FPL Gameweek 16 preview: Every player you need to think about

The Premier League returns this weekend after a dramatic midweek of European action and in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), it's a huge Gameweek for managers as everyone has five free transfers at their disposal.

That's because players heading off to AFCON (African Cup of Nations) will be unavailable starting Gameweek 17 and some players may even head off before then. The group stage means affected players will be unavailable until at least the start of Gameweek 20 and those reaching the final will be unavailable until the start of Gameweek 23. Now could be the time to use those transfers as a mini Wildcard.

Also to note, chips reset ahead of Gameweek 20, so make sure you've used every one by the end of Gameweek 19 otherwise you'll lose them.

WHY NOT READ: The best Fantasy Premier League team names and how to change it

Gameweek 16 starts with two games kicking off on Saturday (12 December) afternoon at 3pm GMT (10am ET / 7am PT) and the FPL deadline closes 90 minutes before then (1.30pm GMT / 8.30am ET / 5.30am PT).

It can be tricky knowing if it's best to stick or twist, who to bring in for each Gameweek. But indy100 will have you covered through the whole season ahead of every one - taking fixtures, form, how well players do against specific clubs and more into account.

Here's our guide on who to pick for FPL Gameweek 16.

Best Gameweek 16 goalkeeper picks

With so many injuries in defence at the moment, Arsenal's David Raya (£6.0m) is arguably the strongest and safest option into the Gunners' defence right now, especially with Wolves visiting the Emirates this weekend.

Fulham have three green fixtures in their next three so Bernd Leno (£4.9m) could be a decent differential.

Everton's Jordan Pickford (£5.5m) has been quietly going about his business and is the joint top-scoring goalkeeper alongside Raya - however the Toffees have Chelsea and Arsenal up next so be warned.

Best Gameweek 16 defender picks

Usually this section would be dominated by Arsenal players but with so many injuries, it's a bit of a minefield at the moment.

Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz is out until midway through January too so with Eagles assets being so prominent right now, it might even be worth doubling up on Marc Guehi (£5.2m) and Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) - but that's not as straightforward as it seems as Palace host Manchester City this weekend.

So going outside of the usual suspects, one to watch could be Fulham's Joachim Andersen (£4.6m). As mentioned, the Cottagers have three green fixtures in a row and he's their top points scoring defender so far.

Longer term options could be found at Manchester City, through Josko Gvardiol (£5.9m), Ruben Dias (£5.6m), Matheus Nunes (£5.3m) or Nico O'Reilly (£5.2m) given City have no red fixture in their next nine.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United have no red in their next eight, making Lewis Hall (£5.2m), Dan Burn (£5.1m), Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) and Tino Livramentio (£4.9m) potential options too.

Best Gameweek 16 midfielder picks

Manchester City's Phil Foden (£8.6m) has been electric the past three Gameweeks, getting three double figure scores. Could he even be a potential alternative for the armband?

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) has fired his way to the top of the midfielder charts and provides an obvious like-for-like for those with Bryan Mbuemo in their team. The Red Devils have no red fixture in their next six.

At Newcastle United, Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) has been superb since his comeback from injury and Bruno Guimaraes (£6.9m) is just the fourth midfielder to break the 80 point mark.

He missed midweek but Arsenal's Declan Rice (£7.1m) is likely to return for the Wolves game. He could provide some points through assists from set pieces.

For those looking for a cheaper alternative, Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.1m) has been in scintillating form of late, scoring three and assisting one in his last four which featured two double figure scores.

Best Gameweek 16 forward picks

We'll start off with the usual picks here - Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£15.0m) needs to be in every team, Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) could be a decent option with the run the Magpies have and Brentford's Igor Thiago (£7.0m) should be seriously considered with Leeds United and Wolves up next.

But let's look at some new names to consider if you're looking for some differentials.

West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) is incredibly the third highest point scoring forward in FPL at the time of writing - he's been operating out on the left under Nuno Espirito Santo but scored in the 1-1 draw at Brighton playing more centrally last time out.

Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.6m) has scored in each of his last three and has no red fixture in his next three.

And he might have only scored two goals so far this season but don't bet against Fulham's Raul Jimenez (£6.4m) springing into life with games against Burnley, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United up next.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Fantasy Premier League: When is the best time to use chips?
• The best Fantasy Premier League team names and how to change it

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