It’s Scout Squad time as our four-strong panel argues the case for the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 9 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 9

• MOST PICKS: Gabriel Magalhaes, Joe Rodon, Antoine Semenyo, Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Nick Woltemade, Joao Pedro (four), Nick Pope, Robert Sanchez, Marcos Senesi, Sean Longstaff, Igor Thiago, Danny Welbeck (three)

MARC SAID…

This week, the only team I have complete confidence in is Bournemouth. They’re at home to Nottingham Forest, so I’ve tripled up, starting with Antoine Semenyo. He’s already risen 10 times in price – once per each attacking return over these opening rounds.

It’s controversial to discuss whether he assisted one or two of Eli Junior Kroupi’s goals versus Crystal Palace, but I want to put on record that the 19-year-old was my cheap third forward during the season’s early weeks – this isn’t jumping on a bandwagon! The youngster has outstanding potential, and I think he’ll score again.

Marcos Senesi at the back makes sense. He returned to his defensive contribution (DefCon) ways in Gameweek 8 and the Cherries already have a few clean sheets. Last season, they conceded the joint-fewest home goals (16).

After easing past Forest, Chelsea now get to host Sunderland. Robert Sanchez will expect a comfortable shutout, while Joao Pedro is purely out of stubbornness at this point. The Brazilian’s four consecutive blanks only featured two shots (none on target) and a measly 0.07 expected goals (xG).

Meanwhile, Arsenal banished another hoodoo of recent campaigns by winning at Fulham. Another clean sheet in the bag for Gabriel Magalhaes, as Bukayo Saka magically managed to avoid attacking returns yet end on seven points. They’ll be determined to cling onto top spot, knowing that Crystal Palace are a very difficult prospect these days.

If things go wrong for the Gunners, Manchester City are waiting to step up – but they face a tough task too, against in-form Aston Villa. Not that Erling Haaland thinks like this. He’s the sole Man City player to have more than one goal, but that’s just about ok when clean sheets are being kept. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival sparked three in five, despite the presence of Iliman Ndiaye last week.

Everton’s penalty taker set up multiple Beto chances – one seemingly a tap-in – but everything missed, as did his own shot on target. At least Ndiaye walked away with DefCon rewards for a third time, showcasing his many routes to points. I really like him as an FPL option.

I like Nick Woltemade, too. He is trying his best to hide Newcastle United’s attacking shyness, and a gorgeous flicked goal at Brighton made it four goals in five. And those touches versus Benfica! Woltemade is the eighth natural wonder of the world. Though his new team did lose both of last season’s Fulham clashes. Maybe they’ll shake it off like Arsenal did.

Dan Burn seems nailed right now, but the Magpies’ usually solid defence was easily split open by the Georginio Rutter through ball that assisted Danny Welbeck. For my cheap midfielder, I’ll therefore bank on Rutter starting again, as Brighton and Hove Albion seek a fourth consecutive victory at Manchester United. In fact, they’ve won six of these sides’ last seven league meetings.

Mohamed Salah is still worth a mention, though I don’t recommend picking him over Haaland. Under the hood of his three blanks are four big chances, 10 chances created and 1.61 expected goal involvement (xGI), explaining why he’s labelled as imminent for both goals and assists.

Picking two players at home to Burnley – Ladislav Krejci and Jorgen Strand Larsen – feels self-explanatory, but woeful Wolverhampton Wanderers are bottom of the table, so maybe the same can be said for their opponents. It’s certainly worth playing goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, if possible.

But kicking things off on Friday is Leeds United v West Ham United. One has just lost to the Clarets, and the other put in one of the most gutless performances you’ll ever see. The Hammers have conceded 50 set-piece chances, while Joe Rodon boasts the league’s second-most headed dead-ball efforts (six).

SAM SAID…

There are a bunch of interesting fixtures in Gameweek 9, not least the match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Normally, the form of both means I’d be looking to triple up on each side. However, against each other, this seems unwise.

Instead, it’s an Arsenal duo and no Palace. Leaving out Jean-Philippe Mateta after last week’s hat-trick seems mad, but we know the Gunners’ defence has been impeccable, so I’ve gone for Gabriel Magalhaes. The defender registered a midweek Champions League haul and has potential at both ends of the pitch. He also looks likely to get DefCon against an attacking Palace.

I’ve also opted for Bukayo Saka, as Gameweek 8 highlighted his potential for DefCon and bonuses, as well as attacking returns.

Chelsea face a Sunderland side that has really impressed me so far. However, the newly promoted side has conceded twice as many goals when on the road, scoring only once. That’s why Robert Sanchez is one of my goalkeepers here.

Reece James is perhaps riskier. The Blues are carefully managing the defender, knowing his past injury record, but a midweek rest and a Malo Gusto suspension surely signal a Gameweek 9 start. Completing the Chelsea three is Joao Pedro who, despite bad form, feels like he needs to be given this match.

I also really like Bournemouth’s fixture. Prior to Ange Postecoglou’s sacking, I was even thinking about using Triple Captain on Antoine Semenyo this week. Obviously, the situation is a little different now that Sean Dyche is in charge.

Semenyo is the highest-scoring FPL midfielder and Forest are yet to keep a clean sheet. Dyche might have a positive long-term impact at the back, but the team have only scored five goals and I suspect they’ll still struggle moving forwards for a while. That’s why Djordje Petrovic and Marcos Senesi also get the nod.

As for Newcastle, they’re hosting a Fulham side that’s likely to be without Joachim Andersen at the back. Nick Woltemade looks like an excellent pick for this week and beyond. I’ve also selected defender Dan Burn, someone boasting DefCon potential and a set-piece threat.

Picking a couple of Leeds assets wasn’t on my Bingo card, having expected to see a much-improved West Ham United during Monday Night Football. However, they allowed Brentford 22 attempts, which is more than the Bees have ever had in any Premier League game.

As a result, I think Joe Rodon has the potential for returns at both ends of the field. The defender already claims one goal, but was unlucky not to back that up with a great effort against Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately for me and my FPL team, colleague Sean Longstaff has recently taken all set-piece threat away from Anton Stach, and West Ham have conceded more set-piece attempts than any other team.

Looking around, Man United v Brighton and Brentford v Liverpool are difficult to call, and I’ve opted for picks from all four sides.

Bruno Fernandes hovers around dead-ball situations and is usually there or thereabouts for DefCon. Yet former Red Devil Danny Welbeck has a couple of recent two-goal outings.

Likewise, Igor Thiago was unlucky not to haul against West Ham, and Liverpool are struggling defensively – made worse if Ryan Gravenberch isn’t available. To balance this out, I’ve picked Cody Gakpo, who looks the most likely Liverpool attacker to deliver. He leads the others for attempts on goal (21) and goals (three).

TOM SAID…

Brighton recorded a decent win last weekend, but with only one clean sheet in 20 top-flight matches and none this season, they remain a soft touch defensively, so I’m backing Man United to follow up their victory over Liverpool with another three points at Old Trafford.

Bryan Mbeumo is ranked second among midfielders for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI), so he gets my vote alongside penalty-taker Bruno Fernandes. The playmaker has created more chances than any other player.

Apart from Erling Haaland, no player has netted more goals than Nick Woltemade over the last five Gameweeks. A Fulham defence likely to be without Andersen could be there for the taking, and Newcastle have already created 12 ‘big chances’ at St James’ Park, the fourth-most of any team at home, despite facing Arsenal and Liverpool.

Marco Silva has decent attackers at his disposal, like Alex Iwobi and Josh King, but Fulham have managed to score only three away goals, hence my selection of Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier.

It’s hardly a fresh insight that Bournemouth are a much better side defensively at the Vitality Stadium than on the road. Along with my rather obvious selection of Antoine Semenyo, I’ve doubled up on their backline via Djordje Petrovic and Adrien Truffert. Truffert has caught my eye this season and is second among FPL defenders for touches and passes received in the final third on home turf, where he is given that bit more license to bomb forward.

Elsewhere, West Ham have conceded more headed chances than any other club, so the set-piece deliveries of Sean Longstaff could lead to assists for Joe Rodon and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Liverpool are in a sticky patch, and while the likes of Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo – who was unlucky to miss out in my selection – can cause significant problems for any team, their defence looks vulnerable. So I’m backing Igor Thiago, someone with all the attributes needed to expose the champions’ susceptibility. Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck also get the nod up top.

Reece James is a name many of us haven’t considered for a while but, with Malo Gusto suspended, I think he’s a good choice. The England international ranks an impressive second among all FPL defenders for chances created over the last four Gameweeks and has been involved in three big chances over that time, either as a shooter or creator.

Finally, I’m still keen on Arsenal’s defence, despite being against Crystal Palace. Throughout their four home matches against West Ham, Man City, Forest and Leeds this season, they’ve conceded just five shots on target.

NEALE SAID…

It’s pretty clear now that the three promoted sides are better than the rabble we’ve seen in recent years: they’ve already kept as many clean sheets combined (eight) as last year’s boomeranging clubs did in the whole of 2024/25. Only Arsenal (five) and Newcastle United (eight) have allowed fewer big chances than Leeds United (10) and Sunderland (11).

With that said, they’ve generally been more of a test on their own turf: just two defeats in a combined 12 home matches, nine in 12 away.

Sunderland, for as excellent as they’ve been, are the joint-lowest scorers on the road. I’d be keen for one of Robert Sanchez or Trevoh Chalobah to make the cut, then, with the latter getting the nod over Reece James for not just the extra DefCon potential but the substantial goal threat at set plays. After seeing Chelsea in action in midweek, I’ve switched from Enzo Fernandez to Joao Pedro as my Blues attacker. The reason? Marc Guiu being hooked at the interval against Ajax, which to me suggests he’s going to start up top with Pedro in behind in Gameweek 9 – and that’s where the Brazilian seems to play his best stuff. It certainly was the case after Guiu’s introduction in Gameweek 8.

I’m not going to get carried away by the fixture when it comes to Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley. The hosts have been limp in front of goal, with Jorgen Strand Larsen half-fit and Jhon Arias a big disappointment. I’ve even gone for Martin Dubravka as my third ‘keeper. But left-back Hugo Bueno is worth a shout this week, given that few players bag DefCon points against the Clarets. Bueno, one of the only positives of Wolves’ season, is first among FPL defenders for successful crosses and third for chances created. Burnley, meanwhile, lie 20th for both chances conceded and crosses conceded from their right flank.

As for Leeds, I’m actually backing them in the form of Joe Rodon and token sub-£6.0m midfielder Sean Longstaff. West Ham were terrible on Monday and while they surely can’t be that bad again (and Nuno will remedy the line-up), they offered little offensively and struggled against Brentford’s direct approach. Leeds are a robust side themselves and will look to press home their physical superiority from set plays in particular: the Hammers are bottom for set-piece attempts conceded, headers conceded and set-piece goals conceded in 2025/26. Rodon, who has had seven efforts in the last three Gameweeks (Daniel Farke discussed his growing threat in last week’s presser), and chance-creating, corner-taking Longstaff could profit, then, although the Whites aren’t exactly clinical in front of goal themselves.

Arsenal and Newcastle don’t have straightforward home fixtures but they are the two best defences in the league (from clean sheets to xGC), so I include Gabriel Magalhaes and Nick Pope. Palace in particular will pose a big test of that Arsenal backline but with Gabriel such a threat from corners and even gobbling up DefCon points now, he’s difficult to overlook – especially when there aren’t too many stand-out clean sheet chances elsewhere this week. Further forward, in-form Nick Woltemade will be relishing the prospect of facing a Fulham backline potentially without centre-half Joachim Andersen and midfield shield Sasa Lukic. I’m more hesitant about including Bukayo Saka given the fixture but he looked in the mood in Gameweek 8, while Palace’s three goal concessions against Bournemouth made them seem more fallible.

Marcos Senesi will also be hoping to get back to watertight ways after that six-goal epic; at least he’ll likely get DefCon either way. You can imagine Sean Dyche wanting to lock down that Forest defence as a first priority, so that might make Senesi’s job that bit easier and Antoine Semenyo‘s a little trickier. I think the winger would be closer to Erling Haaland in the captain poll were Ange Postecoglou still in charge.

Finally, two fixtures where the attacks will fancy their chances. That includes Igor Thiago and Brentford, who will be hoping to profit from Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies and a vulnerability to direct balls exhibited in Gameweek 8. Cody Gakpo, the leading FPL midfielder for shots and non-penalty xGI, also features here after scoring in each of the Reds’ last three matches. Mohamed who?

As for Man Utd v Brighton, these two have mustered just one clean sheet between them in 2025/26. You can see it now: everyone thinks United have turned a corner, only for them to come unstuck yet again. Albion, in fact, have won six of their last seven meetings with the Red Devils, including all three of their most recent trips to Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck‘s purple patch likely won’t last long (he’s scoring with all of his shots!) but here’s a chance for him to prolong his form a bit more. Bryan Mbeumo, narrowly behind Gakpo in the midfielder shots/xGI stakes, must also be confident of further returns against a side yet to keep a single shut-out.