It’s Scout Squad time as our four-strong panel argues the case for the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 8 in isolation.

Marc, Sam, Tom F and Neale 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 8

• MOST PICKS: Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland, Joao Pedro, Jarrod Bowen (four), Robert Sanchez, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka, Enzo Fernandez, Sean Longstaff (three)

MARC SAID…

This international break has allowed Scout to take a deep statistical dive into the seven Gameweeks so far. One pattern is the defensive dominance of Arsenal, so I’m not put off by their last couple of results at Fulham. After all, they’ve just banished their Newcastle (a) and West Ham (h) demons.

Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have brilliant numbers, but I’m always a Gabriel Magalhaes guy and the two areas he beats them in are big chances (two) and defensive contribution (DefCon) points. Let’s double him up with David Raya. Meanwhile, I’m a Gameweek 7 Wildcarder who mistakenly chose Viktor Gyokeres over Bukayo Saka. If the midfielder keeps taking penalties, that feels like a big deal.

I’ve also gone all-in on Saturday’s early kickoff, as Chelsea look to take advantage of Nottingham Forest’s woes. Robert Sanchez can keep them the hosts at bay, as Enzo Fernandez continues to excel – no midfielder has more expected goals (xG, 3.75). Perhaps he’s on spot kicks instead of Joao Pedro, too. The forward is goalless in four, having been restricted to just two shots in that time – none on target – but at least the Brazilian is fully-rested and about to face the backline that’s conceded the most big chances (22). I have faith.

Having completely avoided the tough-to-call Brighton v Newcastle and Tottenham v Aston Villa clashes, I’ve actually picked a few from Crystal Palace v Bournemouth. When gathering ‘Big Numbers’, I was slightly surprised to see Palace inside the top two for many attacking stats, leading the way for major chances (26).

Nine of these belong to Jean-Philippe Mateta, but he’s missing loads of them. The ‘Goals Imminent’ table confirms that he’s massively underachieving yet, at the same time, is usually a good striker. He’s due a goal and I think it’ll come against the Cherries.

Opponent Antoine Semenyo is having a start so good that he’s difficult to overlook, plus Daniel Munoz scored at Everton in Gameweek 7. That takes the wing-back to four shots on target and nine efforts inside the box.

That reminds me of another attacking defender: El Hadji Malick Diouf. He’s already racked up four assists so, if Nuno Espirito Santo can shore up West Ham’s defence, he could become a bargain. The Hammers’ last two goals have seen Diouf set up talisman Jarrod Bowen. What if he repeats the home hat-trick versus Brentford from two seasons ago?

Similarly, Mohamed Salah loves facing Man United. He’s grabbed 12 goals and six assists throughout the rivals’ previous nine league meetings – averaging two each time. Additionally, Liverpool boast seven clean sheets during the last 11 showdowns, so both Salah and deputy goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili will expect to deliver on Sunday.

On the other hand, if forced to pick between the two, I’d still rather own Erling Haaland than Salah right now. The Norwegian is having a brilliant time, bagging 21 goals in 12 matches for club and country. He’s comfortably ahead in many underlying stats but, scarily, it’s his worst Premier League start for shots on target (14).

Josko Gvardiol set up Haaland’s latest domestic strike, and I think the defender can successfully keep out an Everton side that’s without Jack Grealish.

Finishing things off, Joe Rodon has had six penalty area shots and visits Burnley, while teammate Sean Longstaff is outperforming fellow cheap midfielder Anton Stach. Although yet to score, Jorgen Strand Larsen gets to have a go at Sunderland. Since changing formation, Wolves have looked better, but late equalisers denied 1-0 wins on both occasions.

SAM SAID…

Another international break is in the can and this one wasn’t without consequence. Ollie Watkins collided with the post which ruled him out of England’s second international fixture, while Sunderland’s Omar Alderete was substituted with a muscular injury which we’ll need to monitor ahead of Gameweek 8 . To further managers’ troubles, Enzo Fernandez returned early due to inflammation of the knee. That’s just three of the potential injuries! It’s definitely had an impact on the players that I have included in my selection for the weekend. 

In goal, I really wanted the security of David Raya. However, the upside appeal of the outfield Arsenal assets was too strong to resist. As a result, my first-choice goalkeeper this week is Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez. Chelsea face a Forest side who have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League matches and are struggling to adjust to a new style of football under Ange Postecoglou.

Alongside Sanchez I have opted for Nick Pope, who remains a great pick regardless of the fixture. Newcastle have the second best xGC in the league and therefore against a Brighton side who still have injury concerns surrounding Karou Mitoma, there is the potential for another clean sheet. Pope also has potential for additional save and bonus points, which is something that Raya lacks.

My final goalkeeper is Robin Roefs. In most seasons, a newly promoted goalkeeper ends up in my team purely for value. Roefs however is an exception. Sunderland have kept three clean sheets this season, a tally that is only bettered by Arsenal and Newcastle.

The lack of Raya in my picks has meant that I was able to double up on Arsenal defenders. Picking between Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes at the moment is difficult. Timber is joint-top for attacking returns amongst defenders in the game and his 48 points so far makes him the highest-scoring defender in the game. Gabriel on the other hand has a goal, four clean sheets and six defensive contribution points to his name, which means he sits just one point behind Timber for the season. Both great picks for different reasons, so I have doubled up on the Gunners’ defence this week.

Alongside the Arsenal boys, I have selected Marc Cucurella. The left-back has two assists so far this season and he faces a Nottingham Forest team who have scored just once and conceded 10 in the last five league matches – so the Spaniard has the potential to return at both ends of the pitch.

Like Cucurella, Josko Gvardiol has been in good form with an assist, two clean sheets, two defensive contribution points and three bonus points in the last four matches. Gvardiol faces an Everton side with reduced attacking threat as Jack Grealish is not allowed to play against his parent club.

My final defender was going to be Alderete after his 17-point haul in Gameweek 6, however the possible international break injury means I have pivoted to his teammate Daniel Ballard instead – especially as we are going out slightly early with our picks this week. 

Bukayo Saka has quickly found his way back on to my must-have list. The Arsenal midfielder took and scored a penalty in Gameweek 7 and scored a beautiful goal for England over the international break. The midfielder has also created seven chances in his five appearance this season, and I expect this number to rise over the coming weeks with the fixtures mostly favourable.

Anthony Gordon is on my watchlist for my own FPL team. Newcastle face a Brighton side who, alongside Forest and Wolves, are yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Gordon also took the penalties in the Champions League and had been substituted when Nick Woltemade scored from the spot in Gameweek 7, which suggests that Gordon is still the spot-kick taker when on the field – that’s the theory anyway!

It actually felt a bit weird to have Antoine Semenyo as low as third on my list of midfielders. However, the fixture is difficult against a really good Palace side, who will want to bounce back quickly from their Gameweek 7 defeat, which saw an end to their 19-game unbeaten streak.

Maybe I am biased; I probably am. But Aston Villa have struggled defensively this season and Spurs have been good in front of goal, with 13 goals scored. Only Man City and Arsenal can better that. Therefore, I have opted for Mohammed Kudus, who scored for Ghana as they qualified for the World Cup and scored his first goal for Spurs in Gameweek 7.

My final pick is purely fixture-based, and I was sold by Neale’s article on Sean Longstaff taking all of Anton Stach’s indirect set-piece threat – that leaves me a problem in my Bench Boost team though! 

Up top, Erling Haaland – say no more!

Alongside him, Joao Pedro has been fully rested over the international break and faces a struggling Forest defence.

I am starting to believe that Jarrod Bowen might be the Pedro replacement in my team in the coming weeks. Despite West Ham being poor, Bowen has scored three goals this season, which is third-best amongst forwards. He is also the third-highest scoring forward in the game behind only Pedro and Haaland.

Igor Thiago was unlucky not to score against Man City in Gameweek 7; if he had, it would have been back-to-back league goals and five for the season. Despite an improvement from West Ham under Nuno, they still look defensively vulnerable and I would expect Thiago to exploit that.

Wilson Isidor was the one who got away on the Wildcard and I still regret that decision. Against a Wolves defence yet to keep a clean sheet, I expect Isidor to add to his scoring tally. 

TOM SAID…

Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham United dominate my Scout Squad, supplying three outfield players apiece.

In the end, I sided with Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze as my trio from Arsenal. I think Fulham might breach the Gunners’ backline this week, but with Timber top of the defender’s expected goal involvement (xGI) table, I’m happy to fall back on the right-back’s attacking threat. Further forward, Saka is “starting to feel good again”, while I suspect the injury to Martin Odegaard will give Eze a chance to impress in a central role.

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea kicks off proceedings this weekend, with Enzo Fernandez the name on many FPL managers’ lips. I’m hopeful his withdrawal from the Argentina squad was merely a precaution and, provided he starts on Saturday, he looks like a superb option, particularly with Forest bottom of the table for big chances conceded. Trevoh Chalobah is my representative from the Chelsea backline, while a rested Joao Pedro returns to the squad.

As for West Ham, El Hadji Malick Diouf has provided four assists in his last six matches and could find additional joy against Brentford, particularly with Nuno Espirito Santo testing a wing-back system during the international break. Lucas Paqueta is on penalties and ranks joint-fourth among all FPL midfielders for defensive contribution (DefCon) points, which isn’t bad for £5.9m. Meanwhile, the outside chance of Jarrod Bowen occupying the central striker role places him in my thoughts, but even on his usual right flank, he is capable of causing damage.

Elsewhere, Manchester City get a defensive double-up from me. Their opponents Everton will be without playmaker Jack Grealish, which firms up Gianluigi Donnarumma’s selection alongside Josko Gvardiol. Erling Haaland also makes the cut for obvious reasons.

At Turf Moor, Gabriel Gudmundsson gets the nod over Joe Rodon, with Burnley bottom of the table for chances conceded from their right flank. He is joined by Leeds United team-mate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who should really have more than one goal by now. His finishing is obviously a concern, but up against Burnley, his aerial ability and hold-up play could prove crucial.

Alexander Isak is my Liverpool pick, when many others will opt for Mohamed Salah. However, I think Isak will kick on after the international break, having completed the full 90 minutes in both of Sweden’s World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Kosovo. Finally, only two teams have allowed more chances to be created from their right flank than Brighton and Hove Albion, which bodes well for Anthony Gordon.

NEALE SAID…

It’s not a straightforward selection this week, with the teams we usually like our players to face squaring off against each other: Sunderland and five of the bottom six meet across three fixtures.

It’s asking a lot of Nuno Espírito Santo to turn the West Ham ship around in a short space of time, especially as many of his players will have been away on international duty. But we know from past experience what he’ll look to address first: the defence. We saw a bit of that against Arsenal, indeed, with the Hammers a bit more stubborn. I’ve gone with the unlikely figure of Konstantinos Mavropanos here: he racked up a whopping 20 defensive contributions in Gameweek 7, the third time he’s hit the threshold in five starts, and we know how good centre-backs usually are for DefCons under Nuno. Alongside him is Jarrod Bowen, who has performed consistently regardless of who has been in charge or how poor the Hammers have been.

From the other all-minnow (for want of a better word) clashes, I have gone with two from Sunderland and two from Leeds, both of whom have impressed me this season.

Nordi Mukiele and Granit Xhaka are DefCon machines in their respective positions, with the latter also on set-piece duties. Mukiele has bagged DefCon points in four of his five starts and was only one Gameweek 6 contribution away from making it a 100% record.

Sean Longstaff, as has widely been discussed recently, seems to be the new, all-action Anton Stach: six shots, 12 chances created and the acquisition of corner-taking duties in the last two Gameweeks alone. He’s also bagged DefCon points in two of his five starts, with only an early substitution stopping him from making it three.

The inclusion of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, unfortunately, is more about the paucity of sub-£7.0m picks elsewhere. Richarlison and Danny Welbeck may not start, Wilson Isidor’s minutes are shaky, Lyle Foster may be injured, and Igor Thiago and Jorgen Strand Larsen face two of my defenders. Thiago is probably the best pick in isolation, were it not for that. Calvert-Lewin is at least getting chances (four ‘big’ ones in the last two Gameweeks) and is up against a Burnley side with the worst xGC tally in the league.

Elsewhere, there are mostly self-explanatory picks from Arsenal, City and Chelsea, with the obvious caveat around Enzo Fernandez’s fitness. Again, like the others, I’m banking on a flailing Forest playing Joao Pedro into some form. Bukayo Saka will almost certainly make the Scout Picks but I’ve used my selection to champion Eberechi Eze, Arsenal’s leading regular starter for minutes per shot (23) this season. He’s had four shots in the box in each of the last two Gameweeks (missing a sitter last time out) and with Martin Odegaard sidelined, he could again be tasked with a box-crashing ‘eight’ role against a Fulham side potentially without midfield spoiler Sasa Lukic.

Cody Gakpo is written in pencil; I’m hoping some clues might emerge later in the week over which combination of attackers Arne Slot will plump for this Sunday. An injury here or there would see the dominos fall into place. I’d love a Liverpool representative as, despite their current slump, they’re still carving out chances and are back on home soil after three tricky away trips. As it stands, I’ve gone with Gakpo, Liverpool’s leader for both shots and chances created in 2025/26. He’s also fresh from four attacking returns with the Dutch team, admittedly against Malta and Finland – but then this is Manchester United…

Finally, Palace v Bournemouth is one of those tricky-to-call games on paper. But did you know that the Eagles haven’t scored in four attempts against a side led by Andoni Iraola? Both meetings ended 0-0 last season, indeed. Marcos Senesi has a chance of something other than his customary DefCon points, then.