We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Gameweek 26 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to Saturday’s deadline.

We are limited to an £83.0m budget for our starting XI, while our bench is also price-capped after a reader vote.

In the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article – a term coined by the duo behind the Always Cheating podcast – will discuss the players who are likely to be in the running.

GAMEWEEK 26 FIXTURES

Times given in GMT

THE LIKELY LADS

Erling Haaland (£12.2m) and Marcus Rashford (£7.2m) have scored more FPL points than anyone else since the World Cup, and will almost certainly make the Scout Picks XI.

The pair have served up a combined 23 attacking returns from Gameweek 17 onwards, averaging 8.2/6.6 points per start respectively.

Fixtures against Newcastle United and Liverpool aren’t straightforward, but neither side has been at their best of late. Indeed, Eddie Howe’s troops are without a win in four Premier League games, while the Reds’ backline has looked wobbly for some time now.

An Arsenal triple-up also looks on the cards, with relegation-threatened Bournemouth due at the Emirates. The Cherries have found the net just four times in their last nine matches, conceding a whopping 16 goals.

That suggests coverage is required at both ends of the pitch, with Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m), Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) and Martin Odegaard (£7.0m) leading the charge.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.1m), Gabriel Martinelli (£6.5m) and Eddie Nketiah (£6.8m) could also muscle their way into contention, with Arsenal’s midweek clash against Everton giving us one more look before we have to make a final decision. Nketiah’s stock has fallen slightly after his weekend benching, however.

IN CONTENTION

The rest of this article is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout account for access – you can get yours at no cost here.