The Hype Train

FPL FORECAST 2016/17: Gameweek 15

Each and every week the three members of The Hype Team post their Premier League and FPL predictions in an attempt to enlighten players that might be stuck with their FPL choices and transfers. In addition, we’ll be taking on a guest for every Gameweek in the PL. On the weekly agenda are a general predictions category, a Gameweek Fantasy Premier League forecast, scout picks, and captaincy choices. For the upcoming weekend of the season, we welcome @FPLMaestro as our 15th guest. All aboard.

Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 15 Deadline

For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page.

In a change from last season, the early Saturday kick off time has now been moved back to 12:30am, meaning the weekly FPL deadline will also be moving 15 minutes back.

The transfer deadline for GW15 is Saturday 10th December at 11:30am.

How does our Forecasting work?

We have taken to our Hype Team, and the FPL Community, to compete in a weekly head to head dual of wits. We are asking the questions that dominate each week in the Fantasy Premier League: who to pick, who to avoid, who to captain, and who may surprise. The 3 members of the Hype Team, and a Guest, will provide weekly insight for the Gameweek ahead. For the sake of the first edition of the Forecast, we have provided an example of what we're sending out to interest parties.

Premier League Fixture Prediction: As pundits, we are testing our football acumen with PL predictions (Mark Lawrenson style, only less biased, hopefully) and will be providing regular updated tables and stats in each edition of the FPL Forecast.A perfect score is worth 3 points whilst a correct result is worth 1 point.
FPL Gameweek Forecasting: Answering the regular questions that come up every single week in the Fantasy Premier League community that helps with identifying captaincy picks, transfers, attacking options, clean sheet potential, teams to look our for and avoid, the wildcard differential players, and general analysis and comments.
Scout Picks: Picking a squad of 15 for a single Gameweek, using the rules of the FPL - formations, captains and vice captains, and the player limits of 3 per club (chips will not be feature of these weekly picks)
Each team must pick a Captain, labelled as (c) and a Vice Captain listed as (vc).

Fixture Prediction: 2016/17 Points Table

In our predictions a perfect score is 3 points, and predicting the right outcome is worth 1 point (aka if a team wins but, you predict it, but don't get the perfect score). Below is the Gameweek and overall rundown of our Premier League predictions series for the season.

Sam Austin (@TheHypeTrainSam): 12 (1), 7 (2), 8 (3), 7 (4), 11 (5), 7 (6), 9 (7), 3 (8), 5 (9), 8 (10), 4 (11), 3 (12), 9 (13), 5 (14) = 98 total

Phil Jones (@TheHypeTrainPJ): 7 (1), 7 (2), 9 (3), 6 (4), 9 (5), 5 (6), 5 (7), 5 (8), 7 (9), 10 (10), 2 (11), 9 (12), 13 (13), 9 (14) = 104 total

Robert Austin (@TheHypeTrainRob): 10 (1), 6 (2), 8 (3), 5 (4), 6 (5), 4 (6), 9 (7), 4 (8), 3 (9), 2 (11), 5 (12), 7 (13), 8 (14) = 85 total

Special Guests: 2 (1), 8 (2), 8 (3), 7 (4), 7 (5), 5 (6), 3 (7), 9 (8), 6 (9), 4 (10), 3 (11), 5 (12), 13 (13), 3 (14) = 83 total

Special Guests

GW1 - @FPLAid: 2pts (0 perfect scores, 2 correct results, 8 wrong)

GW2 - @AUSFPL: 8pts (2 perfect scores, 0 correct results, 6 wrong)

GW3 - @jamieFPL from @fplbet: 8pts (0 perfect scores, 8 correct results, 2 wrong)

GW4 - @FPLFanatix: 7pts (1 perfect score, 4 correct results, 5 wrong)

GW5 - @FPL_Intellect: 7pts (0 perfect scores, 7 correct results, 3 wrong)

GW6 - @insiderFPL: 5pts (0 perfect scores, 5 correct results, 5 wrong)

GW7 - @FPLJesus: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)

GW8 - @FPLHints: 9pts (1 perfect score, 6 correct results, 3 wrong)

GW9 - @FPL_Fly: 6pts (1 perfect score, 3 correct results, 6 wrong)

GW10 - @FPLassist: 4pts (0 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 6 wrong)

GW11 - @FPLGeneral: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)

GW12 - @_FPLtips: 5pts (0 perfect scores, 5 correct results, 5 wrong)

GW13 - @FPLSWOT: 13pts (3 perfect scores, 4 correct results, 3 wrong)

GW14 - @CalledItFPL: 3pts (0 perfect scores, 3 correct results, 7 wrong)

Individual Gameweek Predictions

GW1: Sam (12), Phil (7), Rob (10), @FPLAid (2)

GW2: Sam (7), Phil (7), Rob (6), @AUSFPL (8)

GW3: Sam (8), Phil (9), Rob (8), @jamieFPL from @fplbet (8)

GW4 - Sam (7), Phil (6), Rob (5), @FPLFanatix (7)

GW5 - Sam (11), Phil (9), Rob (6), @FPL_Intellect (7)

GW6 - Sam (7), Phil (5), Rob (4), @insiderFPL (5)

GW7 - Sam (9), Phil (5), Rob (9), @FPLJesus (3)

GW8 - Sam (3), Phil (5), Rob (4), @FPLHints (9)

GW9 - Sam (5), Phil (7), Rob (3), @FPL_Fly (6)

GW10 - Sam (8), Phil (10), Rob (8), @FPLassist (4)

GW11 - Sam (4), Phil (2), Rob (2), @FPLGeneral (3)

GW12 - Sam (3), Phil (9), Rob (5), @_FPLtips (5)

GW13 - Sam (9), Phil (13), Rob (7), @FPLSWOT (13)

GW14 - Sam (5), Phil (9), Rob (8), @FPLSWOT (3)

FPL Scout Picks: 2016/17 Points Table

Picking a squad of 15 for a single Gameweek, using the rules of the FPL - formations, captains and vice captains, and the player limits of 3 per club (chips will not be feature of these weekly picks). Below is the Gameweek and overall rundown of our Premier League predictions series for the season.

Sam Austin (@TheHypeTrainSam): 60 (1), 37 (2), 48 (3), 67 (4), 82 (5), 47 (6), 76 (7), 37 (8), 51 (9), 73 (10), 95 (11), 66 (12), 50 (13), 91 (14) = 880 total

Phil Jones (@TheHypeTrainPJ): 52 (1), 47 (2), 55 (3), 61 (4), 66 (5), 28 (6), 76 (7), 41 (8), 49 (9), 75 (10), 68 (11), 46 (12), 68 (13), 66 (14) = 798 total

Robert Austin (@TheHypeTrainRob): 53 (1), 52 (2), 53 (3), 50 (4), 102 (5), 66 (6), 53 (7), 56 (8), 50 (9), 86 (10), 70 (11), 60 (12), 63 (13), 92 (14) = 906 total

Special Guests: 50 (1), 78 (2), 61 (3), 64 (4), 85 (5), 61 (6), 50 (7), 38 (8), 48 (9), 66 (10), 70 (11), 60 (12), 53 (13), 101 (14) = 885 total

Scout Picks: Special Guests

GW1 - @FPLAid: 50pts (Captain Aguero, 18pts)

GW2 - @AUSFPL: 78pts (Captain Aguero, 26pts)

GW3 - @jamieFPL from @fplbet: 61pts (Captain Aguero, 4pts)

GW4 - @FPLFanatix: 64pts (Captain Hazard, 2pts)

GW5 - @FPL_Intellect: 85pts (Captain Lukaku, 24pts)

GW6 - @insiderFPL: 61pts (Captain Aguero, 26pts)

GW7 - @FPLJesus: 50pts (Captain Lukaku, 16pts)

GW8 - @FPLHints: 38pts (Captain Aguero, -2pts)

GW9 - @FPL_Fly: 48pts (Captain Ozil, 6pts)

GW10 - @FPLassist: 66pts (Captain Lukaku, 24pts)

GW11 - @FPLGeneral: 70pts (Captain Aguero, 12pts)

GW12 - @_FPLtips: 60pts (Captain Aguero, 4pts)

GW13 - @FPLSWOT: 53pts (Captain Firmino, 6pts)

GW14 - @CalledItFPL: 101pts (Captain Kane, 26pts)

Individual Gameweek Scout Picks

GW1: Sam (60), Phil (52), Rob (53), @FPLAid (50)

GW2: Sam (37), Phil (47), Rob (52), @AUSFPL (78)

GW3: Sam (48), Phil (55), Rob (53), @jamieFPL from @fplbet (61)

GW4 - Sam (67), Phil (61), Rob (50), @FPLFanatix (64)

GW5 - Sam (82), Phil (66), Rob (102), @FPL_Intellect (85)

GW6 - Sam (47), Phil (28), Rob (66), @insiderFPL (61)

GW7 - Sam (76), Phil (76), Rob (53), @FPLJesus (50)

GW8 - Sam (37), Phil (41), Rob (56), @FPLHints (38)

GW9 - Sam (51), Phil (49), Rob (50), @FPL_Fly (48)

GW10 - Sam (73), Phil (75), Rob (86), @FPLassist (66)

GW11 - Sam (95), Phil (68), Rob (70), @FPLGeneral (70)

GW12 - Sam (66), Phil (46), Rob (61), @_FPLtips (60)

GW13 - Sam (50), Phil (68), Rob (63), @FPLSWOT (53)

GW14 - Sam (91), Phil (66), Rob (92), @FPLSWOT (101)

Sam Austin (Face Facts)

Twitter: @TheHypeTrainSam

Favourite PL Club: Liverpool

About: Sam is the Hype Train’s Chief Writer, and Weekly Wildcards specialist, delving into the depths of FPL possibility each and every week.

Gameweek 15 Fixture Prediction

Watford 1-1 Everton

Arsenal 3-0 Stoke

Burnley 1-2 Bournemouth

Hull 0-2 Crystal Palace

Swansea 2-2 Sunderland

Leicester 1-2 Man City

Chelsea 4-0 West Brom

Man United 0-1 Spurs

Southampton 1-0 Middlesbrough

Liverpool 5-1 West Ham

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15

Best GW Attacking Options:

Arsenal (H) vs Stoke

Chelsea (H) vs West Brom

Liverpool (H) vs West Ham

Crystal Palace (a) vs Hull

Swansea (H) vs Sunderland

Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:

Arsenal (H) vs Stoke

Chelsea (H) vs West Brom

Southampton (H) vs Middlesbrough

Liverpool (H) vs West Ham

Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:

IN: Divock Origi, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Marcos Alonso, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Jermain Defoe, Christian Benteke.

OUT: Sergio Aguero, Yannick Bolasie, Charlie Austin, Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Negredo, Christian Fuchs (sad face), Michail Antonio.

Who is the team to look out for?:

Chelsea: Do I really have to justify this obvious pick?

Arsenal: Demolished West Ham last week, and now Stoke visit the Emirates. Can’t see another result from this fixture except Mark Hughes admitting Arsenal have too much quality over them.

Manchester City: Leicester are on a downslide, not so much that Manchester City are any good, just that the Foxes are struggling for any kind of form in the Premier League.

Liverpool: Surely, they should bounce back at Anfield which has become a fortress for them, and they face a team who have one of, if not, the worst defences in the league…a truly ironic statement considering that fact is Liverpool, and I am a supporter of theirs.

Swansea: Luck was not on the welsh side last weekend. Starting with a Dele Alli dive that lead to the first Spurs goal and ending in a complete collapse in concentration. The Icelandic magician will look to turn their fortunes around against a leaky Sunderland outfit. This one could be high scoring at both ends.

Who is the team to avoid?:

Hull: Currently on course to get relegated, avoid at all costs.

Sunderland: Everyone expects Sunderland to be the dominant force but the last time Swansea played at the Liberty Stadium they scored five to beat Crystal Palace.

Man United: Arguably the ‘best’ inconsistent team in the Premier League, they have literally slotted comfortably into the role that Liverpool played last season of a once dominant force that struggled to manage the burden of both domestic and European competitions.

West Ham: I have already mentioned their poor defence, of which could be in line for another terrible game of football. The last place Bilic wants to take his team is Anfield after seeing Arsenal obliterate them at the London Stadium.

GW Differential Picks:

Divock Origi: Officially Liverpool’s number one striker and after scoring some incredible goals in his last three appearances for the Reds they face a cracking West Ham side who have struggled keeping the opposition away from goal. Defending is the problem for Liverpool, not attack.

Gylfi Sigurdsson: I am a huge fan of Gylfi’s after some terrific performances in my weekly wildcard picks *hint hint* that have set him apart from the rest. Wherever there is a goal for the Swans you don’t even need to guess that Sigurdsson was involved somehow, a real one man show and Bob Bradley’s best chance of surviving in his first season.

FPL Captaincy Pick:

(C) Diego Costa: I’ve had Diego in my FPL team since gameweek one and I have had my faith rewarded. Now, fifteen weeks later he is the only player who I dare not drop and against West Brom I am expecting even more returns from my player of the season so far.

(VC) Alexis Sanchez: How can you not include him in your captaincy considerations after brutalising West Ham last weekend?

FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 15

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: Petr Cech

DEF: Marcos Alonso

DEF: Nathaniel Clyne

DEF: Laurent Koscielny

MID: Eden Hazard

MID: Alexis Sanchez (VC)

MID: Gylfi Sigurdsson

MID: Sadio Mane

FOR: Diego Costa (C)

FOR: Harry Kane

FOR: Divock Origi

Substitutes

GK: Fraser Forster

MID: Wilfried Zaha

DEF: Nathan Ake

DEF: James Tomkins

Phil Jones (SweatyMongoose FC)

Twitter: @TheHypeTrainPJ

Favourite PL Club: Chelsea

About: Phil is our Transfer and general FPL expert, and is mini-league Champion between the Hype Team.

Gameweek 15 Fixture Prediction

Watford 1-2 Everton

Arsenal 3-0 Stoke

Burnley 1-1 Bournemouth

Hull 1-3 Crystal Palace

Swansea 3-3 Sunderland

Leicester 1-2 Man City

Chelsea 2-0 West Brom

Man United 1-3 Spurs

Southampton 2-0 Middlesbrough

Liverpool 3-2 West Ham

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15

Best GW Attacking Options:

Arsenal (H) vs Stoke

Chelsea (H) vs West Brom

Spurs (a) vs Man United

Crystal Palace (a) vs Hull

Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:

Arsenal (H) vs Stoke

Chelsea (H) vs West Brom

Southampton (H) vs Middlesbrough

Bournemouth (a) vs Burnley

Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:

IN: Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Harry Kane, Christan Eriksen, Heung-Min Son, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jermain Defoe, Christan Benteke.

OUT: Sergio Aguero, John Stones, Yannick Bolasie, Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Negredo, Any players from Leicester, Burnley or Hull.

Who is the team to look out for?:

Avoiding the obvious ‘Big 5’ (Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Spurs, Liverpool)

Sunderland: This game could turn into a basketball score if defensive performances are anything to go by. Jermain Defoe and Sigurdsson owners prepare for a goal fest.

West Ham: Assuming Liverpool continue without a recognised defensive unit I can see West Ham snatching something here. The combination of Payet set pieces and Carroll in the box is a delicious prospect. Can Lucas really defend against that?

Who is the team to avoid?:

Hull: Without doubt the worst team in the league.

Man United: Unable to Win games and unable to keep clean sheets. Even the resurgence of Zlatan isn’t enough to compete with Spurs.

GW Differential Picks:

Scott Dann: His aerial talent in the box from set pieces is unrivalled in the premier league.

Andy Carroll: A return from injury with a customary headed goal against Arsenal. Facing one of his many former employers this week in Liverpool. With two midfielders playing in a back four, the struggle is real.

FPL Captaincy Pick:

There are a number of first class options this week (Kane, Costa, Sanchez, Hazard, Mane.) and it’s not often that all of the big names perform in a single gameweek. A mistake here could result in a major rankings decline and a mammoth task to save your mini league chances. Here are my picks for the week. (Pick your captain based on these words at your own risk).

(C) Harry Kane - A brace against lowly Swansea is nothing to shout about, especially as one goal was a penalty. But the performance throughout that game was outstanding. A Sunday afternoon fixture versus a dire United side more focused on its own implosion than anything else present a perfect opportunity.

(VC) Alexis Sanchez - The most transferred in player of the week is hard to ignore following a hat trick and assist in his last fixture. I have a feeling he will be the favourite pick for the week.

For more on Phil's opinions and insight this week, our SweatyMongoose had a big hand to play in the ordering of our latest Power Rankings article.

FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 15

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: Petr Cech

DEF: David Luiz

DEF: Virgil Van Dijk

DEF: Laurent Koscielny

MID: Eden Hazard

MID: Alexis Sanchez (VC)

MID: Gylfi Sigurdsson

MID: Kevin De Bruyne

FOR: Diego Costa

FOR: Harry Kane (C)

FOR: Jermain Defoe

Substitutes

GK: Fraser Forster

MID: Dimitri Payet

DEF: Scott Dann

DEF: Patrick Van Aanholt

Robert Austin (Pownage FC)

Twitter: @TheHypeTrainRob

Favourite PL Club: Arsenal

About: Robbo is the Hype Train owner that provides a wealth of Graphical Aid for all THT social platforms.

Gameweek 15 Fixture Prediction

Watford 1-1 Everton

Arsenal 3-0 Stoke

Burnley 0-1 Bournemouth

Hull 0-2 Crystal Palace

Swansea 2-1 Sunderland

Leicester 1-3 Man City

Chelsea 3-0 West Brom

Man United 1-2 Spurs

Southampton 1-0 Middlesbrough

Liverpool 4-0 West Ham

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15

Best GW Attacking Options:

Arsenal (H) vs. Stoke

Man City (A) vs. Leicester

Chelsea (H) vs. West Brom

Crystal Palace (A) vs. Hull

Liverpool (H) vs. West Ham

Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:

Arsenal (H) vs. Stoke

Chelsea (H) vs. West Brom

Crystal Palace (A) vs. Hull

Liverpool (H) vs. West Ham

Southampton (H) vs. Middlesbrough

Bournemouth (A) vs. Burnley

Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:

IN: Iheanacho, Origi, Ibrahimovic, The Hurrikane, Alli, Eriksen, Son, Darmian, De Bruyne

OUT: Lukaku, Holebas, West Ham players, Snodgrass, Pedro, Walcott, Negredo

Who are the teams to look out for?:

Crystal Palace - Hull are just terrible. Palace are off the back of a comfortable win against Southampton. Should make for a comfortable afternoon for Palace if they prepare right.

Man City - City should have finished off Chelsea, but failed to do so. Aguero's absence really isn't vital to the teams attacking potential. Kelechi and KDB should do the business in the Argentine's deserving absence.

Spurs - Man United still haven't got their act in order and could punish Man United. Kane, Son, Eriksen, and Alli, are all on a purple patch of form.

Who are the teams to avoid?:

Burnley - Bournemouth are just as organised, and have that killer instinct in front of goal. Burnley might get pipped at home again by the smallest of margins.

West Ham - I'm touting West Ham for the drop at the end of the season, and I think they'll get destroyed at Anfield. Their full backs will be targeted by Mane and Firmino.

Everton - Watford can defend and Everton seem incapable of attacking. Both teams should cancel each other out. Lukaku's days are numbered (for now).

GW Differential Picks:

Divock Origi (Liverpool) - Origi's got 2 goals from his last 2 games and is an assured starter against West Ham. It could be another big day for the Reds at Anfield, and I expect Origi to profit.

Scott Dann (Crystal Palace) - Palace potentially have the easiest clean sheet of the season on the horizon. Dann's also an attacking talent and could find himself a goal.

Cedric Soares (Southampton) - Middlesbrough visiting St Mary's should offer the potential for a clean sheet. Virgil's the obvious pick, but Cedric's been the entertainer in the back four.

FPL Captaincy Pick:

(C) Alexis Sanchez - It's the obvious pick for the weekend, Alexis is on great form with 5 goals from his last 2 games. Against Stoke at home it should be more of the same.

(VC) Sadio Mane - Mane's now the main man at Liverpool and I expect him to continue his good home form. If Mane plays on the right against Álvaro Arbeloa or Arthur Masuaku it could be complete destruction.

Other Gameweek Comments:

It should be a routine weekend for some of the 'big boys', who all have easier fixtures at the same time, Spurs included. I also rate Palace to keep their second straight clean sheet on the spin at Hull.

FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 15

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: Loris Karius

DEF: Marcos Alonso

DEF: Virgil van Dijk

DEF: Lauren Koscielny

MID: Sadio Mane (VC)

MID: Eden Hazard

MID: Alexis Sanchez (C)

MID: Kevin De Bruyne

FOR: Diego Costa

FOR: Divock Origi

FOR: Christian Benteke

Substitutes

GK: Wayne Hennessey

MID: Theo Walcott

DEF: Cedric Soares

DEF: Adam Smith

Special Guest (@FPLMaestro)

Twitter: @FPLMaestro

Favourite PL Club: Manchester United

Who does Maestro think will win the Premier League?: Chelsea

Gameweek 15 Fixture Prediction

Watford 1-2 Everton

Arsenal 3-1 Stoke

Burnley 1-1 Bournemouth

Hull 0-1 Crystal Palace

Swansea 1-0 Sunderland

Leicester 2-2 Man City

Chelsea 4-1 West Brom

Man United 2-2 Spurs

Southampton 2-0 Middlesbrough

Liverpool 3-1 West Ham

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15

Best GW Attacking Options:

Hazard or Costa!

Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:

Chelsea! Maybe Arsenal, Southampton or Liverpool.

Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:

Get Aguero out NOW!!! Also, get Diego Costa in ASAP. If you don’t have Sanchez, get him.

Who is the team to look out for?:

Chelsea!!! Arsenal and Liverpool also have good fixtures.

Who is the team to avoid?:

West Ham and Leicester.

GW Differential Picks:

Have a gut feeling about Lukaku! De Bruyne is also a good shout, no Aguero in the picture makes him the main man.

FPL Captaincy Pick:

(vc) - COSTA!

Other Gameweek Comments:

Don’t over think it. Go with your gut!

FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 15

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: Petr Cech

DEF: David Luiz

DEF: Virgil van Dijk

DEF: Nathaniel Clyne

MID: Roberto Firmino

MID: Eden Hazard (c)

MID: Alexis Sanchez

MID: Kevin De Bruyne

FOR: Diego Costa (vc)

FOR: Harry Kane

FOR: Romelu Lukaku

Substitutes

GK: Loris Karius

MID: Theo Walcott

DEF: Dejan Lovren

DEF: Scott Dann

Want to know more about The Hype Train?

The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015 specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, television, live music, festivals, and any relevant topic in the public eye.

You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk

All aboard.