The Scout uses form and fixtures to build a squad for managers who are playing their second Wildcard of the season in Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 11:00 GMT deadline.
Jordan Pickford (Everton) £5.0m
Five clean sheets over the last eight Gameweeks have taken Everton’s No 1 to 83 points, just two off the top of the goalkeeper standings. Pickford has a very favourable schedule ahead to extend that form – according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), only TWO of his next 10 matches score more than three.
Hakon Valdimarsson (Brentford) £3.9m
The Brentford back-up goalkeeper in one of the cheapest options between the posts and is a handy option for your bench.
Gabriel (Arsenal) £6.4m
The Arsenal centre-back has averaged 4.9 points per match, joint-top with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) among defenders. Gabriel has combined three goals and two assists with six clean sheets in 16 outings, highlighting his huge potential at both ends of the pitch.
Jurrien Timber (Arsenal) £5.7m
The Dutchman has proven the ideal double-up option alongside Gabriel among the Arsenal defenders. Timber has 32 points across his last five appearances, thanks to one goal, three clean sheets and five bonus points.
Lewis Hall (Newcastle) £4.7m
Newcastle United’s left-back has been a huge budget success for managers in Fantasy recently. Hall has amassed 40 of his 77 points this season over the last four Gameweeks, producing three assists, four clean sheets and seven bonus points.
Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest) £4.7m
The centre-back has helped Nottingham Forest to eight clean sheets, joint-top with Liverpool. Milenkovic boasts the greatest goal threat of any member of Nuno Espirito Santo’s rearguard – his total of 16 shots in the box ranks joint-third with Gabriel among defenders in Fantasy.
Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) £4.7m
Crystal Palace’s Munoz also ranks among the best defenders for goal threat, with his 20 shots in the box placing second. From Gameweek 21 onwards, four of the Eagles’ subsequent five matches score a mere two in the FDR.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) £13.6m
In his eighth season with Liverpool, the Egyptian is enjoying the best start EVER to a Fantasy campaign in history. Salah has blanked just TWICE in 18 outings under Arne Slot to total 202 points, just nine points short of his total from the entire 2023/24 campaign.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £11.4m
Chelsea’s playmaker has proven Salah’s main challenger in 2024/25 Fantasy, with 12 goals, seven assists and 143 points to his name. Those numbers compare very favourably with last season, when Palmer finished as the top-scoring player in the game on 244 points – by this stage of 2023/24, he had just six goals, four assists and 74 points.
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) £7.4m
The Newcastle winger has markedly stepped up his output recently. Gordon has scored or assisted in each of his last SIX starts, yet is found in only 13 per cent of squads.
Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace) £5.9m
Palace’s Senegalese winger has the goal threat to offer outstanding value over the coming weeks. Since securing as a starting role in Gameweek 9, Sarr’s 17 shots on target are TWICE that of any team-mate.
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) £5.5m
Although he is set to serve a one-match ban in Gameweek 20, the Aston Villa star has the form and fixtures to remain the go-to budget midfielder in Fantasy. He has produced his two best scores of the season across his last three Gameweeks, and will face four of the bottom eight sides over Gameweeks 21-25.
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) £9.2m
Newcastle’s Swede is the most-owned forward in Fantasy, and third most-selected player overall, found in 48 per cent of squads. Isak has scored in six successive matches, totalling eight goals and two assists in that spell, to top the forward standings on 112 points.
Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) £6.7m
At a cost of £6.7m, the Nottingham Forest star has 11 goals, an assist and 106 points to his name. This means Wood has returned 15.8 points per million value, the best of any forward across the first half of the season.
Raul Jimenez (Fulham) £5.5m
Fulham’s Mexican took his tally to six goals and two assists for the season with a goal and nine points against AFC Bournemouth last Sunday. Jimenez has a very kind short-term schedule, with each of his next three matches scoring only two the FDR.
