The Scout is tipping five players for big success in Gameweek 19 of 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League ahead of the deadline at 13:00 GMT on Sunday 29 December.
Remember, if you still have your first Wildcard then you must use it BEFORE Sunday's deadline, or you will lose it! The second Wildcard will become available to ALL managers immediately after the Gameweek 19 deadline, at the start of Gameweek 20.
Ashley Young (Everton) £4.7m
The Everton full-back has been the most reliable defender for attacking or defensive returns in Fantasy this season.
Young has blanked in just FOUR of his 14 starts, combining seven clean sheets with a goal, three assists and eight bonus points.
Indeed, his average of 4.8 points per start ranks second only to the 4.9 of Arsenal’s Gabriel (£6.3m) among defenders with more than three starts in 2024/25.
Having served a one-match ban last time out, Young is set to return to an Everton side that head into the match at home to Nottingham Forest in exceptional defensive form.
Everton have conceded only one goal over the last four Gameweeks, during a run that included encounters with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
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Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) £8.8m
Aston Villa’s forward is another player who looks set for a recall to his side’s starting XI this weekend.
Watkins has fallen out of favour recently, with Jhon Duran (£5.9m) starting the last four matches as Villa’s lone forward.
But the Colombian’s dismissal against Newcastle United on Thursday and subsequent three-match ban allows his strike rival the chance to reclaim a regular role.
The immediate schedule also looks promising, with Villa offering back-to-back home matches against Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City over the next two Gameweeks.
In home matches this season, Watkins’ total of 13 big chances – situations where the player is expected to score – ranks joint-top among all players.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) £7.2m
Following an indifferent first half to 2024/25 Fantasy, the Crystal Palace forward has the schedule to make a fast start in the new year.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of the Eagles’ next five matches score just two. That run includes encounters with two promoted clubs over the next three Gameweeks alone, with Southampton visiting Selhurst Park this weekend.
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Notably, Mateta has been successful in both his meetings with promoted opponents this season, producing a combined three goals and 21 points against Leicester and Ipswich Town.
That underlines his appeal as a handy differential option for Fantasy forward lines, with an ownership of just 2.5 per cent.
Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea) £5.8m
The final two players in this article could appeal to those managers who are planning to “dead-end” their squads in Gameweek 19, bringing in players who you would not want to own long term, ahead of using their second Wildcard of 2024/25 Fantasy in Gameweek 20.
In Nkunku’s case, he stands a strong chance of starting Chelsea’s match against Ipswich as Enzo Maresca is expected to rotate his wealth of attacking options over the busy festive period.
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Perhaps crucially, first-choice centre-forward Nicolas Jackson (£8.3m) is currently on four yellow cards and needs to avoid a booking in Gameweek 19 to escape a one-match ban. This situation suggests he could warm the bench at Portman Road, with Nkunku leading the line.
As Jackson would then be expected to start Gameweek 20 in such a scenario, Nkunku’s appeal is very limited.
But his classification as a midfielder in Fantasy could be worth the one-Gameweek pick against Ipswich, who are the second-worst side for conceding big chances this season.
Curtis Jones (Liverpool) £5.3m
The Liverpool midfielder’s appeal has a similarly short shelf life.
After starting the Reds’ 3-1 win over Leicester in midweek, Jones had initially been expected to be rotated for their visit to West Ham United this coming Sunday.
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However, Dominik Szoboszlai’s (£6.3m) late booking against Leicester – his fifth of the campaign – means he will serve a one-match ban against the Hammers this weekend, which could earn Jones another start instead.
The England international's eye for goal could make him a great one-Gameweek budget midfield pick if you’re looking to load up on Arne Slot’s attack before Wildcarding.
At a cost of £5.3m, Jones has scored in two of his last three starts, including a strike and eight-point haul in that win over the Foxes.