A home encounter with Ipswich Town earns Wolverhampton Wanderers duo Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.6m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.9m) a call-up to the best XI in Gameweek 16 of Fantasy Premier League.
Strand Larsen is Wolves’ top-scoring player at Molineux this season, bettering his fellow forward Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) by 43 points to 32 across those seven matches.
Ait-Nouri, meanwhile, has been involved in his career-high total of six goals in 2024/25 Fantasy, scoring three goals and assisting a further three.
The Wolves duo are named in a 3-4-3 formation, with Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) retaining the armband and Cole Palmer (£11.1m) named vice-captain once again.
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest) £4.7m
The goalkeeper has proven the best route into Nottingham Forest's strong defence, averaging 4.1 points per match on his way to 62 points. Sels has three clean sheets from his last four home matches and can extend that streak against an Aston Villa side who have failed to score in each of their last two road trips.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) £6.4m
Seven clean sheets have been the driving force behind the Dutchman’s early-season success in Fantasy. Van Dijk has also stepped up his goal threat ahead of Liverpool’s match at home to Fulham – he has had three shots from set-pieces over their two matches without the injured Ibrahima Konate (£5.2m), compared with only five across his first 12 appearances.
Jurrien Timber (Arsenal) £5.7m
The ongoing doubts over Gabriel’s (£6.2m) fitness means Timber is picked as the best Arsenal defender at home to Everton. The right-back has returned 20 of his 47 points this season over the Gunners’ last two at Emirates Stadium, combining a goal and two clean sheets with two bonus points.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) £4.9m
Ait-Nouri’s six attacking returns rank joint-top with Brentford’s Nathan Collins (£4.5m) among all defenders in 2024/25 Fantasy.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) £13.3m
Ten double-figure hauls and only two blanks in 14 outings under Arne Slot have helped Salah enjoy his best start ever to a Fantasy campaign. The Egyptian has scored in seven successive matches – including goals and 10+ points against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City – and that relentless form is enough to edge him ahead of Palmer for the captaincy.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £11.1m
Palmer’s record at Stamford Bridge shows why there would also be no surprise if he delivered a huge haul against Brentford. The midfielder has been involved in 75 per cent of Chelsea’s goals in home matches under Enzo Maresca, compared with 41 per cent on the road - suggesting that the best time to consider Palmer over Salah for the captaincy is when Chelsea have a home match.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) £10.6m
Arsenal’s winger has been far more reliable at the Emirates this season, producing two-thirds of his points (or 62 of 103) across those contests. Salah and Palmer, meanwhile, have 66 and 65 points in home matches, showing why Saka should not be overlooked for the armband.
Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) £5.0m
The Argentinian’s prospects in Fantasy have taken a huge turn for the better thanks to his new advanced central midfield role. Fernandez has three goals, two assists and 35 points over the last four matches and Chelsea’s long-term schedule indicates he can emerge as the No 1 budget midfielder in Fantasy for many Gameweeks to come. All of their next SEVEN matches score only two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR).
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) £8.6m
Newcastle United’s forward is another strong alternative for the captaincy at home to Leicester City. Isak has been involved in 70 per cent of the Magpies’ goals across their last seven matches, scoring five and assisting two to collect 48 points – TWICE the total of any team-mate.
Dominic Solanke (Spurs) £7.5m
An ownership of just eight per cent makes the Tottenham Hotspur star a handy differential against promoted Southampton. Solanke faces a Saints side who have allowed a league-high 62 big chances, or situations where the player is expected to score.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves) £5.6m
The Norwegian has blanked just twice in seven appearances at Molineux, averaging 6.1 points per match.