The Scout analyses the data to reveal the best Arsenal picks ahead of their Double Gameweek 26 (DGW26) in Fantasy Premier League.
Who do Arsenal play in Double Gameweek 26?
Interest in Arsenal's key players is set to escalate after their Double Gameweek 26 (DGW26) was confirmed on Tuesday evening.
As a reminder, a “Double Gameweek" is when a club play TWO Premier League fixtures in a round of matches, and their players get two chances to score points.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on their travels in both their DGW26 matches, visiting Brentford and Wolves, who travel to Nottingham Forest in their first fixture.
Double Gameweek 26
Brentford v Arsenal
Nott’m Forest v Wolves
Wolves v Arsenal
Arsenal also have a home match against Sunderland in Gameweek 25 this weekend, suggesting now could be the best time to triple up on their players for the kind schedule ahead.
Who are Arsenal's in-form players?
An assessment of Arsenal's top-performing players over the last four Gameweeks helps to highlight their impressive defensive displays.
The Gunners have kept three of their 12 clean sheets this season across this spell, with Gabriel (£7.0m), William Saliba (£6.0m), David Raya (£5.9m) and Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) ranked among their six top-scoring players.
Gabriel has the slightest of advantages over his fellow centre-back Saliba by 23 points to 22, having earned two defensive contribution points (DC).
Notably, the quartet above were among only six players to have started each of Arsenal's last four matches, along with midfielders Martin Zubimendi (£5.2m) and Declan Rice (£7.5m), with Arteta rotating to cope with his club's busy schedule across a number of competitions.
As you can see from the table below, Zubimendi was Arsenal's top-scoring attacker, albeit with just 19 points to his name.
Similarly, Noni Madueke (£6.8m) and Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) were involved in a team-high two goals each, but managed only 17 and 12 points respectively.
Arsenal's top-scoring players, last four Gameweeks
| Player | G+A | Clean sheets | DC/Bonus pts | Pts |
| Gabriel | 0 | 3 | 4 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saliba | 0 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| Raya | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Zubimendi | 1 | 3 | 4 | 19 |
| Madueke | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
| Timber | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Odegaard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Which Arsenal players have had the most goal threat recently?
A delve into the underlying data helps to further highlight the lack of any standout attacker for Arsenal.
For example, Gabriel Jesus (£6.4m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) rank joint-top for shots in the box, with six apiece. Yet they have each started only ONE of Arsenal's last four matches.
Jesus also places top for big chances - situations where a player is expected to score - with a total of three.
The table below shows that only three Arsenal players were involved in more than two big chances across those four matches, with Jesus and Rice tied on three each along with the injured Mikel Merino (£5.5m).
Gabriel's goal threat also stands out here, with his total of four shots in the box placing third. Indeed, that was only one less than the combined five of the rest of Arsenal's defenders.
Meanwhile, Madueke's two big chances created are second only to the three of Rice, with the former's potential for assists boosted by his share of set-piece duties as a result of Bukayo Saka's (£9.9m) recent absence through injury.
Attacking stats, last four Gameweeks
| Player | Shots in box | Big chances | Big chances created | Big-chance inv. |
| Jesus | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merino | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Rice | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyokeres | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Martinelli | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Timber | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Madueke | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Gabriel | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Saka | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Trossard | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Odegaard | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
So, who are the best Arsenal players for DGW26?
Gabriel is by far the best Arsenal player to own for DGW26.
Over the season as a whole, the centre-back's potential at both ends of the pitch means he has averaged 7.5 points per start, more than any other player in Fantasy.
Not only does that make him the standout captain pick for DGW26, but Gabriel also looks a strong option for the Triple Captain chip across those two matches.
Arteta's recent rotation only adds an element of risk to a number of Arsenal players, and a double-up or even triple-up on their resilient backline, with one or both of Timber and Raya, could be the best strategy.
In attack, the player data is far from encouraging and Arsenal's progress to the EFL Cup final only enhances the likelihood of more rotation.
With that in mind, Rice's security of starts and all-round style of play, combined with his set-piece duties, makes him the least likely to let managers down.
Arsenal's attack is stocked full of low-owned differentials if you are willing to take the risk, though. If Saka is ruled out, then Madueke's share of set-pieces may ultimately prove a big factor across the two matches.