Gameweek 15 brings us our third set of fixtures in little over a week as the December schedule ramps up. As such, we’re focussing on some less obvious sides who may not have featured in our picks too often but have relatively good festive runs.
As usual, we’re using our popular FPL Fixture Tracker to help us out!
FPL GW 15 Tips – Attack
West Ham
The Hammers find themselves fourth in the Premier League (at the time of writing) and fifth for expected goals over the next five (8.28).
Michail Antonio (8.0m) was briefly the FPL points leader after an amazing start to the season (four goals and four assists in three) but has gone off the boil since (two goals and a red card in 10). Nevertheless, Antonio remains involved in the West Ham attack and is a shoe-in to start every week as long as he’s fit – a very useful quality at this time of the year.
It’s been a similar story for Saïd Benrahma (6.2m). The Algerian scored three and assisted two in his opening five games but has just one assist since. Benrahama is regularly substituted and could see his minutes managed further in the coming gameweeks. Instead, Jarrod Bowen (6.4m) or Pablo Fornals (6.0m) look like smarter picks. The former has eight goal involvements in his last ten whilst the latter has managed four in five.
Arsenal
The Gunners have recovered from a poor start and currently occupy a European spot in the table. Everton, Southampton, West Ham, Leeds, and Norwich represent a very reasonable set of upcoming fixtures.
Although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (9.8m) hit some goalscoring form between gameweeks 4 and 9, the Arsenal captain hasn’t really justified his current price tag, especially considering his far cheaper teammates.
Instead, Emile Smith Rowe (6.0m) has emerged as the Arsenal pick of choice, with four goals and two assists between gameweeks 6 and 11. Those goals came against 8th, 9th, 13th, and 17th in the table, a good omen given the Gunner’s upcoming matches. The most viable alternative to ESR is Bukayo Saka (6.3m) given Martin Ødegaard (5.4m), Nicolas Pépé (6.9m), and Gabrielle Martinelli’s (5.3m) limited minutes.
Burnley
The Clarets currently sit in the relegation zone and have rarely made their way too high up the expected goals table. Despite this, fixtures against Newcastle, West Ham, Watford, Aston Villa, and Everton in the next five could offer some promise.
Without a doubt the Burnley FPL player of choice is new signing Maxwell Cornet (6.1m). The Frenchman is a ray of light in an otherwise unspectacular side (sorry Dwight McNeil), and has five goals in just eight appearances. Midfield alternatives are limited although Ashley Westwood (5.3m) has returned four assists.
Up front Chris Wood (6.7m) has an acceptable three league goals and is capable of strong streaks of goalscoring form. Lastly, midfielder Josh Brownhill (4.4m) is worth a mention for nothing other than reliable two pointers on our FPL benches.
FPL GW 15 Tips – Defence
Arsenal
Back to North London where Arsenal post the third best expected clean sheet numbers in the league with 2.37 in the next five.
Anyone in the market for a goalkeeper should definitely consider Aaron Ramsadale (4.9m). Despite missing the first three games of the season, the England international is within ten points of top spot for FPL goalkeepers. Aside from clean sheets, Ramsdale is more than capable of bringing save points and bonus points.
In terms of defenders Ben White (4.4m) is the standout pick. At such a low price, the former Brighton man offers security of starts and provides the best route into a much-improved defence. Whilst Nuno Tavres (4.3m) looks to be in favour and evidenced his attacking potential with an assist in gameweek 13, the Portuguese full-back could be rotated during a busy period and has made several one-point cameos this campaign.
Brighton
A strong set of upcoming fixtures sees the Seagulls rank fifth for expected clean sheets with a score of 1.94.
Robert Sánchez (4.6m) is a perfectly acceptable pick in goal that will most likely represent value for money over this period. Elsewhere, Lewis Dunk (5.0m) and Marc Cucurella (5.0m) are fairly priced but don’t stand out given the volume of cheaper alternatives in the game.
In a minefield of an FPL defence Shane Duffy (4.2m) has lost some of his early-season appeal with his raised price and 54 minutes over two gameweeks. Meanwhile, Tariq Lamptey (4.4m) would be the Seagull of choice after picking up an assist last gameweek but his gametime remains patchy as he returns to fitness and needs to be monitored.
Southampton
We wrap things up with Southampton who face five sides currently placed 4th to 11th in the league. It’s not the most eye-catching run, yet three of those opponents have averaged close to one goal per game, whilst only four sides have kept more shut-outs than the Saints.
Like his Brighton counterpart, Alex McCarthy (4.6m) is a fine choice between the sticks who will most likely deliver good value. Only Tino Livramento (4.5m) has matched his points tally in the Southampton backline, although the former Chelsea youngster is definitely a more exciting pick. If you’re going for a Saints defender, there’s no better pick thanks to his price and attacking intent.
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