Fantasy Football Tips: Three players to bring in for Gameweek 16

We are into the crazy time of year in FPL when every other day it feels like there is a Gameweek deadline.

After a fairly underwhelming Gameweek 15, with an average score of just 35, hopes are high for a bigger score for most on the weekend as Gameweek 16 begins.

Here we review last week's action as well as providing three for the watchlist...

Gameweek 15 Review

It is often the way that when the highly selected captains fail, the teams fail, and that was the story of Gameweek 15. Of the top five captains, 5 points was the highest score (chapeau to Saka (£8.9m) backers) with Mo Salah (£13.1m) registering just three points at Sheffield United, while Erling Haaland (£14m) banked just two when losing away at Aston Villa.

Matty Cash looks a busted flush now, with the highly owned defender benched by Unai Emery for the second successive game and Villa now flying. Jarrod Bowen continues to impress as a central striker for West Ham and is becoming more and more tempting for the managers who have not bought him yet 

An easy swap may be in store for many as Bryan Mbeumo (£7.1m), a star for millions of FPL managers this season, rolled his ankle and could miss the weekend's game.

Trent Alexander Arnold (£8.0m) continues to smash in the big hauls, although there is a worry for those not yet repping TAA that they have missed the boat. Tsimikas (£4.9m) on the other hand frustrates those who bought the budget Greek hoping to sneak Liverpool defensive cover, as he was benched at Bramall Lane.

Man United bounced back at home to a hapless Chelsea, although FPL asset from the visitors Cole Palmer (£5.3m) scored and bagged a bonus to delight owners. Andreas Pereira (£5.3m) and Alex Iwobi (£5.3m) bagged fifteen and fourteen points respectively in Fulham's demolition of Nottingham Forest, which has left Steve Cooper hanging by a thread. The two Cottager midfielders were the heavy hitters of GW15.

Defender - Luke Shaw (£5.3m) vs Bournemouth (H)

After the success of picking the premium defender in the game, TAA, last Gameweek in this section, an England team-mate of Trent's is the pick in GW16 and that is Luke Shaw (£5.3m) at Man United.

Back from injury recently, Shaw has not registered a haul yet but is instrumental to the way Erik ten Hag wants his side to attack. Bournemouth at home is by no means an easy fixture these days as the Cherries have really turned around their poor early season form under new gaffer Ireola, however Man United are favourites and need to keep morale high with a win after bouncing back against Chelsea on Wednesday.

United's star man is undoubtedly Scott McTominay right now, and he was a tempting choice for midfielder to watch, but the Red Devils' top scorer could well be one of the beneficiaries of Shaw's marauding runs into the opposition's final third and pin point deliveries.

It is only a matter of time until Shaw bags an attacking return or two, most likely an assist, and in a game that looks sure to be laced with goals he is one to consider if on the hunt for defensive reinforcements for your FPL team with a high points ceiling.

Midfielder - Dwight McNeil (£5.4m) vs Chelsea (H)

Mauricio Pochettino must be feeling very Forest Gump about his Chelsea side right now. No sooner had they secured a morale boosting win over Brighton, than they were brought down to earth with a thump with a lethargic loss at Old Trafford.

Next up, a trip to Goodison to face a resurgent Everton. Sean Dyche is criminally underrated by many, perhaps down to a lazy stereotype that a bald ginger man with a gravelly voice cannot compete tactically with the elite managers. It's nonsense, has always been nonsense and it is great to see Dyche proving it so.

One thing Dyche has always loved is his trusty lieutenants and, besides James Tarkowski at the back, there is one other man he has from his Burnley days who is back to his best right now; Dwight McNeil (£5.3m). Selected by just 0.1% of FPL managers he is a massive differential, and coming in off the back of 8 and 14 point hauls he could hardly be in better form.

Chelsea's defence looks seriously shaky right now, as well as having a questionable number one behind them, so McNeil will fancy his chances of bagging more attacking returns. The Toffees have a decent run of games after this too as they attempt to erase the memory of that ten point deduction, so now looks the perfect time to invest. The price is Dwight at £5.4m!

Forward - Matheus Cunha (£5.6m) vs Nottingham Forest (H)

Poor old Steve Cooper looks a dead man walking at Forest right now, with pressure ratcheted up after a humiliating 5-0 defeat at Fulham in mid-week. The man who won them promotion back to the promised land and kept them up last year still has the fans on-side, but the owner is clearly losing patience and he leads the Sack Race from Roy Hodgson. 

Another away day awaits Forest this weekend as they make the short trip to Wolverhampton. Wolves are in better form than the visitors at present, thanks in no small part to the combination of attackers Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha (£5.6m).

The latter is classed as a forward as opposed to his team mate a midfielder, and we think he can continue a cracking run of returns at Molineux.

Cunha has not failed to return in any of his last four games, notching 5,7,5,5 in his last four matches. Alright, this is not spectacular fantasy Premier League stuff, but it is solid enough for his price and with an eminently winnable game against one of the worst teams in the league coming up, anyone looking for a new forward who doesn't break the bank need look no further.