The Scout is tipping four players for big success in Gameweek 27 of 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Saturday's 13:30 GMT deadline, to help managers gain an edge over their mini-league rivals.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) £5.9m
Van Dijk's 17-point haul against Sunderland in Gameweek 26 demonstrated the multiple routes to points that the Dutchman offers: goals, clean sheets and defensive contribution points.
The Liverpool centre-back is fifth among defenders for shots from set-pieces this season, with 17, and two attempts have found the back of the net, including one against Sunderland last time out.
He's also fifth among defenders for defensive contributions, with 251.
As for clean-sheet potential, Liverpool's total of 30.3 Expected Goals conceded (xGC) is the third-lowest in the league.
Considering the upcoming fixture run for the Reds, there should be optimism that Van Dijk can earn plenty more points.
Liverpool's next four opponents are all in the bottom five places of the Premier League. And 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 eight matches scores more than three.
Liverpool's next eight PL matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR |
| 27 | Nott'm Forest (A) | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | West Ham (H) | 2 |
| 29 | Wolves (A) | 2 |
| 30 | Spurs (H) | 3 |
| 31 | Brighton (A) | 3 |
| 32 | Fulham (H) | 2 |
| 33 | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 34 | Crystal Palace (H) | 3 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Dango Ouattara (Brentford) £5.8m
Brentford have a similarly favourable run of fixtures coming up. Their next seven opponents are all below them in the Premier League table.
While 17-goal forward Igor Thiago (£7.0m) is an obvious Gameweek 27 target, Fantasy managers may want another Brentford player for this appealing sequence of matches.
Ouattara fits the bill. He is Brentford's top-scoring midfielder this season, despite playing fewer minutes than three others.
He's delivered nine attacking returns in his last 11 league starts, a run in the team that was only interrupted by his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The underlying numbers suggest his output is sustainable. Among all FPL midfielders who have made more than one start this season, Ouattara ranks third for the most big chances (a situation where a player is expected to score) per 90 minutes.
Top midfielders for big chances per 90 minutes
| Player | Total |
| Palmer (CHE) | 0.98 |
| Martinelli (ARS) | 0.78 |
| Ouattara (BRE) | 0.77 |
| Savinho (MCI) | 0.76 |
| Mbeumo (MUN) | 0.75 |
Rayan (Bournemouth) £5.5m
Bournemouth's 19-year-old winger has settled into life in England very quickly.
Rayan has become just the third teenager in Premier League history to score or assist in his first three league appearances.
The Brazilian has registered six shots across those two starts and one substitute appearance in Gameweeks 24-26. No Bournemouth player has attempted more in that time.
He has also created five chances for his team-mates, with only Amine Adli (£5.4m) bettering that in the Cherries' squad.
Favourable fixtures for Andoni Iraola's side could extend Rayan's fine form.
The south-coast club first travel to West Ham United, the only side yet to keep a home clean sheet in 2025/26.
Then comes the visit of Sunderland, who are ranked 20th for results over the last eight away matches.
Burnley, who have conceded more Premier League goals than any team this season, follow in Gameweek 30.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace) £6.1m
Another January signing, Strand Larsen has also enjoyed a strong start at his new club.
The Norwegian forward scored twice in Gameweek 26, emerging from Crystal Palace's loss to Burnley with a 13-point haul.
Encouragingly, Strand Larsen has had three shots in the box in each of his two starts for the Eagles.
He seems to be benefiting from better service from his new team-mates, with his non-penalty Expected Goals (NPxG) tallies in his first two Palace appearances ranking among his highest of the season.
Jorgen Strand Larsen's highest NPxG totals of 2025/26
| Match | Strand Larsen's NPxG |
| v Man City (GW1)* | 0.38 |
| v Brighton (GW25)** | 0.37 |
| v Burnley (GW26)** | 0.34 |
*For Wolves **For Crystal Palace
Palace's short-term fixtures are positive, too.
Their next two home matches are against Wolves and Leeds United, who are 20th and 18th in the away league table.
In between those fixtures is a trip to Tottenham Hotspur, who sit third-bottom for home results in 2025/26.
Fantasy managers should be aware that Palace could have a Blank Gameweek in Gameweek 31, so any move for Strand Larsen has to factor in the possibility that he might be without a match then and would score zero points that week.
For those planning to play the Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 31, that problem is much less of a consideration.