The theme of this week's Fantasy Challenge is "Home for the Holidays". In this Gameweek, all players with a home fixture will score DOUBLE points. There is an unlimited budget for your nine-a-side team. When deciding which players to invest in, it is important to look at how they rank in the key stats, as well as the fixtures.
Here, Louis Roberts reveals his approach for Gameweek 17.
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One fixture that immediately catches the eye is Fulham v Southampton. Fulham may have just won one of their last four matches, but during that period they picked up impressive draws against Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs. The Cottagers have a wonderful opportunity to pick up all three points against a Saints side who have lost five of their last six matches.
Elsewhere, the meeting between Leicester and Wolves at King Power Stadium could hold potential. Wolves have parted company with Gary O'Neil after winning only two of their first 16 matches. Leicester, meanwhile, have collected four points from two home encounters under their new head coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth could be another great fixture to select players from. Recent wins against Everton and Manchester City indicate there have been some improvements under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Goalkeeper
One goalkeeper stands out for me this week, and that's Bernd Leno (£5.0m). Although suspect defensively, like many sides in the league, Fulham come up against a Southampton side who rank bottom for goals scored, with 11. Even if the German fails to secure a clean sheet, he may still rack up save points - as the Saints rank fourth-worst in the league for shot accuracy.
Everton may host Chelsea this week in a difficult-looking fixture, but they have been sustaining some excellent defensive data as of late - having collected an impressive four clean sheets from their last five matches. The Toffees also rank among the top four sides when it comes to total shots in the box conceded, shots on target conceded and big chances conceded over the last six Gameweeks. Contributing to that defensive form is Jordan Pickford (£4.9m). Similarly to Leno, Pickford also has save-point potential, but arguably even more so against much tougher opposition.
Two other goalkeepers I would consider are Manchester United's Andre Onana (£5.2m), who ranks second-best in his position for Expected Goals (xG) prevented, with a score of 3.90, and Brentford's Mark Flekken (£4.5m), who could be kept busy at home to Nottingham Forest.
Defence
The lack of convincing defensive options this week, and taking into account their plum home fixture against Southampton, suggests that doubling or even tripling up on the Fulham defence this week could be hugely rewarding. One defender who should be a shoo-in this week is Antonee Robinson (£4.8m). As well as clean-sheet potential, the American also has considerable attacking threat - as he sits joint-first for total attacking returns among defenders this season, with six.
Along with Robinson, I have also added Calvin Bassey (£4.5m). Albeit short of attacking threat, Bassey could be a safe route into the Fulham backline when considering expected minutes.
Although Man Utd's defence may appear inconsistent, they have kept six clean sheets already this season - ranking them joint-second overall. As well as clean-sheet potential, Diogo Dalot (£5.2m) could also benefit offensively from his new wing-back position.
Alternative options playing at home this week include Brentford centre-back Nathan Collins (£4.5m), who ranks third in his position for xG, with a score of 1.95, and Ipswich full-back Leif Davis (£4.5m), who sits second among defenders for Expected Goal Involvement, with a score of 3.86, ahead of a home match versus Newcastle, and Leicester full-back James Justin (£4.4m), who has produced two goals and an assist this season.
Midfield
There isn't a shortage of great midfield options who play at home this week. My first thought when considering midfielders was to head to Fulham. Ranking second-worst for goals conceded (36) and bottom for big chances conceded (68), Southampton are a prime target for opposition attackers this week. The in-form Alex Iwobi (£5.7m) may be the standout option. The Nigerian has produced three goals and an assist over his last five matches.
While it is tempting to captain a Fulham attacker, putting all of my "eggs in one basket" could be risky. Arguably the standout captain and midfield option is Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m), who has registered four goals and four assists over the last seven Gameweeks. It would be unwise to underestimate Bournemouth, although the Cherries have shipped at least two goals in three of their last six matches.
It is always been difficult weighing up form v fixtures, and that debate could be relevant with our next pick. Forest sit among the five-best teams this season for several key defensive metrics. However, Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m) netted against both Newcastle and Chelsea recently - making it 10 goals and two assists for the season.
West Ham may have been very inconsistent in terms of results lately, but the Hammers have also scored at least once in all five of their last matches. Key to their attack is Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m), who produced 12 points in Gameweek 15 against Wolves. Bowen has plenty of potential against a Brighton team who have shipped at least two goals in each of their last three matches.
Forwards
Scoring three goals against Brighton and two against Liverpool recently reinforces the feeling that the Fulham attack should take priority this week. Spearheading their frontline is Raul Jimenez (£5.5m). The Mexican will be hoping to continue where he left off after scoring against Arsenal in Gameweek 15. There is, however, some risk of rotation from Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m). Muniz played 22 minutes as a substitute against Liverpool in Gameweek 16 and got on the scoresheet. Keeping an eye on the teamsheets could be crucial.
Another forward I'm seriously debating for my team is Leicester talisman and penalty-taker Jamie Vardy (£5.6m). The 37-year-old faces a Wolves side who have shipped 40 goals, more than any other side. Vardy is also in great form - bagging two goals and two assists across his previous four games.
There are several other forwards playing at home who we could consider, including Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) at home to a vulnerable Manchester City defence, Man Utd's Rasmus Hojlund (£6.9m) and Brentford's Yoane Wissa (£6.2m).
