It’s time for our Scout Squad panel to offer up their thoughts on the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) picks for Gameweek 31.

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 31

• MOST PICKS: Malick Thiaw, Joachim Andersen, Virgil van Dijk, Bruno Fernandes, Harry Wilson, Igor Thiago, Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike (four), Aaron Ramsdale, Bernd Leno, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, Richarlison (three)

MARC SAID…

Because of a 20-minute defensive meltdown at Camp Nou, most will ignore that Newcastle were the best team for three-quarters of their Champions League tie against Barcelona. Perhaps losing so heavily could actually be good news ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby, as it’ll force a reaction.

However, I’m not sure that Eddie Howe – notorious for preferring physical attributes over creativity – has the answers for getting through Sunderland’s probable low block, especially without Bruno Guimaraes and (surely) Sandro Tonali. While I don’t particularly get Anthony Gordon’s FPL hype, he’s on penalties, which are likelier to happen if the Magpies are constantly around the box, looking to unlock their neighbours. In a Gameweek without many appealing midfielders, maybe that’s all Fantasy managers are looking for.

At the back, Aaron Ramsdale and Malick Thiaw could shut out a side that’s scored only one non-penalty goal in eight matches (all competitions). No defender beats the latter’s overall four strikes or nine big chances.

But in general, it’s tough to pick out 18 individuals. Such is the lack of options, I’ve tripled up on Fulham and Liverpool, too.

The Cottagers are at home to Burnley, who’ve given clean sheets to four of their last seven opponents. That’s good news for Joachim Andersen’s owners. Harry Wilson secured a season-high 16 points in December’s meeting, while penalty-taking Raul Jimenez could be a good differential for those ditching Erling Haaland. From Gameweek 17 onwards, the Mexican ranks third for attempts (39) and expected goals (xG, 7.39), but be aware that he’ll likely play between 60 and 70 minutes.

Liverpool don’t even have a nice-looking fixture, knowing Brighton have three wins from four. Hugo Ekitike scored both goals in the reverse 2-0 victory but, like Mohamed Salah, we’ve just seen that an occasional benching is always possible. Still, buoyed by the big Galatasaray win, I think they and Virgil van Dijk will do well on the south coast.

Speaking of which, Gameweek 31 begins on Friday at Bournemouth. No defence has conceded fewer big chances at home (15), and three of their last four league encounters have ended 0-0. That’s good for FPL revelation James Hill – constant deliverer of six or more points – but maybe not the greatest endorsement for teammate Marcus Tavernier.

In fairness, the midfielder has hit the woodwork three times in the latest couple, and he joins Bruno Fernandes in having four of these across the whole campaign. Despite the Cherries’ strong backline, it’s not advised to bet against Fernandes right now, having blanked a mere three times in his last 14 appearances that lasted longer than one half.

Similarly, I’m going for both sides of Leeds v Brentford, including stoppers Caoimhin Kelleher and Karl Darlow. The hosts kept a clean sheet versus Crystal Palace and Joe Rodon has an attacking threat – though goalless since Gameweek 9, he recently had one disallowed.

Up front, Igor Thiago got on the scoresheet against Wolves but spurned two big chances that ultimately cost him additional bonuses. It means he hasn’t exceeded six points during his last eight outings, whereas Joao Pedro and Jarrod Bowen are regularly registering returns.

Chelsea’s forward blanked in Gameweek 30 but collected a stunning eight goals and six assists in the previous eight, while Bowen has produced in six of his last eight. They’re usually just assists but, combined with some DefCon, he’s ticking along rather nicely. The duo travel to face Everton and Aston Villa, respectively.

SAM SAID…

Blank Gameweek 31 has been on the horizon for a while but now it’s suddenly on top of us, and FPL managers will need to plan carefully not just for the blank but also for what comes after (even though what comes after is actually three weeks, an international break and an FA Cup weekend away!).

With no Arsenal or Man City to consider, there is an opportunity here to be a bit different with my Scout Squad picks. In fact, many of these names are buys that will be useful not just for Gameweek 31 but also for at least a couple of weeks after the break, potentially right through to the end of the season.

Fulham face Burnley this weekend and, with favourable fixtures elsewhere in short supply, this is the perfect (and rare) opportunity to triple up on the Cottagers. Two of them are in defence in the shape of Bernd Leno and Joachim Andersen. I had Andersen in my Gameweek 30 picks and changed my mind at the last minute over concerns about his starting potential, but those fears now look to have subsided after he reclaimed his place. Both claimed ‘extras’ (bonus/DefCon) when banking their clean sheets last weekend. Completing the triple-up is Harry Wilson, who also returned to the side last time out. Only eight players in the game have registered more FPL points than Wilson this season. Of those, only Bruno Fernandes, Joao Pedro and Igor Thiago have a fixture in Gameweek 31.

Caoimhin Kelleher, who has more away clean sheets than home shut-outs, and Thiago are my Brentford representatives. Thiago has had a fantastic season, which has culminated in his selection for the Brazilian national team for the first time. The hauls have dried up but at least the chances keep coming for him, and he has scored in two of his last three outings.

Senne Lammens makes the cut for an improving Manchester United defence against a toiling Bournemouth attack. Lammens is, of course, not my only United pick. The other is Bruno Fernandes, the stand-out captaincy candidate – for me – this week. He registered a 13-pointer against Bournemouth in the reverse fixture of this weekend’s clash in a game that finished 4-4!

Liverpool turned their fortunes around in the Champions League on Wednesday with a convincing win. But their focus won’t be taken away from domestic matters, as they will want to ensure a top-four finish to be certain of Champions League football again in 2025/26. The Reds have only lost once against Brighton in their last seven meetings, beating them twice to nil already this season. Dominik Szoboszlai has been an excellent buy for me in FPL and has returned in six of the last seven Gameweeks. Virgil van Dijk and Szoboszlai’s unified threat from set pieces are also why they are both in my FPL team and why they both make my picks this week. I have also added Hugo Ekitike who, despite being benched in Gameweek 30, proved his importance to the side in midweek. I expect him to be straight back in the Premier League starting XI at the weekend.

Spurs also had a good night on Wednesday, and despite exiting the Champions League, will take a lot from a strong performance. The north London side also have a lot of players back from injury and suspension, which will bolster their chances for three points at the weekend. Richarlison had midweek off as the forward was suspended but I expect him to start on Sunday against Nottingham Forest. Richie has been in a relegation battle before and he is showing the fight that Spurs need through his current form. Since returning from injury, the Brazilian has scored twice in four appearances, despite three of them coming off the bench. For managers looking at a Free Hit strategy for Gameweek 33, Spurs have the best defensive fixtures in Gameweeks 31, 32 and 34. Maybe investment in someone like Micky van de Ven isn’t the worst idea, given his price point, Spurs’ motivation and his threat from set pieces.

Newcastle might have had a tough time in Barcelona this week but what bigger motivation is there for a bounce back than a derby? Malick Thiaw and Anthony Gordon are both interesting differentials for not just this week but for the medium term, with a probable double in Gameweek 33.

I have also opted for Jarrod Bowen, who has returned in all of the last five Premier League matches and in seven of West Ham’s last eight. The only blank weirdly came against Burnley! He is also the forward with (by far) the most defensive contributions this season, and so has that additional route to points. He faces a Villa side that has kept just one clean sheet in their last seven league matches, conceding nine goals in the last three of those.

Joao Pedro, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marcos Senesi round off my picks for the Blank Gameweek.

TOM F SAID…

There’s an obvious core of players for Gameweek 31’s reduced fixture list.

Investing in Fulham is an obvious tactic, as they host a Burnley team that, despite a mini-revival of sorts, remains in the bottom three for expected goals (xG) and expected goals conceded (xGC) over the last six Gameweeks. Joachim Andersen has banked defensive contribution (DefCon) points in 63% of his outings this season. Harry Wilson, meanwhile, has five attacking returns in as many home matches and racked up 16 points in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

In sharp contrast to Lamine Yamal and co, Newcastle United are up against a blunt Sunderland attack. Malick Thiaw has already scored four times in 2025/26, and given that six of the Mackems’ 17 goals conceded since the turn of the year have come from set-pieces, his contribution could be key at both ends of the pitch. Further forward, Anthony Gordon’s ‘out-of-position’ central striker role has helped him to 14 shots over the last five Gameweeks, a total beaten by just five other midfielders. He’s on penalties, too.

Bruno Fernandes is another nailed-on Scout Pick, even if my gut tells me that the clash with Bournemouth on Friday will be a close encounter.

In the case of Dominik Szoboszlai, his omission is more to do with the much-improved defence of Brighton and Hove Albion, who are top for xGC over the last six Gameweeks, rather than his own qualities. However, should Mohamed Salah be ruled out by Arne Slot in his Friday presser, Szoboszlai is likely to take penalties, so I’d be much more inclined to back him.

His place is effectively taken by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Morgan Gibbs-White in my picks for now. Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in nine league matches under Liam Rosenior and will be without Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James for Saturday’s trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, hence the inclusion of Dewsbury-Hall. As for Gibbs-White, Tottenham Hotspur have looked a much, much better side in their last couple of games, but they are still a work in progress under Igor Tudor, and I think Gibbs-White could get plenty of joy with his smart off-ball movement.

Up top, could Hugo Ekitike potentially be overlooked in favour of other cheaper options this week? Away to potentially tricky opponents, it wouldn’t surprise me if Igor Thiago, Joao Pedro and Richarlison all outscored him in Gameweek 31.

Finally, the defensive list is completed by Matty Cash, who returned on Thursday, Virgil van Dijk and Diogo Dalot. The Manchester United full-back has been popping up in some really dangerous positions recently and probably should have scored last week.

NEALE SAID…

It’s not a vintage crop of fixtures this week, is it? Bruno Fernandes seems to be the overwhelming consensus captain choice despite a tricky-ish match, and more due to a lack of conviction in anyone else. At the other end, where are the clean sheets coming from? The odds suggest Craven Cottage and St James’ Park, but that means backing defences that have been hard to trust in 2026: it’s one clean sheet in 15 competitive matches for Fulham, and one in 16 for Newcastle United!

At least those sole shut-outs came recently, i.e. last weekend. And in Joachim Andersen and Malick Thiaw, we have two decent bets for DefCon. Both players returned those points in the reverse fixtures of their Gameweek 31 matches, Thiaw racking up his highest number of defensive contributions (22) of the season. As has been remarked elsewhere, Sunderland have scored one non-penalty goal in eight matches – a run that includes meetings with Oxford United and Port Vale.

With the clean sheet odds relatively low elsewhere, I’m again looking at the defenders who can provide the ‘extras’. Virgil van Dijk and James Hill both have DefCon success rates of 40%+ this season, while they’ve also chipped away with attacking returns (Virgil with set-piece goals, Hill with his distribution). I’m slightly hedging my bets with Hill, given that I’ve also got Fernandes, but it’s possible for both to return thanks to defensive contributions, and the Cherries are on a run of three clean sheets in four matches. Their struggles at the other end of the field (one goal in four) makes me wonder if Senne Lammens can be the dark horse for a clean sheet this week.

Ideally, I’d have paired the above with another DefCon machine in Dan Ballard, but a hamstring issue may rule him out. I’ve settled for Omar Alderete, then, who was part of a Sunderland defence that shut Newcastle out in the reverse fixture, a dire contest that was desperately low on xG. I think the injury-hit Mackems are going to get through a lot of defending on Sunday, and I expect they’ll be in an uber-low block to deprive the pacy Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga of the space they thrive on.

Forwards-wise, I’ve opted for Jarrod Bowen, Igor Thiago and Joao Pedro over Hugo Ekitike and, not even making my list, Raul Jimenez. You’re always clock-watching with Jimenez (hooked early in each of the last six Gameweeks), while the 63-hour turnaround between Liverpool matches makes me uneasy. It’s also worth mentioning that Brighton have, impressively, conceded 2+ goals in just one of their last 11 Premier League games. Bowen and Thiago, by contrast, are penalty-taking 90-minute men, with the former’s fixture perhaps better than it appears at first glance: Villa have conceded nine goals in three Gameweeks.

Early, white-flag-waving withdrawals for Pedro and Cole Palmer were welcome on Tuesday. Liam Rosenior all but admitted his attention had turned to domestic matters when hooking his big-name players on the hour mark against PSG, boosting their expected Gameweek 31 minutes. Despite the ‘penalty merchant’ tag (what’s wrong with that), Palmer is, even when discounting spot-kicks, the second-ranked midfielder for xGI over the last six Gameweeks, with no-one attempting more shots. It’s only one clean sheet in eight for Everton, too, despite their stubborn-as-mules reputation.

My lesser-owned selections are Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Richarlison and Dominik Szoboszlai, although the latter is picking up renewed interest.

Chelsea were looking dire defensively even before they were beset by two injuries this week. Dewsbury-Hall, averaging a superb 5.0 points per match this season, may not even be relying on his occasional DefCon returns, then, with the Blues’ fragile centre-halves and goalkeeper representing a soft Chelsea underbelly. I could see KDH getting some joy ghosting into the visitors’ box.

It wouldn’t take much for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ‘turn’ again but Wednesday’s win got north London bouncing, and a knackered Nottingham Forest may be there for the taking after 120 minutes in Denmark on Thursday.

As for Szobozslai, I’d be keener to include him in the Scout Picks over Ekitike, especially if Mohamed Salah is ruled out this morning and the Hungarian inherits spot-kick duties. Already with DefCon potential, direct free-kicks and corner-taking responsibilities in his locker, penalties would be the cherry on the cake. Liverpool’s midweek set-up also seemed to allow him to get a bit further forward, so that’s something to keep an eye on.