The next bunch of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Scout Notes cover a couple of Saturday afternoon clashes: Chelsea v Brighton and Hove Albion, plus Leeds United v Bournemouth.
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Another Bruno pen miss, Thiagoals + Sesko off the mark
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Slot on Isak + why he benched Gakpo
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Solid Sunderland, Xhaka superb + why Ange benched Gibbs-White
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Watkins off the mark, Elliott + Fulham’s striker shortage
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Gabriel hauls, why Saliba was a sub + Livramento injury
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Xavi poor, Kudus a threat + why Porro was benched
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Rodri injury, Doku praise, Hauland + Anthony again
SENESI = DEFCON POINTS
In a game where Erling Haaland (£14.4m) means goals and Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) means missed penalties (too soon?), Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi (£4.9m) is quickly becoming associated with FPL’s brand-new defensive contribution (DefCon/DC) points.
Ranked second overall for defensive actions (81), the Argentinian has received a reward for these in all six Gameweeks.
He is, following James Tarkowski‘s (£5.5m) failure to match that achievement on Monday, the only FPL asset to do so:
Combine this with two assists and three clean sheets, and he’s the top scorer of his position. Having risen four times in price, expect another one by Friday evening’s deadline.
It’s easy to forget that while Senesi had a 2024/25 season restricted by hamstring issues and the impressive Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen partnership, his previous full campaign ended with nine attacking returns.
RODON OFFERING VALUE + MORE SEMENYO JOY
However, at Elland Road, his assist was outdone by opposing defender Joe Rodon (£4.0m). The cheap Welshman racked up four attempts and two shots on target, including a header that wiped out Antoine Semenyo‘s (£7.8m) opener.
Rodon has already reached the DefCon threshold twice but, agonisingly, the latest couple of outings have seen him finish one short of it. At least he’s in and around the ’10’ mark with regularity.
As for Semenyo, he joins teammate Senesi in a relentless, everlasting string of price rises. Since the start, he’s increased on a staggering eight occasions.
It’s easy to see why. The leading midfielder so far, he’s only once failed to record five or more points, drilling in a low free-kick that mocked Leeds’ idea of placing a ‘draft excluder’ underneath their wall.
Semenyo is responsible for 14 efforts and six big chances, having been 2024/25’s third-best player for shots. He’ll have plenty more takers for Bournemouth’s upcoming home fixtures versus Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
As an aside, Sean Longstaff (£4.9m) bagged 15 points, a nostalgic Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.5m) missed three big chances and substitute Eli Junior Kroupi (£4.5m) scored in stoppage time. Could he replace Marc Guiu (£4.3m) as the template cheap forward?
UPDATE: THE FITNESS OF JOAO PEDRO
Sticking with Chelsea strikers, Joao Pedro (£7.8m) lasted all 90 minutes against former club Brighton but was shotless once more. In fact, he’s only on 0.06 expected goal involvement (xGI) from the Blues’ two consecutive defeats – albeit they’ve been down to 10 men in both games.
Monday quotes from Enzo Maresca’s pre-match press conference suggest that FPL’s most-owned player may need his minutes to be managed.
“This afternoon, we are going to assess Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos. Unfortunately for us, they all have small problems. We are going to see if they are available for tomorrow.” – Enzo Maresca, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash
Yet it was later revealed by reporter Kieran Gill that Pedro was involved in that afternoon’s training session.
LIVERPOOL BOOSTED BY CHALOBAH RED?
Instead, Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) stepped up to the plate. His fifth attacking return put Chelsea ahead, meaning he’s currently the number three midfielder.
They were comfortably on top for a while, according to the StatsBomb race chart, until last man Trevoh Chalobah (£5.2m) pulled down Diego Gomez (£4.9m). Deemed to have denied a goal-scoring opportunity, the defender was shown a red card.
Above: The race chart shows that Chelsea’s cumulative expected goals (xG) tally stagnated when down to 10 men
From that point, Brighton overturned the deficit. First from a 77th-minute Danny Welbeck (£6.3m) header, then – like seemingly every match these days – further strikes in stoppage time.
Looking at Gameweek 7, Chalobah’s suspension looks ideal for managers in possession of Liverpool attackers. Wesley Fofana (£4.4m) and Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.4m) could also be absent, like long-term problem Levi Colwill (£4.8m).
It’s a chance for Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), Florian Wirtz (£8.2m) and Alexander Isak (£10.6m) to inflict another defeat and boost their own faltering FPL credentials.
VOTE FOR FANTASY FOOTBALL SCOUT AT THE 2025 FCAS!
VOTE FOR FANTASY FOOTBALL SCOUT IN ‘BEST IN FANTASY FOOTBALL – ORGANISATION’ HERE
