West Ham United travel south to take on AFC Bournemouth on Monday evening, looking to build on an impressive 2-1 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
Having previously fallen to consecutive defeats at the hands of Arsenal and Leicester City, the Hammers took a big step towards a return to their best form by taming Wolves, with Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen scoring on a night when all inside London Stadium showed their support for Michail Antonio.
An away clash at Vitality Stadium never promises an easy ride, though, and Julen Lopetegui’s men will be wary of the threats posed by a side that are on the cusp of the European spots and have won their last three top-flight fixtures.
With so much to play for, both sides will be full of individuals looking to provide the touch of magic required to make the difference on the day, meaning there are a number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) decisions to be made in the lead up to kick-off.
The Gameweek 16 transfer deadline is set for 1.30pm GMT on Saturday 14 December, ahead of a mouth-watering feast of weekend action that ends with West Ham’s clash with Bournemouth on the south coast.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
Back to our Gameweek 16 preview, and we’re looking for our captain to continue his impressive form on all fronts…
Bowen to star against Bournemouth…
Having been particularly unlucky in the defeat to the Foxes, where he registered four shots, five key passes and 1.55 expected goal involvement (xGI), Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m) put in a captain’s performance on Gameweek 15, delivering a goal, an assist and 12 points in the Hammers’ 2-1 win against Wolves.
Our skipper has produced four goals and five assists in his 15 appearances this term, having completed the full 90 minutes in each of West Ham’s last eleven games, while he is among our highest-performing players for shots and shots on target, and has been afforded more 'big chances' than any other West Ham operator. Bowen is also the Hammers’ most creative player, with the most attempted assists and 'big chances' created.
Five of West Ham United’s seven goals scored in Gameweeks 12-15 came from set plays, so Tomáš Souček (£4.9m) certainly warrants consideration.
The Czech giant has been responsible for two of those seven goals, having netted against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which helped earn ten and nine-point hauls respectively.
With 54 points from the opening 15 matches this season, Souček, who is renowned as a big-game player, will surely have a part to play on Monday against the Cherries.
Elsewhere, an alternative is Niclas Füllkrug (£6.7m), who will no doubt be full of confidence after scoring his first goal in Claret and Blue at Leicester City.
It can be a risk picking players who are returning from a lengthy injury, but we have seen what he can do. He is superb in the air and also does not waste any time getting a shot away in and around the box.
Opposition Watch: AFC Bournemouth
Justin Kluivert (£5.5m) made history on Gameweek 13 by becoming the first-ever Premier League player to score a hat-trick of penalties, but had his strike partner Evanilson (£6.1m) to thank after the forward was fouled for all three spot-kicks at Molineux.
Brazilian forward Evanilson, who joined the Cherries for a club-record fee from FC Porto in the summer, has quietly become a very reliable source of points in Fantasy Premier League, and after a reasonably slow start, he has found his feet and recorded a 12-point haul against Wolves. Some FPL managers will be hoping he could be a differential against the Hammers, who will be keeping their fingers crossed that Evanilson has an off-day.
Elsewhere, Dean Huijsen (£4.3m) is a cheap alternative for FPL managers in the market for a centre-back. With Marcos Senesi (£4.8m) ruled out for a significant period of time, Huijsen looks set to fill the void in defence with a run of starts in Andoni Iraola’s team.
As well as clean-sheet potential, Huijsen offers some attacking threat, with the 19-year-old Spaniard registering five shots in just 430 minutes of action, one of which found the back of the net in Gameweek 14 in the 1-0 win over Tottenham.
