The precursor to Friday’s Scout Picks is the Scout Squad, in which our four-strong panel attempts to pick out the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 11 in isolation.

Staff writer Marc, deputy editor Tom F, editor Neale and general manager 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 11

• MOST PICKS: Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Jarrod Bowen, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Joao Pedro (four), David Raya, Matz Sels, Enzo Fernandez (three)

MARC SAID…

After persisting with Joao Pedro through his stubborn avoidance of shots during five blanks, the week when 1.6 million managers sold him was obviously the time when he scored, missed sitters and accumulated 1.86 expected goals (xG). Even worse if you kept the now-injured Viktor Gyokeres instead.

I tripled up on both Chelsea and Arsenal here. Pedro started in the draw at Qarabag but I still think he begins this one. At home to last-placed Wolves, let’s put faith in Enzo Fernandez. He tops the Goals Imminent table despite only playing three of its four-game data sample, though it was still enough time to put five shots on target and set up eight chances for colleagues.

I’m still unsure about how to predict the Blues’ defence, but Robert Sanchez seems safer. Meanwhile, fellow Spanish goalkeeper David Raya is having a great time in this Arsenal setup. They’re on a staggering run of eight successive clean sheets in all competitions, so I expect him and Gabriel Magalhaes to deliver a ninth against a Sunderland side that has been fairly lucky until now. Bukayo Saka missed a couple of big one-on-ones last week, but netted in the Champions League.

The sole defender with more shots than Riccardo Calafiori over the last six Gameweeks is Neco Williams (nine). By selecting Matz Sels too, I’m taking a punt by doubling up on Nottingham Forest’s backline because last season’s brilliant defensive record has completely flipped. They’re one of two sides yet to keep a clean sheet, also conceding the second most shots on target (54).

However, new boss Sean Dyche will like this home fixture against Leeds. Forest even bagged rarely-seen goals last time, in a match where Man United’s Bryan Mbeumo didn’t. Yet I back him to return to the scoresheet at Tottenham: a team that is struggling at home. On a similar note, his former club Brentford host a Newcastle lot that simply cannot perform away from St James’ Park, providing potential for Mikkel Damsgaard to create and Igor Thiago to score for a seventh time.

In truth, the latter is one of very few appealing FPL forwards right now, beyond Erling Haaland. He’ll still be my captain because, despite opponents Liverpool turning a slight corner of late, they’re still the team that’s allowed the second-most big chances (28).

But other forwards aren’t too tempting. Nick Woltemade looks tired, various clubs have depth in this position and planning for Eli Junior Kroupi has suffered from the return of Evanilson. Then again, I like Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jarrod Bowen.

The French international has four goals in his last two home games, whereas the West Ham talisman was unlucky to blank versus Newcastle. He hit the post, had a penalty overturned and wasn’t given an assist for their third goal. Both Bowen and El Hadji Malick Diouf get to host Burnley on Saturday.

The forward-thinking full-back is one of several defenders leading the way on four attacking returns, another being Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz. Just one peer beats his 2.67 expected goal involvement (xGI).

For James Tarkowski, it’s more about the dripfeed of DefCon, with which he has a 70% success rate in 2025/26. I also really want to buy Everton teammate Iliman Ndiaye for my own cohort. The superb solo goal at Sunderland was his fourth so far (including a penalty), he boasts one of the highest expected assists (xA, 2.20) tallies, and occasionally gets DefCon. Let’s hope Monday’s withdrawal really was precautionary.

SAM SAID…

Arsenal and Chelsea feel like obvious triple-ups this week.

The Gunners have now won eight on the bounce in all competitions without conceding a goal. The last time that happened was in 1920! Therefore, ahead of a match against Sunderland, the double-up of the Arsenal defenders, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber, is my preferred pairing. The two average 8.0 and 7.3 points per start respectively this season; for context, the leading midfielder, Antoine Semenyo, is averaging 7.5 points per game.

The third Arsenal pick is more difficult. I did consider another defender in Riccardo Calafiori, as well as the incredibly impressive Declan Rice, who is the second-highest scoring midfielder in the game. However, in the end, I have settled for Bukayo Saka. He impressed me in midweek and was unlucky not to convert one or both of his two big chances in Gameweek 10.

I was already keen on tripling up on Chelsea but this was intensified with the news that Wolves’ Academy coaches will be in charge for the game as they are struggling in the hunt for a new manager. The uncertainty at the club, as well as it being a home game for Chelsea, makes me think going all in on the Blues is a good idea.

I’ve opted for Robert Sanchez in goal and, despite the lower potential ceiling than the likes of Marc Cucurella and Reece James, he feels like a sensible option for the weekend. However, unlike with Arsenal, I have gone for the double-up of Chelsea’s attackers instead of the defenders.

Whilst the rest of the team have opted for Enzo Fernandez, I have gone for Moises Caicedo. Despite being constantly told that Caicedo ‘can’t keep this up’, he has. The Ecuadorian is on 58 points (only two midfielders have more) for the season, while 10 DefCon points is joint-first among midfield picks. He is also third in his position for bonus points. Joao Pedro posted an xG of 1.86 in Gameweek 10 and was top for the xG underachievers last weekend – despite the fact that he scored a goal. Wolves have conceded the most goals in the league, with 22, so the Brazilian should be a good pick this time around.

Alongside Arsenal and Chelsea, I have also tripled up on another London club. Don’t worry, it’s not Spurs; it’s Crystal Palace. The Eagles have been unreal this season, with their form stretching back to the tail-end of 2024/25. It is a more challenging fixture this weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion but the Seagulls have only kept one clean sheet all season, and so the Palace attackers still feel worthy of investment. Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta, I almost think, pick themselves at the moment but with the defenders, there’s much more of an interesting conversation.

Both Daniel Munoz and Marc Guehi have four attacking returns this season, which is joint-best alongside four other defenders. Meanwhile, Maxence Lacroix has 12 DefCon points, with Guehi and Chris Richards not far behind on 10 each though. I have opted for Guehi this week because of the route to points with both DefCon and attacking threat but to be honest, owning any Palace defender seems very sensible.

I’m going to say this very quietly as I fear you may all think I have gone mad and Neale might fire me from the Scout Squad team, but… I have doubled up on West Ham United here. In fact, at one stage, I had three Hammers in my picks!

El Hadji Malick Diouf is another of the defenders on four attacking returns this season. I have also added to him with Jarrod Bowen, who, if West Ham score, feels very likely to be involved.

Alongside West Ham, Aston Villa have had a challenging start to the season. Ollie Watkins is currently 15th in the list of points-scoring forwards – way below where we would expect. However, Villa face a Bournemouth side who, like Leeds, have conceded 12 goals away from home.

Erling Haaland picks himself, obviously!

TOM SAID…

It is really difficult to predict the outcome of Sunday’s match at the Etihad Stadium. Liverpool have looked much better since Arne Slot reinstated Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield, and my gut feeling is towards a draw. Manchester City and Liverpool assets are subsequently absent from my squad this week, with the exception of Erling Haaland, who has the potential to score multiple goals against anyone.

Elsewhere, investment in the Arsenal defence is imperative this week, given that they have kept eight (!) clean sheets in a row in all competitions. I have chosen David Raya as my top ‘keeper. I actually think he’ll need to make a few saves at the Stadium of Light, which could elevate his ceiling beyond six points. Unsurprisingly, I’m going all-in on Mikel Arteta’s side for the head-to-head with Sunderland, having also selected Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka, who should be on penalties in the absence of Viktor Gyokeres.

Although clean sheets have been hard to come by for West Ham United this season, a home match against Burnley boosts Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s chances of a return. Scott Parker’s side are bottom for crosses conceded from their left flank, and Wan-Bissaka – along with the rest of Nuno Espirito Santo’s team – showed significant improvement last time out. Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen caught the eye, too, so they join Wan-Bissaka in my Gameweek 11 longlist.

I think Chelsea’s home encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers could be profitable, given the lack of confidence in the visitors’ camp. They will surely sit deep, which will invite pressure and crosses seeking out Enzo Fernandez, who is top for headed attempts among teammates this season. I’ve also included Joao Pedro, as I don’t see Wolves having an answer to his trickery in/around the box, and Malo Gusto, thanks in part to his midweek breather.

I was unsure about a Nottingham Forest triple-up, but Leeds United have failed to keep a clean sheet on the road this season. They’ve also failed to score in four of their five away matches. It’s precisely for that reason that I’m backing Matz Sels. I also think that Morgan Gibbs-White merits inclusion based on his underlying stats, with the England international joint-sixth among midfielders for shots. Meanwhile, Igor Jesus, banned for Thursday’s European match against Sturm Graz, is my sub-£7.0m forward.

Finally, I was tempted to opt for Jack Grealish over Morgan Rogers, but there have been encouraging signs from the latter in recent weeks, and his capacity to drift into dangerous areas leads me to opt for him against one of the division’s least watertight away backlines.

NEALE SAID…

I’ve gone with The DefCon Five at the back, Because, as Everybody Knows, they are supplementing clean sheets with Bits and Pieces, Over and Over again.

Marcos Senesi and Joachim Andersen are first and joint-third for defensive contribution points this season and, while Gabriel Magalhaes and Trevoh Chalobah aren’t quite at their elite levels, they have still outperformed expectations with eight DefCon points apiece. Gabriel and Chalobah – with a combined six attacking returns – also boast the advantage of being dead-ball magnets in this season of set plays. A midweek rest for Chalobah will surely see him extend his run of starting in every Premier League match he’s been available for in 2025/26.

Murillo is a bit of an anomaly in this group, since he’s not scored, assisted or even kept a clean sheet, and he’s underwhelmed on the DefCon front. Remember, he was one of the leading names for clearances, tackles and the like in 2024/25. With Sean Dyche now at the helm at Forest, though, the good times may return; a manager who values defensive solidity and whose more direct, low-possession approach will surely see DefCons increase. In Gameweek 10, indeed, Murillo racked up a season-best 15 defensive contributions against Manchester United.

What do these five also have in common? Decent chances of clean sheets this weekend. Senesi is the outsider in that regard but no club has allowed more defender DefCon points to be scored against them than Aston Villa. Villa are, surprisingly, also 19th for xG this season.

Jordan Pickford‘s Everton are third in G-Whizz’s clean sheet odds table, too, while Alphonse Areola‘s West Ham United are just behind them. Centre-backs aren’t registering many DefCon points against Burnley this season (chiefly because the Clarets have such low possession), so I’m happy to go with the Hammers’ goalkeeper here.

Further forward, I’ve got my reservations about Bukayo Saka because Sunderland have been in such strong defensive form. This is not a fixture for attackers. But I don’t see too many other stand-out midfield picks in Gameweek 11, and Saka took up some eye-catchingly good goalscoring positions against both Burnley and Slavia Prague in the last week. With Viktor Gyokeres likely out, he’ll also be on penalties.

The appeal of Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr has taken a bit of a dent after midweek, enough to shunt them down a position or two in the Scout Squad table – if not off it entirely. Pedro unexpectedly started against Qarabag, but was taken off early enough to suggest he may have been spared for the weekend, while Sarr had “tightness in the hamstring” after his two-goal display in the AZ Alkmaar game, but of the “very, very small” variety.

In any event, I think the stand-out trio of forwards this week is Jarrod Bowen, Erling Haaland and Jean-Philippe Mateta, with the latter perhaps sufficient Palace representation, too. Bowen dodged FPL points like Neo from the Matrix last weekend (woodwork, overturned penalty, assist near-miss) but against the division’s leakiest defence on the road, I’m backing him to come good. Mateta and Haaland are streets ahead of any other forward in the xG stakes, and while the opposition might look tricky on paper, Brighton haven’t kept a clean sheet away from home, while Liverpool are 19th for big chances conceded in 2025/26. Having seen the Reds against Real Madrid on Tuesday, however, I do wonder if they’re turning a corner and City are encountering them at an inopportune time.

Igor Thiago won’t make the Scout Picks but he rounds off my forward selection. Newcastle are winless on the road and seem to struggle to get up for the ‘medium’ occasions; they’re all well and good performing their socks off on the grand stage in Europe, in cup finals and against the big guns in the league (see the Liverpool game) but it’s not a new phenomenon that they seem to lack their usual aggression against the division’s B-listers. We saw it last season, and this, against the likes of Brighton, Fulham, Everton, West Ham and, indeed, Brentford.

Bryan Mbeumo looks well-equipped to take advantage of Spurs’ dismal league record on their own soil. Thomas Frank is capable of setting a side out to contain and counter, as we saw against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, but at home, is there pressure and expectation to go more front-foot? Mbeumo, so often United’s out-ball, could prosper.

Enzo Fernandez, meanwhile, is second among all midfielders for xG this season, even discounting penalties. Perhaps he’ll be pushed deeper on Saturday, with Enzo Maresca going with two strikers, but you’d still expect him to crash the box at Stamford Bridge. He’s also nicely rested from midweek and, like Saka, on penalties in the absence of a teammate.

Elliot Anderson is the token sub-£6.0m midfielder. He, too, was handed a well-earned breather in Europe, so returns to contention this weekend. Hitting double figures for defensive contributions in every single Premier League match this season, he remains on corners and has created a joint-team-best five chances in Dyche’s two league fixtures in charge. Worth a start, if you own him, against a Leeds side without a clean sheet on the road.