FPL GW2 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups

Welcome to our FPL GW2 Scout Picks blog! Pre-season planning is finally out of the way and we are back in the thick of a new premier league campaign once again. Our AAFPL Scout picks team picked up 62 points in FPL GW1, with some huge scores from the likes of Kudus and Gakpo helping us over the line. That score secured us our first victory over the Official FPL Scout’s team of the new season, as their picks only managed to return 56 points.

	GW1
AllAboutFPL Team	62
Official FPL Team	56

Let’s make it two for two in GW2 with a high scoring week from our FPL GW2 Scout Picks. As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, analysis and in this case also Pre-Season. Let’s first take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW2.

Link to all our FPL GW2 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW2 Fixtures

FPL GW2 Scout Picks

FPL GW2 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper

Sanchez (5.0m) retains his place in the team for FPL GW2 after returning a CS and 8 points in GW1. The Chelsea ‘keeper was awarded 1 point for making 3+ saves, 4 points for the clean sheet and 1 bonus point, making him the joint fourth highest scoring goalie in FPL GW1. Sanchez had a fairly quiet game, facing just 4 shots on target which totaled 0.26xGOT. The only troubling moment for the Chelsea defense came in the first half when Eze scored a free kick from the edge of the box. Fortunately (for Sanchez owners), it was subsequently ruled out.

We are once again backing Chelsea’s defense, having been impressed by their performance in FPL GW1 against what is a fairly strong and competitive Crystal Palace team. We must not forget that Palace put 2 past liverpool on their way to lifting the community shield only a week prior to the Chelsea match, though perhaps that says more about Liverpool’s defense than Chelsea’s…

Maresca’s side kept 4 clean sheets across 7 CWC matches, even managing to keep PSG from scoring in the final in mid July! In that match in particular they limited PSG to just 0.53xG across the 90 minutes. The Blues also kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 premier league matches. In the league last year they conceded just 43 goals, the third fewest in the league, so they are definitely a defense we should be targeting.

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Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB)

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FPL GW2 Scout Picks – Defenders

Our back three consists of Cucurella (6.0m), Richards (4.5m) and Gabriel (6.0m)!

Chelsea’s Cucurella was part of the defensive unit that managed to prevent Palace from scoring in FPL GW1, and thus joins his teammate Sanchez in this week’s Scout selection. Having already discussed Chelsea’s performance in GW1 and their defensive record last year, I will use this section to analyse their opponents for GW2 – West Ham.

The Hammers were pretty poor against Sunderland in GW1, with many now tipping them to be in a relegation battle rather than their GW1 opponents. The london side had 12 shots, and 4 on target, which amounted to 0.56xG. They had 0 big chances and only forced the keeper into a few saves (totaling 0.37xGOT). Bowen was a bright spark, but lacked support, with the midfield failing to create many chances and his strike partner Fullkrug struggling yet again. One would expect them to struggle once again against Chelsea…

Next up is Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards. As much as we would have loved to include Munoz in this week’s team, we were unable to due to financial constraints and thus the American CB Richards makes his first start for the AAFPL Scout Picks team. Richards has a CBIT/90 of 9.07 from last season

Chelsea managed 3 shots on target and 2 big chances against Palace in FPL GW1, with Moresca’s side coming away having created 1.6xG but failing to score. Palace are a decent defensive unit, but may well suffer should Guehi leave before the end of the window. This week they face Forest, a side who put 3 past Brentford despite creating just 1.83xG. Chris Wood yet again managed to overperform his xG, but this hot streak is unlikely to continue forever.

Forest had just 11 shots against Brentford, and will struggle to reach that total against Palace in GW2. Due to Forest’s style of play I can’t see Palace defenders reaching high CBIT numbers in this game, though it is worth noting that Richards achieved 8 CBIT in FPL GW1, just 2 shy of the 10 necessary for DC points.

Completing the defense is Arsenal’s Gabriel. Any Arsenal defender is a good asset for this round of fixtures, as the Gunners face Leeds at home in GW2. Gabriel will be the most popular as he posed much more of a goal threat (0.16xG.90) than Saliba when fit last season. Arsenal look set to continue to be a major threat from set pieces this season, as demonstrated by Califiori’s goal from a corner in the 13th minute against United in GW1.

As mentioned, Arsenal face Leeds in FPL GW2, and as we all know – we must target the promoted sides! While Leeds and Sunderland both picked up wins in their first PL matches last weekend, those results should be put down to the lack of quality of their opponents, rather than necessarily their own quality. Everton looked really poor against Leeds, and gave up 2.13xG to their opponents, 0.79 of which came in the form of an 84th minute penalty, which was subsequently converted. As much as Leeds created some chances for themselves, they only tested Pickford three times in the game, with only one shot on target before the penalty in the 84th. Against a better team they may well come unstuck…

Further Read: FPL GW2 – Fixtures & Players to Target for Gameweek 2

FPL GW2 Scout Picks – Midfielders

Our midfield quartet for FPL GW2 consists of Saka (10.0m), Rogers (7.0m), Semenyo (7.1m) and Palmer (10.5m)!

Palmer is the only midfielder to retain his place in the AAFPL Scout picks team, in spite of his performance being perhaps the weakest of any of our midfielders from last week! I wrote this in last weeks post and I think it still remains true…

“He is one of the only Chelsea attacking assets that we can consider ‘nailed’, with the wingers and strikers all likely to be rotated over the course of the season. Palmer himself had a great year last year, scoring 15 and assisting 8 across 37 appearances for the Blues, but he will no doubt be looking to improve on those numbers this time around. “

One average game does not define Palmer. Chelsea struggled to break down Palace’s defensive unit all game, that was not just down to Palmer. This week the Blues have a far more appealing fixture against West Ham, a side that conceded 3 against a newly promoted team in FPL GW1. West Ham looked fragile defensively in that game, and Palmer will be able to dominate West Ham’s midfield and find pockets of space in the final third much more than he was able to in FPL GW1. If the fixture wasn’t so appealing perhaps we would have moved off of Palmer, but we think he’s worth holding this week.

Semenyo was excellent for Bournemouth in FPL GW1. He scored twice in their 4-2 defeat to Liverpool and caused Kerkez problems all game long. The winger had 3 shots (0.91xG) and scored 2 goals against the champions Liverpool – if he could do it against them he certainly has a chance of repeating the trick against Wolves.

What makes Semenyo an excellent option this week is the matchup. Wolves looked so open in defensive transitions against City in GW1, and exploiting defensive transitions (counter attacking) is where Semenyo thrived against Liverpool last weekend. Furthermore, Wolves’ LWB Wolfe won only 1/2 duels and made just 1 tackle against Man City, with the winger on his side (Bobb), shining and coming away with an assist and 2 chances created. I could see Semenyo getting into similar positions on the pitch in this game and once again benefiting from poor defensive transitions from the opposition team.

There is a spot for Rogers in this weeks edition of the Scout team, in spite of his sub-par performance in FPL GW1. Villa managed only 3 shots and 1 big chance against Newcastle in GW1, coming away from the game having created just 0.2xG over the course of the 90. Rogers created just 1 chance and 0.05xA against Newcastle in that game, and had just 2 touches in the opposition box. This week however, the Villains face Brentford away from home, which is an entirely different prospect…

Brentford were not great against Forest in GW1, and are still tipped by many to be relegation candidates come the end of the season. They gave up 11 shots and just under 2 xG to forest in GW1, a side who lost their most talented attacker (Elanga) during the summer. I can see Villa creating far more chances against Brentford, and moving away from the strange, overly defensive approach that hindered them in FPL GW1.

Finally we have our captain for this weeks’ team…. Saka! With Arsenal facing Leeds this weekend, it makes sense to have at least one Arsenal attacker in this team, and Saka is surely the one to go for!

The English winger had a quiet game against United, but will surely be more involved against Leeds. He is an excellent player, and, similarly to Palmer, one game does not define him! Fixture almost always trumps everything else in FPL, and a fixture at home against a promoted side is clearly one to target. While Leeds were decent against Everton, Arsenal will be a different beast altogether! According to Fantasy Football Hub’s points predicition tool, Saka is predicted 7.2 points in FPL GW2 and 18.7 points over the course of the next three GWs!

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 2 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell

FPL GW2 Scout Picks – Forwards

We’ve gone for a front three this week, with Ekitike (8.6m), Watkins (9.0m) and Gyokeres (9.0m) all making it into the AllAboutFPL GW2 Scout Picks team!

Watkins, similarly to Rogers, retains his place in the team not due to his excellent performance in GW1, but due to the fixture in GW2. As I wrote in the Rogers section, I would expect Villa to approach this game very differently to how they approached their GW1 fixture. They will likely be far more attacking, and I would not be surprised to see Malen or other more direct attackers included over McGinn or other more conservative options. Brentford seem like a team to target, and we know that Villa are a potent attacking side on their day, so we’re backing them despite many choosing to ditch them after GW1.

Gyokeres and Ekitike are both included in the FPL GW2 Scout Picks team for different reasons. Gyokeres makes the cut principally down to the fixture (as discussed in previous sections) and due to the injury to Kai Havertz.

The injury situation at Arsenal means that Gyokeres is virtually guarenteed to start against Leeds, making him a far more attractive option from an FPL perspective. While he showed glimpses against United in GW1, he did not look like the finished article. He should find it easier to find space against Leeds, and will likely be able to dominate and occupy the defenders in a way that he wasn’t against United.

Arteta also answered “Gyokeres” when he was asked about the “Best Penalty Taker” in a rapid fire Q&A with ESPN Brasil which suggests that he could potentially be on penalties.

Unlike Gyokeres, Ekitike looked like the real deal in FPL GW1 against Bournemouth. The Liverpool forward took 4 shots and created 2 chances. He scored once and came away with over 1xG. His performance caught the eye of many, particularly in the FPL community, as his price has since risen to 8.6m. That’s 2 goals in as many games for Ekitike, a great start for the young striker!

This weekend Liverpool face Newcastle away from home, a game that will present different challenges than the Bournemouth one in GW1. Regardless, we think Ekitike will once again shine. We are so confident in fact that we are backing him over Salah and Gakpo this week! Salah was pushed out wider and was far less involved against Bournemouth, and while I believe this was a tactical tweak which will likely not be permanent (and will instead change on a game by game basis), it is clear that Ekitike will be the main goal threat in this new LFC team.

Further Read: FPL GW2 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Full FPL GW2 Scout Picks Team:

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW2

FPL GW2 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
FPL GW2 Predicted Lineups, Injuries & Press Conference Updates
FPL GW2 – Fixtures & Players to Target for Gameweek 2
FPL GW2 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2025/26 PL Season
FPL GW2 Stats Summary and Key Notes

Link to all our FPL GW2 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 2 of the 2024/25 FPL Season?

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