Did you miss the Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 deadline? Don’t worry! Here’s a squad The Scout has chosen especially for YOU ahead of the Gameweek 2 deadline on Saturday 24 August at 11:00 BST, based on player form, fixtures and last season's data.
It is also useful for those managers who have decided to activate their Wildcard this week.
Liverpool and Palace among FOUR double-ups
A Gameweek 2 squad should look to take advantage of Liverpool and Crystal Palace’s kind upcoming schedules.
Both clubs have three home matches in the next four Gameweeks, raising their potential for returns at both ends of the pitch in Fantasy.
Liverpool host Brentford, Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth in that spell, while Palace entertain West Ham United, Leicester City and Manchester United.
For the Reds, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) and Diogo Jota (£7.5m) turned in promising displays in their first match under Arne Slot in Gameweek 1.
Alexander-Arnold combined a clean sheet with two bonus points in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town. His Expected Goal Involvement (xGI) score of 1.06 was his fourth highest across his Fantasy career, showing his huge potential for attacking returns.
Meanwhile, Jota – who is listed as a midfielder in Fantasy – played as a centre-forward and scored the Reds’ opener to match Alexander-Arnold’s eight points.
Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) immediately highlighted his attacking potential with an assist against Brentford last weekend. The Colombian now has five assists and five clean sheets in 15 outings under Oliver Glasner.
Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) was very unfortunate to blank against the Bees – his seven shots were more than any other player in Gameweek 1.
Arsenal and Manchester City have been quick to show why they will again merit investment at both ends of the pitch in Fantasy.
Despite his record-breaking price tag, Erling Haaland’s (£15.0m) schedule means it is simply too risky to go without him right now. All three of Man City’s next three matches score just two in the FDR, including a plum home meeting with Ipswich in Gameweek 2, which could allow Haaland to deliver a huge captaincy haul.
After matching Bukayo Saka’s (£10.0m) goal, assist and 12 points in Gameweek 1, Kai Havertz (£8.0m) is shaping up as a bargain route into the Arsenal attack. Since the Gunners returned from their winter break in Gameweek 21 last season, Havertz ranks second among all players in Fantasy for goal involvements, scoring 10 and assisting 10.
The Gunners’ No 1 David Raya (£5.5m) offers a relatively cheap route into their defence and started the season with a clean sheet and eight points at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) opened 2024/25 with a clean sheet and one bonus point in Man City’s 2-0 win at Chelsea. The Croat has averaged 7.8 points per match across his last 11 appearances, thanks to four goals, two assists and six clean sheets.
Palmer a strong captain option
Chelsea’s upcoming run of opponents gives Cole Palmer (£10.5m) the opportunity to announce himself as a major armband contender once again.
Palmer was the most reliable player for bumper hauls in Fantasy last season, claiming 10 double-figure returns across 29 starts on his way to topping the player standings.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of the Blues’ next six matches score only two – the most favourable schedule of any side.
In the budget bracket, Nott'm Forest forward Chris Wood (£6.0m) and Fulham’s Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) also have the schedules to appeal.
After scoring and earning nine points against Bournemouth in Gameweek 1, Wood has a very kind run of opponents that can secure his spot in many squads for a number of Gameweeks to come. According to the FDR, seven of Nott’m Forest’s next nine matches score only two.
Smith Rowe is more of a short-term pick here, with Fulham benefiting from back-to-back encounters against promoted sides Leicester and Ipswich over the next two Gameweeks. If he fails to improve upon his Gameweek 1 blank, it’ll be time to reassess his place in your squad.
Have Davis in place for Gameweek 3
Managers should also have one eye on Ipswich’s favourable fixtures from Gameweek 3.
Seven of their subsequent eight matches score just two in the FDR, which gives Leif Davis (£4.5m) the chance to make his mark in the budget defender bracket. The left-back produced two goals and 18 assists in last season’s Championship and dominates set-piece duties.
In the £4.0m-price bracket, Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis (£4.0m) is an example of a secure £4.0m-priced starter among the promoted clubs.
Leicester’s Harry Winks is one of the very few £4.5m midfielders who are starters for their clubs, and is a handy option for your bench. Brentford’s Hakon Valdimarsson (£4.0m) is simply included as a cost-cutting exercise, with the squad coming to exactly £100.0m.
