The Scout is tipping five players for big success in Gameweek 5 of Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline - and they all cost less than £6.0m!
Dwight McNeil (Everton) £5.4m
The Everton winger visits Leicester City on the back of a goal, assist and 12-point haul at Aston Villa last weekend.
That followed his assist against AFC Bournemouth in Gameweek 3, so McNeil has now been involved in three of the Toffees’ four goals this season.
The underlying statistics highlight his hugely impressive start to the new campaign. McNeil’s totals of 17 key passes and five big chances created are both more than ANY other player in 2024/25 Fantasy.
His dominance of dead-ball duties, in particular, could help exploit Leicester's weakness on Saturday afternoon.
The Foxes have conceded league-high totals of 22 shots from set-pieces and 15 headed shots in their first four matches.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester) £5.7m
A home encounter with Everton has made the Leicester forward a popular pick for Gameweek 5.
Vardy is the fourth most-bought player ahead of Saturday’s deadline, moved in by more than 150,000 managers. He faces the Toffees on the back of a goal and an eight-point return against Crystal Palace in the last Gameweek.
Vardy's goal v Palace
One more for Jamie Vardy's @premierleague account ⚽ pic.twitter.com/jqGkTieay6
— Leicester City (@LCFC) September 14, 2024
Everton’s defensive record gives Vardy the chance to extend his form and immediately reward his growing band of new owners. The Toffees have conceded league-highs of 13 goals and 18 big chances, losing all four of their opening matches.
Leicester’s subsequent schedule offers further encouragement for Vardy. According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), five of the Foxes' next six matches score only two.
Leicester's fixtures
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Everton (H) | 2 |
| 6 | Arsenal (A) | 5 |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Southampton (A) | 2 |
| 9 | Nott'm Forest (H) | 2 |
| 10 | Ipswich (A) | 2 |
*1= easiest, 5= hardest
Ola Aina (Nott’m Forest) £4.4m
Managers in Fantasy have made Aina the priority pick in defence after Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win at Liverpool last weekend.
Over 110,000 have brought in the full-back after he helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to their second clean sheet in the opening four Gameweeks of 2024/25.
Although Aina has offered little attacking threat, with only two shots and two key passes this season, his passing and defensive work help him to score well in the Bonus Points System (BPS), which determines the bonus points allocated in any given match.
As a result, he has a collected FIVE bonus points across the two matches in which he has kept a clean sheet.
Nott’m Forest’s upcoming schedule suggests Aina can continue to be a standout budget pick in Fantasy at a cost of only £4.4m.
Like Leicester, five of Forest's next six matches score just two in the FDR, including their encounter with Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Nott'm Forest's fixtures
| GW | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Brighton (A) | 2 |
| 6 | Fulham (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Chelsea (A) | 4 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace (H) | 2 |
| 9 | Leicester (A) | 2 |
| 10 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
Eddie Nketiah (Crystal Palace) £5.9m
Palace’s new signing from Arsenal was quick to show his goal threat on his debut against Leicester last weekend.
Although he was overshadowed by Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.4m), who scored twice, Nketiah had six shots in the box in the 2-2 draw. That bettered the four of Mateta and ranked joint-top among ALL players in Gameweek 4, level with Haaland and Ollie Watkins (£8.9m).
Nketiah also had 15 touches in the box – again joint-top for the Gameweek – to suggest he can be an effective alternative to his new team-mates Mateta and Eberechi Eze (£6.9m).
A home encounter with Manchester United followed by a visit to struggling Everton makes Nketiah a strong short-term pick in the budget forward bracket.
Kevin Schade (Brentford) £5.4m
An injury to Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) could give Schade the chance to offer great value in Fantasy.
Listed as a midfielder in FPL, the German may be in line to start as Brentford’s lone forward for the foreseeable future, with Wissa and his fellow striker Igor Thiago (£5.9m) both sidelined for the next two and three months respectively.
Crucially, Schade’s opportunity coincides with a very encouraging run of opponents for the Bees.
According to the FDR, each of their next five home matches scores only two, with West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town, AFC Bournemouth and Leicester the visitors. Brentford also visit Fulham and Everton in a very favourable eight-match run from Gameweek 6 onwards.
Should Schade seize his opportunity to impress, he could be an outstanding mid-term budget midfielder for many managers in Fantasy.
Brentford's fixtures
| GW | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Spurs (A) | 4 |
| 6 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Wolves (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Man Utd (A) | 3 |
| 9 | Ipswich (H) | 2 |
| 10 | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 11 | Bournemouth (H) | 2 |
| 12 | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 13 | Leicester (H) | 2 |
