It’s time for our early Scout Picks for Gameweek 13 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Naturally, plenty can change ahead of our finalised weekly selection on Friday.
The upcoming Scout Squad nominations will help shape our final Scout Picks. The midweek European ties and the pre-match press conferences will also have an impact.
But this ‘bus team’, at the very least, offers an insight into the players and teams who will be under consideration.
There are, as ever, certain restrictions for our squad:
An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
An overall squad limit of £100.0m
No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 13 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 13 fixtures sorted by difficulty (easiest left, trickiest right) on ourFixture Ticker.
THE LIKELY LADS
FPL notes: Child's play for Haaland, Rutter benched + Rodri update 2
There will inevitably be a Manchester City triple-up this week.
Leeds United have conceded 13 goals in their last six league matches before they head to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. They’ve also failed to keep an away clean sheet in 2025/26.
Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m), Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) and Erling Haaland (£14.9m) feature in our Scout Picks ‘bus team’, but there are other players under consideration, such as Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m) and Phil Foden (£8.0m).
Matheus Nunes (£5.3m) and Rayan Cherki (£6.4m) are also hovering on our radar, with Donyell Malen (£5.1m) the latest player to provide an assist from Leeds’ leaky left flank.
Over the last four Gameweeks, Daniel Farke’s side have conceded the second-most chances from their left (15):
Above: Where Leeds have conceded key passes (and assists) from over the last four Gameweeks
The Scout Picks frontline at least appears set, with Igor Thiago (£6.5m) poised to partner Haaland up top. The in-form Brazilian has nine goals in 12 matches ahead of Saturday’s clash with Burnley, a team that has conceded 36 ‘big chances’ this season, the most of any side.
Morgan Rogers (£6.8m), meanwhile, is the stand-out option from the Aston Villa attack. He has five attacking returns in his last seven run-outs and has a plum home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who remain the only team yet to keep a clean sheet in 2025/26.
IN CONTENTION
A home fixture for Brentford against Burnley means a triple-up is highly likely, but who joins Thiago?
Kevin Schade (£7.0m) and Dango Ouattara (£6.0m) will be in the discussion. Schade has returned in four of his last five home matches, while Ouattara has racked up seven ‘big chances’ this season, a total that only four midfielders have bettered.
Nathan Collins (£4.9m), Michael Kayode (£4.5m) and Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) will be under consideration at the back.
Arsenal players have been a regular fixture in the Scout Picks this season, but representation might be low in Gameweek 13, with others having more favourable fixtures. Chelsea, after all, are top for expected goals (xG) since the start of October, having thumped Barcelona 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Above: Teams sorted by expected goals (xG) over the last six Gameweeks
Tottenham Hotspur’s patchy offensive form means there won’t be too many takers in Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) or Richarlison (£6.4m), but Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) or a Spurs defender may prove more popular against a Fulham side that have managed just four goals in six away matches.
Elsewhere, Matty Cash (£4.6m) is our go-to Aston Villa defender in Gameweek 13. He’s registered eight shots and six chances created in his last six starts. He’s been on set plays, too. Opponents Wolves are without a clean sheet this season, but even so, would we punt on the goal-starved Ollie Watkins (£8.5m)? With Rob Edwards’ side ranked 20th for key passes conceded from central zones in 2025/26, Rogers will surely be our preferred route into the Villa attack.
Crystal Palace v Manchester United feels hard to predict this week, particularly with Oliver Glasner’s side playing in Strasbourg on Thursday night. Daniel Munoz (£5.9m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£8.1m), Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m), names usually in the Scout Picks mix, remain outside bets.
Gameweek 12 was a dismal audition for Liverpool assets but very much in keeping with their form this season. Still, Mohamed Salah (£14.2m), Cody Gakpo (£7.5m), Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m) all ought to be in the conversation for Friday’s selection, with West Ham United clean-sheet-less in seven matches under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Salah’s underlying numbers have also shown improvement recently. In fact, the Egyptian is FPL’s leading player for shots and key passes combined since the start of October:
Liverpool are one of the bookies’ favourites for a clean sheet in Gameweek 13, but they aren’t exactly in a rich seam of form, having kept just one shutout in their last eight league matches. Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) at least has the set-piece threat and defensive contribution (DefCon) potential.
The red-hot Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m), as well as DefCon magnet Elliot Anderson (£5.3m), are other candidates. Additionally, Nottingham Forest’s defensive improvement under Sean Dyche (they’ve conceded just two big chances in four matches) increases the appeal of Nikola Milenkovic (£5.2m) and Murillo (£5.3m).
THE LONGER SHOTS
FPL notes: Wissa + Strand Larsen injury latest, Woltemade goal
Everton v Newcastle United is another tricky fixture to call. Given the Magpies’ dismal away record, Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) is likely to miss out.
Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) is an outside possibility against a ropey Liverpool backline.
Elsewhere, a fitness update on Antoine Semenyo (£8.0m) would be welcome, although it is worth noting Sunderland have performed much better at home.
Yankuba Minteh (£6.1m) and Danny Welbeck’s (£6.6m) form raises a bit of interest, but there are probably better punts elsewhere in Gameweek 13.
GAMEWEEK 13 EARLY SCOUT PICKS
UCL Fantasy Matchday 5: Best Attacking Return Player Percentages 2