After a midweek round of fixtures that threw up some surprising and dramatic results the Premier League is back on Saturday with the latest installments in this thrilling season.
Fantasy Premier League managers will need to decide whether to stick with old favourites dipping in form (Erling Haaland) or take the risk on some of the current overachievers in the division (Hwang Hee-Chan).
With the season nearing the halfway point, it may be time to reconsider what are the best options to pick up points and how that can play into any strategies for the second half of the season.
Here are five players we think could impress in gameweek 16 with managers needing to decide when and how to utilise their transfers and whether to play any wildcards still available.
Hwang Hee-Chan, Wolves (5.7)
The Wolves midfielder was one of our picks ahead of the midweek games and if you brought him in you were rewarded with a sweet 10 points for his match winning goal against Burnley. Of the 15 weeks currently played in the Fantasy Premier League, Hwang Hee-Chan has blanked on just five. That means he’s adding points on two-thirds of his outings and is a sign that his form is not just a flash in the pan.
Gary O’Neil is getting the best out of the South Korean winger who seems to have developed a fine-tuned partnership with Matheus Cunha up top. Wolves’ next two matches, against Nottingham Forest and Burnley, are positive and Hee-Chan could cement his place in many FPL midfields. He’s already gone up in price though so select him now before his value increases any further.
Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United (4.7)
Manchester United’s teenage winger has ousted Marcus Rashford as Erik ten Hag’s first choice pick on the left wing. He has started the last five gameweeks adding a goal and an assist to his tally.
Those numbers aren’t fantastic on their own but he’s a cheap option allowing for more expensive players elsewhere (see our next pick) and his 14 shots and 13 shots in the box are both team leading totals in that period.
He has also created nine chances ranking him second among Man Utd players and Garnacho’s potential for goals and assists is worth noting, especially with a trip to Bournemouth on the cards.
Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead goal against Chelsea is a sign of his potential— (EPA)
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool (8.0)
The most expensive of this week’s picks, Trent Alexander-Arnold is an absolute must buy at present. He’s accummulated 40 points in his last four outings and is being utilised as a forward thinking midfielder, as well as an overlapping full-back, in Liverpool’s starting XI.
Two goals and two assists in his last three matches proves how Jurgen Klopp is urging him into more aggressive positions and on top of that there is the potential bonus of clean sheets. Liverpool face Crystal Palace on Saturday, who have been a little goal shy of late, then Manchester United at Anfield the week after. Both are potential shut outs for the Reds.
Dwight McNeil, Everton (5.4)
Everton’s most recent midfield maestro is an option based purely on form and hoping to catch him on the backend of a purple patch. McNeil has two goals and an assist from his last two matches, notching up 22 points - three of which were bonuses - in an attempt to drive the Toffees away from the relegation zone.
Perhaps spurred on by their, seemingly unfair, 10-point deduction Everton have won their last two matches including the impressive 3-0 victory over Newcastle on Thursday. McNeil has been the driving force behind that success and with Sean Dyche’s men catching Chelsea on a downward spiral this Sunday they could pull off another shock victory ahead of a more favourable clash against Burnley in gameweek 17.
Everton’s Dwight McNeil is arguably the most in-form FPL player at present with two goals and an assist in his last two outings— (AP)
Ethan Pinnock, Brentford (4.6)
On paper Pinnock’s inclusion in this list is a strange one. He is the most central defender in Brentford’s back line and has returned just one goal and three clean sheets from the Bees’ 15 matches so far. He’s here due to his consistent playing time, Pinnock has played every minute of Brentford’s season so far, and the fact that Thomas Frank’s men travel to Bramall Lane on Saturday.
With Sheffield United still finding their feet under Chris Wilder, the Bees should be able to keep them at bay and record a fourth shout out of the year. At just £4.6m Pinnock is a cheap alternative in defence and may just tip the balance of the gameweek in your favour.
