FANTASY FORECAST 2017/18: FPL Gameweek 4
Ahead of each Gameweek in the Fantasy Premier League the Hype Train invites a special guest onto its Fantasy Forecast, where the three members of the Hype Team and its Guests will duel for FPL supremacy in predicting Premier League scores, as well as going head to head in picking a Scout Picks squad for the relevant Gameweek. In addition, we give our insight into who are the players to watch and those to drop, both for traditional FPL leagues and the Draft mode, as well as providing insight into captaincy picks, differentials for the week, and more. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 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.
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 respecting the rules of the Forecast, we have provided an example of what we're sending out to interested parties.
Premier League Fixture Prediction: As pundits, we are testing our football acumen with PL predictions 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, players to consider for the Draft game, the wildcard differential players, as well as general analysis and comments.
Scout Picks: Picking a squad of 15 for a single Gameweek, without any budget, 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: 2017/18 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 (@HypeTrainSam): 6 (1), 4 (2), 8 (3) = 18pts
Phil Jones (@HypeTrainPhil): 10 (1), 5 (2), 6 (3) = 21pts
Robert Austin (@HypeTrainRob): 4 (1), 5 (2), 8 (3) = 17pts
Special Guests: 4 (1), 4 (2), 7 (3) = 15pts
Special Guests
GW1 - @FPLConnect: 4 points (0 perfect, 4 correct, 6 wrong)
GW2 - @FPLsleuth: 4 points (0 perfect, 4 correct, 6 wrong)
GW3 - @FPLBraveheart: 6 points (1 perfect, 3 correct, 6 wrong)
Individual Gameweek Predictions
GW1: Sam (6), Phil (10), Rob (4), @FPL_Connect (4)
GW2: Sam (4), Phil (5), Rob (5), @FPLsleuth (4)
GW3: Sam (8), Phil (6), Rob, (8), @FPLBraveheart (7)
FPL Scout Picks: 2017/18 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 (@HypeTrainSam): 82 (1), 61 (2) = 143pts
Phil Jones (@HypeTrainPhil): 81 (1), 57 (2) = 138pts
Robert Austin (@HypeTrainRob): 67 (1), 43 (2) = 110pts
Special Guests: 54 (1), 45 (2) = 99pts
Special Guests
GW1 - @FPL_Connect: 54 points (Captain Kane, 2pts)
GW2 - @FPLsleuth: 45 points (Captain Lukaku, 12pts)
GW3 - @FPLBraveheart: 41 points (Captain Kane, 4pts)
Individual Gameweek Scout Picks
GW1: Sam (82), Phil (81), Rob (67), @FPL_Connect (54)
GW2: Sam (61), Phil (57), Rob (43), @FPLsleuth (45)
GW3: Sam (58), Phil (38), Rob, (48), @FPLBraveheart (41)
Fixture Prediction: Gameweek 4
Man City 1-3 Liverpool
Arsenal 2-1 Bournemouth
Brighton 0-1 West Brom
Everton 1-1 Spurs
Leicester 0-2 Chelsea
Southampton 1-1 Watford
Stoke 0-2 Man United
Burnley 2-0 Crystal Palace
Swansea 1-1 Newcastle
West Ham 1-2 Huddersfield
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 4
Best GW Attacking Options:
Liverpool (a) vs. Man City
Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester
Man United (a) vs. Stoke
Burnley (H) vs. Crystal Palace
Huddersfield (a) vs. West Ham
Arsenal (H) vs. Bournemouth
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
West Brom (a) vs. Brighton
Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester
Man United (a) vs. Stoke
Burnley (H) vs. Crystal Palace
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
IN: Alvaro Morata, Tom Heaton, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Eric Bailly
OUT: Joe Hart, Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany (any Man City defender)
Who are the players that might make the difference this Gameweek in the Draft?:
Liverpool midfielders.
Man United defenders.
Chelsea midfielders
Swansea attackers.
West Brom Defenders.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
Liverpool: Salah, Mane, Firmino.
Chelsea: Hazard is coming back, Morata and Alonso is in form, so you expect them to continue their newfound form.
Burnley: Crystal Palace who travel to Turf Moor are in terrible form, and Burnley are yet to hit the ground running, and after hitting a body blow against Spurs in the final minute at Wembley with the help of new signing Chris Wood, I expect the Clarets to dominate.
Who are the teams to avoid?:
Spurs: After having two disappointing results the North London club must come to terms with going to a defence bolstered by Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford. In recent years drab draws have been played out at Goodison, and in this affair, I fancy Everton to really grind out their most convincing non-display so far this season.
West Ham: I have a personal bet with one of the two West Ham fans I know that The Hammers would be in the relegation zone at the end of Gameweek 10, and so far I’m confident of winning it. West Ham have the league’s worst defence, Huddersfield have one of the best, and with Aaron Mooy dictating their play I expect to be walking into work on Monday morning saying ‘four down, six more to go’.
Man City: The Citizens record against the Reds in recent years has been terrible, and with Liverpool in free scoring form I expect the Man City defence to be quivering in fear all game.
GW Differential Picks:
I write the weekly differentials so I will point you in that direction, but I favour the likes of Steve Mounie of Huddersfield, Tammy Abraham of Swansea, and Chelsea’s victor Moses.
FPL Captaincy Picks:
(C) Roberto Firmino: The Brazilian maestro run the show against Arsenal, picking up a goal and assist, and I believe with Man City’s wobbly defence it will be another goal fest for the Reds. Coutinho is also to come back, so it means service to Firmino could be unrelenting with Salah and Mane providing pace down the flanks.
(VC): Romelu Lukaku: Missing the penalty against Leicester caused me fantasy heartache last week which is why he is relegated to my vice captaincy pick, and with Jack Butland in goal for the Potters there isn’t any guarantees.
Other Gameweek Comments:
I wish the best of luck to all the players who played their wildcard, god have mercy on your teams.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 4
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Tom Heaton
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: Eric Bailly
DEF: Maya Yoshida
MID: Sadio Mane
MID: Dele Alli
MID: Alexis Sanchez
MID: Mohamed Salah
FOR: Roberto Firmino (C)
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (VC)
FOR: Alvaro Morata
Substitutes
GK: Ben Foster
MID: Aaron Mooy
DEF: Mathias Jorgenson
DEF: Victor Moses
Fixture Prediction: Gameweek 4 Man City 1-3 Liverpool Arsenal 3-1 Bournemouth Brighton 0-1 West Brom Everton 1-2 Spurs Leicester 0-2 Chelsea Southampton 1-0 Watford Stoke 0-3 Man United Burnley 2-1 Crystal Palace Swansea 2-0 Newcastle West Ham 1-3 Huddersfield
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 4
Best GW Attacking Options: Liverpool (a) vs. Man City Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester Man United (a) vs. Stoke Huddersfield (a) vs. West Ham
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential: West Brom (a) vs. Brighton Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester Man United (a) vs. Stoke Southampton (H) vs Watford
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?: IN: Alvaro Morata, Mane, Firmino, Marcos Alonso OUT: Joe Hart, Kevin De Bruyne, Jesus
Who are the players that might make the difference this Gameweek in the Draft?: This week I’ve had a look into the Deadline Day signings that have just entered the draft game. These two look the most promising.
Draft Star Pick: Wilfried Bony: Back for a second stint with the Swans where he made a name for himself originally. Yet to see if he will lockdown a starting role straight away but he has the talent to be a 10-15 goal player in a bottom half club. If he plays I expect the old Bony to return.
Serge Aurier: A big name wing back that wasn’t signed by City is something of a novelty. A very offensive minded defender that often looks to play a cross. Will he jump the queue in front of Trippier? I think so yes.
Who are the teams to look out for?: Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea.
Also..
West Brom, Southampton, Burnley, Swansea, Huddersfield.
Who are the teams to avoid?: Man City, Everton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.
GW Differential Picks:
Bony, Mounie and Wijnaldum
FPL Captaincy Picks: (C) Harry Kane: It's no longer August and his underlying stats are incredible. Almost Ronaldo/Messi esque. If he doesn’t start putting points on the board his stock will plummet. Pretty sure I’m in for the long haul with him.
(VC): Romelu Lukaku: missed a penalty last week but he’s in the best attacking team in the league currently. Not expecting outstanding returns but a consistency is there that cannot be overlooked.
Other Gameweek Comments:
Keep an eye on Chelsea and Arsenal this week. The returns of Hazard and Sanchez could could improve other players stock as well as their own. (Morata and Lacazette in particular)
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 4 Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Lukasz Fabianski
DEF: Marcos Alonso DEF: Eric Bailly DEF: Maya Yoshida
MID: Sadio Mane MID: Dele Alli MID: Alexis Sanchez MID: Mohamed Salah
FOR: Harry Kane (C) FOR: Romelu Lukaku (VC) FOR: Alvaro Morata
Substitutes
GK: Ben Foster MID: Aaron Mooy DEF: Cedric Soares DEF: Victor Moses
Fixture Prediction: Gameweek 4
Man City 1-2 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth
Brighton 0-1 West Brom
Everton 1-1 Spurs
Leicester 0-3 Chelsea
Southampton 2-1 Watford
Stoke 0-2 Man United
Burnley 2-0 Crystal Palace
Swansea 2-1 Newcastle
West Ham 1-3 Huddersfield
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 4
Best GW Attacking Options:
Liverpool (a) vs. Man City
Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester
Man United (a) vs. Stoke
Burnley (H) vs. Crystal Palace
Huddersfield (a) vs. West Ham
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
West Brom (a) vs. Brighton
Chelsea (a) vs. Leicester
Man United (a) vs. Stoke
Burnley (H) vs. Crystal Palace
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
IN: Morata, Mane, Salah, one of Pogba or Mkhitaryan, Jonas Lossl, Ben Foster (in case Hegazi doesn’t play and you need WBA defensive coverage), and Spurs defenders who have a good run of fixtures after the Everton game.
OUT: Anyone that plays for Arsenal and Man City. They’re already proving to be nightmares for FPL players this season.
Who are the players that might make the difference this Gameweek in the Draft?:
The new deadline day transfers might catch some traction. Spurs’s new addition Serge Aurier might be a popular choice.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
Liverpool: Goals, goals, goals, goals, goals. Salah, Firmino, Mane… Coutinho?
Huddersfield: They’ve got results from 3 games. West Ham have lost 3 games. Huddersfield are yet to concede. West Ham love to concede.
Chelsea: Their players are back on track, and Hazard’s back which is a big plus. They beat Leicester 3-0 away from home last season. More of the same?
Who are the teams to avoid?:
Arsenal: I think they might lose to Bournemouth this weekend, even with Sanchez back playing. Players should avoid all Arsenal players.
West Ham: Huddersfield should win this match based off the form, regardless of the fixture being played at the London Stadium. West Ham have been shambolic this season, with the Terriers looking to prey on the London club’s obvious weaknesses.
Man City: Rotation is everywhere, yet again. Pep will let FPL players down this season, and against Liverpool, they may let their supporters down.
GW Differential Picks:
Tammy Abraham (SWA) – As a Newcastle fan I should be excited by the idea of playing Swansea, but in truth, I’m not. Swansea will be a hard test for us, a side that has kept 2 clean sheets so far this season. Abraham, a target of Newcastle this summer, might be the one to do the damage.
Serge Aurier (TOT) – Surely, he’s going to be popular on both FPL game formats this season if he gets up and running. Everton is a tricky game though, and I’m not expecting a lot from either team. This fixture usually lacks goals and entertainment.
Steve Mounie (HUD) – West Ham could be in for another big defeat, to put some real pressure on Bilic’s reign as Hammer’s manager. Mounie went close numerous times over the last two games. The goals are coming.
FPL Captaincy Picks:
(C) Alvaro Morata – The form player for the Blues looks the real deal and could be another real threat this weekend, especially if Hazard returns to the starting line-up.
(VC): Romelu Lukaku – The safe bet, the Belgian forward scored 4 goals whilst away on international duty. Stoke will be a hard fixture, but United are scoring for fun right now.
Other Gameweek Comments:
There might be a few away wins this weekend with some complicated fixtures. It is a hard Gameweek to pick a captain in. If you’re choosing to play your wildcard this week, results might not go as planned.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 4
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Ben Foster
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: Phil Jones
DEF: Maya Yoshida
MID: Dele Alli
MID: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
MID: Sadio Mane
MID: Mohamed Salah
FOR: Tammy Abraham
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (VC)
FOR: Alvaro Morata (C)
Substitutes
GK: Tom Heaton
MID: Aaron Mooy
DEF: Chris Lowe
DEF: Kyle Naughton
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Fixture Prediction: Gameweek 4
Man City 2-3 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth
Brighton 0-1 West Brom
Everton 1-2 Spurs
Leicester 2-2 Chelsea
Southampton 0-1 Watford
Stoke 0-2 Man United
Burnley 2-0 Crystal Palace
Swansea 3-1 Newcastle
West Ham 1-1 Huddersfield
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 4
Best GW Attacking Options:
Harry Kane – AUGUST IS OVER!!
Liverpool – Front 3 looking dangerous in every attack, only issue is returning from long distance internationals, especially Firmino. Man City defence could be makeshift depending on condition of South American contingent upon return.
Best GW Defensive / Clean Sheet Potential:
Manchester United – Make it 4 in a row?
West Brom – 2 clean sheets in 3, and up against Brighton who haven’t scored yet this season.
Who would you Transfer In and Out for the Gameweek and beyond?:
IN:
Swansea forward – Either Abraham or Bony with their run of fixtures. Unknown who will be preferred
Chelsea cover – ‘Bad fixtures’ are placed sporadically throughout a field of green fixtures for the rest of the season.
OUT:
Everton defenders – Maybe get them back in a couple of weeks
Crystal Palace players – Fixtures don’t look good till at least the end of October
Who are the players that might make the difference this Gameweek in the Draft?:
Serge Aurier (TOT) – Trippier withdrawing from England training could mean he goes straight into the side, 4 better fixtures after Everton
Kieran Gibbs (ARS) – Most West Brom defenders most probably already snapped up, and Kieran could sneak into that back four, allowing Brunt to play further forward.
Who are the teams to look out for?:
Stoke City – Unbeaten in last 4 home league games against Man United [W2, D2]
Bournemouth – Could capitalise on disgruntled/disinterested atmosphere at Arsenal.
Huddersfield – Playing with confidence after 3 clean sheets, and playing bottom of the table West Ham.
Who are the teams to avoid?:
Crystal Palace – In turmoil, can’t score, and can’t keep a clean sheet.
GW Differential Picks:
Josh King (3.1%) – Up against beleaguered Arsenal defence.
Anthony Martial (2.3%) – Even as a super sub, he’s ripping teams apart. More people own Herrera.
Marcus Rashford (5.4%) – Excellent impact play during internationals, young & confident enough to carry it to Prem. Could be cheap Man United attacking cover.
FPL Captaincy Picks:
(C): Saido Mane – Scored 3 goals and grabbed 1 assist in the 6 Premier League games against City. Coming off the back of a victory over Arsenal, his pace could prove difficult for the City defensive line.
(VC): Romelu Lukaku – After drawing a blank last time out, he’ll look to improve on his 4 goals in the 10 previous league games against the Potters.
Other Gameweek Comments:
Could be a tricky week for selections. Coming off the combination of a transfer deadline and an international break, throws a lot of doubt over who will be fit, replaced by new signings, or even return in time.
FPL Hype Picks: Gameweek 4
Formation: 3-5-2
Starting 11
GK: Ben Foster
DEF: Marcos Alonso
DEF: Chris Lowe
DEF: Kyle Naughton
MID: Sadio Mane (c)
MID: Henrik Mkhitaryan
MID: Christian Eriksen
MID: Eden Hazard
MID: David Silva
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (vc)
FOR: Harry Kane
Substitutes
GK: Tom Heaton
DEF: Ryan Bertrand
FOR: Tammy Abraham
DEF: Daley Blind
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, live sport, and professional wrestling.
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog 2016' by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), with the final presentation held at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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All aboard.
