FPL tips and team of gameweek 21: Bruno Fernandes captain, Anthony Gordon and Amad Diallo come in

This week features a series of exciting matches, with the Premier League resuming and every game being televised. Several high-profile clashes could yield significant points. A key topic this week is how to maximize the value of Manchester United's player assets.

Prior to their draw against Liverpool in the last round, Manchester United had lost five out of six matches, scoring just four goals, which is far from ideal in fantasy leagues. However, they now face Southampton at home, the second-worst defense in the league, conceding over two goals per game. This is an unmissable opportunity, hence the team this week is primarily composed of Manchester United players.

This week’s best lineup is selected based on current fantasy league prices, within a budget of £100 million, simulating a free transfer scenario. Last week's lineup performed steadily, with 6 out of 11 players earning points, totaling 69 points, with Bryan Mbeumo standing out with 19 points.

In terms of goalkeepers and defenders, Chelsea's Robert Sanchez (£4.8 million) will be at home against Bournemouth. Bournemouth suffered a major blow this week with the loss of Enes Unal and his replacement, Evan Neilson. Despite Bournemouth ranking second in the league for shots, their conversion rate is low, so Sanchez is expected to earn clean sheet and save points. Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui (£4.4 million) will play at home against Southampton. With Dalot suspended, Mazraoui will play in his preferred right-back position and often has opportunities for bonus points when Manchester United keeps a clean sheet.

Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall (£4.9 million) has earned points in four of his last five games, including two double-digit scores. Hall is currently one of the most cost-effective options in defense, and Newcastle’s upcoming schedule (home against Bournemouth, away against Southampton) makes him an excellent long-term choice. Given that Arsenal’s defense will face Tottenham, and Liverpool will travel to Nottingham Forest for a difficult away game, it’s wiser to look at other teams this week. Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñoz (£4.7 million) will be away to Leicester City. In the last five games, his expected goal contribution is 1.4, second only to Hall and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but he has yet to contribute offensively. His expected goal contribution this season is 4.7, second only to Alexander-Arnold’s 5.5, but he has only scored two goals and provided two assists. Muñoz, as mentioned before, is poised to explode, and a match against a Leicester City side struggling for goals might be a good opportunity.

In midfield, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (captain, £8.3 million) will be at home against Southampton. This season, Fernandes has scored four goals and provided seven assists, making him the tenth-best performing midfielder this season. Experienced fantasy league players know that the Portuguese player has many ways to score, his expected goal contribution is always high, and he is also the penalty taker. Look at his performances at home against weaker teams like Leicester City and Everton, where he scored 17 and 9 points respectively. Southampton are in even worse shape, and he should be able to score high. Manchester United's Amad Diallo (£5.4 million) will partner with Fernandes, forming a double Manchester United attack this week. Among all midfielders priced under £5.5 million, only Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (88 points) has scored more than Diallo (80 points). He is the first-choice player, rested in the cup, and his price also allows for the selection of expensive players in other positions. Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon (£7.5 million) will be at home against Wolves. Newcastle is in red-hot form, having won five consecutive games, and Gordon has scored points in all of these matches. Who has a worse defense than Southampton? Wolves. Need we say more? Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (vice-captain, £13.7 million) will be away to Nottingham Forest. Given that he hasn't blanked since matchday 7, it's impossible to exclude him, but he's not a captaincy option this week. I think Forest's defense will keep him relatively quiet.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer (£11.4 million) will be at home against Bournemouth. This gentleman's longest streak without scoring this season is three games. Mid-season, he is on track to surpass his 22 goals and 13 assists from the 2023-24 season. If you add him to your team and stick with him, you will be rewarded. In attack, Newcastle United's Alexander Isak (£9.3 million) will be at home against Wolves. He is currently the hottest striker. If you need more reasons, please refer to the introduction of Gordon above! Arsenal's Kai Havertz (£7.8 million) will be at home against Tottenham. The German has recently been relegated to the bench, but due to Gabriel Jesus’ injury, he is likely to start again against a weak Tottenham defense. Havertz’s form dropped at the start of the season, but he still has seven goals, and the North London Derby at the Emirates often has a lot of goals. In the past six encounters at the Emirates, only one game had less than four goals, and three games had three goals!

On the bench, Southampton's Joe Lumley (goalkeeper, £4.0 million) will be away to Manchester United; Leicester City's James Justin (defender, £4.2 million) will be at home against Crystal Palace, showing a goal threat in the FA Cup; Leicester City's Patson Daka (forward, £4.8 million) will be at home against Crystal Palace; Brentford's Sepp van den Berg (defender, £4.1 million) will be at home against Manchester City. The total cost of the entire team is £99.2 million.

A player to watch this week is Manchester City's Savinho (midfielder, £6.5 million). It would have been better to recommend him before he contributed three assists last week, but he is still a good differential pick. He has started three consecutive games for Manchester City, scoring his first goal for Manchester City, and already has seven assists this season. If Manchester City continues to improve, then getting into the Manchester City midfield for £6.5 million is a good option. A team to focus on this week is Crystal Palace, whose upcoming schedule is away to Leicester City, away to West Ham United, and home to Brentford. Crystal Palace has many attacking options, including Ismaïla Sarr, Eberechi Eze, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, and the schedule is also good, with a home game against Everton next. The aforementioned Muñoz has scoring potential on both offense and defense, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson is the cheapest of the top six scoring goalkeepers.