See the best line-up if you are using your Wildcard chip or starting 2025/26 Fantasy this weekend

The Scout offers advice on how to pick a Fantasy Premier League squad if you have decided to use your Wildcard chip already, or if you are starting in Gameweek 2 and are picking your initial line-up. 

Go without Liverpool players

If you are building a brand new squad for Gameweek 2, there are two reasons why you can temporarily overlook Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) and his Liverpool team-mates. 

The first, and main, one is down to the Reds’ short-term schedule. According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), Liverpool are the only side whose next two matches score four, with Arne Slot’s side visiting Newcastle United before welcoming Arsenal to Anfield.  

Liverpool’s next two matches

GW
Opp.
FDR*

2
Newcastle (A)
4

3
Arsenal (H)
4

*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture

The second reason is down to the ongoing reports linking the club with a move for Newcastle forward Alexander Isak (£10.5m). By waiting until the summer transfer deadline passes ahead of Gameweek 4, you will have a clearer picture of the attackers at Slot’s disposal this season. 

Back Saka and Fernandes with the captaincy

While there’s no denying that Salah can still be successful in those next two outings, it’s fair to say that Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) have a far greater upside for the captaincy.

As evidenced by the double-figure hauls of Tottenham Hotspur‘s Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison (both £6.5m) against Burnley last weekend, attackers who have home matches with promoted sides can bring in big returns. 

In Gameweek 2, Arsenal’s Saka has a home encounter with promoted Leeds United when Salah visits Newcastle. 

Similarly, Manchester United’s Fernandes hosts Burnley in Gameweek 3 when Salah faces Arsenal. 

Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Erling Haaland (£14.0m) also have the fixtures to prove better premium options than Salah in the next two Gameweeks. 

Chelsea’s Palmer is up against West Ham United and Fulham, while Manchester City’s Haaland faces Spurs and Brighton & Hove Albion. 

The Palmer and Haaland price points are also handy in terms of budget distribution here. They cost a combined £24.5m, while you also have £0.5m in the bank with this squad. That total of £25.0m is, incidentally, also the combined cost of Salah and Isak. 

By not making any transfers until Gameweek 4, when you’ll accrue two more, the Haaland funds in particular offer an easy way back to Salah, when Liverpool visit Burnley after the first international break of the season. 

Follow the fixtures for value attackers

AFC Bournemouth’s Evanilson (£7.0m) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.5m) have the schedules to offer great value up front.

Evanilson has four home matches and a visit to promoted Leeds in the next six Gameweeks. He is also likely to be on penalty duties in the absence of Justin Kluivert (£7.0m).

See: How to bounce back from a bad start in FPL

From a budget perspective, the spare £0.5m here allows you to swap out Evanilson for any forward in the £7.5m price bracket. His kind schedule gives you the chance to monitor the situation at Spurs, who have a very favourable run of their own.

Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) is expected to reclaim the role up front but his lack of minutes over pre-season due to injury has allowed Richarlison (£6.5m) to impress, as exhibited by his two goals against Burnley.

Strand Larsen is expected to be Wolves’ penalty-taker this season after Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) moved to Man Utd. The Norwegian offers a great mid-term budget solution for many Gameweeks to come, with Wolves facing all THREE promoted clubs in the next eight Gameweeks. 

Wolves’ next eight fixtures

GW
Opp.
FDR*

2
Bournemouth (A)
3

3
Everton (H)
2

4
Newcastle (A)
4

5
Leeds (H)
2

6
Spurs (A)
3

7
Brighton (H)
3

8
Sunderland (A)
2

9
Burnley (H)
2

*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture

Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is another player who ticks the fixtures box. At a cost of just £5.5m, his multiple routes to returns could make him the best budget midfielder to target as a short-term option. 

Anderson would have collected 38 points last season in the new defensive contribution metric, joint-second among midfielders. Furthermore, he now looks to be Nott’m Forest’s new first-choice for corners, taking four of their five in Gameweek 1.

See: What are defensive contribution points?

Defensive options

Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, Man Utd’s Patrick Dorgu and Spurs’ Micky van de Ven (all £4.5m) have the fixtures to offer value for many Gameweeks to come.

By having Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) as your premium pick, you can then rotate the £4.5m trio according to their fixtures. 

Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and Leeds defender Joe Rodon (both £4.0m) are handy options for your bench to call upon in emergencies.

The same applies to Fulham midfielder Josh King (£4.5m), who was the only midfielder or forward costing under £5.0m to start in Gameweek 1.