Alright, first things first. To those who followed our very well-meant, but ultimately unfortunate, back-to-back recommendations of Aubameyang as a preferred premium: we’ve learned our lesson (again). Stay away from Arsenal assets (again). The club seems in serious disarray at various levels and yesterday’s home loss against Brighton did not do much to help us believe that’s going to change any time soon, so that’s our first decision for gameweek 16.

After a relatively high-scoring gameweek 15, the next round of fixtures is already upon us, just 24 hours after the Arsenal game ended. From an Fantasy Premier League perspective, there are a few interesting games, such as Burnley’s visit to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the clash at Goodison Park between Chelsea and an Everton side currently in the relegation zone, and current leaders Liverpool taking on Bournemouth on the south coast. From a general perspective, and possibly an FPL perspective if the visitors decide to have another off-day, it’s the Manchester Derby between City and United at the Etihad that stands out. With a majority of the clubs in the top-half of the table playing an away game this weekend, it looks like it’s going to be another interesting and hopefully not too upsetting affair.

Finally, don’t forget that the deadline for gameweek 16 is set at 11h30 (GMT+0) on Saturday, December 7th.

How did our fantasy picks for the previous gameweek fare?

Premium fantasy picks

Last night, Jamie Vardy (£10.0m) became the third player this season to see his price rise by at least a million, after it happened to John Lundstram and Tammy Abraham a few weeks back. The Leicester forward was already a very premium pick as far as his performances and FPL points total went, but by breaking the 10m barrier, he has also joined the elite price-wise. In the middle of a busy week and a busy month, the certainty of Vardy starting up front for the in-form Foxes can be more than valuable in FPL. It can be decisive. The English striker is playing Villa away this weekend before his team are hosting Norwich in gameweek 17. With Vardy currently being the most-owned player in the official game (selected by almost 50% of teams), you can expect his involvement to be huge over the coming weeks. In gameweek 15, he became the first player in FPL history to be captained by more than two million people and he could well break that record again this weekend or the next. That’s what scoring in seven consecutive games (9 goals, 3 assists, 69 FPL points) gets you (Vardy’s record is 11 successive games so he may not be finished just yet). There are alternatives to the man in form, but if you do choose to keep going without Vardy, your alternative choice better be have a good day.

With most of the official game’s premium fantasy picks playing away games this weekend, we have gone with one of the few who have a home game coming up. True, for Kevin de Bruyne (£10.2m), that home game is a Manchester Derby at the Etihad, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an interesting prospect. First of all, he is starting against United (right, Pep…?!). Second of all, with 2 goals and 20 FPL points from his last three games, he’s in decent form. Third of all, Man United have played 7 away games so far and from that stretch they have taken just 6 points (only six teams performed worse in away games, surprisingly including Arsenal, Spurs and Everton). Fourth of all, in those seven away games, the Red Devils have scored just 8 goals, while conceding 10. In other words, despite Marcus Rashford’s great form, recent performances point at a Man City victory in this derby. The hope is that Kevin de Bruyne is going to be the one orchestrating that victory.

Non-premium fantasy picks

When Jamies Vardy is in title-winning form and you, as a mid-priced FPL asset, outscore him over the last three gameweeks, then you’re going to end up in this list. Tottenham’s Dele Alli (£8.6m) has been sensational of late, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assist for 29 FPL points over that period. Next up is a Burnley side that are having a decent season, but got outplayed losing 4-1 on their own pitch to Man City in gameweek 15 (and alos lost at home 2-0 to Palace in GW14). The Clarets roll up to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having conceded 11 goals in 7 away games, while the home team has managed to put 14 in the net in 7 home games. Sean Dyche’s men are no push-overs and we’re more than sure that José Mourinho is aware of this, but we are seeing a Spurs victory here, and a good chance on attacking returns for their shadow striker, Dele Alli, who’s clearly enjoying playing in an advanced role (at times well in front of Kane!).

Our second non-premium fantasy pick for gameweek 16 is the man who has been on the mind of millions of FPL managers over the past two gameweeks or so. Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham (£7.9m) missed gameweek 14 due to injury and despite the club, the manager and Tammy himself stating that he was very likely to return to action soon, he was transferred out by so many impatient FPL managers that his price dipped below £8.0m again, but it were the patient managers who were rewarded. Abraham returned in full force last gameweek, scoring a goal and assisting another against Villa at Stamford Bridge, and brought his owners 12 FPL points. This coming Saturday, Chelsea are visiting a struggling Everton side that has taken just 10 points from 7 home games. The Toffees conceded 10 goals over that stretch, while the Blues’ 19 goals scored in 7 away games show that Lampard’s men are more than comfortable netting away from their own ground. It’s not that Everton don’t have quality players, because they do, but their current form has seen them drop into the relegation zone and Abraham might well be the one to make things worse for them this weekend. Do bear in mind that Abraham limped off late on against Villa in GW15 so is a slight injury doubt for GW16.

A differential fantasy pick or two

Our first differential pick is one for the short to medium term, but one that could pay off big over that period. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero is expected to be unavailable through injury for at least another two weeks, Gabriel Jesus (£9.6m) seems to be assured of starting spots and playing minutes for the Cityzens. While his first game after Aguero’s injury was disappointing, at least in terms of FPL returns, his second game last round resulted in 2 goals and a wonderful 13-point haul. He played the full 90 minutes in that game at Turf Moor, and we see no reason why that shouldn’t be the case for the upcoming games against Man United (home) and Arsenal (away). It’s true that these are, on paper at least, difficult fixtures, but the Red Devils and the Gunners are not in impressive form, and that’s a bit of an understatement. We can easily see City put a few past each of them, and when they do, chances are high that the 3.4% of FPL managers who currently own Gabriel Jesus will be very happy. Man City dominated their match at Burnley in GW15 and with that much possession and control of the ball it’s likely Jesus will see some chances come his way.

The second differential pick for gameweek 16 is Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse (£5.8m). This is, in essence, another pick for the short to medium term, considering that the Saints are facing Newcastle away this weekend, followed by West Ham at Saint Mary’s and Aston Villa at Villa Park. Saints striker Danny Ings has been taking up most of the spotlight of late, which is logical considering he has scored a goal in four consecutive Premier League games now (and picked up more than one 3 point bonus), but JWP has been just as instrumental for his side. He is their main creator, which is why he is also on most set-pieces, including penalties. The Saints are finding a bit of form, illustrated by a draw at Arsenal and two home victories in the last three PL games. Newcastle at Saint James’ Park are no walk-over (6 goals conceded in 7 home games), while West Ham have conceded 11 in eight away games and Villa 7 in seven home games. JWP and co have their work cut out for them, but that doesn’t mean that the playmaker is not an outstanding option as a fifth or even a fourth midfielder in your squad for the weeks to come.

For further GW16 transfer ideas look at this fiso FPL forum topic.

Looking at the latest FPL GW Transfers In/out Stats:

Attackers – Managers are mainly selling Jimenez (150,000 sold), Aubameyang, Kane & Aguero (injured) to fund the buying of Abraham (225,000 buys but did limp off at near the end of the match against Villa), Rashford, Vardy (ownership now 48%), and Ings (8%).

Midfielders – Martial & Sterling are the big sellers (about 125,000 each) followed by Salah, Pulisic and KDB (!) and the money instead is being used on buying Alli (235,000 buys), Mane, Son, Maddison & Zaha.

Defenders – Chilwell (injury doubt), PVA (injury), Digne, Robertson & Tomori are being sold (but lowish numbers) with the proceeds then spent on the cheap (£4.1m) Kelly, Soyuncu, Pereira, Aurier, Dunk & TAA.

Goalkeepers – Ederson tops the sold list next to Pope. Schmeichel & Ryan top the most bought.

The captaincy

With so many of gameweek 16’s “favourites” playing away from home, picking a captain wasn’t easy. Eventually we went with Kevin de Bruyne, who seems to be combining good form with a winnable (but still derby) game at home this weekend. Tottenham stars like Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli are high up the list as well, seeing as they are playing a home game against Burnley that they are expected to win comfortably.

The FISO Forum Captain poll for GW16 has Vardy leading the way but this gameweek there are other good options.

Finally if you like FPL but want to have a go at a weekly Fantasy Premier League type competition for prizes then have a look at FanTeam’s 50,000 euro weekly monster. There are freerolls for new entrants if registered within the last 8 weeks. There’s also a free chance to win an entry into a comp over two gameweeks where the top prize is a guaranteed 30,000 euros.

With gameweek 14 behind us, we have now officially entered FPL’s December period, one of the season’s busiest periods as Premier League games come flying in thick and fast now. Including gameweek 14, England’s elite clubs are turning up no less than seven times before the 1st of January, 2020, and that’s not including cup games and European football. Just take this week: by the end of it, we will have two more gameweeks behind us. As if the season wasn’t unpredictable enough yet, squad depth and good planning are going to be especially important keywords for Fantasy Premier League managers over the coming weeks. In that light, also check out our lineup prediction articles in the build-up to each gameweek.

Ine gameweek 15, we see Manchester City visit Burnley, Chelsea host new boys Aston Villa, and, of course, José Mourinho’s Spurs roll up to Old Trafford (will he know which dug-out to sit in?), just to name a few games. Oh, and there is a Merseyside Derby at 20h15 (GMT+0) on Wednesday night. Plenty to look forward to, so here are our fantasy picks for gameweek 15.

Finally, don’t forget that the deadline for FPL gameweek 15 is set at 18h30 (GMT+0) on Tuesday, December 3^rd.

How did our fantasy picks for the previous gameweek fare?

Premium picks

If you read our preview for gameweek 14, you might remember that one of our two premium fantasy picks for that round was Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m), for whom the Away game against Norwich was the very last chance he got from us to show that he is still worth consideration as a premium asset. Well, a brace and 13 FPL points later we can say that the Gunners striker took that chance and with Brighton at the Emirates up next, he’s faced with the perfect opportunity to really put himself back into the fold. Only Norwich have fared worse than Brighton in Away games this season, as the Seagulls have just taken four points from seven games away from Home. Over that run, they conceded 13 goals, which equals to an average of just under two goals per game. Aubameyang, on the other hand, seems to have found back some of his earlier-season form with 3 goals and an assist in the last four gameweeks. Despite Arsenal’s issues, the Gabonese forward has still manage to score 10 goals and provide 2 assists for a total of 87 FPL points. With Brighton up next and West Ham away next, we can see him building on those tallies in the very near future.

They say the sweet spot for FPL player picks is located right there where form meets fixtures. That’s why we can’t ignore Jamie Vardy (£9.9m) for the third time in the last four gameweeks. The Leicester forward has scored an incredible 11 goals in his last eight Premier League games, a run that includes at least one goal in each of the last six games. He was the first player to reach 100 FPL points this season last weekend and he’s currently still the only player to have crossed that milestone. As a result of all this, Vardy has also become the most-owned player in the official game (ownership of 46%). With the rest of the Foxes, he is welcoming bottom-of-the-table Watford to the King Power on Wednesday. The Hornets have fired manager Sanchez Flores last weekend after just three months in charge, so it remains to be seen how they turn up against Leicester, both tactically and mentally, but what’s certain is that Vardy will most likely be causing them all kinds problems. Only Newcastle have conceded more goals in away games (16) than Watford’s 15 in seven games, so don’t be surprised if the English attacker makes it seven FPL returns in a row.

Non-premium picks

After four gameweeks with consecutive returns and with a home game against West Ham coming up next, this feels like as good a time as any to recommend Raul Jimenez (£7.7m). The Mexican striker has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in his last four Premier League games for Wolves, helping him to a current FPL points total of 73. As a matter of fact, when looking back further, Jimenez has returned 4 goals and 3 assists over the last seven games, and he returned 49 FPL points in that time. The only forward to do better over that same period is Leicester’s Jamie Vardy. We will see soon enough if West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has found a permanent solution to his team’s troubles or if the 0-1 victory over Chelsea last Saturday was just an accident, but Wolves will be hoping to meet the Hammers side that lost 2-3 at home to goal-shy Newcastle in gameweek 12, lost 3-0 at Turf Moor in gameweek 13 and lost 2-3 at home to Spurs last weekend. We’re betting on Jimenez making it five consecutive gameweeks with attacking returns in gameweek 15.

The second non-premium fantasy pick for this week is a defender, but not really. John Lundstram (£5.0m) is not a defender, but a box-to-box midfielder with scoring abilities in the form of his life who was classified as a defender by FPL at the start of the 2019-20 campaign. And not just any defender, but the cheapest possible kind, with a starting price tag of £4.0m. Oh, if they had only known… The highest-scoring defender in the official game after 14 gameweeks (Lundstram that is, tied with Ricardo Pereira at 75 FPL points) is facing Newcastle at home in gameweek 15 and returns at both sides of the pitch could be on the cards. No team in the entire league has conceded more goals in away matches than the Magpies (16 in 7 games), while they netted only six times in those games. Only Norwich (3) and Watford (5) have scored less away goals. Sheffield United is not the most prolific team in front of goal either (9 goals in 7 home games), but their 7 conceded goals in seven games do not bode well for Newcastle. We count on a Sheffield United clean sheet and at least a few chances for Lundstram to get some attacking returns. Lundstrum is the 2nd most owned player in FPL just behind Vardy at 45.6%.

A differential pick or two

Our first differential fantasy pick for gameweek 15 is Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse (£5.8m). The young Englishman’s form has been picking up considerably over the past four gameweeks, considering the three goals he scored over that period. His season tallies now stand at 4 goals and no assists, which is a  bit odd considering the fact that JWP is in charge of most set-pieces for the Saints. He hasn’t missed a single minute of Premier League football yet this season and Southampton have one of the kinder fixture schedules out of all clubs for this December month. After Norwich at Saint Mary’s this Wednesday, they are facing Newcastle (away), West Ham home) and Aston Villa (away) before the fixtures turn more difficult. Southampton have so far taken just four points from seven home games and scored just 7 goals during that run, while the Canaries have taken 7 points from seven away games, a run over which they conceded a worrying 18 goals. This bottom-of-the-table clash could go anywhere, but don’t be surprised if JWP finds some FPL returns for the 1.8% of FPL managers who own him in the process.

Our second differential pick and final fantasy pick overall is Chelsea’s Willian (£7.1m). The Blues suffered a disheartening home defeat against West Ham in gameweek 14, but their 66% of possession and 19 attempts on goal (6 of which hit the target) should give them something to hold onto. Last weekend, Willian was somewhat surprisingly omitted from the starting eleven for a Premier League game for the first time since gameweek 5. This probably has to do with the cramped upcoming schedule and the availability of other players who deserve playing time, so we expect the Brazilian winger to return against Aston Villa this Wednesday. His 2 goals and 3 assists are somewhat underwhelming for Willian, but so is his current ownership (2.9%), especially when considering he is a starter and a principal set-piece taker for a team that knows how to find the goal. The likes of Mount, Abraham and Pulisic have overshadowed the Brazilian so far, and perhaps deservedly so when looking at their current tallies, making him a differential to seriously consider against Villa.

For further GW15 transfer ideas look at this fiso FPL forum topic.

Looking at the latest FPL GW Transfers In/out Stats:

Attackers – Managers are mainly selling Abraham (325,000 sold but he could play in GW15) & Aguero (injured) and buying Jimenez ( ownership now 23%), Mousset (5.5%), Vardy (46%), and Ings (8%).

Midfielders – Mount is the big seller then Martial, James & Salah and the money instead is being used on buying Alli (only 3.6% ownership), Zaha, Son, Cantwell & KDB.

Defenders – Digne, AWB & Pieters are being sold (but low numbers) with the proceeds then spent on Lundstram, Soyuncu, TAA & VVD (who had been sold a lot recently).

Goalkeepers – After his red card, Alisson tops the sold list (but it’s just a 1 game ban) next to Pope. Henderson & Schmeichel top the most bought.

The captaincy

After his brace at Carrow Road, which followed his assist in gameweek 13 and his goal in gameweek 11, we feel Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be a good option for the captain’s armband. With Arsenal being who they are, the result against Southampton at the Emirates is far from certain, but PEA seems to be on the way back to some good form again. A third return in three gameweeks could well be on the way for the differential pick amongst the premium assets in FPL.

The FISO Forum Captain poll for GW15 puts the armband firmly on Vardy.

Finally if you like FPL but want to have a go at a weekly Fantasy Premier League type competition for prizes then have a look at FanTeam’s 50,000 euro weekly monster. There are freerolls for new entrants if registered within the last 8 weeks. There’s also a free chance to win an entry into a comp over two gameweeks where the top prize is a guaranteed 30,000 euros.