The Scout reveals a 15-man squad for the opening Gameweeks of 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League ahead of the Gameweek 1 deadline on Friday 16 August at 18:30 BST.
Rotating goalkeepers
By rotating Brentford’s Mark Flekken and Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez (both £4.5m) over the opening Gameweeks, managers can benefit from a very favourable run of opponents.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), if you select the ‘keeper with the kindest match-up and bench the other, eight of the opening 10 matches would score only two.
Big-hitters joined by Munoz in defence
Arsenal centre-back Gabriel and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol (both £6.0m) have huge potential for returns at both ends of the pitch.
Gabriel helped the Gunners keep 18 clean sheets in the previous campaign, five more than any other side. The Brazilian had 28 shots from set-pieces in 2023/24, four times the total of his team-mate William Saliba (£6.0m).
After a slow start to his debut season, Gvardiol became more influential in the latter stages of the campaign. The Croat delivered all his attacking returns for 2023/24 – four goals and two assists – over his final 10 appearances, in addition to five clean sheets.
Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) was a major success after Oliver Glasner arrived as head coach last season. Playing as a right-sided wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 formation, the Colombian supplied four assists and collected five clean sheets in the Eagles’ final 14 matches under the Austrian.
Jota and Solanke preferred to Salah and Son
By picking Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dominic Solanke (both £7.5m) over Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Son Heung-min (£10.0m) as the go-to attackers for their clubs, managers can make a significant saving of £7.5m.
Jota was involved in a team-high four goals over the summer, scoring one and assisting three in only 200 minutes under new head coach Arne Slot. Salah delivered a goal and two assists in 344 minutes, by contrast.
Solanke has soared to 26 per cent ownership after signing from AFC Bournemouth in the last week. He scored 19 goals for the Cherries in the previous campaign – a total bettered only by Erling Haaland (£15.0m), Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Alexander Isak (£8.5m).
Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) both made their first starts of pre-season last weekend following their late return after their exertions at UEFA EURO 2024. Both are on penalties for their clubs and have kind fixtures to start 2024/25.
Saka hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion in the first three Gameweeks, while Eze faces Brentford, West Ham United and Leicester City over his first four matches.
Isak and Haaland for captaincy versus promoted sides
In Fantasy last season, the three promoted clubs had the worst defensive records in the league for conceding goals.
With that in mind, Newcastle United's Isak and Manchester City star Haaland immediately provide you with two of the very best captains for the opening two Gameweeks.
Isak entertains Southampton in Gameweek 1, while Haaland hosts Ipswich Town the following weekend.
Isak scored 14 of his 21 goals in home matches last season, while his 25 big chances in such contests was a league-high total.
Haaland, meanwhile, was involved in 19 goals in 15 appearances at the Etihad Stadium in 2023/24, scoring 15 and assisting a further four.
Smith Rowe and Barco the pre-season budget picks
Fulham’s Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) and Brighton defender Valentin Barco (£4.0m) have both soared in popularity over the last week due to their pre-season displays.
Smith Rowe has scored in both his appearances for the Cottagers since signing from Arsenal and can be found in 13 per cent of squads, making him the most-popular midfielder in the sub-£6.0m bracket. Four of his first six matches score only two in the FDR.
Left-back Barco, meanwhile, is the fifth most-owned defender in Fantasy, selected by 22 per cent. The Argentinian has been handed a share of set-piece duties by the Seagulls’ new head coach Fabian Hurzeler and could start the season, as his rival Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) remains sidelined.
Ipswich’s Leif Davis and Leicester’s Harry Winks (both £4.5m) complete the squad.
Davis’ two goals and 18 assists in last season’s Championship, boosted by his domination of set-pieces, underline his major attacking potential when his fixtures turn more favourably in Gameweek 3.
Winks is one of the very few £4.5m midfielders who are starters for their clubs, and is a handy option for your bench.