There are double-ups on three clubs – Arsenal, Leeds United and Manchester United – in The Scout’s best XI for Gameweek 2 of Fantasy Premier League.

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Leeds’ Jaka Bijol (£5.0m) and Anton Stach (£6.0m) are in action first, hosting Brentford on Sunday afternoon, while Man Utd’s Harry Maguire (£5.0m) and Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) welcome Ipswich Town to Old Trafford later that day. 

In the final match of the Gameweek on Monday night, Arsenal’s Gabriel (£8.0m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.5m) visit an Aston Villa side who lost 4-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

As the top-scoring player in home matches last season, Fernandes earns the captain’s armband, with Erling Haaland (£15.5m) named as vice-captain.  

Carl Rushworth (Coventry) £4.5m

Coventry City‘s No 1 is the standout budget goalkeeper for Gameweek 2, with a home match against another promoted club, Hull City. Rushworth and centre-back Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) are likely to be popular picks among those managers who are planning to Bench-Boost in Gameweek 2, getting points from players from clubs like Coventry who are on their bench, before then playing their Wildcard chip and picking a brand new long-term squad. 

Gabriel (Arsenal) £8.0m

As the main set-piece threat in the league’s best defence, the Brazilian’s multiple routes to returns means he’s very unlikely to let you down. Gabriel blanked in just six of his 30 starts in 2025/26 and delivered 209 points, the third-best total of all time by a defender in Fantasy. If he remains injury-free, he can finish this season as a record-breaker. 

Jaka Bijol (Leeds) £5.0m

Bijol’s numbers indicate he is worth the extra money over his fellow centre-back Joe Rodon (£4.5m). He earned defensive contribution (DC) points in 11 of his 21 starts last season, a success rate of 52.3 per cent, whereas Rodon was rewarded in nine of his 33 starts, or 27.3 percent. In terms of goal threat, Bijol played just over 1,000 minutes less than Rodon last campaign yet had only one headed shot less, trailing by 14 to 15.

Harry Maguire (Man Utd) £5.0m

The centre-back was Man Utd’s top threat from set-pieces and also led the way for DC success in the last campaign. Added to the potential of a clean sheet, Maguire has the chance to atone for his disappointing one-point haul away to Hull in Gameweek 1.

Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) £12.0m

Fernandes’s record at Old Trafford last season suggests he can outscore Haaland in Gameweek 2. The Man Utd star was the top-scoring player in home matches in 2025/26, amassing 124 points across 17 games. Notably, Fernandes produced eight double-figure hauls in home matches, whereas Haaland – who visits Crystal Palace  – managed only four such hauls in away matches.

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) £7.0m

Liverpool‘s Hungarian midfielder already looks set to dominate dead-ball duties  – including penalties – under new boss Andoni Iraola. Szoboszlai can be found in 42.9 per cent of squads for his home match against Nottingham Forest, second only to the 48.2 per cent of Fernandes among midfielders.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) £6.5m

Playing in an advanced central role behind Kai Havertz (£7.5m), Arsenal’s playmaker scored and earned 11 points against Coventry last weekend. Notably, Odegaard’s Gameweek 2 opponents Aston Villa conceded seven chances through the middle of the pitch in their 4-0 defeat in Gameweek 1, compared with four on each flank, which looks encouraging for the Norwegian’s prospects of further success on Monday night.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton) £6.5m

His goal and all-round display against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 1 shows that the midfielder is becoming increasingly talismanic for Everton. Dewsbury-Hall’s set-piece duties will also pose big problems for his hosts AFC Bournemouth. As shown by Marc Guehi’s (£6.0m) equaliser against them for Man City last weekend, the Cherries have work to do when defending set-pieces under new head coach Marco Rose.

Anton Stach (Leeds) £6.0m

The Leeds midfielder scored the decisive goal in their 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest to start the season with 13 points. At a cost of only £6.0m, Stach has three home matches in the next four Gameweeks and, as shown by his five goals, six assists and 20 DC points in 2025/26, he can offer you many routes to returns for such a favourable price. 

Erling Haaland (Man City) £15.5m

His ownership of 68.1 per cent means the Man City star will very likely be the runaway captain choice once again for his match against Palace on Friday night. Ultimately, it’s Fernandes’s favourable fixture that sways the captaincy decision for Gameweek 2, but Haaland is more than capable of punishing an Eagles defence that conceded twice to Everton last weekend. 

Joao Pedro (Chelsea) £7.6m

The Brazilian’s goal and assist in Chelsea‘s 3-2 win at Fulham immediately took him to the top of the forward standings on 11 points. Having produced eight goals and two assists over pre-season, Joao Pedro is clearly thriving under new head coach Xabi Alonso, and his ownership of 67.1 per cent means he’ll be among the most popular captain picks for those managers who are overlooking Haaland.