It ended up being a good week to play Burnley defenders in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) thanks to a 2-0 win for the Clarets on Saturday.
Leeds United players tanked, however, in a Gameweek when many Fantasy managers needed them to perform.
Here are our Scout Notes from Turf Moor.
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CLINICAL CLARETS, LIMP LEEDS
A game between a club that doesn’t create all that much and a side that lacks the finishing touch.
This match went according to type, with Leeds utterly thrashing Burnley on the shot count (19-4) but failing to make the numbers count where it mattered.
Two bits of quality for the Clarets were the difference. Lesley Ugochukwu (£5.0m), brought into the side as an advanced central midfielder in a new 4-2-3-1 set-up, nodded in a superb Kyle Walker (£4.4m) cross to open the scoring before substitute Loam Tchaouna (£4.9m) scored a thunderbolt from distance to seal the win.
Scott Parker’s side did naff-all offensively otherwise, failing to reach 1.0 xG for the fifth straight match. Not that they had to attack – the onus was on Leeds to come out and play after Ugochuwku’s early opener. Not for the first time, they were found wanting up top.
Brenden Aaronson (£5.4m), Jayden Bogle (£4.5m) and Lukas Nmecha (£5.0m) all missed excellent chances for the visitors, the former seeing his effort deflect onto the post.
Gabriel Gudmundsson (£4.0m) and Sean Longstaff (£4.9m) both created four chances apiece, including one ‘big chance’ each, for no rewards.
The profligacy helped Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) pick up some easy save/bonus points in a week when many FPL managers were counting on him.
In Daniel Farke’s defence, he wasn’t really backed with quality signings in attack this summer. He does, at least, have Daniel James (£5.3m), Noah Okafor (£5.5m) and Wilfried Gnonto (£5.2m) to come back into the team soon (James was a substitute here), and those three are an upgrade on Aaronson and Jack Harrison (£5.2m) out wide.
BURNLEY’S NEW DEFCON KING
Josh Cullen (£5.0m) has done very well for defensive contribution (DefCon) points this season, banking them in five of his eight appearances.
But one teammate is leaving him, and every other FPL midfielder, in the shade at present.
The lesser-discussed Luis Florentino (£5.0m) averages more clearances, blocks, interceptions, recoveries and tackles (CBIRTs) per 90 minutes than any other Fantasy midfielder who has made more than one start in 2025/26:
To say his remit is to do the dirty work is an understatement. No penalty box touches all season, with his one shot coming from about 35 yards out. Almost two-thirds of his touches have come in his own half.
He’ll rarely get you an attacking return (his assist on Saturday was for Tchaouna’s long-range effort!), then, but he currently boasts a 100% DefCon record when starting.
FOSTER INJURY UPDATE
Anyone starting/Bench Boosting one of the cheapest starting FPL forwards in the game, Lyle Foster (£5.0m), was left disappointed when he failed to make the squad.
A dead leg suffered on international duty with South Africa kept him out, but he could be back in Gameweek 9.
“Lyle’s okay. He missed today but we hope to have him back next weekend.” – Scott Parker, via the Burnley Express
Four-goal Jaidon Anthony (£5.7m) started after a Gameweek 7 injury scare but, for the second week running, he failed to have a shot.
£3.9m DEFENDER STARTS AGAIN
Elsewhere on Burnley watch, Axel Tuanzebe (£3.9m) was preferred to Hjalmar Ekdal (£4.0m) for the second successive match. Ekdal’s Gameweek 7 demotion was no mere one-week tactical tweak, then.
Having looked a bit suspect at Villa Park a fortnight ago, Tuanzebe was better here.
The former Manchester United centre-half, Maxime Esteve (£4.0m) and Walker all reached the DefCon threshold to supplement their clean sheets.
Only six FPL defenders have more DefCon points than Esteve (eight) now.
LAST HURRAH FOR LEEDS + BURNLEY?
For those FPL managers who have a bench heavy on the promoted clubs and who are yet to play their Bench Boost, Gameweek 9 would appear to be one of the last good windows to use the chip.
Burnley and Leeds have favourable-ish fixtures, although we await to see how much of a bounce West Ham United will enjoy under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Thereafter, there aren’t many weeks in which you’d consider starting your Leeds and Burnley players before Christmas.
Gameweek 18 is when the two clubs next share a weekend of favourable fixtures, although you could make a case for Gameweek 11.
