It’s time for our Scout Squad panel to propose their Gameweek 27 picks.

In this article, our in-house team discuss who they think the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players are for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

The focus is only on the upcoming Gameweek with the Scout Squad, so there’s no medium-term planning involved.

Staff writer Marc, general manager Sam, deputy editor Tom F and editor Neale each take turns explaining their picks.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make the Scout Picks. However, the final XI can’t exceed £83.0m – so occasionally, we have to source cheaper alternatives.

Each of our writers must meet the following requirements for this feature:

• At least one sub-£5.0m goalkeeper
• At least one sub-£5.0m defender
• At least one sub-£6.0m midfielder
• At least one sub-£7.0m forward
• No more than three players from the same club

SCOUT SQUAD: BEST FPL PLAYERS FOR GAMEWEEK 27

• MOST PICKS: Daniel Munoz, Virgil van Dijk, Cole Palmer, Antoine Semenyo, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Pedro, Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago (four), Robert Sanchez, Caoimhin Kelleher, Gabriel Magalhaes, Hugo Ekitike, Jorgen Strand Larsen (three)

MARC SAID…

After Arsenal and Wolves’ Double Gameweek 26, we’re now back to one match per team, though I’m still selecting Gunners duo Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya against an injury-ravaged Spurs. Their derby hosts have put firefighter Igor Tudor in temporary charge, but I can still only picture an away win.

From last time’s picks, Taty Castellanos, Crysencio Summerville, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro all immediately delivered, which felt good. The Chelsea duo went on to set each other up versus Leeds and, unsurprisingly, I’m choosing them again for the home clash with Burnley. Perhaps Robert Sanchez can keep a clean sheet, too.

Similarly to Palmer and Pedro, Hugo Ekitike had a nice breather in the FA Cup. He wasn’t used until the final minutes, by which stage Mohamed Salah’s goal and assist had already put Liverpool 3-0 ahead.

The Egyptian’s league form is also improving, accumulating more penalty area shots than everyone else over the last four Gameweeks (13). No goals from them, mind, but at least he’s been able to set up three for others, such as Virgil van Dijk’s headed winner at Sunderland. Combined with a clean sheet, bonuses and defensive contribution (DefCon) success, the centre-back reached 17 points, and I see the Reds getting revenge for Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 win at Anfield.

Meanwhile, my third triple-up focuses on Man City, as Newcastle already have dodgy away form and this time they’ll have a quick turnaround from being in Azerbaijan. No Bruno Guimaraes, either. It’s a surprise to notice that Erling Haaland hasn’t netted in his last seven meetings with the Magpies, though I think he’ll both start and score this time.

I hate not owning Antoine Semenyo, a real rank-shredder. The latest outing brought his third goal in four, then an assist for Nico O’Reilly, an FPL defender who keeps playing in midfield. Now that Pep Guardiola’s side can smell blood from Arsenal, they should get a comfortable clean sheet on Saturday night.

Another attacking defender is Daniel Munoz, at home to Wolves. Ok, the equally enticing hosting of Burnley saw three goals conceded in seven minutes. The Colombian only registered one point, but shot twice inside the box and created five chances, including a huge one that Daichi Kamada somehow missed. Prior to the comeback, Jorgen Strand Larsen put Palace two goals in front on his home debut. Now, it’s a rapid reunion with his former club.

I’ll likely be buying Igor Thiago this week and am not put off by his form: one goal in five, where even that couldn’t take him to six points. He’s just fired out six shots versus Arsenal, the league’s meanest defence, so I think he’ll be fine. Some might even want to double on Brentford because of their great upcoming schedule that ranks second on our Fixture Ticker over the next nine Gameweeks.

Earlier this week, I looked into both Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara, deciding that the latter is best. He has more points (87 v 86), a higher number of double-digit hauls (4 v 1), a better rate of big chances per 90 minutes (0.77 v 0.68), and often outscores his colleague when they both start. All from fewer minutes, at a lower price.

At his ex-club, Bournemouth, we’re seeing a superb cheap defender in James Hill. He’s collected 29 points from four games, thanks to lots of DefCon and a few assists, causing carnage from long throws.

Rounding things off, Bernd Leno faces a shot-shy Sunderland, whereas Bruno Fernandes feels like the best FPL asset right now. He’s capable against anyone.

SAM SAID…

Double Gameweek 26 is in the can, so now it’s time for a ‘normal’ Gameweek. Well, as normal as a Gameweek can be with two new managers marking their first games in charge, a north London derby and a wide-open title race after Arsenal failed to win either Gameweek 26 fixture. Having selected three Arsenal assets for their Double Gameweek, I am avoiding Sunday afternoon’s derby altogether (as much as I can from my seat in the South Stand, anyway!) and not selecting any this week. For all of Spurs’ issues this year, they have scored in all bar five of their fixtures in 2025/26. And despite not winning a match since Gameweek 20, they have scored in six of their last seven matches.

So, instead of the normal Arsenal picks, I have opted for triple-ups from Liverpool, Brentford, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Florian Wirtz has created the most chances for Liverpool this season (44). He has registered six attacking returns in his last 10 run-outs, too, suggesting that he is finally starting to find his form. He should be able to exploit a vulnerable Nottingham Forest defence alongside forward Hugo Ekitike, who has the most attacking returns for the Reds (12). I was very torn as to whether to pick Mohamed Salah or Virgil van Dijk as my final Liverpool player. In the end, Forest’s lack of goals – only Wolves have scored fewer – swayed me to the Dutchman. Plus, over the season, Forest are in the bottom six for both shots conceded from set pieces (109) and headed opportunities conceded (72). There could be a chance for van Dijk to replicate last week’s goal, then.

Like Liverpool, Brentford are about to embark on a fantastic run of fixtures that sees them rank second on our Fixture Ticker over the next nine Gameweeks. At the very start of this run, the Bees face a struggling Brighton side. Igor Thiago is the obvious choice as their top-scoring player, who also has penalty-taking responsibility. I have paired him with Dango Ouattara, who often wins said spot-kicks and has been in great form since returning from AFCON despite some more challenging fixtures. He’s got nine attacking returns in his last 11 starts. My third Brentford pick is goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher against an Albion side struggling for goals: it’s just four in the last six Gameweeks, which is the joint-fewest in the league.

The Chelsea triple-up is also on this week – although unlike Liverpool and Brentford, it feels like this is the last week that you would want to be that heavily invested in the Blues, given the unfavourable fixture swing after Burnley on Saturday. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro have been the attacking duo to own over the last two weeks, with the two Chelsea assets combining three times for penalty goals. I have also added Robert Sanchez, despite a lack of clean sheets for the Blues recently.

Man City are another team to triple up on and hold, at least until the likely blank in Gameweek 31. Opponents Newcastle have had a successful trip to Azerbaijan this week but it is still an additional game and journey in a midweek when Man City have had a break. Erling Haaland has been flagged in FPL since coming off early in Gameweek 26 but after he was pictured in training, I am expecting him to start this one. Alongside him, Antoine Semenyo is Man City’s most in-form player. Since arriving at the club, he has returned 33 points in five matches. Marc Guehi rounds off the City picks after his goal in the FA Cup.

Outside of these teams, I have plumped for Daniel Munoz. In the reverse of this fixture, Munoz registered 14 points via a goal, a clean sheet and maximum bonus points.

Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele have a decent home fixture, where their defensive security has been excellent. Mukiele also has the added appeal of the attacking threat we have seen in recent weeks.

James Hill and Eli Kroupi Jr both pose an attacking threat (Hill with his distribution and long throws, Kroupi with his eye for goal), with Hill’s magnetism to defensive contributions an added attraction. Despite massive improvements, West Ham are still prone to defensive mistakes.

Finally, Bruno Fernandes is too good to turn down. Despite a blank in Gameweek 26, the midfielder has been in outstanding form since his return from injury. Everton have also been struggling at home, having not won on Merseyside since early December.

TOM F SAID…

Chelsea are very likely to head up this week’s Scout Picks due to their favourable home match against Burnley. The Clarets’ 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace last week masked some really poor recent performances, and you always get the feeling that they are there for the taking at the back, having conceded 14 goals in seven matches since the turn of the year, the joint-most of any team.

I’ve gone with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro as my two Chelsea attackers, and while I don’t fully trust Liam Rosenior’s backline, I’ve also thrown in Robert Sanchez, given that the Spaniard is only bettered by two other goalkeepers for home clean sheets (five) in 2025/26.

I’ve also tripled-up on Manchester City. Newcastle United could be hungover after their European exertions in Baku, so it’s potentially a good time for Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland (if fit) to be facing them. Eddie Howe’s side have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 away matches in all competitions, too. Nico O’Reilly’s inclusion is partly to do with his left-sided No 8 role against Fulham last time out, when he scored and produced five shots.

Daniel Munoz has blanked in three of his last four matches, but he was at the heart of most of what Palace did from an attacking perspective against Burnley in Gameweek 26. The Colombian wing-back is first among defenders for chances created (11) and expected assists (xA, 1.30) over the last four Gameweeks. In that same period, Wolverhampton Wanderers have allowed more headed chances (17) than any other club, which should interest Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa have tightened up considerably of late, keeping three clean sheets and conceding only three goals in their last six matches, prompting my selection of Emiliano Martinez. In the token budget midfield slot, I ended up going for Emiliano Buendia over Brentford’s Dango Ouattara. After a run of three successive blanks, I think he’ll be able to find those pockets of space against Leeds United that made him such a threat in Gameweeks 6-15, when he produced six attacking returns in four starts and five substitute appearances.

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal square off in a hard-to-call north London derby, but the Lilywhites are bottom for set-piece attempts conceded since the start of December. Given the limited time on the training pitch under Igor Tudor, I’ve gone with Gabriel Magalhaes and away-day specialist Declan Rice.

No Liverpool attack is the big call, as Nottingham Forest are a bit of an unknown under Vitor Pereira. But while there are plenty of decent alternatives to Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, like Bruno Fernandes and Igor Thiago, there weren’t quite so many other attractive defenders this week, hence the selection of Virgil van Dijk.

A quick word on Evanilson, too. He delivered his biggest haul of 2024/25 in the corresponding fixture last season (13 points), and also enjoyed himself against West Ham United in November, banking an assist whilst racking up six shots in the box.

NEALE SAID…

The appointment of new head coaches brings with it an air of uncertainty. That unpredictability may dent the appeal of Arsenal and Liverpool players this week, although we’ve seen just as many new managers fall flat in their first few league games this season (Ange Postecoglou, Rob Edwards etc) as bring with them a ‘bounce’.

Liverpool at least had the advantage of seeing how Vitor Pereira’s Forest set up in Thursday’s Europa League tie. After a 3-0 win in Turkey, however, the Tricky Trees’ tails might be up. I’ve still plumped for Virgil van Dijk, given that the Reds are slowly making defensive strides and he’s capable of other returns (DefCon, goals) even if the clean sheet is busted, but Hugo Ekitike stays below three other forwards in my long-list.

As for the Gunners, are they doing a Newcastle ’95/96? They responded to their last setback in emphatic fashion at Elland Road but with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium potentially detoxified by the managerial change, and Igor Tudor having a bit of a Red Adair reputation, I’ve eased off on representation from the faltering league leaders. Only Gabriel Magalhaes makes the cut.

Crystal Palace haven’t yet appointed a new coach as Oliver Glasner winds down his days in south London. But all is not well at Selhurst Park, with the once-loved Austrian barracked by his own supporters in midweek. It’s just one win in 15 for the Eagles in all competitions. So, it’s with a degree of trepidation that Jorgen Strand Larsen and Daniel Munoz get the nod – especially as Wolves are improving. Strand Larsen does seem to suit his new surroundings, with his non-penalty xG tallies in his first two Palace starts his best since Gameweek 1. And how Munoz blanked in the Burnley defeat was a mystery: he was the third-highest player in any position for non-penalty xGI in Gameweek 26!

The caveats are out of the way, so it’s onto teams and players who I have fewer concerns about.

A Chelsea triple-up looks inevitable in this week’s Scout Picks, with the in-form Joao Pedro and flat-track bully Cole Palmer very likely to feature. The gaps on either side of Gameweek 27 assuage any fears of managed game-time for the latter, too. The Blues’ defender (or goalkeeper) of choice is more of a discussion point. I’ve gone with Trevoh Chalobah, who is on a seven-match run of DefCon returns, although it’s likely he won’t have to get through much defensive work at the Bridge. The spectre of Mamadou Sarr is also a tiny bit concerning but I’m assuming Liam Rosenior rested Chalobah against Hull City for a reason.

Newcastle’s record at the Etihad is abysmal (they’ve never won there in the league!), while I wonder if their recent goal glut on the road might embolden them on Saturday, to the point of leaving them more open. Case in point, the EFL Cup semi-final second leg, when the Magpies went aggressive and were 3-0 down after 32 minutes. Erling Haaland actually doesn’t have a great record against Eddie Howe’s side (no goals since 2022), so perhaps Antoine Semenyo, who delivered returns in both semi-final legs, is the way to go this week.

Aston Villa and Brentford provide goalkeeper/attacker combos in my Scout Squad, with the respective ‘keepers selected chiefly because a) Villa defenders are the worst in the league for delivering DefCon points and b) you’re never quite sure what Keith Andrews is going to do at centre-half. Brighton are wilting badly (four goals in six, nine in 11), while Leeds, for all their recent improvements, have not won away since Gameweek 5. Morgan Rogers, the leading midfielder for shots in the last six matches, and Igor Thiago, who racked up six efforts against the league’s best defence last time out, are straightforward inclusions.

Sunderland v Fulham, on paper, ought to be a low-scoring affair. The reverse fixture ended 1-0, while the plucky Mackems have conceded zero or one goals in 11 of their 13 home matches. Their unbeaten home record only ended in Gameweek 26, too. I’ve gone for Dan Ballard over Nordi Mukiele as the latter is less of a DefCon machine at right-back, whereas Ballard has delivered the goods in eight of his last 11 starts. As the leading defender for big chances this season (eight), he’s also a threat at the other end.

Two of FPL’s form midfielders, Crysencio Summerville and Bruno Fernandes, round off the selection. Summerville has six goals in his last seven matches in all competitions.