It’s time for our Scout Squad panel to propose their Gameweek 24 picks.

In this article, our in-house team discuss who they think the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players are for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation.

Before we begin, a note on Ollie Watkins (£8.8m). Two of our panel submitted their nominations before last night’s UEFA Europa League match between Aston Villa and RB Salzburg, a game that Watkins hobbled out of with a hamstring issue. Unai Emery thinks it’s not a serious injury but there is some obvious concern over his availability for Gameweek 24, so the late-afternoon Watkins nominations now carry an asterisk.

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.

Staff writer Marc, general manager Sam, deputy editor Tom F and editor Neale each take turns explaining their picks.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make the Scout Picks. However, 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 24

• MOST PICKS: Matz Sels, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bruno Fernandes, Enzo Fernandez, Erling Haaland, Liam Delap (four), Nordi Mukiele, Antoine Semenyo, Hugo Ekitike, Evanilson (three)

MARC SAID…

Similar to the last couple of Gameweeks bringing big team news just before the FPL deadline, this time there are three matches near it, meaning we may hear about Arsenal, Bournemouth, Everton and more

In the past, we wouldn’t have such nerves about Bukayo Saka’s minutes but two recent benchings confirm that times have changed. Neither he, Gabriel Magalhaes nor David Raya were used versus Kairat, and I think the Gunners might squeeze out a win at Leeds.

For all Saka’s sales, his latest seven goalless starts have still brought 18 penalty area shots.

Meanwhile, there’s also a lineup guessing game with other Champions League sides like Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool. The Blues are about to begin their brilliant-looking four-game run and Liam Rosenior’s post-UCL quotes hint at another Cole Palmer rest, allowing Enzo Fernandez to play higher up and take penalties. It worked against both Napoli and Crystal Palace.

Trevoh Chalobah came on to face I Partenopei but always starts in the league, while Liam Delap didn’t get any minutes. I think both will start in Gameweek 24.

Wednesday night also reminded us that Erling Haaland still knows where the goal is. Grabbing a much-needed one in the league feels imminent, according to Members Area stats, and I can’t think of many better opponents for this than Spurs. New teammate Marc Guehi wasn’t eligible in midweek, so he’ll be there at centre-back.

As for Liverpool, there was a start, a goal and an assist for Hugo Ekitike against Qarabag but, crucially, he was part of Arne Slot’s first non-injury substitutions. Of course, owning him in recent times has been an absolute disaster, but I think he’ll score past Newcastle – I’d back almost any striker to score past the Magpies.

That makes my personal Gameweek 24 transfers tricky because I’ve had an Ekitike downgrade pencilled in for ages, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to join Bruno Fernandes in midfield. My heart probably says Mbeumo over Ekitike. Last season’s second-best player for FPL points is currently fourth for shots on target (27) and the leading midfielder for big chances (14). He’s just been away for five matches, too!

Fernandes feels essential, as he’s a superb all-round mix of playmaking, attempts, penalties and defensive contribution (DefCon) rewards. When adding together his number of shots to those he creates for colleagues, you’ll get a total chance involvement of 114, way ahead of Haaland (97), Saka (93) and the rest.

I’ve also doubled up on Bournemouth, Aston Villa and a Sunderland defence that hosts Burnley. Robin Roefs makes lots of saves, and Nordi Mukiele is on an eight-match streak of getting at least one of an assist, a clean sheet or some DefCon. Then again, the Clarets have a knack for denying expected shutouts.

And I’m not massively confident that Bournemouth will keep out Wolves either. Since Gameweek 9 ended, the Cherries have conceded the league’s most goals (32), securing just one clean sheet. But in Alex Jimenez, you get an FPL defender who has recently been used as a winger, scoring past Liverpool. Andoni Iraola has spoken of preferring him at right-back, but I don’t think he returns there yet.

Evanilson tends to frustrate, but three goals in four should keep him starting. However, it’s hard to predict Eli Junior Kroupi’s position and minutes once the real-life transfer window closes.

Between the sticks, I reckon Matz Sels can keep out a third successive opponent, because Crystal Palace are out of sorts. Finally, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia netted past Newcastle and could deliver at home to Brentford.

SAM SAID…

Blimey, there is never a quiet week in FPL, is there!? Big games in Europe this week, and there are likely to be big ramifications in the Premier League as a result. Ollie Watkins would have 100% been in these picks if I had been making them on Thursday afternoon when I was meant, too, but as I was running late (sorry Neale!), I had the benefit of seeing Watkins subbed with a hamstring injury in the 35th minute of Aston Villa’s win against Salzburg. As a result, I have opted for new signing Tammy Abraham as well as Morgan Rogers for the Villains.

There was also big news for Arsenal in midweek with Jurrien Timber missing the game. We are yet to know the impact that this may have on the Premier League teamsheet at the weekend but I have still risked picking the defender in my longlist this week. The memory of Timber’s 24-point haul in Gameweek 2, against this week’s opponents, Leeds United, means I think he is worth the risk. I have paired him with Scout Picks mainstay, Gabriel Magalhaes, who was rested in midweek. It feels very weird not to have either Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice in my selection. Saka and a suspended Rice were fully rested against Kairat, so I expect them both to start at the weekend, but maybe there will be some managed minutes around the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday evening.

Joao Pedro felt like a must-have pick while I was watching him in the Champions League, but again I worry about rotation, especially as he feels essential to Chelsea’s chances of turning around their League Cup semi-final. As a result, I have opted for Liam Delap. Liam Rosenior’s comments on Palmer not being able to play “60, 70, 80 minutes” mean that Enzo Fernandez still feels like the best pick from Chelsea. The midfielder has taken and scored two penalties in the last two matches in Palmer’s absence. I have also included Robert Sanchez in my goalkeeper picks, who, despite the detractors, is partly responsible for Chelsea massively bettering their xGC of 32.91.

Bruno Fernandes is the most popular transfer in this week, and rightly so. He has returned in both games under Michael Carrick and is playing in an advanced number 10 position, which bodes really well for continued returns. He slots in to my midfielder picks alongside the aforementioned Enzo Fernandez and Morgan Rogers.

The final slots are taken by Antoine Semenyo and Enzo Le Fee. Le Fee is on penalties (hopefully still after that Panenka!) and faces a Burnley side who have the worst xGC in the league. Semenyo, I think, will do well against Spurs. My boys have a habit of being able to manage Erling Haaland; well, they do if Micky Van de Ven is available! Whereas I think Semenyo could easily get in behind the Spurs backline, and unlike Jeremy Doku, who is always looking to assist Haaland, Semenyo will look to add to his own goal tally. Despite saying Spurs have historically done a good job against Haaland, they have also been awful defensively at home this season, and if van de Ven isn’t available, that will bode well for the forward, who finally scored from open play in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

Bournemouth face Wolves away from home, so I have opted for the double-up of Cherries assets. Marcos Senesi has returned 36 defensive contribution points this season; he is almost starting games with a four-point platform to build from. While Bournemouth’s recent fixtures have been chaotic affairs, Wolves have scored the fewest goals this season and have failed to find the net in their last two matches. Meanwhile, Evanilson has been on target in three of the last four Gameweeks, against Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool, and picked up three bonus points in that time. Wolves have improved significantly recently but Bournemouth have scored nine goals in the last four weeks, which is more than any other side.

I’d have liked to pick Florian Wirtz but those midfielder slots filled up very quickly, so instead we have Hugo Ekitike. Newcastle had a great result against PSG on Wednesday evening but I think Liverpool will look to exploit Newcastle’s busy week of travel, especially as attack is likely to be the best form of defence for the Reds. Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong are all doubts at the time of writing.

Nikola Milenkovic, on the back of a great Europa League win, Nordi Mukiele, Robin Roefs and Matz Sels round off my picks.

TOM F SAID…

Aston Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland dominate my squad and supply three players apiece.

While West Ham have picked up back-to-back wins, they haven’t kept a clean sheet in 18 league matches under Nuno Espirito Santo. Enzo Fernandez is consequently an obvious pick, and I’ve gone for Liam Delap in this fixture, too, with rotation potentially widespread after Wednesday’s win in Naples. Robert Sanchez is my third Chelsea pick.

As for Sunderland, the defensive deficiencies of Burnley – bottom or second bottom for goals and xG conceded this season – lead me to Enzo Le Fee and Brian Brobbey. The bargain-bin Le Fee has delivered 14 points in his last four starts, even with a missed Panenka penalty factored in, and very nearly banked DefCon in two of those matches, while Brobbey has three goals in four Gameweeks. Burnley’s vulnerability at set plays is partly behind the Nordi Mukiele selection, although Sunderland’s superb form at the Stadium of Light is perhaps more important.

The Villa contingent is pretty template; probably the only debate would be over Emiliano Martinez or Matty Cash, but I’ve sided with the defender due to his offensive threat. He’s top for open play crosses among teammates this season, while his role at corners always offers hope of an assist. Further forward, no FPL midfielder has had more shots than Morgan Rogers over the last eight Gameweeks.

I fancy Nottingham Forest to keep a third consecutive clean sheet against Crystal Palace, hence the Matz Sels and Nikola Milenkovic picks. Oliver Glasner’s side have had real trouble defending set-pieces all season, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Milenkovic bullet header hit the net.

The remaining defender spots are taken by Gabriel Magalhaes and Yerson Mosquera. Wolves are much more likely to concede but have kept back-to-back clean sheets at Molineux, while Mosquera has racked up seven shots and 19 DefCons over his last two matches.

Meanwhile, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland face a Spurs side that has conceded seven goals in their last three league matches. With just nine points from a possible 33 on home turf, Man City could easily deepen Thomas Frank’s woes.

Finally, Bruno Fernandes is probably the closest thing to a shoo-in in the Scout Picks this week, while Hugo Ekitike took his goal beautifully and finished with an xG of 1.32 from six shots in midweek. 

NEALE SAID…

I’ve erred on the side of caution with Ollie Watkins and Joao Pedro, although I’m probably overthinking it with the latter. I’m not sure how much of an update we can realistically expect from Unai Emery on Watkins on Friday (Villa likely won’t have trained, post-Salzburg), while Chelsea’s EFL Cup semi-final with Arsenal looms large. Pedro has already had two lengthy run-outs on Sunday and Wednesday, so I’m hazarding a guess that Liam Delap comes in for the West Ham game before Pedro returns against the Gunners. It may depend on how much stock Liam Rosenior puts in that Carabao Cup tie.

You could use the same logic to omit the overworked Enzo Fernandez, of course. I’m more willing to take the risk with him; can Cole Palmer go from “no way” being able to play 60-80 minutes on Wednesday to a starter on Saturday? Trevoh Chalobah, at least, was spared in midweek, so I’m assuming he returns to the XI to maintain his record of starting every Premier League match he’s been available for this season.

I’d ideally like Morgan Rogers as my Villa midfielder but faced with the demand for a sub-£6.0m pick, I’ve included Emiliano Buendia instead. That affords me an extra big hitter elsewhere in midfield. Villa are the most effective team at busting a low block this season, helped by their league-best 13 goals from outside the box. Three of those have come from Buendia. I’ve included Igor Thiago in the same fixture, with Villa now down three potential central midfield options due to injury.

DefCon monsters Marcos Senesi, James Tarkowski and Dan Ballard join Chalobah – another stopper with a 50%+ DefCon success rate – and resident Scout Pick Gabriel Magalhaes in defence. Senesi and Ballard have reasonable clean sheet prospects this week, while they’re also the leading defenders for expected assists (xA) and big chances, respectively. Everton’s trip to Brighton is not the easiest test on paper but the Toffees have kept clean sheets in five of their last six away games.

Representatives from clubs not already covered make up my goalkeeping trio. Spurs’ home discomforts lead me to Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Bart Verbruggen makes the cut as Everton’s strengths on the road tend to be more of a defensive nature; only two clubs have scored on fewer occasions. Neither City nor Brighton have real DefCon magnets in defence, so I’m happy to side with these two instead. As for Matz Sels, Forest are finally turning promising underlying numbers into tangible returns. It’s three clean sheets in four competitive games for the Tricky Trees.

The widely owned Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice and Antoine Semenyo complete the midfield. Rice is FPL’s top-scoring player on the road, helped by his knack for picking up DefCon points in away games – he’s done so on seven occasions, falling one contribution short in two other matches. I’ll happily take a four-point foundation stone and build from there. As for Bruno and Semenyo, they’re the 90-minute men in attacks that FPL managers are otherwise still trying to suss out (Cunha v Sesko v Amad v Mbeumo, Foden v Cherki etc). I’ll be keenly watching to see how United do against a team they’ll be expected to dominate, however.

I’m taking last weekend’s rare benching as a kick up the motherboard for Erling Haaland, rather than the first of many substitute appearances. He responded with a goal in midweek.

Finally, two unlikely form forwards in Brian Brobbey and Evanilson, both of whom have three goals in the last four Gameweeks. They’re facing the bottom two this weekend, as well, although I still have reservations about Evanilson’s longer-term finishing ability, given that his shot-to-goal conversion rate as a Premier League player is a sub-par 12.8%. Just by way of context, Thiago and Brobbey are up around 29%.