Who are the best Newcastle picks in Fantasy?

The Scout on the best ways to invest in Newcastle United for their kind upcoming schedule in Fantasy Premier League.

Interest in the Magpies' form players has escalated across a number of positions in Fantasy over the international break.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope and defender Dan Burn (both £5.1m) have each earned over 175,000 new owners, making them the first and fourth most-transferred in players in their positions ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline.

Forward Nick Woltemade (£7.2m), meanwhile, is the third most-bought player in the Gameweek, with 442,000+ managers bringing in the summer signing. 

What are Newcastle's fixtures like?

The Magpies' schedule suggests their assets can play a crucial part in managers' line-ups for many months to come.

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 - NONE of their next four matches score more than three

Those upcoming encounters with Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, West Ham United and Brentford look promising for returns at both ends of the pitch.

Newcastle's next four matches

*1 = least difficult fixture, 5 = most difficult fixture

Indeed, only ONE of Newcastle's next 16 matches score more than three in the FDR, in a run that goes all the way to late January.

Who are Newcastle's top scorers in Fantasy?

Burn and Pope are among an elite group of only 14 players who have managed more than 40 points over the first seven Gameweeks of 2025/26.

Their success has been mainly based on Newcastle claiming five clean sheets, more than any other side, with Liverpool and Arsenal the only opponents to score against them.

Crucially for Fantasy managers, the underlying statistics also back up that resilience and show why investment in the Magpies' rearguard can pay off. Howe's side rank second for conceding the fewest goals, shots in the box and big chances, which are situations where the player is expected to score.

Those displays are all the more impressive given that Howe has been hampered by injuries to a number of defenders all season. Indeed, along with midfielder Sandro Tonali (£5.4m), Burn and Pope are among only three players who have started all seven Gameweeks. 

Although Burn and Pope have a big advantage over the rest of their counterparts overall, the points per start (pps) statistic shows that there is very little to separate members of Newcastle's backline. Centre-backs Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw (both £4.9m) have averaged 6.3 and 6.0pps respectively, bettering the 5.9pps of Pope.

That high average of 6.0pps has also been replicated by the in-demand Woltemade since his arrival over the summer. The German has scored in three of his four outings and his 24 points across the last four Gameweeks rank second only to Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£14.5m) among forwards. 

Despite making his debut in Gameweek 4, Woltemade has clearly made his presence felt for Howe's side. The forward, along with midfielder Bruno Guimaraes (£6.5m), are the only Newcastle players to have been involved in (scored or assisted) more than a single goal over the first seven Gameweeks. 

Newcastle's top-scoring players, GW1-7

*Defenders earn four pts per clean sheet, while midfielders earn one pt. Scroll across on mobile devices to see the full table

Which Newcastle defenders have the most potential for returns?

Newcastle's injury situation at the back is likely to determine how we view the best way to invest, while it could also shape Howe's tactical approach in the upcoming matches, with three of the next four on the road.

The Magpies have recorded goalless draws in all three of their away matches this season, with their head coach proving more pragmatic with his tactics of late, moving away from his usual 4-3-3 formation to a wing-back system in each of their last two road trips.

However, with Tino Livramento (£5.0m) ruled out until mid-November and Lewis Hall (£5.3m) a major doubt due to an ongoing hamstring concern, there's a lack of options in the left wing-back berth.

That could result in the 4-3-3 set-up that was rolled out in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 7. The versatile Burn shifted over to left-back, allowing Botman and Thiaw to occupy the centre-back positions, with Trippier on the right.

Attacking threat

Among the fit and available Newcastle defenders, Trippier's set-piece duties make him their standout pick for attacking potential. 

The right-back shares both corners and free-kicks with Tonali and has created 11 chances, more than the combined seven of his four rivals in the table below.

Trippier has, however, failed to register a single shot this season, with Thiaw the standout for goal threat - he's joint-top with Fabian Schar (£5.4m) on four shots, and importantly bettering the Swiss by four shots in the box to zero.

Newcastle defenders' attacking threat, GW1-7

Scroll across on mobile devices to see the full table

Defensive contributions and bonus points

Looking beyond the clean sheets and attacking potential, we can see that Burn has collected 10 of his 43 points this season from bonus points and defensive contributions (DC).

Although he leads the way here, with six points for defensive contributions, his success rate of 42.9 per cent shows he has been rewarded with two extra points on only three of his seven starts.

Thiaw, once again, is the most impressive on show. He's started the last three matches and collected defensive contribution points in two of them, a success rate of 66.7 per cent. 

Botman is also worth a mention here, despite his lowly 25 per cent success rate. In the three matches he has failed to earn defensive contribution points, the Dutchman was just one away from the threshold twice. He's also matched Burn's four bonus points in three fewer starts.

Newcastle defenders' bonus/defensive contribution stats, GW1-7

Scroll across on mobile devices to see the full table

Woltemade or Gordon?

Quite simply, if you're looking to invest in the Newcastle attack, it's a choice between Woltemade or Anthony Gordon (£7.4m). Although the pair have each played just four matches, they are the club's top two players for both shots in the box and big chances.

In terms of form, Woltemade wins hands down. In a season where Haaland is the only forward to have amassed 40+ points, the German's single blank in four league outings has clearly been welcomed by managers.

However, it remains to be seen exactly which one of the pair is now Newcastle's No 1 penalty-taker, following the departure of Alexander Isak (£10.6m) to Liverpool over the summer. 

Gordon took and scored two penalties against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the UEFA Champions League recently while Woltemade was on the pitch. Although Woltemade took and scored a penalty in Newcastle's very next match against Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 7, Gordon had already been replaced by this point.

Gordon and Woltemade's classifications in Fantasy are also worth considering. As a midfielder, Gordon earns five points for each goal he scores and one point for every clean sheet the Magpies produce. As a forward, Woltemade picks up four points per goal and is not rewarded for any clean sheets.

A breakdown of the duo's displays this season lends weight towards Gordon's claim.

His average of 22.5 minutes per shot is nearly twice as fast as the 43.1 of Woltemade, while the winger also leads his rival for frequency of both shots in the box and chances created.

The German does have the edge here for big chances, leading Gordon by four to three overall. Given that one of those was his penalty in Gameweek 7, it only serves to highlight how the spot-kick situation could determine how we invest in Newcastle.

Gordon v Woltemade attacking comparison*

*Minutes per shot/shot in box/big chance/chance created. Scroll across on mobile devices to see the full table

So, who are the best Newcastle picks?

Ideally, we'd have Hall and Livramento among the very best options, particularly if they are employed as wing-backs more often.

If you're prepared to wait for the pair to return to action and want to invest in Newcastle in the short term, it's Thiaw who could reward managers. His goal threat and defensive contribution potential make him a great overlooked pick that could make a big difference in mini-leagues, with an ownership under one per cent.

At the back, Pope and Burn are long-term picks that can keep rewarding managers, although neither have great individual numbers and are by any means essential. 

In Pope's case, Sunderland's Robin Roefs (£4.6m) and Tottenham Hotspur's Guglielmo Vicario (£5.1m) have produced more save points and bonus points, suggesting they could offer greater routes to returns. Meanwhile, Burn's lowly defensive contribution success and two shots in the box are hardly convincing.

In attack, Gordon's numbers suggest he can have the edge over Woltemade. When you assess him against every midfielder with at least two starts, Gordon is bettered only by Chelsea's Cole Palmer (£10.3m) for minutes per shot.

Added to his extra points for goals and clean sheets, the England international is another great overlooked asset, currently found in just two per cent of squads.