It’s Scout Squad time as our four-strong panel argues the case for the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 6 in isolation.

Sam, Tom F, Neale and – in for the absent Marc – Alex/FPL Scoop explain their picks 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 – 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 6

• MOST PICKS: Erling Haaland, Joao Pedro, Richarlison (four), Djordje Petrovic, David Raya, Marcos Senesi, Xavi Simons, Antoine Semenyo, Wilson Isidor (three)

ALEX SAID…

He may have underdelivered last weekend, conceding more than once for the first time this season, but it’s hard to look past Guglielmo Vicario as the prime goalkeeping option for Gameweek 6. Tottenham Hotspur have four clean sheets from six games in all competitions, with the Italian typically responsible for plenty of saves during those outings and now facing a winless Wolves side that last week, against newly-promoted opposition, managed to create just one Opta-defined ‘big chance’ despite having 16 total shots. Easy saves plus among the best chances of a clean sheet? Count me in.

I debated Gianluigi Donnarumma vs Jordan Pickford, but I’ve gone with the former. There are other Manchester City assets I would rather have in my team long term, but for now slight rotation worries elsewhere in the squad have led me to a player we know is nailed on, and – according to the bookies – also holds the best odds of a shut-out this weekend. Djordje Petrovic is the starting sub-£5.0m goalie with the best clean sheet odds, meanwhile. Bournemouth have been solid defensively – three shut-outs, second-bottom for shots conceded so far (40), third-bottom for big chances conceded (six), fourth-bottom for shots on target conceded (15) – and face a Leeds attack that has been largely lacklustre (aside from when they played Wolves).

Pickford’s omission is in part because I prefer James Tarkowski from Everton’s backline and I don’t feel the need for a double-up, despite West Ham’s struggles. The central defensive stalwart has earned two clean sheets, plus defensive contribution (DefCon) points in all five of his matches, and now faces a relatively goal-shy Hammers side that have conceded the most shots (28) and goals (seven) from set pieces in the league so far this season. Fellow centre-back Michael Keane has actually had more attempts on goal in 2024/25, but it’s tricky to argue against Tarkowski as the all-around better FPL pick.

The Premier League’s other DefCon king, Marcos Senesi, makes my Scout Squad entries again having delivered a clean sheet, bonus point and his fifth consecutive round of DefCon additions versus Newcastle in Gameweek 5. I’m not usually one to advocate for a defensive double-up, but Senesi’s route to extra points, Bournemouth’s aforementioned in-form backline, Leeds’ low shot and big chances tallies, and tougher fixtures for our usual stand-out defences – Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Crystal Palace – all mean I’m more comfortable doing so in this instance.

I’m a little worried about Trevoh Chalobah getting 90 midweek minutes against Lincoln amid Enzo Maresca’s talk of rotation, but the Englishman has been a key player for Chelsea so far this season so perhaps he’ll be safe for now. Chalobah has three lots of DefCon points and three attacking returns from his five Premier League games so far, and sits top among FPL defenders for big chances (three). Gameweek 7 opponents Brighton did score six en route to their own midweek Carabao Cup victory but have lost both of their away days so far, whereas Chelsea are unbeaten at home with two clean sheets from two outings at Stamford Bridge this season.

As I did in Gameweek 5, I’m now going to back a defensive player against the continuously, painfully toothless Aston Villa. This time it’s Fulham’s Joachim Andersen, who has accrued DefCon points in four straight matches. Meanwhile, my bargain bucket pick this week is Omar Alderete. The Sunderland man clattered a header off the crossbar last weekend, one of five shots in the box he’s taken this season. Defensively, Alderete has grabbed DefCon points in three straight matches and was one away from doing so in Gameweek 2, as well.

Mohammed Kudus gets the nod from me this week over Xavi Simons. The latter was a real goal threat in the No10 role as a sub against Brighton in Gameweek 5, but that surprise benching plus his start against Doncaster during the week gives me pause when it comes to his gametime. There’s comparatively less uncertainty with Kudus, who remains his side’s chief creator – earning another pair of assists last time out – and played 80+ minutes in every Premier League match so far under Thomas Frank before being given a deserved rest in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match. Against the Old Gold at the moment, the more on-pitch time one is likely to be afforded the better.

Jack Grealish has been unlucky to blank twice in a row, having remained heavily involved in just about everything good coming from Everton’s attacking unit. He really created the Toffees’ goal in the Merseyside derby, despite it being Ndiaye who earned the assist, and has indeed crafted more chances (13) than almost any other Premier League player in 2025/26.

Unexpected DefCon points saved Antoine Semenyo from a blank in Gameweek 5, but I expect Leeds – as competent as they largely have been at the back themselves – to prove far less of a test for the in-form Ghanaian than Newcastle did. Even factoring in last week’s quiet display, Semenyo’s tally of shots taken (13) can be matched or beaten by just three Premier League players (each of whom also appear on my shortlist…).

I think both Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden – who continues to refind his form with a midweek goal and assist – could be worthwhile punts during City’s upcoming fixture run, but Tijjani Reijnders is my Man City midfielder of choice this week. A strong FPL option in his own right, his budget-friendly price also aligns with our Scout Squad rules. Plus, Burnley may not give the likes of Foden and Doku much room to create chances this weekend, whereas Reijnders might make a difference with some of the darting runs forward we know he likes.

Bryan Mbeumo gets my last midfield slot. Bruno Fernandes may be a safer bet given his routes to points include penalties and DefCons, but Mbeumo has arguably been Manchester United’s chief goal threat so far this season, taking 15 shots, and is now up against his former club Brentford, who have conceded 10 goals in five matches and are only just outside the bottom three for big chances conceded.

Assuming he’s deemed fit to start, Erling Haaland is a shoo-in for this week’s Scout Picks. Top of all kinds of attacking stat leaderboards so far this season, the Golden Boot leader even managed to score against Arsenal last weekend. Many are even eyeing him as a Triple Captain option, too.

Richarlison was only given 30 minutes off the bench against Doncaster on Wednesday, which has surely boosted his chances of leading the line at home to Wolves. One of his positional rivals, Mathys Tel, started midweek while two others – Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani – were not in the matchday squad. Three league goals and an assist from four starts this season is backed up statistically by the Brazilian having the most penalty box touches (32) of any FPL forward and taking 13 shots from inside the box, which is more than anyone not named Haaland.

His countryman and FPL’s most-owned player, Joao Pedro, has five attacking returns (two goals, three assists) to his name already this season and – following a full midweek rest – now faces his old club Brighton, who have zero clean sheets so far in five attempts.

I’ve no real interest in Viktor Gyokeres away at Newcastle and my Bournemouth triple-up blocks me from suggesting Evanilson, while Forest’s centre forward picture is murky and I cannot in good faith advocate for Ollie Watkins any longer.

So, step forward, Alexander Isak. Positional rival Hugo Ekitike’s silly suspension may have just opened the door for the Swede’s first league start in a Liverpool shirt. Despite his minutes still being likely to be carefully managed, fixtures and form among the other forward options this week mean Isak is given a (slightly hesitant) nod from me.

Rounding out my nominations is Wilson Isidor, who has scored three times this season and racked up a Gameweek 5-high tally of six shots last weekend. Nine attempts (eight in the box) over the Sunderland striker’s last two appearances suggests defensively shaky Forest have a confident player to deal with, and one who could emulate Burnley’s Jaidon Anthony in causing all kinds of havoc against them.

SAM SAID…

It’s a big week for my FPL team as I’m on Wildcard, so sitting down to make my Scout Squad should be easy, right? Actually, in some ways, I think it has made it more difficult, as I’ve spent so long looking at the next four/five/six weeks that concentrating on just one week is an alien proposition.

My current Wildcard goalkeeper is still the one I’ve picked here, at least. Newcastle United have been solid defensively but they have struggled in front of goal with just three league goals scored – only Aston Villa have netted fewer. Plus, with Arsenal top of the charts for fewest goals conceded (just two – one against Liverpool and one against Manchester City), David Raya feels like the best ‘keeper for the week. I’ve even doubled up on the Gunners’ defence with Gabriel Magalhaes, who offers goal threat from corners.

I’ve followed Raya up with Jordan Pickford, as Everton face a West Ham side who, outside of the game vs Forest, are struggling in front of goal. Robin Roefs also looks like a good option from the budget goalkeepers. Sunderland have conceded just four goals this season – only Arsenal, Palace, Spurs and Newcastle can better that.

Into defence and West Ham’s lack of attacking output has led me to opt for James Tarkowski as one of my premium picks. Everton have every chance of a clean sheet this weekend and Tarkowski is one of only two defenders to register defensive contribution (DefCon) points every week so far.

I considered opting for Josko Gvardiol as budget isn’t an issue but Nico O’Reilly looks too good an option to turn down, especially as Burnley will probably look to sit in and frustrate as they did against Liverpool.

Yes, I know that you all think I’m obsessed with Micky van de Ven – and you aren’t wrong. Actually, I think many FPL managers are starting to share my obsession! With three clean sheets and just three goals conceded, Spurs have started the season well defensively. The Lilywhites face Wolves in Gameweek 6, with the visitors having only scored three goals in five Gameweeks, two of which came in one match.

The five midfielder slots were much contested this week. Despite the appeal of the likes of Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, Mohammed Kudus and Phil Foden, I couldn’t squeeze them all in.

From Manchester United, it is Bryan Mbeumo who I fancy this week. Mbuemo faces his old side, Brentford, and leads the Man United team for attempts on goal so far this season with 15. He is also top for crosses at United with 26 and is second only to Bruno for chances created. Mbeumo has nine. Against a defence he knows well, the Cameroonian winger feels a good option for Gameweek 6.

It was tough to choose between Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons but the addition of free-kicks just gave Xavi the edge over his teammate.

Antoine Semenyo features in my Scout Squad again and I feel like he will be pretty much an ever-present all season. Despite Leeds having a positive start to life back in the Premier League, I expect Bournemouth to win the game. When they are winning, Semenyo is usually among the attacking returns. Outside of Erling Haaland, Semenyo is the highest points scorer in the game and, in my opinion, the best value for money pick we have this season, despite already having had seven price rises!

Much like at Man United, choosing an Everton midfielder was tough this week. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish will undoubtedly be popular but I like Iliman Ndiaye. The Senegal international is top for goals at Everton this season with two and he has also registered an assist. In fact, Ndiaye is Everton’s top points scorer so far with 28 points, two ahead of Tarkowski and his DefCon points!

My final midfielder is Tijjani Reijnders. On a Wildcard, I fixed the mistake I made when I removed him from my team two hours before the Gameweek 1 deadline. Reijnders has three attacking returns already this season – only Erling Haaland has more at Manchester City – and has the perfect fixture on paper against Burnley. Obviously, Haaland leads the line – that despite the yellow flag.

Alongside the Norwegian, the red card for Hugo Ekitike in the League Cup means that I am expecting Alexander Isak to start and probably look to cement that Liverpool number 9 slot as his own.

My third and final Spurs player of the week is Richarlison. He was rested for most of the League Cup match against Doncaster on Wednesday evening and with Dominic Solanke not ready for the start, the Brazilian will very likely line up against a Wolves defence with no clean sheets and the second most goals conceded (12).

I hope Joao Pedro plays in the number 10 role in the expected absence of Cole Palmer but even if he doesn’t, he should still be an excellent option – especially as Brighton are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

Wilson Isidor is my final pick of the weekend. Sunderland have scored six goals this season, with Isidor responsible for half of those.

TOM SAID…

This week, our primary focus has to be on Manchester City’s home clash with Burnley. I have chosen Josko Gvardiol, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, but could easily have added Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku and Tijjani Reijnders to the mix.

Burnley’s tendency to concede chances and crosses from their right flank should benefit Doku, but Foden is in fine form and playing behind the striker, should pose a significant threat. Gvardiol’s aerial ability could help him exploit a Clarets backline that has allowed 16 headed chances, the most of any team except West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, while Haaland’s credentials need little explanation.

A set-piece weakness is also something that West Ham possess: seven of their 13 goals conceded have come from set plays! I’ve gone with Michael Keane, who has four headed attempts compared to James Tarkowski’s one this season, as well as set-piece taker Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Tottenham Hotspur also look a decent bet in Gameweek 6, with five clean sheets in seven matches in all competitions under Thomas Frank. Pedro Porro is top among defenders for chances created this season and it is merely a question of time before he provides an assist, while Xavi Simons will be coming up against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who rank 20th for key passes conceded from the middle-third. Richarlison, meanwhile, has produced four attacking returns in five matches.

Elsewhere, an away trip to Leeds United, who have carved out just six big chances all season, fills me with confidence with the double-up on Djordje Petrovic and Marcos Senesi. Further forward, Evanilson is a bit of a punt, but he’s averaging a shot every 21.3 minutes away from home this season, a faster rate than Antoine Semenyo (30).

As for the other attackers, Bruno Fernandes comes into the clash against Brentford off the back of 22 points in his last three matches. I’ve also opted for Mohamed Salah, as I expect Liverpool’s attacking play to flow through him at Selhurst Park, and Joao Pedro, who faces his old club Brighton and Hove Albion. I’m also backing Unai Emery to turn Aston Villa’s disappointing form around, so Ollie Watkins gets the nod against a Fulham side who haven’t kept an away clean sheet since beating Leicester City in January.

Finally, the Reece James pick probably requires a brief explanation. With Cole Palmer injured, we could potentially see Enzo Fernandez in the no 10 role, with James moving into the middle of the park next to Moises Caicedo.

NEALE SAID…

With the Scout Squad/Picks being only a one-week affair, there’s less risk attached with going for Manchester City players. I wouldn’t dream, for instance, of bringing Phil Foden and (especially) Rico Lewis into my team and expecting sustained starts in the medium term. But for this glorified Free Hit, I like their credentials. Burnley will present the lowest of low blocks, as we saw against Liverpool in Gameweek 4. So who better to prise open the Clarets than two players who Pep Guardiola has repeatedly praised for their ability in the tight spaces? Midweek cup run-outs aren’t ideal but we know that Guardiola is as much about rhythm-building as he is providing rests. I do think he’s trying to play Foden back into some semblance of form, and it seems to be working.

There were some knife-edge calls elsewhere this week, such as which Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Manchester United midfielders to plump for.

With Spurs, I’ve opted for the potentially more explosive Xavi Simons over the nice-and-steady assist machine that is Mohammed Kudus. Simons made a big impact in the ‘10’ role when brought on at the Amex last weekend and I hope he gets a chance in that position against Wolves, who as Tom says above have a bit of a soft underbelly.

As for United, I’ve sided with Bruno Fernandes. If I was a Brentford player, I’d be hell-bent on stopping old boy Bryan Mbeumo this week. The winger has some great underlying numbers – top of all midfielders for non-penalty xGI – but he’s possibly more effective as an outball and in transition, whereas he’ll probably encounter a lower block against Brentford. I think I narrowly favour the more probing playmaking and box-crashing (plus DefCon-accumulating!) of Bruno, although it’s worth pointing out that Mbeumo did score against Burnley previously.

With Everton, my decision was pretty much made up for me by the requirement of one sub-£6.0m midfielder. Happily for the corner-taking Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who I remind you is on four bookings, he’ll be facing a West Ham side who have by some distance the worst record in the division for set-piece goals conceded. Hence also the Michael Keane pick, as he’s much more of a corner-magnet than DefCon icon James Tarkowski. I’d prefer Jack Grealish over Dewsbury-Hall in an ideal world, so I wouldn’t mind sacrificing Antoine Semenyo to make way for the City loanee given how solid Leeds have looked.

The jury is still out the Whites’ attack, despite three goals at Molineux, so Djordje Petrovic and the all-clearing, all-tackling, all-blocking Marcos Senesi get the nod. I’m not advocating a Cherries’ defensive double-up, it’s just that Petrovic looks by some distance the best sub-£5.0m goalkeeper of the week.

Another DC hero joins the Suicide Scout Squad in the form of Joachim Andersen, who faces a woefully out-of-sorts Villa attack. Djed Spence’s selection is meanwhile more about Pedro Porro’s unexpected 90 midweek minutes against Doncaster Rovers; does a rest beckon?

Newcastle United v Arsenal games are usually tight affairs and, unsurprisingly, these two sides have the best xGC figures in the division this season. I’m swerving the attackers from each club and tipping up David Raya, instead.

Finally, the forwards. To my mind, Erling Haaland, Richarlison and Joao Pedro are by some distance the standouts this weekend. Rested in midweek, at home this weekend (two of them against clean-sheet-less sides), and among the top four forwards for attacking returns in 2025/26 so far.

I struggled to name two others. I’m still not sure about Alexander Isak’s minutes and he comes up against a stubborn Palace anyway. Viktor Gyokeres has looked isolated in the ‘bigger’ games. Ollie Watkins is part of Villa’s sub-par attack. Chris Wood’s start is under threat. Everton forwards have underwhelmed and share game-time. I’ve maxed out on Bournemouth, so no Evanilson.

In the end, I finished on Jean-Philippe Mateta and Wilson Isidor, even though the Sunderland man comes up against a nominated ‘keeper in Matz Sels! The former’s start is secure and he had some joy against Liverpool in the Community Shield last month, while the return of Ismaila Sarr will enliven the Eagles’ attack. As for the three-goal Isidor, the new Forest high line looks ready-made for his runs in behind.

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