Fantasy football scout tips gameweek 9: Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling, Eden Hazard and more

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing

Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

The Premier League is back in full flow and the big games keep coming with Liverpool facing Tottenham and Arsenal against Everton leaving Fantasy Football players scratching their heads.

With a number of managers having made their wildcard changes over the international break, most players are back to just the one free substitution.

For those of you who haven’t played your wildcard, it’s not too late to do so and if you’re tempted, see the gallery below for a guide of how it works and who to pick – but remember it’s a 7pm BST deadline on Friday 20 October.

For everyone else though, here is the usual weekly run-through of players The Independent recommends you pick ahead of this week’s fixtures.

This may not be such a ground-breaking transfer in, assuming he is not already in your side – as is the case for 57.6 per cent of managers – but away to Huddersfield, he is a must.

Huddersfield have lost nearly all of their early season momentum and were easily torn apart at home by Harry Kane at the end of last month and despite United’s blunted attack in recent games, you have to back the Belgian to do the same on Saturday.

For that reason, we are picking Lukaku as our captain for the week and backing him to rediscover his goalscoring touch.

Trying to pick players who will even start in Manchester City’s midfield, let alone score, but one player who looks undroppable at the moment for Pep Guardiola is Sterling. He scored in midweek against Napoli and bagged 15 points last week in the thrashing of Stoke City.

Kevin De Bruyne is pretty expensive and Sterling provides the best value of all City’s midfielders at £8.1m and has found himself on the end of some easy chances provided by his teammates.

City have scored 17 goals in their last three home games and expect them to significantly add to that against Burnley. The only gamble here is if Guardiola chooses to rotate a team which looks unstoppable.

Stoke have not been in the best of form recently, aside from conceding seven against City last weekend, but even in that game they did show attacking danger in scoring twice to briefly get close to Guardiola’s side.

And in Saturday’s opposition Bournemouth, they are facing a side who have only managed one clean sheet in the Premier League all season and don’t look like they will make it two away at the Bet365 Stadium.

Choupo-Moting is Stoke’s top points scorer so far and has become their main attacking source with the likes of Jese and Peter Crouch in and out of the first team.

He is still coming back to fitness after his summer-long injury, but after his display against Roma in midweek, it might be finally time to make room for him in your fantasy teams.

Chelsea stumbled, tripped and faceplanted into a muddle of mud against Crystal Palace last time out but they will be out to cause damage against Watford in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Watford have been in good form but you get the feeling that Chelsea are about to give some sorry souls a bit of a hammering in the near future, and even if it’s not this week, then Bournemouth the following week will be worth keeping him in for.

With Andy Carroll out suspended, Slaven Bilic has already said he will revert Hernandez to his best position as a central striker after pushing him out wide to accommodate the Englishman in recent games.

With that, you’d expect goals, especially against the likes of Brighton at home. West Ham also love an evening kick-off and with the fans in full voice at the London Stadium, that should bring the promise of goals.

Chicharito is only £7m to bring in and with that, you can afford to add a big name elsewhere on the pitch with the money you save.

Yes, Crystal Palace may have scored against Chelsea last week (twice!) but as a rule, they tend to just concede and not score this season.

You’d have to back Lascelles for a clean sheet against Roy Hodgson’s side this weekend, especially at home and given his early-season goalscoring form, the centre back could even pop up with a goal at the other end given the state of Palace’s defence.

Aside from the two Manchester clubs, there aren’t too many sides you’d back to keep a clean sheet this weekend but Newcastle may be one of them.