The Scout is tipping four players for big success in Gameweek 9 of 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday's 18:30 BST deadline, to help managers gain an edge over their mini-league rivals.
Reece James (Chelsea) £5.5m
While defensive contribution points are dominating the discussion in Fantasy at present, it's important not to overlook attacking potential.
Jurrien Timber (£6.0m), for instance, is second in the defenders' points standings despite not picking up any defensive contribution points this season.
Another right-back, James, has been catching the eye from an offensive perspective.
Among Fantasy defenders, the Chelsea captain is ranked joint-second and joint-third for assists (three) and chances created (11) respectively.
James has had seven shots of his own, too, one of which found the net in Gameweek 8.
And the England international is even capable of delivering returns at the other end, banking defensive contribution points as recently as Gameweek 7.
With positional rival Malo Gusto (£4.9m) suspended this weekend, there will be few concerns around his game-time for Sunderland's visit.
James even has good fixtures on his side. Five of Chelsea's next eight matches, including Saturday's clash with the Black Cats, score 2 in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR).
Luis Florentino (Burnley) £5.0m
Josh Cullen (£5.0m) has done very well for defensive contribution points this season, banking those in five of his eight appearances. It's helped him into the top 10 of the Fantasy midfielders' points table.
But one Burnley team-mate is leaving him, and every other midfielder, in the shade for defensive contributions at present.
Luis Florentino (£5.0m) averages more clearances, blocks, interceptions, recoveries and tackles (CBIRTs) per 90 minutes than any other Fantasy midfielder who has made more than one start in 2025/26.
In fact, he has banked defensive contribution points in all four matches he has started.
With zero penalty-area touches all season, he's not likely to get you many attacking returns.
But as someone who can reasonably be expected to pick up four points most weeks, he's ideal as a low-cost midfielder who can be fielded in an emergency, come on as an auto-substitute or contribute to a Bench Boost score.
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) £7.5m
After delivering five attacking returns in seven Premier League starts this season, Gakpo's total of 40 points is the highest of any Liverpool player.
Strong underlying data is underpinning his excellent start to 2025/26.
The Dutchman's total of 21 shots is more than any other midfielder has managed in the opening eight Gameweeks.
He's joint-second among players in his Fantasy position for chances created, too, with 17.
No surprise, then, that he beats every other midfielder for expected goal involvement (xGI) when we remove penalties from the equation. Gakpo's xGI for the current campaign is 4.18.
For Fantasy managers who want coverage of the Liverpool attack but can't afford Mohamed Salah (£14.4m), Gakpo is an ideal fit.
Nick Woltemade (Newcastle) £7.4m
Newcastle's big-money summer signing has settled in well in the north-east.
With four goals from five league starts, Woltemade's points-per-match average of 6.4 is second only to the peerless Erling Haaland (£14.6m) among forwards.
The German is the clear focal point of the Magpies' attack. Since his debut, he's had more "big chances" than the rest of the Newcastle squad combined.
He's at least in the pecking order for penalties, too, scoring from the spot in Gameweek 7 when previous taker Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) was off the field.
Only one of Newcastle's next 15 matches scores any higher than 3 in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), so Woltemade is a great long-term investment - especially as positional rival Yoane Wissa (£7.4m) will not return from a medium-term injury until November before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations in the very next month.