The Scout is tipping four players for big success in Gameweek 16 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.

With Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz (£6.1m) out injured “for a few weeks” and Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber (£6.5m) an early injury doubt for this weekend after missing Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League trip to Club Brugge with a knock, managers could consider the two defenders listed as possible replacements.

Declan Rice (Arsenal) £7.1m

Firstly, a word of caution: Rice is flagged as a doubt in Fantasy at the time of writing.

The midfielder missed Arsenal’s midweek UEFA Champions League encounter with Club Brugge but only through illness, not injury.

Speaking ahead of that match in Belgium, Mikel Arteta said that Rice was already “keen to be able to play”.

“He will have a couple of days to rest and to get his body right, explained Arteta. “But today, already, he was very keen to be able to play. But unfortunately, he’s not.”

This selection is made under the assumption that Rice recovers for the weekend, then, but Fantasy managers are advised to wait until Arteta’s pre-match press conference on Friday before making a move for Rice.

Should he be passed fit, the England international is an enticing option for the visit of a Wolverhampton Wanderers side still without a clean sheet in 2025/26.

Until Bruno Fernandes’ (£9.1m) haul on Monday, coincidentally against Wolves, Rice was Fantasy’s top-scoring midfielder.

The Arsenal star provides multiple routes to points, from goals and assists to bonus and defensive contributions.

Indeed, over the last six Gameweeks, Rice has delivered defensive contribution points on four occasions. Elliot Anderson (£5.4m) is the only midfielder who can top that.

Over the season, Rice ranks joint-second among all Premier League players for big chances created, with seven. Corner-taking duties, and Arsenal’s strength at set-pieces, helps boost his assist potential.

As for goal threat, it’s perhaps more limited: he’s had just six shots in the box in 2025/26. However, it’s worth noting that Rice tends to be afforded more attacking license against sides in the lower reaches of the table.

Both of his goals have come against sides in the bottom three – and Saturday’s opponents Wolves are another one of those.

Igor Thiago (Brentford) £7.0m

Back-to-back blanks haven’t dampened Fantasy managers’ enthusiasm for Brentford forward Thiago, who is the second most-bought player in Gameweek 16, earning 690,000+ new owners.

While Fantasy bosses might be advised to move to a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 with their five free transfers, Thiago makes a compelling case to be one of the two starting forwards selected.

The Premier League’s second-highest goalscorer, with 11 goals, he’s one of just two forwards inside the top 26 point-scorers of Fantasy 2025/26 so far.

The underlying numbers are strong, too. Only Erling Haaland (£15.0m) can better Thiago’s total of 33 shots in the box, with the Brentford star third among all players for big chances, with 19.

As well as form, Thiago has a great run of fixtures. All nine of the Bees’ next matches score three or less in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR).

Crucially for the Bees, they are also on home soil in four of the next six Gameweeks. Keith Andrews’ side are ranked fourth for the most points at home this season, but fourth-bottom for points on the road.

Indeed, seven of Thiago’s 11 goals have come at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Matty Cash (Aston Villa) £4.8m

While defensive contribution points have radically altered the Fantasy landscape in 2025/26, players like Munoz have proven that you can still prosper via the traditional route of clean sheets, goals and assists.

Villa’s Cash is another example.

He’s only delivered defensive contributions once, way back in Gameweek 1.

Yet he is still among the top 10 defenders for points in Fantasy this season.

Blanking in just two of his last seven appearances, he’s helped himself to two goals, one assist and three clean sheets in that time.

The Poland international is one of just six defenders to have hit double figures for chances created and shots in the current campaign. Cash has registered 13 and 15 of those respectively.

Gameweek 16 opponents West Ham United are not only ranked 17th for goals scored this season, but they’ve also allowed the opposition to create more chances from their left flank than any other club.

Right-back Cash could prosper down that wing, then, as well as having realistic hopes of a clean sheet.

Joachim Andersen (Fulham) £4.5m

With well-owned defenders such as Munoz, Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) either doubtful for or ruled out of Gameweek 16 due to injury, plenty of Fantasy managers will be in the market for a new defender ahead of Saturday’s deadline.

Fulham’s budget-friendly Andersen is among the standout candidates.

All of the Cottagers’ next three opponents, including this weekend’s hosts Burnley, sit in the bottom four of the Premier League table for goals scored.

But Andersen will not be solely reliant on shutouts.

Only two players, Senesi and James Tarkowski (£5.4m), can better the Dane’s total of 18 defensive contribution points in 2025/26 Fantasy.

Andersen could have pulled level with the above names, too, had he not come off injured early against Arsenal in Gameweek 8 and then missed the next match.

Having delivered defensive contribution points in all five of his most recent away matches, the centre-back will not be daunted by three of Fulham’s next four fixtures being on the road.