Go big or go home on Arsenal's defence - FPL tips & team of week

We're approaching a great part of the season for Fantasy Premier League players.

No pesky international breaks until March, midweek fixtures coming up and the game-packed Christmas period.

It's also a time for some big decisions so this team of the week sets that tone - no Erling Haaland, no Manchester City at all and triple Arsenal defence.

How about that!

The team of the week is selected based on current FPL prices to fit within a £100m budget, as if you were playing a Free Hit.

What a week!

Only two players blanked, Bruno Fernandes hauled in 17 points and 28-point captain Mohamed Salah delivered again.

That led to 92 points and a gameweek rank of about 18,000 out of 10.7 million.

David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £5.5m

Gabriel, Arsenal, £6.1m

William Saliba, Arsenal, £6m

All home to Nottingham Forest

Yes, you're reading that right. I've gone for a triple-up on Arsenal's defence this week.

This is a part gut feel and part data-based decision. Arsenal had the best defence last season, they started out in the same way this time and they haven't suddenly lost the ability to defend.

Mikel Arteta has most of his first-choice defenders back and it's time for the Gunners to make a statement after no wins in four.

Forest are flying in the league but they are bottom six for expected goals (xG) with 14.54 and have scored just 15 in 11 games.

They've had success from corners this season but Arsenal have conceded just four shots from set-pieces.

I'm benching Chris Wood in my own FPL team and expecting a low-scoring win to nil for Arsenal.

Lewis Hall, Newcastle, £4.4m - home to West Ham

The new England international is about to become a budget favourite with a decent run of fixtures and an enticing price.

He is far and away Newcastle's most creative defender, with three big chances produced and an expected assists (xA) of 1.43.

Up-and-down West Ham at home is a favourable match-up for him.

Mohamed Salah (captain), Liverpool, £12.9m - away at Southampton

The way Salah is producing at the moment, giving him the captain's armband is a no-brainer.

He has seven double-digit returns in 11 games so far, which is astonishing. A pessimist would say that he can't carry on at that rate of production - if he does he's on for a record 369-point season - but an away game at Southampton doesn't feel like it's going to be a stumbling block.

Salah has so many routes to production. Last gameweek was classic Mo - non-owners were escaping with just an assist - with Villa chasing the game and the Egyptian pouncing on a counter-attack to score with his only shot on target late on.

Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, £8.4m - away at Ipswich

With the same reasoning as Salah, I'm rolling with Fernandes who is a man in form and has underproduced based on his underlying statistics.

Gameweek 11's 17-point haul was coming and the Portuguese maestro often produces FPL points in spurts.

Dwight McNeil, Everton, £5.7m - home to Brentford

McNeil is back to fitness and he has been Everton's talisman this season.

Three goals, three assists and an involvement in 60% of the goals in games he has played.

Everton have only scored 10 this season but if they can't find the net against Brentford, who have the joint-second-worst defence with 22 goals conceded, then they are in trouble.

Emile Smith Rowe, Fulham, £5.7m - home to Wolves

The former Arsenal midfielder was a pre-season player to watch for me but is making his debut in the team of the week.

Like McNeil, ESR has become a key player for Fulham and he is returning roughly every other game.

He's got a knack of arriving in the box at the right time and it wouldn't be a surprise if he ends the season close to 10 goals - he has three so far in 11 games.

Alexander Isak, Newcastle, £8.5m - home to West Ham

The Swede is in hot form, with four goals in his past four games in all competitions.

The way Newcastle play, if they were to score twice it's hard to imagine Isak isn't involved in at least one of those goals.

With just four league goals so far, it's fair to say he has underwhelmed but this is a man who scored 21 last season, is on penalties and has no real threat to his starting position. I like that!

Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa, £9m - home to Crystal Palace

There's no Haaland in this week's team. He could easily go off at home to Spurs but Manchester City are out of form and there are forwards who should match him this week for £6m or more less.

One of those is Watkins, on his own mini goal drought, but always involved in Villa's attacks and he's had 15 big chances this season - scoring five goals.

Only Haaland, with 19, has had more big chances.

Joao Pedro, Brighton, £5.5m - away at Bournemouth

The Brazilian might be in a lot of FPL teams soon. He's budget-friendly, on penalties and has four returns in the five games he's appeared in this season.

As long as he is fit, Pedro is the cheap striker to own, with a juicy fixture run all the way until 2025.

Bernd Leno, Fulham, goalkeeper, £5m - home to Wolves

There's enough budget for a decent bench this week, and a back-up keeper with a half-decent chance of a clean sheet.

Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth, midfielder, £5.7m - home to Brighton

The shot monster was close to making the starting XI this week so watch him haul!

Semenyo has now taken 47 shots - 10 more than any other midfielder. He only has 11 on target but he's still a very reliable threat in FPL.

Lucas Digne, Aston Villa, defender, £4.7m - home to Crystal Palace

I could easily bench boost this week! Digne, who has made this team before, is playing a goal-shy Palace side and has an assist in him.

Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool, defender, £5.4m - away at Southampton

Konate is your budget way into the Liverpool defence. He's had a bigger goal threat so far this season than Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Total team cost = £98.5m

Reece James, Chelsea, defender, £4.9m

Remember when James rivalled Trent Alexander-Arnold as the best right-back in FPL?

He was £6.5m two seasons ago - now you can get him for £4.9m.

It sounds like Chelsea have managed James' injury recovery well this time.

Boss Enzo Maresca says he can only manage one game a week but Chelsea have the luxury of a big squad and James is unlikely to see much Conference League action.

If he can stay fit and get back to his old self, the potential is through the roof. Goals, assists, double-digit hauls... and all for a bargain price.

Brighton - Bournemouth (a), Saints (h), Fulham (a)

If you haven't been considering a Brighton asset then now is the time.

Their run of enticing games stretches all the way to 30 December, when they travel to Aston Villa. And even that isn't so daunting.

Lots of options - Joao Pedro should be a priority.