We’ve put together an early draft of our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Scout Picks for Gameweek 8.
As ever, we will finalise our selection much closer to the deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, of course, with international fixtures, Scout Squad nominations and a whole host of press conferences still to come.
If you’re new to this feature, there are certain restrictions for our picks:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 8 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 8 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker
THE LIKELY LADS
There aren’t too many Scout Picks shoo-ins at this early stage of the international break.
Manchester City representation looks likely, at least, even after Fulham gave them an almighty scare in Gameweek 7.
That’s because they’ll be up against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who are bottom for goals conceded (21) this season. They are also without a clean sheet in 17 Premier League games.
Erling Haaland (£15.4m) is the clear front-runner for inclusion, with Gary O’Neil’s side particularly vulnerable to headers and crosses into their box.
Above: All of the headed chances that Wolves have conceded this season, six of which have resulted in goals
Defensive representation is another possibility, with Wolves in the bottom three for expected goals (xG).
Josko Gvardiol (£5.9m) lies joint-third among defenders for shots in the box (eight) and has taken up some excellent positions in recent weeks.
Rico Lewis (£4.7m), who has been a regular name in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI this season, is another stand-out candidate.
There is plenty of debate to be had about the rest of the Scout Picks but two players we’d struggle to see us going without are Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Brennan Johnson (£6.5m).
Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) and Marc Cucurella (£5.0m) are both suspended for Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool, so Salah could get plenty of joy down the channels.
Johnson, meanwhile, is currently enjoying a real purple patch for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring six goals in six games. He’s also attempted more shots in the box (21) than any other midfielder except Salah this season.
IN CONTENTION
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