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This article provides a preview of what Gameweek 16 has in store for fantasy managers, including top captain selections and strong picks for the weekly FPL Challenge game.
Cole Palmer shines again, delivering a stellar 18-point haul for FPL managers! Jarrod Bowen and Bryan Mbeumo joined the party with impressive double-digit returns. Despite an unexpected match postponement, Gameweek 15 kept us on our toes with thrilling performances.
The FPL Challenge --- Goal Diggers series introduces its final task, "Bargains," where players with costs under £6m earn double points. As always, we’ll offer weekly breakdowns of the top assets to target and help you maximize your points potential.
The Gameweek 16 deadline for the 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League season is Saturday, December 14, at 8:30 a.m. EST, when the weekend kicks off with four games. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every EPL and UCL slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
How the Premier League table looks following another busy weekend 👀 pic.twitter.com/2aZssgSaSf
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 10, 2024
Gameweek 16 Tips
Target Spurs and Bournemouth Attack, Double Up on Liverpool and Arsenal's Defense
Despite inconsistent results, Tottenham is ranked second in the league with 31 goals scored in 15 matches. Meanwhile, Bournemouth has hit a rich vein of form with three consecutive wins. The Cherries look to capitalize on their home advantage at the Vitality Stadium, where they've already claimed impressive victories over Man City, Arsenal, and Tottenham this season.
Bournemouth have been a force at home this season 😮💨
Which of these performances was your favourite? pic.twitter.com/c38il91d44
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 5, 2024
A home tie for Liverpool and Arsenal puts the title contenders on our wish list for Gameweek 16. Both teams are in the top three for the most clean sheets this season, with Liverpool in first place with seven clean sheets and Arsenal in third place with five clean sheets.
With this in mind, FPL managers are advised to prioritize bringing in attacking assets from Tottenham and Bournemouth and defensive assets from Liverpool and Arsenal for Gameweek 16.
💹 PL GW16 matchups
First look at projected goals and clean sheet odds for this weekend's round of Premier League games, via spread betting markets pic.twitter.com/VOdPcyJdty
— Rob T (@robtFPL) December 11, 2024
According to goal projections, Tottenham and Bournemouth are each expected to produce 2.35 xG and 2.05 xG (expected goals) in their upcoming fixtures. In defense, both Liverpool and Arsenal have been projected to earn clean sheets in their upcoming encounters, with a likelihood of 40% for Liverpool and 52% for Arsenal.
Recommended players for attacking returns:
- Spurs: Son Heung-min (on pens), Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison
- Bournemouth: Justin Kluivert (on pens), Antoine Semenyo, Evanilson, and Milo Kerkez.
Recommended defenders/goalkeepers:
- Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson Becker.
- Arsenal: William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
Mystery Chip Unveiled: Assistant Manager Chip is Here!
Have you ever considered having top managers like Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Ange Postecoglou, or Arne Slot on your fantasy team? Well, look no further, for that dream has become a reality with the introduction of this season's Mystery Chip - The Assistant Manager Chip.
No longer a mystery.
Introducing… the Assistant Manager chip. 👔
Available from #FPL Gameweek 24.
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) December 11, 2024
The Assistant Manager Chip: How To Play - Rules, Scoring System, Availability and Budget Allocation
Previously known as the Mystery Chip, the Assistant Manager chip allows Fantasy Premier League players to earn points from one of the 20 Premier League managers based on their wins, draws, goals, and clean sheets.
Rules
- When you activate the chip and choose your Assistant Manager, you will score points for their club's results for three Gameweeks in a row.
- Once the chip is activated, choosing your Assistant Manager does not cost a “free transfer.” But if you want to change your manager during this three-gameweek period, it will cost a transfer the same as the players.
- If a manager leaves their club, Fantasy managers who own or bring in that Assistant Manager will still score based on the original club’s performance.
Scoring System
The chip earns points based on the chosen manager's club performance; therefore, you cannot captain them. Here is the scoring system:
- Team win - 6 points
- Team draws - 3 points
- Team loss - 0 points
- Goal scored by team - 1 point per goal
- Clean sheet from team - 2 points
- Table bonus: If your chosen manager faces a club that is at least five places higher in the Premier League table at the start of the Gameweek, you will receive an additional 10 points for a win, totaling 16 points, or an additional five points for a draw, totaling eight points.
Note: In a Double Gameweek, Premier League clubs play twice in one Gameweek. So with the Assistant Manager chip, you could earn points from four matches over a three-gameweek spell.
🍒 Iraola leads the way for the best three-gameweek score
🔴 Slot tops the total points ranking overallWhich manager will you turn your attention to once the Assistant Manager chip is active? 👀🍟#FPL pic.twitter.com/F52yvQnQIW
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) December 11, 2024.
Availability: The chip is available from Gameweek 24 in January and can be played at any point after that in 2024/25. You can only play one chip in a Gameweek. Therefore, if you activate the Assistant Manager chip in Gameweek 24, you won't be able to use another chip until Gameweek 27.
Budget Allocation: Each Assistant Manager will have a set price that will not fluctuate throughout the season. The price list will be announced in due course, but manager prices will range between £0.5m-£1.5m.
The Assistant Manager chip is here to stay, and this chip will assist fantasy managers in dominating their mini-leagues when it becomes available.
Gameweek 16 Top Captain Picks
The weekend fixtures present a list of fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Son Heung-min facing Southampton, Alexander Isak at home to Leicester, and Chelsea's Cole Palmer against Brentford all present strong cases. However, my top two picks would be:
Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) - Liverpool
With 16 goals and 12 assists, Mohamed Salah has contributed to 28 goals across all competitions for Liverpool this season. The Egyptian King continues to dominate fantasy rankings, leading the way with 151 points.
The 32-year-old boasts an impressive record against Fulham, with four goals and an assist in his last eight outings. Coupled with his scintillating form for the Reds, Salah remains our top RotoBaller captain pick for the week.
Will Salah make it FIVE consecutive double-digit hauls for @LFC this weekend? 🔥
The Reds are at home to Fulham, who haven't kept a clean sheet since Gameweek 11...#FPL pic.twitter.com/Z5STb8Vso7
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) December 11, 2024
Bukayo Saka (£10.6m) - Arsenal
After scoring twice in a midweek Champions League victory, Arsenal's 'Starboy,' Bukayo Saka, recently reached double figures for the Gunners, with 21 goal contributions (nine goals and 12 assists) in all competitions.
Arsenal's forthcoming home game against Everton gives a fantastic opportunity for Bukayo Saka to flourish again, positioning the Englishman as a strong contender for the captaincy in Gameweek 16.
Only two Premier League players have been directly involved in 20+ goals across all competitions this season.
Bukayo Saka (21) 🤝Mohamed Salah (28) pic.twitter.com/N2DnTQaO0y
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 11, 2024
FPL Challenge: Goal Diggers
The FPL Challenge section for the 2024-25 season is back, and RotoBaller remains your go-to source for valuable insights on selecting the right assets for any challenge.
The 15th challenge, "Big Spender," focused on selecting a team of 11 players with a budget of £100m, where players costing over £9m earned double points. This week, we have the final task in the Goal Diggers series set, and our goal is to assist you in maximizing points for each task presented.
If you missed it, here's a recap of the FPL Challenge: Goal Diggers event.
Fantasy Challenge is LIVE for 2024/25 🚨
Build your squad for Gameweek 1 now 👇#FPLChallengeAccepted
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 24, 2024
The Goal Diggers is a five-gameweek run that pushes fantasy managers to research bargain hunters and super savers. This series covers five tests focusing on earning points through different players and play styles.
- Gameweek 12: Economize - The budget is only £45m.
- Gameweek 13: Haaland or Salah? - Liverpool and Man City players earn double points.
- Gameweek 14: Red Hot Deal - Man United players earn double points.
- Gameweek 15: Big Spender - Players over £9m earn double points.
- Gameweek 16: Bargains - Players under £6m earn double points.
Goal Diggers FPL Challenge: Bargains - Players to Target
Week 16 of the FPL Challenge highlights selecting a team of 11 players with a budget of £100m. This week's task is to stay within our budget constraints while fitting in a few budget-friendly FPL assets costing under £6m.
RotoBaller's top picks for this week's Challenge are:
- In goal, David Raya presently ranks third among goalkeepers with 58 points, boasting five clean sheets in the league, and is likely to keep a clean sheet against Everton.
- In defense, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Pervis Estupinan, and Rayan Ait-Nouri are excellent attacking wingbacks likely to offer attacking returns.
- In midfield, Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, and Son Heung-min come in. Mo Salah takes the spotlight as our captain of the week.
- For the forwards, Alexander Isak, Joao Pedro, and Erling Haaland complete the attack, forming a solid trio to round off our lineup in a 3-4-3 formation.
You can select any other top FPL Challenge alternatives not mentioned above. Best of luck to everyone participating in this week's challenge!
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then, join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the Leagues and Cups tab, and enter the RotoBaller league code: b278pa.
Go head-to-head against your friends and family in mini-leagues 🏆
Pick your squad and compete for #FPL glory now! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2024
Stick around for more 2024-25 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
