The Scout is helping Fantasy Premier League managers to build their 15-man squads ahead of Gameweek 1 with some ready-made solutions.
In this example, you can see how to create a well-balanced squad where funds are spread evenly, selecting the four most-popular players in 2024/25 Fantasy, by virtue of not owning Erling Haaland (£15.0m) OR Mohamed Salah (£12.5m).
Playing safe with the most-owned players
Building an opening squad around the most-selected players has been a popular strategy in Fantasy over recent seasons.
This is a somewhat risk-averse strategy and helps limit the chances of you suffering a poor start to a season, because you are essentially in the same situation as millions of your rivals.
Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.5m) is the most-popular player at present, found in over 56 per cent of squads. He scored three goals during pre-season appearances and is one of the standout captain picks for Gameweek 1, when the Magpies entertain promoted Southampton.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) is just behind Isak, found in 44 per cent of squads. He was the top-scoring forward in 2023/24 Fantasy, collecting 228 points to the 217 of Haaland.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Arsenal’s William Saliba (£6.0m), meanwhile, are the most-owned midfielder and defender respectively.
Palmer, of course, took Fantasy by storm in his breakthrough campaign, combining 22 goals with 13 assists to top the player standings on 244 points.
Crucially, both Palmer and Watkins enjoy very appealing runs of opponents in the early stages of 2024/25. According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), five of Chelsea and Villa’s first six matches score a mere two.
Saliba, meanwhile, is owned by 39 per cent and is the most-secure option in the league’s best defence. The Frenchman started all 38 matches last season as the Gunners collected 18 clean sheets – five more than any other side.
SIX captaincy contenders
By analysing the best-performing players for huge hauls last season, you can take advantage of the kind pricing of a host of key attackers.
Palmer, Watkins and Isak were among the 14 players to claim at least six double-figure returns in 2023/24.
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min (£10.0m), Manchester City’s Phil Foden (£9.5m) and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (£8.0m) were also on that list.
The latter trio cost a combined £27.5m, exactly the same as Haaland and Salah.
Son and Foden both produced eight double-figure returns in 2023/24, the same number as Haaland and only one fewer than Salah.
Both offer strong captain alternatives against promoted clubs in the opening two rounds of matches. Son visits Leicester City in Gameweek 1, and Foden hosts Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2.
Havertz, meanwhile, was transformed by a move up front for the Gunners midway through last season. From Gameweek 21 onwards, he was involved in 18 goals – second only to the 22 of Palmer among all players and bettering the 15 of his more expensive team-mate Bukayo Saka (£10.0m).
Most double-figure hauls in 2023/24
| Player | Total |
|---|---|
| Palmer | 10 |
| Odegaard, Saka, Salah | 9 |
| Foden, Haaland, Rodri, Son | 8 |
| Watkins | 7 |
| Havertz, Olise, Fernandes, Gordon, Isak | 6 |
Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.5m) is picked alongside those six big-hitters due to his penalty duties and favourable opening fixtures.
Rotate budget defenders
Although Saliba will set you back a hefty £6.0m, he is the only defender or goalkeeper who costs more than £4.5m in this squad.
By having the Arsenal star as a “set and forget” option, managers can then analyse the schedules and pick two of their other four defenders alongside him according to their fixtures.
Aston Villa’s Pau Torres, Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko, Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and Ipswich’s Leif Davis (all £4.5m) are four such examples and all have kind schedules to start the season.
Between the posts, managers can take advantage of Brentford and Chelsea’s schedules. According to the FDR, if you pick the goalkeeper who has the easier match in your starting line-up, while benching the other one, your starting goalkeeper would have a relatively easy fixture rated as only two in eight of their first 10 outings.
Mark Flekken (£4.5m) is Brentford’s No 1, while Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) is included here as an example of Chelsea’s first-choice 'keeper, with Filip Jorgensen (£4.5m) competing for the No 1 spot after joining from Villarreal.
For the bench, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (£5.0m) is among a host of budget midfielders who impressed during pre-season. Playing predominantly as a second striker, he scored three goals and supplied two assists.
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