The Scout is tipping five players for big success in Gameweek 2 of 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline.
These are particularly good picks for managers who are starting Fantasy in Gameweek 2 and are currently picking their squad.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £10.5m
Last season’s top-scoring player in Fantasy has the schedule to get back to his best after his Gameweek 1 blank against Manchester City.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat on Sunday, despite only featuring for 45 minutes during pre-season due to his international commitments with England at UEFA EURO 2024.
TV Info - Broadcasters
With a full week’s training behind him, the midfielder can now step up his match sharpness ahead of a very kind run of opponents, which starts with a visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of Chelsea’s next six matches score only two – the most favourable schedule of any side.
See: Fixture Difficulty Ratings for EVERY club
Wolves’ defensive displays at Molineux in their first season under Gary O’Neil in 2023/24 bode well for Palmer's prospects this weekend.
At home last season, Wolves were the fifth-worst side for conceding shots in the box, with their total of 175 just behind the 176 of relegated Luton Town. Meanwhile, their 46 big chances conceded in such encounters was the sixth-worst total and again fares poorly when assessed against relegated sides - just one behind the 47 of Burnley.
Phil Foden (Man City) £9.5m
Similarly to Palmer, the Man City midfielder’s international exertions heavily impacted his pitch time during pre-season. After failing to feature in his side’s summer friendlies, Foden was restricted to just 45 minutes of action at Chelsea last weekend.
But he now looks likely to be unleashed from the start for the champions’ first home match of the season against promoted Ipswich Town.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Although most of the attention will understandably be on Erling Haaland’s (£15.0m) captaincy prospects, Foden’s displays at the Etihad Stadium last season indicate he could also be in line for a major haul.
He produced 10 goals and seven assists in 2023/24 home matches, totalling a team-high 133 points. Foden’s average of 7.5 points per home start was near-identical to the 7.7 of Haaland.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) £7.5m
Crystal Palace’s forward lasted just 45 minutes against Brentford before being replaced at half-time in Gameweek 1. But again, this was down to Mateta’s lack of involvement in pre-season after he represented France at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The striker's home form under Oliver Glasner in 2023/24 looks hugely encouraging for his prospects against West Ham United this weekend.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Mateta has scored in ALL SEVEN of Palace’s matches at Selhurst Park since the appointment of Glasner as head coach in Gameweek 25 last season.
Indeed, 11 of his 16 goals in 2023/24 – as well as two of his seven assists – were produced over those home contests.
In Fantasy terms, Mateta has amassed 74 points across his seven home appearances for Glasner, averaging just over 10 points per match.
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) £4.5m
Back-to-back encounters with promoted pair Leicester City and Ipswich hand the Fulham left-back the chance to offer great value in Fantasy at a cost of only £4.5m.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Robinson supplied six assists last season, a total bettered by only four other defenders. Combined with his nine clean sheets, he went on to claim his career-high of 104 points in Fantasy.
The underlying statistics show how vital Robinson’s creativity is for Marco Silva’s side. His six big chances created ranked joint-second for Fulham last season, while his 33 key passes placed fourth.
Diogo Jota (Liverpool) £7.5m
The Portuguese's impact in Liverpool’s first match under Arne Slot suggests he could be worth owning along with his Reds team-mate Mohamed Salah (£12.5m)
Listed as a midfielder in Fantasy, Jota played up front in the Reds’ new 4-2-3-1 formation and scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win at Ipswich.
Jota's goal v Ipswich
Ohhh his name is Diogo 🎶 pic.twitter.com/eu83r4J0QZ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 18, 2024
Although his eight-point haul was overshadowed by Salah’s 14 points, Jota’s kind price indicates he can offer good value alongside the Egyptian.
Liverpool have three home matches over the next four Gameweeks, and each of them – against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth – score just two in the FDR.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Jota’s output at Anfield last season offers more encouragement. He produced 7.3 points per start and averaged 0.95 goals per 90 minutes, compared with the 0.87 goals per 90 minutes of Salah.
