We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Double Gameweek 36 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to Saturday’s deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, with three more Gameweek 35 fixtures and a whole host of press conferences still to come this week.
But in the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article – a term coined by the duo behind the Always Cheating podcast – will discuss the players who are likely to be in the running.
As ever, we are limited by certain restrictions:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 36 FIXTURES
Times given in BST
THE LIKELY LADS
Brighton and Newcastle ‘doublers’ will no doubt form the backbone of our Scout Picks this week.
The fixtures might not seem the easiest on paper for the Seagulls, but they are flying under Roberto De Zerbi, playing some of the best football in England.
Rotation could be an issue with fringe players like Julio Enciso (£4.6m) and Billy Gilmour (£4.2m) impressing, but Kaoru Mitoma (£5.6m) – one of the Premier League’s breakout stars this season – and Solly March (£5.3m) have at least already been handed late-season breathers. The latter has 11 attacking returns away from home in 2022/23, at least four more than any other team-mate, but is now a fitness concern after picking up a hamstring injury in Monday’s loss to Everton.
Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) is also in the running and could be called upon, especially if Joel Veltman (£4.6m) and Pascal Gross (£5.4m) are fit, potentially freeing him up to take up an advanced role in behind the striker.
At the back, it’s almost certain that one of Jason Steele (£4.0m), Lewis Dunk (£4.8m) or Pervis Estupinan (£4.9m) will be included, with the attack-minded Ecuadorian preferred for now. He’s created ten chances in his last six appearances – only four FPL defenders have registered more.
Rotation feels like less of a worry at Newcastle, as they look to secure UEFA Champions League qualification.
There’ll be concerns about Callum Wilson’s (£7.1m) ability to get through successive starts, given the schedule (see below), so Alexander Isak (£7.0m) – fourth among forwards for goals from Gameweek 27 onwards – might be the safer play. The Swede looked easier on the eye on Sunday, when both players started together for the first time.
However, it’d be wrong to dismiss Wilson out of hand. He, of course, had a record-breaking April and this isn’t exactly a quick turnaround (Saturday to Thursday), so Wilson is still an attractive proposition.
- Saturday 13 May: Leeds (a) – Double Gameweek 36
- Thursday 18 May: Brighton (h) – Double Gameweek 36
- Monday 22 May: Leicester (h) – Gameweek 37
Elsewhere, despite some iffy defensive form, Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) is still putting up elite creative numbers, while Nick Pope (£5.4m) can at least supplement his tally with save points – he has four in his last six outings – even if Newcastle do concede.
Away from the Double Gameweek clubs, there are three stand-out fixtures: Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton v Manchester City and Leicester City v Liverpool.
Man Utd are in a mini-slump, having scored just one goal in their last three matches, but a home tie against Wolves has the potential to be a higher-scoring affair, with Marcus Rashford (£7.3m) leading the charge.
Our selections from Jurgen Klopp’s troops will almost certainly be Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.6m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.1m). Opponents Leicester have failed to keep a clean sheet in 19 matches, conceding 34 goals. However, others could well come into the equation to challenge or even supplement the aforementioned duo, including Cody Gakpo (£7.7m) and Diogo Jota (£8.7m).
As for Man City, the main nagging doubt is that they are in UEFA Champions League action either side of Gameweek 35, so there is the very real potential for some minute management on Sunday. Still, it’s a must-win game and they can’t afford any slip-ups. For now, we’ve opted for Scout Picks staple Erling Haaland (£12.4m) but others could come into play, like Ruben Dias (£6.0m), Jack Grealish (£7.3m), Riyad Mahrez (£7.3m) and Julian Alvarez (£6.0m).
IN CONTENTION
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