The Scout is tipping four players for big success in Blank Gameweek 31 (BGW31) of 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday's 18:30 GMT deadline, to help managers gain an edge over their mini-league rivals.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £10.6m
Fantasy's top-scoring midfielder over the last six Gameweeks, Palmer has plundered five goals, one assist and 47 points.
While half of those attacking returns have been penalties, the recent underlying numbers make for encouraging reading. No midfielder can better his total of 18 shots across Gameweeks 25-30.
And even removing spot-kicks from the equation, Palmer's tally of 3.36 non-penalty Expected Goal Involvement (NPxGI) is the second-best among midfielders over those six Gameweeks. Only Bruno Fernandes (£10.2m) sits above him.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed that Palmer was taken off early against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to preserve him for the matches ahead. There should be no concerns about his pitch-time this weekend, then.
The England international will be facing an Everton side who he scored against back in December's reverse fixture. The Toffees have kept a clean sheet in only one of their last eight Premier League matches and were missing both first-choice centre-backs last weekend.
Malick Thiaw (Newcastle) £5.0m
With over 164,000 transfers in, Thiaw is the most-bought defender for BGW31 ahead of a home match against Sunderland.
The German centre-back's ability to rack up points through multiple routes is a big part of his appeal.
Firstly, his tally of four goals scored can't be bettered by any Fantasy defender in 2025/26.
He's also capable of producing defensive contribution points, doing so in four of the last five Gameweeks.
Speaking of which, Thiaw's total of 22 defensive contributions in the last Tyne-Wear derby was his biggest of the season.
But it's Newcastle's clean-sheet prospects that are the main factor behind investment this week.
Opponents Sunderland have scored just one non-penalty goal across their last eight competitive matches, raising expectations that the Magpies can produce a second consecutive Premier League shutout.
Anton Stach (Leeds) £4.7m
Stach has a genuine claim to be considered as one of the best budget picks in Fantasy.
The Leeds midfielder has delivered an attacking return or defensive contribution points in 12 of his last 16 Premier League appearances.
Over the course of the season, he's averaged 4.9 points per start. That's even better than the much more expensive Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) and Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), who have averaged 4.8 and 4.6 points per start respectively.
It also trumps the 4.4 of Elliot Anderson (£5.5m), another low-cost gem and Fantasy's leading midfielder for defensive contributions.
On corners and free-kicks, both direct and indirect, Stach ranks fourth among midfielders for chances created, with 55.
The German international and his Leeds side next face Brentford, who, despite having a strong season, have shipped 10 goals over the last six Gameweeks. That includes five goals conceded to the bottom two sides, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Joachim Andersen (Fulham) £4.5m
Andersen regained his place in the Fulham starting line-up in Gameweek 30, having dropped out of the side due to illness a fortnight earlier.
The Dane helped the Cottagers to a shutout at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, supplementing his clean sheet with defensive contribution points.
Those have been Andersen's speciality this season.
The Fulham centre-back has hit the defensive contribution threshold in 63 per cent of his starts this season, a figure superior to every other Fantasy defender except Marcos Senesi (£5.1m).
Marco Silva's side host relegation-threatened Burnley in Gameweek 31. The Clarets are ranked bottom for Expected Goals (xG) this season, with 25.88.