Premier League 2022/23 Season: FPL Fantasy Forecast - Gameweek 15
Ahead of each Gameweek in the Premier League, The Hype Train's team - Robert Austin, Sam Austin, and Phil Jones - provide a rundown of the upcoming round of games in the Premier League; predicting scores for every game, picking a budgeted squad of 15 players that we think are the top selections each week, whilst ee also comb over other relevant statistics, impressions and insight from around the game and the league to best navigate you through the world of fantasy football, all for free. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.
Premier League: Gameweek 15 Fixtures:
2022/23 Premier League Season: Fixture Predictions
Below, our score predictions pit the train's three members against one another. Let's find out how they think the Gameweek will shape up for teams.
2022/23 Premier League Season: Fantasy Forecast
The team go through a list of questions and insight to provide their predictions ahead of each Gameweek. None of the team pay for any subscription based FPL services, and the type of opinions here are based in both stats and analytical thinking where possible, as we tackle the latest round of games.
2022/23 Premier League Season: Gameweek Fantasy Forecast (Sam Austin)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 15
Leeds 2-1 Bournemouth
Man City 4-0 Fulham
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Brentford
Wolves 0-2 Brighton
Everton 1-1 Leicester
Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa 1-2 Man United
Southampton 0-3 Newcastle
West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace
Spurs 2-1 Liverpool
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Brighton (Watch): After getting the first win under the new manager, the Seagulls travel to Wolves to carry on the form that saw them annihilate Chelsea last weekend. I can see them winning convincingly, and Trossard getting amongst the goals.
Liverpool (Avoid): The Unpredictables are back in action as they travel to Spurs, and who knows what Reds are going to turn up this week? Will we get the all-action big team Liverpool? Or will we get the team that lost to the worst two teams in the league after beating City? It is anyone’s guess and playing Spurs who can be just as erratic means that you can flip a coin over the outcome of Liverpool’s performance based on the team they are playing.
Arsenal (Watch): The Gunners just keep finding a way to keep winning, and they have a big test against fellow London rivals Arsenal. After the Blues display against Brighton, Arsenal should be feeling extra confident. Everything is ticking in North London, and if they beat Chelsea the conversation will be about if they can win the title.
Top FPL player targets ahead of Gameweek 15:
GK: Nick Pope (NEW, GK, £5.3mil, 20.7% ownership)
DEF: Fabian Schär (NEW, DEF, £4.9mil, 11.3% ownership)
MID: Leandro Trossard (BHA, MID, £6.9mil, 23.4% ownership)
FWD: Harry Kane (TOT, FWD, £11.6mil, 25.3% ownership)
Gameweek 14 - FPL Differential Picks:
LEE/BOU: Rodrigo Moreno (LEE, MID, £6.3mil, 5.9% ownership)
MCI/FUL: Julián Álvarez (MCI, FWD, £6.0mil, 1.3% ownership)
NFO/BRE: Ben Mee (BRE, DEF, £4.6mil, 4.8% ownership)
WOL/BHA: Pervis Estupiñán (BHA, DEF, £4.5mil, 0.6% ownership)
EVE/LEI: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE, FWD, £7.9mil, 0.9% ownership)
CHE/ARS: Connor Gallagher (CHE, MID, £5.7mil, 0.6% ownership)
AVL/MUN: Christian Eriksen (MUN, MID, £6.3mil, 2.8% ownership)
SOU/NEW: Sven Botman (NEW, DEF, £4.4mil, 2.5% ownership)
WHU/CRY: Saïd Benrahma (WHU, MID, £5.6mil, 0.8% ownership)
TOT/LIV: Darwin Nunez (LIV, FWD, £8.9mil, 7.3% ownership)
Differential Captain: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
So, as you’ll see below, the differential captain has been a nightmare since Sinisterra cursed it with picking up a red card. Since then, in five weeks picks, the differential captain has earned a cumulative 5pts. So, there is no logic in the picks, so what we are going to do is…go back to Leeds. They started it, so they can end it.
Recent Differential Captains
GW9: Luis Sinisterra (LEE) – -2pts
GW10: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (CHE) – 0pts
GW11: Jarrod Bowen (WHU) – 3pts
GW12: Dominic Solanke (BOU) – 2pts
GW14: Darwin Nunez (LIV) – 2pts
GW15: Rodrigo Moreno (LEE) – ???
FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Callum Wilson (NEW)
Alternative: Mohamad Salah (LIV)
Differential (low ownership %): Rodrigo Moreno (LEE)
Rest of the World XI Challenge Team:
What is Sam’s team all about?: For the 22/23 season, Sam’s latest challenge sees his actual squad only being comprised of players from outside of Europe, with players only from Asia, North and South America, Australasia, and Africa considered.
Target Points: 2330pts
Total Points: 610pts
22/23 Captaincy: 6/14
Ins: Pervis Estupiñán (BHA)
Outs: Cristian Romero (TOT)
Transfer Thoughts: So, I made a reverse of a transfer I made last week and brought back in Estupinan after his performance and start against Chelsea, with Spurs finally confirming Romero is injured. I haven’t dropped points as it is a risk either way to bring in players who are either potentially injured or out of form. I am scraping at bare bones options at the moment, and have to risk a Chelsea player in the Arsenal game, which I have gone with Aubameyang in case he scored against his former club.
The Gameweek 15 team of the non-EU challenge includes:
22/23 Challenge: Rest of the World XI
GW15 Formation: 3-4-3
GK: Alisson (LIV)
DEF: Lisandro Martinez (MUN)
DEF: Pervis Estupiñán (BHA)
DEF: Gabriel (ARS)
MID: Wilfried Zaha (CRY)
MID: Mohamad Salah (LIV) - (VC)
MID: Miguel Almirón (NEW) - (C)
MID: Gabriel Martinelli (ARS)
FWD: Gabriel Jesus (ARS)
FWD: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (CHE)
FWD: Darwin Nunez (LIV)
Substitutes:
GK: Wily Caballero (SOU)
MID: Anthony (MUN)
DEF: Thiago Silva (CHE)
DEF: Mohammed Salisu (SOU)
2022/23 Premier League Season: Gameweek Fantasy Forecast (Robert Austin)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 15
Leeds 3-1 Bournemouth
Man City 3-0 Fulham
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Brentford
Wolves 1-0 Brighton
Everton 2-1 Leicester
Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal
Aston Villa 2-2 Man United
Southampton 0-2 Newcastle
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Spurs 0-1 Liverpool
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 15
In case you didn’t already know…:
There’s only Gameweek 15 and 16 left before the start of the World Cup, so you only need to short term plan as you can make unlimited transfers prior to Gameweek 17.
Is Haaland worth the risk again?:
Pep Guardiola’s press conference is fresh off the press and the Spaniard has claimed that Haaland is doing a lot better and will be assessed after missing out on Gameweek 14’s 1-0 win away at Leicester. If past fit this time around, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Norwegian will have managed minutes, especially as it’s in a favourable game against Fulham, with Julian Alvarez showing good form during City’s Champions League win against Sevilla.
What makes matters slightly more complicated for FPL players is that some of the fixtures this week are on the fence to predict and there is a lack of assured captaincy options, so the only option at the moment due to most players having funds tied up in Haaland, is to keep the Forward in your teams and perhaps put the armband on an alternative like teammate Kevin De Bruyne.
On new Callum Wilson owners:
I’ve owned Callum Wilson on and off this season, it’s the only way you can own the injury prone English attacker, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw a yellow flag above his name this morning when checking the status of my FPL team. To the 963,486 (and counting) players who have transferred in Wilson, I wouldn’t worry as he has just had a cold during the week and Eddie Howe has already stated Wilson should be fine. So despite a minor heart attack for a million FPL players, Wilson is more of an assured start than Haaland.
On Newcastle’s rise as FPL options:
As a lifelong support, it is a bit surreal to see FPL players scramble over which trio of option to have in their squads. In a Forecast we posted this time a year ago when Eddie Howe had just been appointed as Manager, every edition of our weekly report I was telling the masses to avoid The Magpies at any cost. Now they’re the most in form team in the league, have the best defence, points in midfield in Almiron and an attackers in Wilson and Isak who have big potential each and every game. It’s just great to see Howe’s team be the team that provides the value and points in the game this season, especially with Miggy stealing the show with 7 goals so far this season.
Currently, I can’t look past having Pope and Trippier, and one of Almiron or Wilson. I’ve opted for Wilson, though with the upcoming break in the World Cup, will reassess my options with the unlimited transfers we’ll be given prior to the Boxing Day round of games.
The downside – I’m not looking forward to next season when the FPL game decides to heavily inflate their prices to make the game that bit more difficult to manage, whilst simultaneously keeping other prices inflated.
On the impact of the impending World Cup:
Injuries so close to the tournament are devastating and it has happened a lot in the past few weeks. What might happen is players that are going to Qatar could ask to sit out or for reduced minutes. Or, if these players play they will down tools to protect themselves – and to be honest I wouldn’t blame them if they cared about going to the tournament as it must be terrible seeing fellow professionals like Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Diogo Jota, Heung-Min Son, Raphael Varane, Pepe, and others, miss out because they’ve had to go hard juggling a cramped European schedule alongside tough league fixtures.
If this has an impact on FPL I don’t know, there may be small negligible impacts that effects points earned, but it has taken the conversation about the Qatar World Cup to a whole new realm of negativity. FIFA urged people to just ‘football on the football’ recently in spite of clubs protesting the tournament in Qatar – which is exactly what the injury concerns to players has highlighted. When FIFA’s corrupt regime were bribed and coerced into gifting the World Cup to Russia and Qatar, it stopped being about the football. FIFA claim the focus should be on football, but in no reality or multiverse will that be the case – they don’t care about the players, anyone’s health or safety, the rights records in Qatar, or their treatment over marginalised groups or ethnicities. This is solely about money, nothing else, and I hope more than anything else that players and commentators cause a really stink in the country. It’s not a footballing nation or bought to the Arab world for the first time for the right reasons – for sure, tournaments should be held out in that region of the world – but not under these circumstances in a country that just shouldn’t be hosting the final 32-team edition of the tournament.
What are the potential stumbling blocks to a good Gameweek?:
- Two fixtures in Chelsea vs. Arsenal and Spurs vs. Liverpool could lower the points average if both teams negate one another
- A lack of suitable bench options should Erling Haaland not play against Fulham
- I’ve been grimacing at most transfers this week. It’s slim pickings aside from Newcastle and City assets, and too much instability other than a few fixtures, to really trust most, especially so close to a World Cup
- Leeds not living up to their name as Gameweek 15’s differential team with a good home tie against what is a stubborn Bournemouth team
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Man United (Fixtures): United have a good run of fixtures, which is why Rashford and Dalot are on the FPL radar. European group stages are over too, the only thing holding back me is the international tournament sandwiched right in the middle, as well as Unai Emery’s first home game in charge. It’s worth keeping an eye on the Red Devils though.
Man City & Newcastle (Watch): The two ironclad teams in FPL right now and where your transfer planning should be taking place.
Leeds (I want to say watch): A win at Anfield has the FPL Community throwing their arms up about Leeds being the team to watch out for. I’ve watched football long enough to see a trap incoming, which is why it would just make sense if Bournemouth pulled a rabbit out of the hat just when FPL players had trust in Rodrigo yet again – though what do I know, for the sake of my budget I’ve put Rodrigo in and hoping my every sense is wrong.
Liverpool (Watch): Spurs lost to Newcastle and got by in the Champions League in France, whilst Liverpool have been winning against strong teams against the grain (they are the only team to beat Newcastle and Napoli this season), so I think that’s where this Gameweek is heading.
Brentford (Avoid): Ivan Toney’s five yellow cards, which I have all personally collected, have finally caught up with the Forward and without his goals against Forest, this may be a low scoring game and Forest will fancy themselves.
Arsenal (Watch): For the sake of there being a title race this season, I have to go with Arsenal. If Chelsea win, it will confirm to me and the millions at home, that City will just end up strolling to the title by March. This is a must win game and I think Arsenal have a lot going forward, whilst Chelsea defensively are all over the place and have lost Chilwell to worsen their ranks.
FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Kevin De Bruyne (MCI)
Alternative: Miguel Almiron (NEW)
Differential: Rodrigo (LEE)
FPL Squad Picks: Gameweek 15
Formation: 3-4-3
Budget: £102.8 million
Starting 11
GK: Dean Henderson (NFO)
DEF: Kieran Trippier (NEW)
DEF: Joao Cancelo (MCI)
DEF: Virgil van Dijk (LIV)
MID: Rodrigo (LEE)
MID: Marcus Rashford (MUN)
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (MCI) – (C)
MID: Miguel Almiron (NEW) – (VC)
FOR: Callum Wilson (NEW)
FOR: Erling Haaland (MCI)
FOR: Gabriel Jesus (ARS)
Substitutes
GK: Danny Ward (LEI)
MID: Brendan Aaronson (LEE)
DEF: Diogo Dalot (MUN)
DEF: Neco Williams (NFO)
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in general football and Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.
We pride ourselves in providing beautiful graphics, statistics, in-depth analytical reporting and free weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb rankings tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review games, live sport, and professional wrestling.
In 2019, Hype Train Football Club was formed, becoming the first Fantasy Football website to take to the field. HTFC is a socially active team across social and web channels, providing regular match highlights, match reports, comprehensive player statistics and unique player profiles. We won both Goal of the Season Awards in the Berkshire and County FA regions, with Callum Parr-Jones winning the Berks & Bucks FA award, whilst Martin King won the PlaySport UK award.
In 2021, we formed the Reading Sunday Social League (RSSL), a competitive Sunday League involving 8 teams in its debut season. During the 2021/22 season, we won our first-ever trophy, lifting the East Berkshire Football League's Presidents Cup!
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog' in 2016 by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), and were again shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 in the 'Best Fantasy Football Blog' category.
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