, but I saw enough from Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins to include them here, ahead of back-to-back matches against Southampton and Leeds United. Notably, the Brazilian took up a more disciplined role at the Amex, but with three central midfielders operating behind him, he’ll still be handed plenty of freedom in the final third.

Elsewhere, a rested Kai Havertz who could feature up front is appealing, whilst Raphinha and Harvey Barnes are also of interest. It’s hard to know what to expect from Leeds United under their new manager, Jesse Marsch, but whatever system he deploys, the Brazilian will surely be key. First up for the Whites are Leicester, who have struggled defending set-pieces this season, which could be good news for Raphinha who is on corners and free-kicks. However, there have been no such problems going forward, and I can see Barnes causing plenty of problems with his direct running in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Meanwhile, the forward picks are completed by Raul Jimenez, Armando Broja and Chris Wood, who all look like solid options this week.

NEALE SAID…

“But he’s got a new hat two fixtures!”

Yet another Malibu Stacy doll in the form of a Double Gameweek is here to make us forget about the limitations of players with two fixtures and the capabilities of assets who only play just once.

We’ll always kid ourselves that this one is going to be different, this one is where Joshua King rewards our 14-week hold. Quantity over quality often wins out with our Free Hit sides and this week’s Scout Squad is no different. Will we ever learn?

Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane buck the trend, with the latter included partly because of Everton’s dismal form on the road – although you never know which version of Spurs, like the Toffees, are going to turn up on any given Gameweek.

It’s worth reminding ourselves that Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who seem to be either for the chopping block or on bench duty for a number of FPL managers this week, were two of the three highest scorers in the ‘reverse’ Gameweek of this one. I doubt very much whether I’ll be ditching either in my chip-less Gameweek 28 team but, then again, I might have omitted them had I been on my Free Hit and the premium pair indeed fail to appear in my Scout Squad list above. Arsenal assets, and their defenders in particular, also fall into this category, as they prepare to face a Watford side who have scored just three goals in seven matches.

Onto the ‘doublers’, then, and there are few surprises in my selection.

Matt Targett is a bit of a differential pick but with Newcastle keeping three clean sheets in their last five matches, and their expected goals conceded (xGC) tally reflecting their defensive improvements, I’m keen to include the on-loan Villan who has created an impressive eight chances in his three starts for the Magpies. Teammate Joe Willock gets the nod, too: since his return to the starting XI in Gameweek 23, Willock is fifth among all FPL midfielders for goal attempts.

I’ve circumvented the game-time concerns about Reece James by plumping for the less thrilling but more secure duo of Antonio Rudiger and Edouard Mendy ahead of Chelsea’s double against the division’s two lowest scorers, while Kai Havertz‘s midweek breather, form and positional flexibility – more recently we have seen him playing up top – leads me to opt for the German over Mason Mount, who has racked up the minutes in the last week.

I’d have liked Stuart Armstrong (fifth among midfielders for shots over the last six matches) but there are few realistic alternatives to Saints’ front two in a desperately poor forward pool, so I’m all max-ed out on my allocation. Che Adams is my preference over Armando Broja, with the former top among forwards for expected goals (xG) since his return to the starting XI in Gameweek 23. Kyle Walker-Peters’ hamstring tightness leads me to a Tino Livramento pick, meanwhile.

The selections that I’m least confident about are the double Wolves backline, in light of their recent deterioration in underlying numbers: not only have the clean sheets dried up of late, their xGC is the fifth-worst in the division over their last six matches. Still, a home clash with shot-shy Watford is reason enough for at least one of Jose Sa or Romain Saiss to make the cut.

Finally, I’ve got reservations over Raphinha. Which position will he play under Jesse Marsch? Will the new manager bounce usurp his own individual post-break slump? The Brazilian wasn’t even mentioned by the incoming Leeds coach on Thursday, amid glowing personal testimonies for the likes of Adam Forshaw, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo and Stuart Dallas. Marsch also hinted at physical issues for some unnamed players and previously has said that he loves a spot of rotation. Still, Marsch’s shoot-on-sight mindset and Leicester’s defensive deficiencies are hard to resist, while there were six goals shared between Villa and Leeds in their last meeting earlier in the year.