From the wealth of Double Gameweek options last week to some unconvincing ‘doublers’ this time around: the Scout Squad returns for Gameweek 35.

In this feature, our resident writers – Marc, Tom, Sam and Neale – get the chance to nominate an 18-man longlist for the upcoming Gameweek.

All four panelists explain their notable inclusions and omissions in the article below.

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.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make the Scout Picks, although the final XI can’t exceed £83.0m. Occasionally, therefore, cheaper alternatives have to be found.

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 35

Most popular picks: Djordje Petrovic, Pedro Porro, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Cole Palmer, Son Heung-min, Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins (four), Ederson, Jordan Pickford, Bruno Fernandes, Nicolas Jackson (three)

SAM SAID…

It’s Double Gameweek time – feels a little like deja vu, doesn’t it! This time, though, rather than a whole host of teams doubling, we have just two: Chelsea and Spurs.

I’ve played the doubles as normal by having two Chelsea players and three from Spurs, but there are so many good single Gameweek options this week that we need to be careful not to be overly focused on those in action twice.

In goal, I have gone for Ederson. Yes, Manchester City haven’t been consistent in terms of clean sheets this season but they have got a title to retain and with an attractive-looking fixture against Nottingham Forest there is potential for a shutout for the Brazilian this weekend.

Second up, it’s double clean sheet hero Jordon Pickford. In Gameweek 34 I had him for his save point potential, so to come away with two clean sheets and four bonus points was great. Everton will be hoping to carry the momentum of the wins against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool to secure their Premier League status, with Pickford gunning for a fourth straight home clean sheet. Pickford is the highest-scoring goalkeeper in the game with 131 points, 10 clean of Bernd Leno in second. Indeed, only David Raya (14) has more clean sheets than Pickford (11) this season.

Finally, the first ‘doubler’ of this squad: Djordje Petrovic. He will start from a base of four points but there is promise of save points against two of the most attacking teams in the league, Aston Villa and Spurs.

In defence, I have plumped for Pedro Porro. He was withdrawn after the break against Newcastle back in Gameweek 33 but he is expected to be ok for the Double Gameweek. Spurs look unlikely to keep a clean sheet but his attacking threat makes him a good option regardless. Porro has had 42 attempts on goal this season, more than any other defender.

Alongside him, Double Gameweek 34 disappointment Rayan Ait-Nouri. With his undoubted attacking threat, I had high expectations of him in the double. However, he was only available from the bench for the first match and failed to return in the second. The minute management a week ago at least means he should face struggling Luton in Gameweek 35.

Fabian Schar and Harry Maguire are also part of my lineup for their attacking threat. Schar has four goals this season, tied top amongst defenders. He has also had three assists to his name; only five defenders in the game have more attacking returns than the Newcastle man. Maguire has a great fixture against Burnley and has certainty of starts with so many injuries across the Man United defence. His tally of two goals and four assists means he brings some attacking threat should the clean sheet not stand.

Finally, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker. He returned to the City starting XI in Gameweek 34 and immediately picked up an assist, following that up with two more on Thursday.

Son Heung-min leads my midfield. His total of 19 goal attempts is the most at Spurs between Gameweeks 27 and 33. Son also picked up two goals against Arsenal in the reverse of this fixture and he is Tottenham’s top goalscorer with 15 this season. He has registered nine assists, too, which is also a team-leading figure.

Cole Palmer missed Gameweerk 34 through illness but he has been pictured back in training for Chelsea, so he should be good to go. The midfielder has been outstanding this season and so picks himself in a double.

Anthony Gordon at home goes together like tea and toast. He has nine goals, 11 assists and 121 points in 16 starts on Tyneside this season. An ideal home fixture against Sheffield United means he looks like a must-have.

Bruno Fernandes is also finding form at the perfect moment with two huge double-digit hauls in the last two Gameweeks, as well as returns in the two Gameweeks prior to that.

My final midfield slot goes to Brennan Johnson. The Spurs midfielder has returned in four of his last seven Premier League games, with six attacking returns in that period ranking joint-top at Spurs, level with Son. He is also top for both xG and xGI among the Lilywhites’ squad between Gameweeks 27 and 33.

Finally, up front, I’m not feeling the love for Nicolas Jackson, especially after his performance against Arsenal on Tuesday evening.

Alexander Isak instead leads my line, with returns in all four of the home fixtures he has played in since he has returned from injury.

Alongside him, in-form Ollie Watkins, who has 19 goals, 12 assists, 100 shots and 45 shots on target this season – he is in the top three in all of these categories.

Rasmus Hojlund is a differential pick ahead of a nice fixture and off the back of a Gameweek 34 goal, while the final two spots go to 29-point Jean-Philippe Mateta and Erling Haaland. The Norwegian hopefully will be back after missing out against Brighton.

MARC SAID…

Confidence is quite low in the two teams that are about to embark on Double Gameweek 35. Chelsea immediately followed a 6-0 victory with a 5-0 collapse at Arsenal, whereas Spurs won’t have played for a fortnight since their own humbling at Newcastle.

If Cole Palmer overcomes the illness that kept him out of Tuesday’s defeat, he’s my leading captaincy contender. Ten goals, two hat-tricks and 79 points during his last five appearances is phenomenal, probably making him FPL’s ‘Player of the Season’.

Despite his best attempts to get sent off, team-mate Nicolas Jackson successfully emerged without a 10th booking, meaning he’ll not be suspended when it eventually arrives. That’s a big boost for Wildcard activators, although he continues to miss plenty of big chances.

Djordje Petrovic is picked in goal. I have no faith in the Blues’ backline but, in fairness, there’s very little being placed in any defence that isn’t Arsenal’s. That’s why Ben White is selected for the north London derby, fresh from a 26-point Gameweek. Opposing right-back Pedro Porro also gets the nod, as he leads the way for shots in his position (42) and the Spaniard’s last full match finally brought his first goal of 2023/24.

My second Spurs name is Son Heung-min, keeping faith in an FPL legend after a quiet three games with no big chances and a low 0.25 expected goals (xG).

Elsewhere, I’m tripling up on both Newcastle and Manchester United, at home to bottom sides Sheffield United and Burnley.

The Magpies won the reverse fixture 8-0 and, although it’s unlikely to be similar, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon will expect double-digit scores. Isak has risen in price loads thanks to seven goals in seven outings, whilst 20 of Gordon’s 23 attacking returns have occurred at St James’ Park. There’s even a slight confidence that their defence might be calming down, so Martin Dubravka is between the sticks.

As for Erik ten Hag’s men, Bruno Fernandes is not only the league leader for chances created (99) but he’s scoring them too – seven in six. Wednesday night also brought goals for Harry Maguire – just like their FA Cup semi-final – and Rasmus Hojlund, who was relieved to end his four-match goalless streak where the xG was even worse than Son (0.22).

My third goalkeeper is Ederson, as he seems to be the safest route into Man City’s rearguard at Nottingham Forest.

Trent Alexander-Arnold gets to have a go at leaky West Ham in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off and he’s the regular defender with the most points per start (5.3) and big chances created (15).

Palmer’s rising price tag requires a different name for the cheap midfielder slot and I like Wolves’ Pablo Sarabia for that. Potentially on penalties, both he and out-of-position Rayan Ait-Nouri have a high points ceiling against Luton.

To complete the forward line, I want to beg Ollie Watkins for forgiveness after being one of the millions who sold him before Gameweeks 31 and 32. FPL’s top scorer quickly added three goals and two assists to his league-high tally of attacking returns which is now 36. When hosting Chelsea, this will increase.

Jean-Philippe Mateta joins him, having scored eight times in nine matches.

TOM SAID…

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, the only two sides with a pair of fixtures, supply six of my Gameweek 35 squad.

I will, of course, be closely monitoring Friday’s press conferences as, along with an update on Cole Palmer, there is also Pedro Porro’s availability to clear up.

Based on points per million, Palmer is unsurprisingly the best-value FPL player this season.

As for Porro, I don’t trust Tottenham’s defence, but the Spaniard’s advanced positions have led to him becoming a real attacking threat. Over the season, he has averaged a shot every 61 minutes, a tally that places second among all FPL defenders (minimum 750 minutes played). And when it comes to key passes at Spurs, Porro is fourth.

Elsewhere, my selection of Nicolas Jackson is a punt but Chelsea trail only Manchester City for goals (12) in their last four matches and the Senegalese forward has been involved in three of them.

Meanwhile, If the Scout Picks is to include two Spurs attackers, I’d argue Brennan Johnson’s case over that of James Maddison.

A benching is always a possibility with the Welshman but having scored just once in the first 21 Gameweeks, he’s turned his season around. In fact, from Gameweek 22 onwards, he’s racked up more attacking returns (eight) than any other team-mate. He can also thrive with space to attack, a potentially key factor given the opposition.

Looking at differentials, Rayan Ait-Nouri seems an ideal punt against Luton Town. The Algerian has scored or assisted in three of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ last seven matches and has the underlying numbers to back that up.

Over his last six, Ait-Nouri ranks third in his position for shots (nine). Admittedly, he wasn’t quite as advanced on Wednesday, but was still afforded license to roam forward, firing two efforts against Bournemouth. Furthermore, the Hatters are on a wretched run of form, with just one win in 13.

Dan Burn was a big success against his visitors, Sheffield United, earlier in the season. The Newcastle United defender supplied a goal and clean sheet to record 12 points in Gameweek 6.

Burn’s aerial threat from set-pieces was key against the Blades, and the numbers point to more joy. Sheffield United arrive at St James’ Park having conceded 165 attempts from free-kicks and corners, more than any other side except Manchester United.

Coverage from Newcastle’s attack also seems ‘essential’.

It’s 16 starts, 20 attacking returns and just one blank for Anthony Gordon at St James’ Park this season, while Alexander Isak also deserves a mention, with 56 points across his last six home outings.

NEALE SAID…

My Manolo Gabbiadini sense is tingling. I had few reservations about going all in on Double Gameweek assets a week ago, such was the abundance of good options. This time, I’d be tempted to go with ust two.

They would, of course, be Cole Palmer and Son Heung-min, although even the latter hasn’t been at his scintillating best for some time. His last brace, funnily enough, was in the north London derby back in September.

I don’t understand the desire to go with a second Spurs attacker, for starters. With Richarlison back in training, you may well have four names – him, Timo Werner, Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson – competing for two slots. Even if you get, say, 130-150 minutes out of your chosen pick, a chunk of that is going to be against the division’s most watertight backline. There are lots of other midfielders I wish I had room for this week (Kai Havertz, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes) – none of them play twice.

Were there a few more obvious clean sheet opportunities then maybe Djordje Petrovic and Pedro Porro wouldn’t have made it, either. But with Liverpool listless and leaky, Manchester United incapable of keeping out Sheffield United, and even Arsenal hard pushed to extend their run of shutouts away at Spurs, there’s room at the inn. Porro’s attacking threat has been long championed in this season of record low clean sheets, while even four or five points for Petrovic over two starts is likely going to beat most of the division’s goalkeepers this weekend.

Nicolas Jackson makes the forward longlist – opponents Villa and Spurs are bottom half material for xGC this season – but I’d still rather go with the tried and tested Golden Boot chasers, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke, against defences that conceded a combined 17 goals in four Gameweek 34 fixtures.

Elsewhere, Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot should have hauled in midweek. They both spurned excellent goalscoring chances, the latter operating more like a midfielder at times and the former thwarted by two excellent Wes Foderingham stops. I fully expect Burnley to breach that patched-up United backline but they will concede at the other end, too, as they have done in each of their last 16 league fixtures.

A clean sheet isn’t even a given against Sheffield United these days: the Blades have scored in six of their last seven outings. But Newcastle have more home shutouts to their name than any other team this season, so Fabian Schar gets the nod. There’s actually very little between his shot numbers and those of Dan Burn if you strip away Schar’s long-range efforts, and either player is fine for Scout Picks duty: the Magpies wreaked havoc from set plays at Bramall Lane in the autumn. In case you hadn’t seen, Anthony Gordon has been filling in on corners for a Trippier-less Newcastle of late; another string to his bow as he looks to extend a run of just one blank in 16 home starts.

Wolves are also on home soil against a side in the bottom three, so the fit-again Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri are given the chance to right the wrongs of Double Gameweek 34. The pair could well be up against the unconvincing Fred Onyedima or Daiki Hashioka should Issa Kabore be injured, which would be a serious mismatch. Seventeen attacking returns in 25 starts for Cunha is a great record for a budget forward, while Ait-Nouri is Marcos Alonso in old gold.

Adam Smith is not a name you’re likely to see much of in these articles. But Bournemouth are facing a Brighton side that has scored just four goals in eight matches, all while registering the league’s lowest xG total. Smith, meanwhile, has snuck forward to create seven chances in his last five starts.

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