The Scout has provided everything Fantasy Premier League managers need ahead of the Gameweek 6 deadline at 11:00 BST on Saturday 10 October. New and current managers will automatically enter a global league that starts scoring in Gameweek 6, with Premier League match tickets up for grabs for the winner.
On Thursday, the official Fantasy Premier League game announced a new Second Chance competition that begins on Saturday 10 October, after the international break. It gives new sign-ups something to win and underwhelming starters an opportunity to go again, back on par with everyone else. There is a decent prize on offer for the end-of-season winner: two tickets and a travel package to a Premier League match of your choice. All current FPL managers will automatically be entered into this league, starting there on zero points. It will not affect the ongoing tallies anywhere else. However, it is mainly for those who missed August‘s original FPL start and quickly felt a bit left out. Simply register yourself on the website, choose an initial 15-man squad, and you will be added to the league.
At Scout, recent months have brought new features and a better-looking site. The FPL Toolkit neatly joins essential information to interesting stats from these opening weeks. There, you will find Opta stats for both players and teams, set-piece takers, defensive contributions (DefCon), projected goals and clean sheets, and much more. Subscribe to become a Chief Scout, and a door opens to even more information. Full Chief Scout access is completely free until the Gameweek 6 deadline. Entering now is essentially the same as activating a Gameweek 6 Wildcard, but without the benefits of selling any multiple price risers. An exact £100.0m budget applies.
Defenders were a rich source of FPL points last season following the introduction of defensive contributions, and that trend has continued this year. Four defenders have already scored more than 35 FPL points, compared with just two midfielders and one forward.
Jayden Bogle leads all defenders for Expected FPL Points (xFPL) over the first five Gameweeks, with 32.88. The 26-year-old has taken five shots, landed three on target and registered 1.03 Expected Goals (xG). James Tarkowski is the highest-scoring FPL defender with 43 points, but ranks just eighth for xFPL. This suggests his current rate of returns may be difficult to sustain, with just 0.15 xG and 0.30 Expected Assists (xA). Maxim De Cuyper trails both Tarkowski and Bogle for FPL points, with 38, but ranks second among defenders for xFPL (31.24) and seventh across all positions. Riccardo Calafiori ranks third for xFPL (29.22), but only eighth among defenders for FPL points (29). The Italian international has provided two assists from four chances created and taken six shots in the box. Only Bobby Thomas has attempted more, with eight.
All five leading defenders for xFPL are full-backs: Jayden Bogle, Maxim De Cuyper, Riccardo Calafiori, Joško Gvardiol and Leif Davis. Leif Davis leads all defenders for xG (1.55). The 26-year-old has also had more big chances than any other defender, with four. Maxim De Cuyper ranks second for xG (1.23) and has taken five shots in the box. Although four defenders have attempted more, his high xG tally highlights the quality of his opportunities while playing on the left wing in Kaoru Mitoma’s absence. By comparison, Bobby Thomas’ eight shots in the box have produced just 0.30 xG. De Cuyper is also a popular transfer target for Gameweek 6. Nearly 300,000 FPL managers have brought him in at the time of writing.
FPL’s most expensive defender, Gabriel, ranks third for xG (1.03) and has been unfortunate not to score so far. The Brazilian international has taken three shots in the box, two of which Opta classified as big chances. Jan Paul van Hecke’s numbers also catch the eye. The Dutch international has taken five shots in the box, including three big chances. No defender has registered more attempted assists than Maxim De Cuyper (11). However, Ryan Giles leads the way for xA (1.55). Neco Williams is an intriguing option flying under the radar. The Welsh international is benefiting from a more advanced role under Oliver Glasner and ranks joint-second for attempted assists. He has also taken six shots, including four in the box.
Our Fixture Difficulty Ratings highlight Fulham as a team worth targeting over the next five Gameweeks. Antonee Robinson could be an option, having registered seven attempted assists. John Egan and Sven Botman lead all defenders for defensive contributions (DEFCON), with 59 each. Tarik Muharemović is close behind on 58. António Silva is worth monitoring ahead of a significant improvement in Bournemouth’s fixtures after Gameweek 6. He is outperforming both James Hill (50) and Adrien Truffert (45) for DEFCON. Bobby Thomas combines his goal threat with a strong DEFCON total of 52. Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite (54) has registered more defensive contributions than his more expensive teammate James Tarkowski (51).
Corey Baker, with five top-10k finishes and currently 18,360 overall, has locked in Calafiori and Konsa, with De Cuyper, Gvardiol, Hall, Silva and Muharemović competing for the remaining spots. Walter Randazzo, with seven top-10k finishes and currently 23,360 overall, is weighing up triple Arsenal defence or two defensive picks alongside Saka. Silva is also on his radar ahead of Bournemouth’s improving fixtures. The numbers suggest defenders priced at £5.0m or below are holding their own against more expensive options. At the time of writing, only four of the 10 highest-scoring defenders cost more than £5.5m: James Tarkowski, Joško Gvardiol, Marc Guéhi and Riccardo Calafiori. Despite limited returns from defensive contribution points, attacking full-backs are proving excellent value. All three promoted teams also offer viable budget options. Spending big at the back was a popular approach last season, but the number of promising picks at £5.0m or below could make a cheaper defence an appealing strategy this year.
