The precursor to Friday’s Scout Picks is the Scout Squad, in which our four-man panel attempts to pick out the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 10 in isolation.

Staff writer Marc, deputy editor Tom F, editor Neale and emergency sub Tom J (in for the absent Sam!) 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 10

• MOST PICKS: Gabriel Magalhaes, Daniel Munoz, Erling Haaland, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Nick Woltemade (four), Robin Roefs, Bernd Leno, Bukayo Saka, Bryan Mbeumo, Ismaila Sarr (three)

MARC SAID…

Arsenal have only allowed three goals and five big chances to opponents so far, and they’re facing the leakiest defence for conceding shots – Burnley (165) – making the Gunners an easy triple-up. Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber are FPL’s top scorers at the back, but settling on an attacker is trickier.

Despite the temptation to pick Bukayo Saka, my gut feeling thinks his minutes will keep being managed while Viktor Gyokeres is kept on for some (in theory) confidence-boosting goals. Of course, it’s the same gut that persisted with Joao Pedro, another forward who ‘boasts’ five successive blanks. I’ve sold the Chelsea forward for Jean-Philippe Mateta because I massively rate Crystal Palace and will ignore their recent league stumble.

No team has accumulated more big chances, and 15 of these 33 belong to the Frenchman. For various shooting statistics, only Erling Haaland beats him, which is why I’m captaining Man City’s striker by default. The Eagles also have brilliantly wing-back Daniel Munoz, the best defender for box touches (31) and expected goal involvement (xGI, 2.63).

Somewhat insanely, I’m going all-in on Man United. Things quickly turned around for Ruben Amorim, and we’ve published an article asking if highly bought Bryan Mbeumo is a superior pick to Bruno Fernandes. The former is a bigger open-play goal threat, but the latter keeps proving he has more routes to points. Basically, both are good assets, and a trip to Nottingham Forest could see them haul.

Now under Sean Dyche, Forest have collected just one goal and one point from seven league games, so a Man United defender needs picking. Let’s settle for the minutes and defensive contributions (DefCon) security of Matthijs de Ligt, even though Danny Welbeck was the latest player to deny them a clean sheet.

Brighton’s forward next gets to face Leeds at home, the latest team to defeat a continually shambolic West Ham. Now it’s Newcastle’s turn to take three points. The Nick Woltemade love-in is everlasting, while I back Nick Pope to keep a sixth clean sheet. Only Arsenal have a lower expected goals conceded (xGC) tally.

Elsewhere, I’m not entirely sure who to back at Fulham v Wolves. The visitors are bottom of the league and look increasingly doomed, but Marco Silva’s side has dropped to 17th place. I’ll choose both goalkeepers, Bernd Leno and Sam Johnstone, mainly because there’s uncertainty over Joachim Andersen’s injury status. I really hope he makes it.

Further up, Ryan Sessegnon looks to be a secure midfield start, someone with a recent goal and assist. I’d perhaps prefer teammate Harry Wilson, after he came up in the latest Goals Imminent podcast, but he missed Gameweek 9.

Speaking of imminent returns and teams that have lost four in a row, it’s time for Liverpool and Cody Gakpo. Underlying creative stats mean the Dutchman is due an assist, but he’s also netted twice in their latest three league outings. Alexander Isak’s probable absence should lessen the likelihood of rotation.

My final picks belong to Monday’s closing match, when Everton travel to Sunderland. Michael Keane can grab a clean sheet and, when planning my own squad, I really want to get Iliman Ndiaye because the existence of DefCon makes it beneficial to have all-round midfielders. Ndiaye takes penalties, enjoys shooting, ranks number one throughout the league for expected assists (xA, 2.16) and has delivered DefCon rewards on three occasions.

TOM J SAID…

Half of my 18-man Scout Squad for Gameweek 10 comes in the form of triple-ups. Outside of that, the fixtures aren’t the easiest to call this week, with a couple of my picks certainly scraping the barrel!

Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes is a straightforward selection, having racked up 43 points in his last four matches. The likes of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are undoubtedly good picks, too, but Burnley’s terrible defensive data is impossible to ignore. No side has conceded more xG or shots on target than the Clarets. With this in mind, I’ve backed Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka to come good. The former’s three Premier League goals so far have come against relegation candidates, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Newcastle against West Ham is another match to target from a Fantasy perspective. Nick Woltemade continues to shine in a black and white shirt, scoring his sixth goal in nine starts midweek against Spurs. It’s not a stretch to make the connection between his aerial threat and West Ham’s well-documented set-piece problems. In that spirit, I’ve also opted for Malick Thiaw. He ranks top for set-piece shots among Newcastle defenders. Nick Pope ranks third-best in the clean sheet odds this week and is hard to ignore.

The final triple-up is on Crystal Palace. Daniel Munoz is worth the extra money, in my opinion, over his cheaper, centre-back alternatives. The ever-present wing-back ranks top among all defenders for xGI and penalty box touches. Munoz has also cleared the threshold for defensive contribution points three times. The most-transferred in forward, Jean-Philippe Mateta, has had more big chances than Haaland in the last six and should benefit from a rest in midweek. His expected minutes are further buoyed by an injury to Eddie Nketiah. There’s a strong case for an attacking double-up in this week’s Scout Picks with Ismaila Sarr scoring twice at Anfield in the cup, although he could be squeezed out by man of the moment Bryan Mbeumo after his haul in Gameweek 9.

Elsewhere, I’ll be pushing for the inclusion of Enzo Fernandez. No Chelsea player has recorded more xGI, shots or big chances. The Argentinian scored home and away against Spurs last year, while the Lillywhites’ home form is nothing to write home about, having failed to win or keep a clean sheet in their last three in North London.

Perhaps surprisingly, my fifth defender is El Hadji Malick Diouf. Even with West Ham’s poor form, he scored more than two points on five occasions this campaign. I don’t expect to be backed up on this selection, though! I may have more luck with Calvin Bassey, should we need a budget enabler. Wolves, Fulham’s Gameweek 10 opponents, have created the fewest big chances of any team this season.

Erling Haaland needs no justification; he’ll be my top choice for Scout Picks captain. The Norwegian’s teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma has kept three clean sheets in six starts since joining the club. Man City have conceded fewer than one xG in their last five matches, suggesting clean sheets are imminent.

Finally, Sunderland duo Robin Roefs and Wilson Isidor make the cut, fresh off their 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge. Roefs is the top-scoring goalkeeper in the entire game thanks to four clean sheets and 33 saves. Gameweek 10 opponents Everton have failed to score in their last two and are without a clean sheet in five. Isidor continues to start despite competition from Messrs Mayenda and Brobbey.

TOM F SAID…

Arsenal’s consistency this season, which stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the Premier League, brings a trio of Gunners into my squad for the trip to Burnley.

Scott Parker’s side are ranked bottom for chances conceded down the right flank, which promotes the appeal of Riccardo Calafiori, who was handed a complete rest in midweek. A chaos merchant due to his free-roaming left-back role, his 17 shots and 11 shots in the box both rank top in his position.

An Arsenal defensive double-up should prosper, too, so I think including both Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes could prove savvy. Bukayo Saka could also profit at Turf Moor; however, it is important to highlight that Burnley have only conceded two goals at home this season, compared to 15 on the road.

A home clash against an in-form Brentford outfit might not prove entirely straightforward for Crystal Palace, but Jean-Philippe Mateta has had more goal attempts (29) and big chances (15) than any other player except Erling Haaland in 2025/26. There should also be a game-time boost for the Frenchman after Eddie Nketiah’s injury. Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr accompany Mateta in my selection, the latter of whom could be a very decent differential pick with only 8.9% ownership.

Elsewhere, Sunderland welcome Everton to the Stadium of Light on Monday. With only two goals conceded at home and David Moyes’ side in a bit of a finishing slump (four scored from 8.1 xG in the last six), I am optimistic that Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele can keep another clean sheet. Wilson Isidor also squeezes in as my fifth forward – he’s netted in three of his four home appearances this term.

A plum home fixture for Fulham sees Bernd Leno and Alex Iwobi get the nod. The latter sits just over the 1% mark for ownership and hosts a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that is yet to keep a clean sheet. Vitor Pereira’s side are also bottom for key passes conceded from the middle third, the space Iwobi will naturally drift towards when in possession.

West Ham United are rock bottom for goals conceded from set-pieces (10), which should interest Dan Burn and Nick Woltemade, while Liverpool’s leaky backline makes me confident of Ollie Watkins’ chances this weekend, too. Finally, I’m backing Bryan Mbeumo once again, given that he has racked up three goals and one assist over the last three Gameweeks.

NEALE SAID…

There are four triple-ups and two double-ups in this week’s selection, with Bruno Fernandes and the obligatory Erling Haaland rounding off the 18-man squad.

It’s a given that we’ll max out our allocation of Arsenal players in this week’s Scout Picks – this question is which three?

Personally, I’m in favour of the defensive double-up rather than going top-heavy. The Gunners have, surprisingly, only scored five open-play goals in 2025/26 (only three teams have netted fewer), and you’d imagine that Scott Parker is going to try and make life as difficult as he did for Liverpool in Gameweek 4. Yes, the Clarets are bottom for xGC, but it’s also the case for xG, too. With Riccardo Calafiori, you’re getting the prospects of returns at both ends, anyway. The Italian has had at least six shots more than any other Premier League defender, with half a dozen of his 17 efforts coming from set plays – that’s the same as corner magnet Gabriel Magalhaes.

Bukayo Saka‘s numbers haven’t exactly been amazing in 2025/26 but he turned in dazzling displays against Fulham and West Ham recently (Palace were a much sterner test), so I’m happy to side with him over Messrs Gyokeres and Eze.

While Chris Richards, Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix have flirted with FPL managers in the first two months, and all have their own merits, we’re back to the oh-so-last-season trio of Daniel Munoz (first among defenders for xGI), Ismaila Sarr (first among midfielders for non-penalty xG) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (second among forwards for xG). Munoz has even bagged DefCon points on three occasions, narrowly swerving a fourth. Brentford have been excellent on their own soil this season but have lost three of their four games on the road, so I’d still fancy the Eagles to get back to winning ways in the league.

I don’t fancy West Ham United to do that. Two dismal defeats against Brentford and Leeds have burst the Nuno bubble, with goals flying in at one end – especially from set plays – and little of note being created at the other: the Hammers are bottom for xG since the change in manager. Nick Woltemade, who has a ‘surprisingly good touch for a big man’ but keeps scoring headers, and new corner-target Malick Thiaw can further West Ham’s misery from set pieces, while I’ve also gone with the slightly more maverick Bruno Guimaraes. As documented in last Sunday’s Scout Notes, the Brazilian seems to be getting up and around Woltemade more recently, firing off 10 shots in the last three Gameweeks.

The triple-up I’m least sure about is that of Fulham. Raul Jimenez was a handful up at St James’ Park last weekend, having a game-high six shots, and he’s about to face the clean-sheet-less defence of his former employers. The problem is his fitness, so I’ll await further word on that on Friday. Similarly, Josh King‘s inclusion – he’s effectively in this squad as the token sub-£6.0m option – may hinge on Emile Smith Rowe being ruled out. I was impressed by the harrying and close control of King again in midweek, and now he has a first senior goal under his belt, too. Again, team news will be key regarding the availability of the DefCon-devouring Joachim Andersen; Bernd Leno takes his place for now, given that the rest of the Fulham backline don’t offer much goal threat or the same volume of defensive returns as Andersen.

I’d have preferred Jan Paul van Hecke as my Brighton representative (five DefCon returns in six) but a shortage of defender spots, plus a lack of viable goalkeepers (I’ve maxed out on Palace, Newcastle and Arsenal elsewhere), means I’ll have to make do with Bart Verbruggen. I’ve got doubts about Danny Welbeck‘s sustainability of returns, meanwhile (five goals from his last seven shots!), but Leeds are clean-sheet-less on the road, so I’ll ride his form for the time being.

Any member of the Sunderland defence will do this week, or top-scoring goalkeeper Robin Roefs. I’d prefer Danny Ballard, though: a DefCon machine at one end and a real set-piece threat at the other, he’s the complete defender on paper. The problem might be security of starts but if Omar Alderete is still concussed (stay tuned on the pressers), that’s less of an issue.