Finishing off our Scout Notes from Gameweek 31, it’s Fulham’s win over Burnley.
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WILSON HITS DOUBLE FIGURES
Harry Wilson (£6.1m) has become just the second Fantasy midfielder, after Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m), to hit double figures for goals in 2025/26.
Saturday’s strike against Burnley was his 10th goal of the campaign, and 18th attacking return in all.
Already enjoying his best-ever FPL season, he’s consolidated fourth position in the midfielders’ points table:
He was the man most likely to make things happen in a humdrum first half, racking up four shots before the break alone.
Wilson got his reward in the final 20 minutes, beating Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) from the edge of the box.
It was more low-xG stuff, but then nine of his 10 goals this season have come from 15+ yards. Those players blessed with an eye from range can often make a mockery of all things ‘expected’.
Above: Harry Wilson’s xG shotmap in Gameweek 31
Marco Silva admitted that the Cottagers struggled without Wilson in Gameweek 29 and in the FA Cup fifth round, as well as when he was only half-fit in Gameweek 30. Fulham didn’t score in any of those fixtures.
“Last three games [including the FA Cup] we missed him a little bit, definitely. When he’s at his best, he’s difficult to control.
“The game against Nottingham last week, he played but he made a big effort to help the team. He got that knock against Tottenham that didn’t allow him to play against Southampton [in the FA Cup and West Ham in the league]. But he’s back.” – Marco Silva on Harry Wilson
KING IMPRESSES, RAUL BENCHED
Early-season bench fodder bandwagon Joshua King (£4.4m) became a Fantasy footnote after November, when he lost his place. However, an injury to Emile Smith Rowe (£5.6m), who was back among the substitutes here, has helped clear a path back to the first team in the last three Gameweeks.
King was arguably Fulham’s best player on Saturday, doing what we couldn’t earlier in the season by adding returns to a promising performance.
The young midfielder nearly burst into the box to score shortly after half-time but then got his long-overdue first Premier League goal when pouncing on a Dubravka error to score. King then teed up Wilson for his goal.
Where there is Smith Rowe, of course, there is always game-time uncertainty. King is still some distance from being a ‘playable fifth midfielder’ candidate, what with the likes of James Garner (£5.1m) more reliable in every sense (points, starts).
And where there is Rodrigo Muniz (£5.3m), there is an asterisk next to Raul Jimenez‘s (£6.2m) name, too. Muniz had already started to eat into Jimenez’s minutes since returning from injury and, on Saturday, replaced him in the starting XI for the first time since Gameweek 7.
Silva didn’t give an explanation for that decision but did say that it’s been a “difficult” week for Raul, following the death of his father.
The Mexican did emerge from the bench to score a late penalty, at least. It continued his 100% record from the spot in the Premier League:
Above: The players to have scored 100% of their Premier League penalties (via the new Penalties page in our Members Area). Minimum five penalties taken.
MORE DEFENSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT
Joachim Andersen (£4.6m) bagged DefCon points for the 18th time on Saturday. Marcos Senesi (£5.1m) is the only FPL defender who can better that.
It’s fair to say that without DefCon points, Andersen wouldn’t be anywhere near most of our sides.
Fulham have kept just six clean sheets all season (only four teams have worse records), and just one in the last 13 league games.
Burnley had excellent chances through Zian Flemming (£5.3m) and Josh Laurent (£4.8m) on either of Flemming’s opener, so there could be no real qualms about the clean sheet loss, even if the Clarets’ goal came against the run of play at the time.
It’s difficult to imagine many more clean sheets arriving in the run-in, too:
What is worth mentioning is that the Gameweek 32 trip to Anfield comes right in the middle of Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League double-header against Paris Saint-Germain. It’s a Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday schedule for the Reds, too. With domestic rotation for the hosts a very real possibility, it isn’t a bad time for the Cottagers to face Arne Slot’s side – so attackers like Wilson mightn’t be the worst pick in the world that week.
FLEMMING SCORES AGAIN
Burnley’s latest loss inches them ever closer to the drop.
The Clarets could even be mathematically down by the end of April (Gameweek 34-ish?), so once their fate is sealed, you wonder if Scott Parker will start to look at more of his squad before the inevitable 2026/27 Championship campaign.
Could Max Weiß (£4.3m) get a look-in in the final two or three matches, for instance? It’d be too kneejerk to say Dubravka should be axed off the back of Saturday’s gaffe – he’s done more good than bad this season and he made a superb stop to keep out Oscar Bobb (£5.1m) – but performances aside, Parker may want to get minutes into players with a longer-term future at the club. Weiss is 21, Dubravka – out of contract at the end of the season – is 37.
Flemming is surely someone the Clarets want to keep hold. He scored yet again on Saturday, making it eight goals from just 14 starts and a smattering of substitute appearances.
He’s up there with the best of them (and Lorenzo Lucca (£5.5m)) for minutes per goal this season:
Above: Forwards sorted by minutes per goal (M/G) in 2025/26
“Brilliant for Flem, yeah. He’s done fantastic this year and obviously, like you said, first time in the Premier League, picking up quite quickly in terms of learning and understanding what he’s up against and what he needs to do.” – Scott Parker on Ziam Flemming
Burnley now lose Laurent for one game after his late red card, while they’ll check on Hannibal Mejbri‘s (£4.7m) hamstring.
