The Scout provides advice on what managers should do with misfiring forwards Joao Pedro (£7.5m) and Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) in Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday's 18:30 BST deadline.
Summer signings Joao Pedro and Gyokeres are among the three most-owned forwards in Fantasy, found in 58 and 23 per cent of squads respectively. But neither player has justified that popularity recently, each blanking in ALL of the last four Gameweeks.
As a result, they are both among the three most-sold players for Gameweek 9. Chelsea's Joao Pedro has suffered 291,000 sales so far this week, while 220,000 have parted company with Arsenal's Gyokeres.
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) and Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) are the top two targets, not only among forwards but across all positions in Fantasy, with 442,000+ and 282,300+ bringing in the in-form duo respectively.
Woltemade has scored in four of his five league outings for the Magpies and has a favourable home match against Fulham up next.
Mateta's hat-trick against AFC Bournemouth last weekend earned him his season-high haul of 17 points, but he arguably now has his toughest fixture of the season, away against Arsenal's mean defence.
Watch Mateta's hat-trick against Bournemouth
Should managers be selling Joao Pedro and Gyokeres?
When assessing a player's attacking potential, one of the most crucial statistics is "big chances", which are situations where they are expected to score.
For example, there's a very good reason why Erling Haaland (£14.7m) is the top-scoring player in Fantasy right now. Manchester City's striker has had a league-high 17 big chances, averaging more than two per match in the first eight Gameweeks.
When that number is combined with his world-class finishing, it has resulted in the Norwegian scoring 11 goals and supplying an assist to total 83 points - more than TWICE the tally of any other forward in Fantasy.
When you look at Man City's numbers as a team, you get a clear idea that their attack is built around supplying Haaland with high-quality scoring opportunities.
The Norwegian has had 17 of his club's 27 big chances this season - a massive 63 per cent - which shows why he is by far the most likely player to score for Pep Guardiola's side.
By contrast, after eight Gameweeks with their new clubs, the data indicates that neither Joao Pedro or Gyokeres are the focal points for their side's attacks.
Gyokeres' numbers are the more encouraging of the two - the Swede has had six of Arsenal's 22 big chances, which equates to 27.3 per cent.
However, you have to go all the way to the bottom of the table below to find Joao Pedro. The Brazilian has had only two of Chelsea's 23 big chances (BC), which equates to 8.7 per cent, the lowest of the 11 top-scoring forwards in 2025/26 Fantasy.
Big-chance stats in first eight Gameweeks
| Player | BC | Mins per BC | Club's BC | % of club's BC |
| Haaland | 17 | 40.2 | 27 | 63.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woltemade* | 5 | 78.6 | 9 | 55.6% |
| Mateta | 15 | 46.0 | 33 | 45.5% |
| Thiago | 8 | 81.4 | 19 | 42.1% |
| Welbeck | 10 | 75.7 | 18 | 33.3% |
| Gyokeres | 6 | 111.0 | 22 | 27.3% |
| Bowen | 2 | 360.0 | 10 | 20.0% |
| Richarlison | 2 | 241.5 | 13 | 15.4% |
| Isidor | 2 | 226.0 | 14 | 14.3% |
| Ekitike | 3 | 136.3 | 24 | 12.5% |
| Joao Pedro | 2 | 336.5 | 23 | 8.7% |
*Since Woltemade made his debut in Gameweek 4
The table above also helps to show why an attack of Haaland, Woltemade and Mateta could soon be the best one for many managers.
Since making his debut in Gameweek 4, Woltemade has had five of Newcastle's nine big chances, earning him second spot in the list with 55.6 per cent.
Meanwhile, Mateta's 15 big chances and 46 minutes per big chance are near-identical to Haaland's stats over an eight-match spell, which is about the best compliment you can give any forward in Fantasy right now.
So, WHEN should you sell Joao Pedro and Gyokeres?
The most frustrating aspect of their failures is that both Joao Pedro and Gyokeres have great fixtures ahead, which is mainly why they are still so highly backed.
Chelsea face all three promoted clubs in the next six Gameweeks, a schedule which begins with a home match against Sunderland this weekend.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's home match against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 9 precedes back-to-back fixtures with two promoted clubs, Burnley and Sunderland.
A look at both players' statistics over the last four Gameweeks certainly offers far more reassurance for Gyokeres' owners.
The Swede has bettered his rival by 11 shots in the box to one in that spell, while also having two big chances to the zero of Joao Pedro.
Gyokeres and Joao Pedro last four Gameweeks
| Gyokeres | Joao Pedro | |
| Shots in box | 11 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Big chances | 2 | 0 |
| Big chances created | 0 | 1 |
| Big-chance involvement | 2 | 1 |
The club statistics also indicate that keeping Gyokeres looks the best option this week. Palace have conceded 14 big chances in the last four Gameweeks, just one off bottom spot.
Sunderland, by contrast, have had the joint-best defensive record in the league in that period, allowing their opponents only four such opportunities.
If you plan to sell one of the two forwards this week, the numbers certainly point to parting company with Joao Pedro.
If you add Woltemade and Mateta into the equation, it's the Newcastle star who should be your priority replacement for Joao Pedro this week.
Woltemade's visitors Fulham have no clean sheets in their last four matches and have conceded eight goals, the most in the table below.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have conceded just two goals and have kept two clean sheets in that spell, showing the task ahead of Mateta this weekend.
How GW9 opponents compare defensively, GW4-8
| Player | GW9 Opp. | Clean sheets | Goals conc. | BC conc. |
| Gyokeres | CRY (H) | 0 | 7 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woltemade | FUL (H) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Mateta | ARS (A) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Joao Pedro | SUN (H) | 2 | 3 | 4 |
If you wait until Gameweek 10, and then sell Gyokeres to buy Mateta, you can profit from a great run of fixtures for Palace's talisman, with three home matches and visits to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley in the Eagles' subsequent five matches.
While Gyokeres' numbers suggest he could still profit in that same spell, it's six blanks in eight matches now for him and there's only so much patience you can afford him.
In a season where Arsenal defenders such as Gabriel (£6.4m), Jurrien Timber (£5.9m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) are excelling, added to the options of set-piece takers Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and Declan Rice (£6.6m), there are simply better ways of investing in the Gunners right now.