In the Gameweek 33 Scout Squad, our panel share their thoughts on the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) picks for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation.

It’s the biggest Double Gameweek of the season, so picks who play twice unsurprisingly dominate.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

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

With the focus only on the upcoming Gameweek, there’s no medium-term planning involved.

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 33

• MOST PICKS: Antoine Semenyo, Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland, Joao Pedro, Danny Welbeck (four), Karl Darlow, Bart Verbruggen, Nico O’Reilly, Marcos Senesi, James Hill, Jan Paul van Hecke, Bruno Fernandes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (three)

MARC SAID…

As expected, these 18 picks heavily focus on Double Gameweek participants, but it’s not simply three players from all six teams, as I don’t want to triple-up on either Burnley or Chelsea. That opens up room for a few one-match guys who, funnily enough, are about to face them.

For example, we shouldn’t ignore Bruno Fernandes. He has eight attacking returns from five appearances, as well as six double-digit hauls in 11. A scorer past Chelsea last time, the playmaker takes penalties and is well ahead of everyone else for creating chances (106), about to confront a leaky backline.

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest get to host Burnley – arguably more appealing than most of the doubles. It’s three goals in five for Morgan Gibbs-White, while teammate Neco Williams combined a clean sheet with two assists against Spurs. The leading defender for shots (39) then netted past Aston Villa.

Moving on to Double Gameweekers, Martin Dubravka has two matches to rack up save points. And although Chelsea haven’t scored in three matches, I like that Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro get to go at Man United’s patched-up centre-back duo. The Blues aren’t usually great in Brighton – Pedro’s former stomping ground – but they have this season’s most expected goals (xG, 60.43).

Is it hypocritical to also back Brighton’s defence? Well, for me, Bart Verbruggen and Jan Paul van Hecke are more about the other game, away to Spurs. The Seagulls are flying after five wins in six, boasting three successive away clean sheets. Centre-forward Danny Welbeck may not begin both occasions, but I still think he’ll score at least once.

He would have been Gameweek 32’s biggest xG underachiever (-1.06), were it not for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Monday night (-1.32). The latter spurned 10 of his last 11 big chances, and should’ve scored 3.65 times in five games, rather than zero. But, as an owner, I’m foolishly hoping that this streaky player can return to December’s form.

In fact, I have more faith in Leeds’ defence. Like Forest and Brighton, they’ve conceded just once in three matches. Karl Darlow is between the sticks, while Pascal Struijk must be about to bag his first goal of 2025/26. He’s the leading defender for headed attempts (23) and second for shots inside the box (26). Daniel Farke’s lot will host low-scoring Wolves, then visit a Bournemouth side that loves goalless draws.

Then again, the Cherries are vastly exceeding their six-game expected goals conceded (xGC) data, letting in four instead of 10.59. It feels unsustainable, but Marcos Senesi brings defensive contributions (DefCon) and an attacking threat to the table.

You see, two very attractive fixtures await Bournemouth as, before Leeds, it’ll be a Newcastle side whose players look out of ideas, uninterested and at the end of their cycle. That’s why I back Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson to feast.

Both are lacking goals, admittedly, as is Erling Haaland. The same man who scored an FA Cup hat-trick past Liverpool has only once exceeded six points in 13 league outings. But it’d still be brave to back against him in this Arsenal title-decider, then the midweek trip to Burnley.

In Man City’s midfield, I prefer Antoine Semenyo‘s shooting and game time to Rayan Cherki, while last week’s hero, Nico O’Reilly, could become Marc Guehi if a hamstring injury rules him out.

SAM SAID…

Here. We. Go. The biggest Double Gameweek of the season is here, with Man City, Brighton, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Leeds and Burnley all playing twice. But while it’s very possible to fill a Gameweek 33 XI with only Double Gameweekers, there are also some ‘single Gameweekers’ with good fixtures who maybe we shouldn’t overlook.

Man City’s Double Gameweek is intriguing, as they could be top of the Premier League by the end of it. Motivation, a clash with Burnley and a settled side mean a triple-up is inevitable. But which three? The Nico O’Reilly hamstring injury that saw him withdrawn early in Gameweek 32 has opened up that very discussion, when there probably wasn’t one beforehand.

If Pep rules out O’Reilly in his press conference, then I’d simply replace him with Marc Guehi. Rayan Cherki feels like a great differential option but we’ve seen in the last two games in league and cup that he often comes off early, even when he does start. So, I’ve opted for Antoine Semenyo for security of minutes across the two games. Erling Haaland picks himself.

I have also tripled up on Bournemouth after their win against Arsenal in Gameweek 32; the Cherries haven’t lost since Semenyo left the club in January! There is potential at both ends of the pitch for Marcos Senesi and James Hill, the defensive contribution monsters who could both be starting from eight points across the Double Gameweek before we’ve even got to clean sheets or attacking returns. Speaking of which, the two have combined for seven assists in 2025/26. I have also added Eli Kroupi Junior, who has scored in each of his last two matches, to complete the Bournemouth triple-up.

Brighton are another ‘doubling’ team that I have selected the maximum three assets from. Bart Verburggen has been in excellent form and always has the upside of additional points, as we saw in Gameweek 32. I have paired him with two attacking assets, rather than Jan Paul van Hecke, as I can see goals for both Chelsea and Spurs, despite the two sides struggling for Premier League form. The Albion pair in question are Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck. Gross has registered three assists in the last Gameweeks and is on set pieces, an area in which Chelsea, in particular, are struggling. He’s Brighton’s leading chance creator since he rejoined in the winter. Welbeck, meanwhile, has been in excellent form as he competes for a seat on the England plane, with 12 goals from just 20 starts.

Heading into Gameweek 32, I was expecting Leeds to be interesting differential picks for this week. However, after their performance at Old Trafford on Monday evening, the cat’s out of the bag. I’d even put Karl Darlow as the best goalkeeper option for the Gameweek, as he feels the likeliest to keep two clean sheets. He is also an easy long-term hold for managers as he is the cheapest playing goalkeeper in the game.

Jaka Bijol is going to be one of my transfers for Gameweek 33. Bijol has achieved defensive contribution points in each of the last three Gameweeks, while his seven shots in the box across the last five Gameweeks is a tally that no Premier League defender can better. Noah Okafor takes my final Leeds spot ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin after a brilliant audition on Monday.

In a normal season, I would have handled a Chelsea Double Gameweek very differently. This time around, I initially only had Joao Pedro in my picks before eventually adding Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer. Cucurella is in because of the attacking threat he showed against Man City, even if it didn’t lead to Gameweek 32 points. Meanwhile, Palmer only made the cut because I belatedly realised I had made four Bournemouth selections, when trying to sneak in Alex Scott! After a lot of hunting around for a different midfielder, I eventually settled on the penalty-taking Palmer, despite not being impressed by him this season.

I have neglected Burnley, with the exception of Martin Dubravka, who is my third goalkeeper pick.

Finally, ‘single Gameweekers’ Bruno Fernandes and Igor Thiago have the form and the fixtures, and, despite the numerical fixture disadvantage, I didn’t want to leave them out. I think they will do well this week.

TOM SAID…

I’ve obviously loaded up on ‘doublers’, with all but three of my 18-man squad, in theory at least, playing twice.

If any budget defence is worthy of a double-up in Gameweek 33, it’s Leeds United, hence the reason for the inclusion of Pascal Struijk and Gabriel Gudmundsson. Daniel Farke’s men have conceded only four goals in their last six matches, and have the fourth fewest expected goals conceded (xGC) in that time.

Struijk is a real threat in the air and the underlying numbers point to a haul – Wolverhampton Wanderers arrive at Elland Road having allowed 20 headed attempts when filtered by their last six matches, the joint-most of any side. They have also conceded the second-most chances from their right flank over the same period, so I’ve also taken a punt on Gudmundsson.

Further forward, I don’t fully trust Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but he’s racked up 17 shots in the last six Gameweeks and has had six ‘big chances’ in that time, so could easily grab a goal.

Three spots are unsurprisingly reserved for Manchester City players, too. I’m on a Free Hit this week and still haven’t committed to specific personnel, but for now, I’ve opted for Marc Guehi, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland. However, Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly (if fit), Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku are also in the mix – re Doku, I think the wide players will be super important for City at Turf Moor, I’m just a bit concerned that he may face reduced minutes, with Savinho preferred.

Two-thirds of the Chelsea triple-up requires little explanation, but I have included the returning Enzo Fernandez. Both Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez are suspended for Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge, which may lead to Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven lining up in the middle of the back four. Consequently, I can see Enzo prospering, given his ability to make late runs into the box. He will almost certainly be in my Free Hit squad if Kobbie Mainoo is ruled out.

As for the other teams that ‘double’, I’ve gone with Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck from Brighton and Hove Albion, as well as James Hill, Alex Scott and Evanilson at Bournemouth, while not bothering at all with Burnley.

Hill’s superior rate of DefCons gets him the nod over teammate Marcos Senesi (12.21 v 10.29 per 90 from Gameweek 19 onwards), while Scott’s current form is absolutely superb as he pushes for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

Finally, Nottingham Forest players certainly tick the box of single Gameweekers with haul potential. Morgan Gibbs-White, who I transferred into my own team prior to the international break, has real upside: Burnley haven’t kept an away clean sheet all season and have conceded loads of chances from the centre zone recently, so he could be set to profit. 

NEALE SAID…

I’m considering going 4-3-3/4-4-2 on my own Free Hit this week, with not too many midfielders and forwards leaping out, and at least one very decent clean sheet prospect for Leeds United (v Wolverhampton Wanderers at home), Bournemouth (v Leeds at home) and Manchester City (v Burnley away…. and Arsenal at home?!).

In fact, four of the doublers, bar sorry Chelsea and Burnley, have tightened up recently:

• Bournemouth: 6 goals conceded in 9 league games
• Brighton: 10 goals conceded in 13 league games
• Leeds: 4 goals conceded in 6 league games
• Manchester City: A 9-0 aggregate win over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in the last three matches in all competitions

And that’s before we consider DefCon. James Hill, Marcos Senesi and Jaka Bijol all average over 10 contributions per 90 minutes this season, while Jan Paul van Hecke has stepped it up with four lots of DefCon points in the last six Gameweeks. He delivered the goods against both Chelsea and Spurs earlier this season, indeed. With Bijol, there is that element of risk after Daniel Farke was slightly cryptic about Joe Rodon and co, and I wouldn’t go there as a medium-term punt. As Rodon’s not yet in team training, I think we’ll be okay for Gameweek 33 in isolation, however.

I’ve included Nico O’Reilly for the time being, fitness permitting. Should he be ruled out, I would most definitely include another City defender rather than Rayan Cherki or Jeremy Doku. Based on Arsenal’s recent turgid attacking displays, I actually think there’s a decent chance of City shutting out both Gameweek 33 opponents. Marc Guehi or Gianluigi Donnarumma will be on Scout Picks standby.

There are DefCon magnets to be found in midfield, too. I’ve seen a few managers umming and ahhing about unconvincing Bournemouth/Brighton options in the middle of the park so, rather than trying to pin the tail on which donkey an attacking return may emerge from, why not settle for something eminently more predictable, such as defensive contribution points? Mats Wieffer and Alex Scott both average over 12 contributions per 90 minutes this season, so you’re looking at potentially 6-8 points as a floor across Double Gameweek 33. And that’s not even factoring in the possibility that, as happened last weekend, they might blag an attacking return. Ethan Ampadu is a similar boring old DefCon magnet but I’m all Leedsed out.

Danny Welbeck v Dominic Calvert-Lewin is probably the big call in attack. Do I take 100-120 minutes of Welbeck versus two starts of Calvert-Lewin, if indeed he gets that with an FA Cup semi-final looming? I think I marginally favour the veteran, who at least occasionally looks like he could hit a barn door with a banjo. Honestly, would you be surprised if Igor Thiago outscores them both? I’m considering the Brazilian as a third striker myself this week.

There are plenty of single Gameweek options with similar double-trumping credentials in midfield, none more so than Bruno Fernandes against a Chelsea side without a clean sheet in 10 league games.

Returning to where we started, and defences, I’m maxed out on Brighton, Man City and Bournemouth, so Karl Darlow is joined by one-game ponies Emiliano Martinez and Matz Sels. In terms of individual fixtures, they’ve got two of the best clean sheet chances of the weekend.