FPL Best XI: Top Picks for Gameweek 16

FPL Best XI: Top Picks for Gameweek 16

This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.

After 15 weeks of Premier League action, all 20 sides have finally recorded at least one loss.

Of course, Chelsea was the last team to experience defeat, as the Blues fell 2-1 at Newcastle to open Gameweek 15 last weekend.

While Jose Mourinho's side remains in first place, the rest of the top-four were able to make up ground on Chelsea, as Manchester City beat Everton 1-0, Manchester United topped Southampton 2-1, and West Ham saw out Swansea City 3-1.

Currently in sixth-place, Arsenal's troubles at the Britannia Stadium continued, as the Gunners put forth an abysmal effort in losing 3-2 at Stoke City on Saturday.

Meanwhile, both Liverpool and Tottenham played to scoreless draws against Sunderland and Crystal Palace, respectively. Likewise, another goalless affair occurred between Hull City and West Brom.

That latter result allowed Queens Park Rangers to jump out of the relegation zone following a 2-0 win versus Burnley, while last-place Leicester City's struggles were compounded by a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

From those outcomes, the Best XI supplied an underwhelming two goals, but five clean sheets certainly helped the cause.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois managed just one save in Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Newcastle, but his defensive comrades compensated nicely.

That's because both Liverpool's Glen Johnson and Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen secured clean sheets, with Aston Villa's Aly Cissoko falling just short of a similar effort.

The midfield featured a trio of clean sheets from Manchester City's Samir Nasri, Tottenham's Christian Eriksen, and Liverpool's Adam Lallana, leaving Chelsea's Oscar as the odd man out there.

Up front, Manchester United's Robin van Persie saved face with two goals versus Southampton, since neither Chelsea's Diego Costa nor Man City's Sergio Aguero scored in their respective outings.

Furthermore, the Best XI captain Aguero only played six minutes due to a knee injury that will now keep the top-scoring Argentine sidelined for the next month or so.

Entering Gameweek 16, Chelsea's rebound effort is aided by a favorable home match versus Hull City, but Manchester City figures to maintain their close distance on first-place by earning three points at Leicester City.

Formerly in second, now fifth-place Southampton will aim to snap their current four-match winless streak in Saturday's game at Burnley, while fourth-positioned West Ham is also tasked with a Gameweek 16 road match, as the Hammers head to Sunderland.

One point behind the Black Cats, Crystal Palace faces a tough home encounter against a Stoke City setup buzzing from last weekend's win.

Similarly, an Aston Villa outfit sporting a five-game unbeaten streak will look to extend its good fortune at West Brom, who hasn't won for five matches.

To close Saturday, Newcastle will look to slay another London giant, as the Magpies travel to face Arsenal this weekend.

Come Sunday, a pair of top-ten tussles await, as Manchester United host Liverpool in the weekend's most fierce rivalry and Swansea City welcome Tottenham in another expectedly heated contest.

Last but not least, Everton finishes this round with a home match versus Queens Park Rangers.

Given those upcoming Premier League fixtures, here's a projection for the Best XI fantasy team from Gameweek 16.

Formation: 3-4-3

Goalkeeper

Fraser Forster v.

Still the Premier League leader with seven clean sheets through 15 matches, Forster has gone four games without a shutout. However, following that tough spell, the Englishman is handed a fantastic matchup against 19th-place Burnley. In addition to having failed to score last time out, Burnley is currently tied for the Premiership-low goal total, with just 10 scores to this point in the season.

Defenders

Pablo Zabaleta v.

Only Southampton and Chelsea have allowed fewer goals than Manchester City this season, which has allowed Zabaleta to post four clean sheets. Two of those efforts have come over the Citizens' past three Premier League outings, while Zabaleta scored a goal in the other match over that same span. Furthermore, the Argentine right-back notched a goal and a clean sheet in City's midweek Champions League win at AS Roma. Manuel Pellegrini's side will have more defense-oriented players eligible for this weekend's match at last-place Leicester City, who have failed to score in two of their last three home games.

Gary Cahill v.

A mainstay in the league's second-best defense, Cahill's Chelsea side had strung together three straight clean sheets before last weekend's loss to Newcastle. What's more, the Blues have allowed merely three goals in seven outings at Stamford Bridge, where five clean sheets have been kept in the Premier League. Hosting a Hull City side that has gone scoreless in five of their past seven matches in the Premier League, as well as five of their past seven matches against Chelsea, Cahill's prospects appear quite bright.

Leighton Baines v.

A top-ranked fantasy defender, Baines already sports two goals, six assists, and three clean sheets this season for Everton. With the Toffees hosting Queens Park Rangers on Monday, Baines could definitely add to those totals this round. In addition to having lost their past eight away league matches, QPR has failed to score in eight of their past 10 away league matches. Those paltry road records give QPR a league-low two away goals this season, making Baines and his fellow Everton defenders fine selections in Gameweek 16.

Midfielders

Eden Hazard (C) v.

Already Chelsea's most lethal midfielder, Hazard could take on an even larger role this weekend in light of teammate Cesc Fabregas being suspended. Stunningly, all seven of Hazard's goals across all competitions for Chelsea have come at home this season. Five of those have come in the Premier League and Hazard has scored in all of the Blues' past four league matches at Stamford Bridge. Facing a troubled Hull City side this weekend that he scored against in their last meeting, Hazard earns the Best XI captain's armband.

Samir Nasri v.

Although Nasri managed just a clean sheet for the Best XI in Gameweek 15, he followed that decent performance with a stellar goal and an assist in Manchester City's midweek Champions League victory. Clearly, the Frenchman is returning to form, even if he is yet to score in the Premier League. That could change this weekend, as the Citizens enter an away match at the Premiership's worst side, Leicester City. The Foxes have shipped eight goals over their past three matches, while City has scored the same amount on offense over the same period. Now with Sergio Aguero (knee) sidelined, Manuel Pellegrini's men may require more cutting edge from someone like Nasri, who is enjoying good form at the moment.

Bojan v.

The well-traveled former Barcelona product seems to have found a home at Stoke City, where he's embodied manager Mark Hughes' shift to more technical football from the Potters. Sure, Stoke can still physically punish opponents, but there is more style to their steel this season. Over his past five Premiership outings, Bojan has recorded two goals and one assist, including a finish last weekend versus Arsenal. On the whole, the Spaniard leads Stoke with 2.6 shot attempts per game, which should come in handy at Crystal Palace this weekend, especially since only three teams have conceded more goals than the Eagles this term.

Kevin Mirallas v.

Recently returned from injury, Mirallas has hit the ground running, as he's already racked up two goals and two assists in five total outings following a near two-month sideline spell. A dangerous presence in the final third, only leading-scorer Romelu Lukaku averages more shot attempts for Everton than Mirallas. The Toffees host Queens Park Rangers this weekend, which lines up perfectly for the midfield man Mirallas. That's because QPR has leaked a league-high 27 goals this season and also have allowed three more away goals than any other team on the campaign.

Forwards

Christian Benteke v.  

Speaking of recent returnees, it's little surprise that Aston Villa's two-game win streak has coincided with Benteke rejoining the Villains following an Achilles injury. While both those games came against bottom-six teams, Benteke offered a goal and an assist over that period. The big Belgian attempted six shots in his latest appearance and is averaging nearly four shots in Premier League action this season. That ever-present threat figures to test West Brom this Saturday. Not only have the Baggies gone five matches without a win, but they're also tied for a league-high 13 home goals conceded this season, and Benteke has scored a goal in two of his past three tries against West Brom.

Diego Costa v.

Don't look now, but Costa has gone four matches without scoring for Chelsea. While that's certainly nothing to be ashamed of, Costa's early season form has unsurprisingly slipped to some degree. However, with Costa's last goal coming in Chelsea's last home league game, the Spaniard will be happy for this weekend's home match versus Hull City. The Tigers haven't won in over two months and in their prior matches against the other current top-four members (Man City, Man United, and West Ham), Hull combined to allow nine goals. Still no team has scored more often than Chelsea this season and the Blues have netted 18 times in seven home matches, with seven of those coming from Costa himself.

Robin van Persie v.

With a pair of goals in Gameweek 15, van Persie now leads Manchester United with six scores on the league campaign. The Dutchman totes three goals and one assist over his past three outings, which he'll aim to improve against huge rivals Liverpool this weekend. Following a midweek Champions League letdown, the Reds' already suspect defense could find themselves on their heels quite often at Old Trafford on Sunday. Bringing van Persie into that equation, the left-footed striker boasts an encouraging record of two goals in four Premier League appearances for Man United versus Liverpool.

Forster

Zabaleta – Cahill – Baines

Hazard (C) – Nasri – Bojan – Mirallas

Benteke – Costa – van Persie

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Pitner
Nick Pitner writes about fantasy sports for RotoWire. He supports Arsenal FC, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Knicks, while specializing in those respective sports in his coverage for the site.
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