FPL Gameweek 26 early Scout Picks: Saka part of Arsenal triple-up

We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ for Gameweek 26 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

There’s a smaller pool of players to consider this week as Chelsea, Liverpool, Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur are without a league fixture due to the clash with the EFL Cup final.

In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks. We will then finalise and publish them much closer to Saturday’s deadline.

Plenty can change between now and then, of course, with two more Double Gameweek 25 fixtures, Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League tie and a whole host of press conferences still to come.

But in the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article will discuss the players who are likely to be in the mix.

We are, as ever, limited by certain restrictions in our selections:

• An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
• An overall squad limit of £100.0m
• No more than three players per team

GAMEWEEK 26 FIXTURES

Above: The Gameweek 26 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker

THE LIKELY LADS

On paper, the fixtures at Molineux, Villa Park and Old Trafford look like home bankers. Five of our ‘bus team’, indeed, hail from Wolves, Aston Villa and Man Utd.

Wolves offer great value options in defence and attack this week.

Only four defenders can beat Rayan Ait-Nouri’s (£4.5m) 87 final-third touches in the last three Gameweeks, whilst Pedro Neto (£5.7m) has fired off nine shots and created six chances over the same period.

Furthermore, Sheffield United seem to have a particular weakness down Ait-Nouri/Neto’s flank: The Blades sit in the bottom two for chances conceded down their right-hand side over the last six Gameweeks.

Hwang Hee-chan (£5.5m) is very much in the running, too.

However, Neto’s attacking threat is key to how Wolves operate. He has been involved in 62% of his team’s Premier League goals this season, compared with the 45% of Hwang, perhaps giving him the edge.

Ollie Watkins (£8.7m) feels like an easy go-to forward, meanwhile. The former Brentford man has returned four goals and five assists in his last six matches and boasts a points-per-start score of 6.4 over the season.

Leon Bailey (£5.6m) and Douglas Luiz (£5.5m) are also stand-out options for Saturday’s fixture.

But Nottingham Forest have scored 15 goals in eight Premier League games under Nuno Espirito Santo. In that time, they have not failed to find the net, which may be enough for us to overlook Aston Villa’s defenders.

Manchester United’s attack has improved drastically in recent weeks, prompting the selection of Alejandro Garnacho (£5.0m).

No other sub-£9.0m midfielder can match Garnacho’s 47 shots in the box this season and it’s hard to overlook a fixture against a Fulham team without Palhinha (£5.0m), who is banned for Gameweek 26.

In the seven Premier League games without him in the starting line-up, they have lost six times and conceded a total of 20 goals.

Diogo Dalot (£5.1m), meanwhile, is third only to Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) and Garnacho for crosses in United’s last six and should be given license to roam forward on Saturday afternoon.

Elsewhere, we can’t ignore Erling Haaland (£14.4m) or Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) for obvious reasons, so both should earn selection.

IN CONTENTION

We’ve already mentioned Haaland and Watkins, but there are other appealing forwards in the mix.

Ivan Toney (£8.2m) is in our ‘bus team’ and visits a West Ham side who are without a win in 2024. The 27-year-old also boasts some strong recent numbers – no other player can better his eight big chances in the last five Gameweeks.

Rasmus Hojlund (£7.2m) is in terrific form, too, with nine attacking returns in his last six starts.

Meanwhile, the newly recalled Sam Johnstone (£4.4m) or Joachim Andersen (£4.7m) may come into consideration from the Crystal Palace ranks, as could Jordan Ayew (£5.4m), given that Burnley have been vulnerable at the back all year.

At Brighton, Pascal Gross (£6.4m), Kaoru Mitoma (£6.4m) and Simon Adingra (£5.0m) could all prosper, but Everton’s visit to the Amex Stadium is a tough one to call.

Gross’ stunning rate of creating chances (37 in his last ten matches) carries appeal, however, with penalty-taking duties in Joao Pedro’s (£5.3m) absence.

And let’s not forget further Man City and Arsenal coverage.

The likes of Kyle Walker (£5.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m), Phil Foden (£8.1m), Ben White (£5.6m), Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m) and Martin Odegaard (£8.4m) are very much in the running.

More of a judgement call on City assets can likely be made after Tuesday’s clash with Brentford.

There are certainly question marks over Newcastle’s backline, with eight goals shipped to Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Luton in the last three Gameweeks, so Odegaard is a very convincing option.

THE LONG SHOTS

There are lots of other options besides the players mentioned above, but they sit in this section of our coverage for a reason.

For example, Anthony Elanga (£5.1m) or Taiwo Awoniyi (£6.3m) could emerge as differential shouts, given Aston Villa’s defensive absentees, while Willian (£5.3m) and Rodrigo Muniz (£4.4m) could profit from Man Utd’s inability to control games.

Still, there are surely more appealing options on offer.

Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m) feel like outsiders, too, although a return for Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m) – who is back in training after a calf problem – could make us reconsider.

GAMEWEEK 26 BUS TEAM

Fantasy Football Scout’s exclusive Premium Membership offer is still available – but get it while you can, as it will soon expire!

Our special pre-season package is a 40% discount to our full-price Premium Membership, so for only £3.25 per month (billed annually), you get access to our unique Premium Members Area and the official Premier League data in it.

Plus, there will be all the usual benefits like team reveals, strategy tips and more.

This offer will soon cease, so sign up while you can!

SIGN UP TODAY