The Scout’s preset squads: Premium defence

The Scout is helping Fantasy Premier League managers to build their 15-man squads ahead of Gameweek 1 with some ready-made solutions. 

Owning two premiums

Thanks to some kind pricing in Fantasy this season, managers can own premium priced players such as Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Harry Kane (£11.5m) and still have the budget to invest heavily at the back.

Selecting big-hitting defenders was a tactic employed by last season’s FPL champion, Jamie Pigott.

See: FPL champion's tips: Look for early value

The US-based manager built a five-man defence consisting solely of players from Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea when using each of his Wildcards. 

Goalkeepers 

Brentford's David Raya (£4.5m) and Ellery Balcombe (£4.0m) combine for a mere £8.5m ahead of a fine run of opponents.

The Bees face only one of last term’s top six in the first seven Gameweeks.

Brentford's first seven Gameweeks

Brighton & Hove Albion's Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) and Jason Steele (£4.0m), along with Leeds United pair Illan Meslier (£4.5m) and Kristoffer Klaesson (£4.0m), offer similarly priced goalkeeper pairings with favourable early schedules.

Defenders

Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea provide managers with attacking options who offer multiple routes to returns in Fantasy. 

Reds full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) averaged 6.5 and 6.4 points per match (ppm) respectively in the previous campaign.

Alexander-Arnold ranked third among all players on 208 points, while Man City’s Joao Cancelo (£7.0m) finished fifth on 201 points, more than any team-mate.

Chelsea wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell (both £6.0m) were both affected by injury last term but delivered big returns when selected.

James produced 6.3 points per start, while Chilwell recorded 7.9 ppm over his six outings under Thomas Tuchel.

Midfielders

Owned by a massive 56 per cent, Salah will be among the top captaincy picks in any given Gameweek this season. 

He is joined by in-form Marcus Rashford (£6.5m) and Pedro Neto (£5.5m) in a three-man midfield.

Rashford dropped £3.0m in cost from the start of 2021/22, more than any other player in Fantasy.

However, his prospects have been revived by Manchester United’s new manager Erik ten Hag. 

The England international has produced two goals and an assist over the summer, suggesting he could be a real bargain from the outset. 

Rashford scores v Crystal Palace

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Neto is the fifth most-owned midfielder in Fantasy.

He is found in 19.5 per cent of squads on the back of three goals and an assist over the summer. 

Meanwhile, Andreas Pereira (£4.5m) is a very handy pick as a back-up substitute.

He has delivered an assist in both appearances for Fulham since joining from Man Utd and has a share of set-piece duties.

Carney Chukwuemeka (£4.5m) is an example of a low-cost pick who will free up funds for the big-hitters early on.

Forwards

Kane has been the most prolific player in the league so far this summer, scoring five goals and also supplying an assist.

Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) partners the Tottenham Hotspur talisman in a front two.

The Brazilian has made an instant impact at his new club, scoring four goals and supplying an assist.

He is the most-selected player in 2022/23 Fantasy, found in over 62 per cent of squads. 

Similar to Chukwuemeka in midfield, Leeds’ Sam Greenwood (£4.5m) is an ultra low cost pick who can sit on managers’ benches, allowing them to spread their funds elsewhere.

Also in this series

Part 1: Own Salah, De Bruyne and Kane
Part 3: Spreading funds evenly