The Scout assesses six players who are highly owned but have struggled for form in 2025/26 in Fantasy Premier League and which players should be considered if you are going to replace them.
Chris Wood (£7.5m) and Matz Sels (£5.0m), Nott’m Forest
The Nottingham Forest forward and goalkeeper are the second most-sold players in their positions ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline.
However, Forest’s short-term schedule suggests those managers could regret that decision.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), where the difficulty of each fixture is ranked from one to five, with one being the easiest possible match and five being the hardest, each of their two matches against promoted Burnley and Sunderland score only two.
Nott'm Forest's next two matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Burnley (A) | 2 |
| 6 | Sunderland (H) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
After scoring twice on the opening weekend, Wood visits Turf Moor on the back of three straight blanks.
Yet his underlying numbers remain encouraging. Indeed, his eight shots in the box rank joint-third among forwards.
There are, however, a couple of concerns for Wood’s 21 per cent ownership.
In Ange Postecoglou’s first match in charge away to Arsenal last weekend, the forward was withdrawn just before the hour-mark. Wood's strike rival Igor Jesus (£5.8m) impressed in midweek by scoring both his side’s goals against Swansea City in the EFL Cup.
Sels, meanwhile, has yet to keep a clean sheet this season and has amassed a mere seven points. That’s already a hefty 22 points behind Guglielmo Vicario (£5.1m) at the top of the goalkeeper standings.
Furthermore, Postecoglou’s tactics while in charge of Tottenham Hotspur last season also suggest that clean sheets will be hard to come by.
Verdict: Hold for next two Gameweeks
Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m), Man Utd
Manchester United attackers have proven a huge source of frustration for managers over the opening four Gameweeks.
Yet the statistics show the Red Devils have boasted a considerable goal threat. Indeed, their totals of 70 shots and 49 shots in the box both rank FIRST in that spell.
Fernandes’ multiple routes to returns have already been in evidence and arguably make him a fixture-proof hold at present.
Man Utd captain's has picked up points for his defensive contributions in two of the first four Gameweeks, while he has already taken two penalties, albeit missing one of them.
See: What are defensive contribution points
Although he’s yet to earn an assist, Fernandes has created 14 chances – at least three more than any other player in Fantasy.
Mbeumo, meanwhile, has had 10 shots in the box – joint-third among all players – in addition to creating nine chances.
After Man Utd’s weekend clash with Chelsea, back-to-back matches with Brentford and Sunderland make Mbeumo a temporary hold.
Man Utd's next three matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Chelsea (H) | 3 |
| 6 | Brentford (A) | 3 |
| 7 | Sunderland (H) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Verdict: Keep Fernandes, Hold Mbeumo for next three Gameweeks
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) £8.3m
Although he’s started his Liverpool career with four straight blanks, Wirtz has shown his all-round potential having produced seven shots and created eight chances.
What’s noticeable, though, is that none of those were big chances, or situations where a player is expected to score.
Arne Slot’s side are clearly taking time to settle following a change of tactics and host of summer arrivals, including Wirtz himself.
At such a high cost in Fantasy, Wirtz’s lack of output has to make him dispensable, with players such as AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£7.5m) and Everton’s Jack Grealish (£6.8m) offering far greater value.
Verdict: Sell
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) £8.8m
Aston Villa’s forward faces two of the promoted sides over the next three Gameweeks, with a visit to Sunderland this weekend preceding back-to-back home matches with Fulham and Burnley.
But a run of four straight blanks has already resulted in a price drop of £0.2m this season.
Similarly to Wood, the Villa star has had eight shots in the box and two big chances, which does show he’s offered a decent goal threat.
However, with both Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£14.2m) both in form and on the verge of great fixtures after their Gameweek 5 head-to-head has passed, Watkins backers should be looking for an exit.
Verdict: Sell after Gameweek 5
Who are the best replacements?
David Raya (£5.5m), Eberechi Eze (£7.5m), Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m), Arsenal
Managers should be planning for Arsenal’s great upcoming run of opponents, with a potential triple-up on the cards from Gameweek 7 onwards.
Three of their subsequent five matches score just two in the FDR, including back-to-back encounters with Burnley and Sunderland in Gameweeks 10-11.
Arsenal's fixtures, GW7-11
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace (H) | 3 |
| 10 | Burnley (A) | 2 |
| 11 | Sunderland (A) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
If you’re looking to swap out Sels, goalkeeper Raya already has three clean sheets to his name and offers a secure and relatively cheap route into the Gunners’ backline.
Eze’s price of £7.5m is certainly a lot more appealing than Bukayo Saka’s £9.8m, particularly with Gyokeres now expected to be the club’s no 1 penalty-taker this season.
Gyokeres’ three goals in the first four Gameweeks suggest he could be a great armband option around kind fixtures.
Erling Haaland (£14.2m), Man City
A visit to Arsenal this weekend has only put a temporary pause on the Norwegian’s imminent bandwagon.
Expect Haaland’s ownership of more than 36 per cent to soar when Gameweek 6 comes around, with Man City set to entertain Burnley.
A look at the underlying numbers shows why Haaland has scored five goals on his way to the top of the player standings on 37 points.
Haaland’s 18 shots in the box and nine big chances are both more than any other player.
With Brentford and Everton immediately after the match against Burnley, it’s no surprise many managers are contemplating a Gameweek 6 Wildcard to accommodate Haaland.
Man City's fixtures, GW6-9
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Burnley (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Brentford (A) | 3 |
| 8 | Everton (H) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Jack Grealish (Everton) £6.8m
The on-loan winger has immediately established himself as Everton’s talisman since being handed his first start in Gameweek 2.
Grealish has assisted four of the Toffees’ five goals from that point, helping him to double-figure hauls against Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The underlying numbers also back up his influence. Indeed, Grealish’s 10 chances created over Gameweeks 2-4 are more than any other player in Fantasy.
After this weekend’s visit to Liverpool, Everton have a run of three home matches in four, beginning with a visit from West Ham United in Gameweek 6.
Grealish would need to be benched away to Man City in Gameweek 8, though, as he cannot play against his parent club.
Everton's fixtures, GW6-9
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3 |
| 8 | Man City (H) | 4 |
| 9 | Spurs (H) | 3 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) £7.5m
Three goals and two assists have taken the Bournemouth star to the top of the midfielder standings on 36 points.
Semenyo merits that lofty position, too – his 11 shots in the box and six big chances also place first in his position in Fantasy.
Similarly to Grealish, the lack of European football means rotation is surely not a concern for Semenyo.
Starting with this weekend’s visit of Newcastle United, Bournemouth have three home matches in the next five to allow Semenyo to keep on delivering.
Bournemouth's next five matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Newcastle (H) | 3 |
| 6 | Leeds (A) | 2 |
| 7 | Fulham (H) | 3 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3 |
| 9 | Nott'm Forest (H) | 3 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Guglielmo Vicario (Spurs) £5.1m
The arrival of Thomas Frank has transformed Spurs' fortunes in defence this season, with just a single goal conceded so far.
Despite the eye-catching displays of their defenders recently, Vicario has outscored all of them and is also the top-scoring ‘keeper on 29 points.
In addition to three clean sheets, he also has five bonus points and four save points.
Those many routes to returns suggest he can rival Raya as the best Sels replacement, with Spurs' mid-term schedule offering a solution for many Gameweeks to come.
Indeed, NONE of their next seven matches score more than three in the FDR.
Spurs' next seven matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Brighton (A) | 3 |
| 6 | Wolves (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Leeds (A) | 2 |
| 8 | Aston Villa (H) | 3 |
| 9 | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 10 | Chelsea (H) | 3 |
| 11 | Man Utd (H) | 3 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture