🔎 MFF SCOUT: GAMEWEEK 2 – THE MOVERS SO FAR Gameweek 2 is underway, and it's time for the Scout to look beyond the overall leaderboard. Gameweek 1 was a double gameweek, so some of the names sitting near the top of the Top 150 built their totals across two fixtures. This week we're interested in something different: Who's making a move in Gameweek 2? The latest results have introduced some new names to the conversation, while others are beginning to turn an encouraging start into genuine form. Gameweek 2 isn't complete yet, but here are some of the players catching the Scout's eye so far. 🔴 PREMIER LEAGUE 👀 RUSHEN PAIR KEEP MOVING Lochlann Denham and Matthew Lamb are becoming increasingly interesting options. Both Rushen United players now sit on 19 points, with two goals apiece. Neither has produced the spectacular totals of the early overall leaders, but they've now registered three appearances and are steadily climbing the rankings. That's exactly the sort of player the Scout likes to keep an eye on: not necessarily the headline pick, but consistently accumulating points. Scout verdict: 📈 Two increasingly interesting alternatives for one of your three Premier League slots. ⭐ DAN SIMPSON – Corinthians Another player moving into the conversation is Dan Simpson. Two goals have taken him to 16 points, putting him alongside several much more obvious Premier League selections. With Sean Doyle already attracting attention at Corinthians, Simpson could offer managers another route into their attack. Scout verdict: 👀 One to watch. 🔥 THE ESTABLISHED NAMES Tyler Hughes remains the overall player to catch on 36 points and six goals, while Tomas Brown sits just behind on 33. Those numbers demand attention, but they're largely a product of the extraordinary starts that have already put them at the top of the overall rankings.Gameweek 2 is still to update for these players. For the Scout this week, the more interesting question is: Who's coming next? --- 🔵 DIVISION 2 This is where Gameweek 2 is throwing up some particularly interesting names. 🚀 WILLIAM TAYLOR – Foxdale Here's one for the shortlist. William Taylor has moved onto 12 points for Foxdale, with two goals from two appearances. That puts him level on points with a sizeable group of established Division 2 options and moves him firmly into the Top 150. Taylor wasn't one of the headline names from our opening Scout report. He is now. That's exactly what this column is looking for. Scout verdict: 🚀 GAMEWEEK 2 MOVER. 👀 DEAN TATE – Michael United Michael are beginning to provide some interesting fantasy options too. Dean Tate has moved onto 12 points with two goals from two appearances. He now sits alongside Taylor, Daniel Kewley, Alex Crawley, Ciaran Smith, Owen Canipa and Thomas McNee in a very congested group. Scout verdict: 📈 Definitely worth monitoring. 👀 NATHAN FARAGHER – Michael United And Tate isn't the only Michael name emerging. Nathan Faragher is also on 12 points from two goals and two appearances. Two Michael players arriving in the same part of the rankings at the same time is something worth noting. ⭐ ROSS CRAWFORD – Castletown At the sharper end of the division, Ross Crawford has emerged as a genuine rival to James Ashley. Both now sit on 20 points with four goals from two appearances. Ashley was the obvious headline selection after the opening results, but Crawford has made this a proper contest. Scout verdict: 🔥 Form, not just a one-off return. 🎯 Scout Division 2 Watchlist William Taylor – Foxdale He's exactly the sort of player this week's Scout is about: a name moving up the rankings who managers might otherwise overlook. --- 🟠 COMBINATION 1 There's a new name making an immediate impression here. 🚀 CALLUM DAWSON – Onchan One appearance. Three goals. Ten points. Callum Dawson has arrived. He's already climbed into the Top 50 overall despite having only one recorded appearance. In a position where you can select only one player, a three-goal return immediately puts somebody on the radar. Scout verdict: 🚨 Keep a very close eye on this one. 📈 JOSEPH MIDDLETON – Corinthians Middleton continues to strengthen his case too. He's now reached 17 points with five goals from two appearances. Kyle Uren's remarkable early total understandably dominates the Combi 1 conversation, but Middleton is putting together an excellent return of his own. If you're looking beyond the obvious selection, he's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. 👀 BEN O'NEILL – Braddan Here's another quieter mover. O'Neill has accumulated 12 points with three goals, giving managers another name outside the headline picks to consider. 🎯 Scout Combination 1 Watch Callum Dawson – Onchan Three goals from his first appearance puts him straight onto the Scout's radar. --- 🟢 COMBINATION 2 This remains the most open selection in MFF. ⚔️ THREE-WAY BATTLE Alfie Tummon – Douglas Royal Conor Dempsey – Douglas Royal Kieran Douglas – Malew All three currently have: ⚽ 3 goals 📊 8 points There's almost nothing separating them. Tummon and Dempsey being teammates makes Douglas particularly interesting for managers who don't want to follow the Douglas Royal route. 👀 THE NEXT GROUP Harrison Chamber, Harry MacKenzie and Mark Hargreaves are all sitting just behind on six points with two goals. One strong Gameweek 2 performance could completely change the picture here. Scout verdict: ⏳ Don't rush this decision yet. --- 🧠 WHAT IS THE SCOUT ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR? There's a temptation to simply open the Top 150 and pick the seven players at the top. But fantasy football isn't quite that simple. The Scout is looking for movement. Who has just started scoring? Who is appearing regularly? Who might be about to go on a run? And, crucially: Who can you get into your team before everyone else notices them? That's why names like William Taylor, Callum Dawson, Dean Tate and Nathan Faragher are particularly interesting this week. They aren't necessarily the overall MFF leaders. They're the players beginning to knock on the door. 🔭 THE SCOUT'S GW2 RADAR 🔴 Lochlann Denham – Rushen United 🔴 Matthew Lamb – Rushen United 🔴 Dan Simpson – Corinthians 🔵 William Taylor – Foxdale ⭐ 🔵 Dean Tate – Michael United 🟠 Callum Dawson – Onchan ⭐ 🟢 Alfie Tummon – Douglas Royal 💎 SCOUT DIFFERENTIAL WILLIAM TAYLOR – FOXDALE Two appearances. Two goals. Twelve points. And suddenly sitting amongst some of the better-known Division 2 fantasy options. William Taylor is the Scout's early Gameweek 2 name to watch. --- Gameweek 2 still has plenty of football to come. Some of these names will keep climbing. Others may disappear back into the pack. That's the fun of trying to spot them early. The Scout will be watching. 👀 ⚽ Manx Fantasy Football

The first points of the 2026/27 Manx Fantasy Football season are on the board — and we've already got a few players making a serious early statement. Gameweek 1 isn't finished yet, so these standings will continue to change as more matches are played and updated. But if you're already thinking about your next selection, the MFF Scout has picked through the early numbers. Here are the players catching the eye in each division. 🔴 PREMIER LEAGUE There are three Premier League places to fill in your MFF side and we've already got a three-way tie at the top of the division. Tomas Brown was understandably a very popular pick leading up to gameweek 1, but appeared for FC Isle of Man instead of Peel meaning no points so far. ⭐ Lewis Hicks – Union Mills – 13 pts What a start. Hicks has opened his account with 2 goals from his first appearance, giving him 13 fantasy points. Union Mills have actually supplied several of the early high scorers, but Hicks is the standout and has immediately put himself firmly on the Scout radar. Scout verdict: 🔥 Strong early selection. ⭐ Sean Doyle – Corinthians – 13 pts Another player straight out of the blocks. Doyle has 2 goals from one appearance, putting him level with Hicks on 13 points. Corinthians are usually a team fantasy managers will look towards for attacking options and Doyle has provided an immediate reminder of why. Scout verdict: ⭐ One of the obvious early picks. ⭐ Tyler Hughes – Union Mills – 13 pts Yes, another Union Mills player. Hughes also has 2 goals and 13 points, meaning Union Mills currently have two of the three joint-leading Premier League fantasy players. That creates an interesting decision: double up on Union Mills or spread the risk? Scout verdict: 📈 Very difficult to ignore after that start. 👀 Other Premier players to watch There's a big group sitting on 8 points after scoring once, including Adam McCullough and several others. Union Mills' Bailey Ashton and Noah Wood are among them, while Cameron Nelson (Laxey), Bradley Calvert and Dean Leece (St Johns United), Israel Dunn and Lewie Roberts (Peel), plus Lochlann Denham and Matthew Lamb (Rushen United) have also opened with a goal. It's far too early to know which will develop into consistent fantasy options, but they're names worth watching. 🎯 Scout Premier Pick Sean Doyle – Corinthians Hicks and Hughes have exactly the same points return, so there's very little between the three early leaders. Doyle gets the Scout nod for now — but this could change very quickly. --- 🔵 DIVISION 2 If there's one player who has announced himself in Gameweek 1, it's this young man. ⭐ JAMES ASHLEY – St Georges – 14 pts The current No.1 player in the whole of MFF. Ashley has started the season with a hat-trick, producing 14 fantasy points from his opening appearance. That's enough to put him ahead of every Premier League player despite the lower Division 2 scoring rate. Three goals in your first recorded game is about as convincing an argument as you can make. Scout verdict: 🚨 Get him on the watchlist immediately. ⭐ DANIEL KEWLEY – Gymnasium – 10 pts Kewley is another player who has wasted absolutely no time. Two goals from his opening appearance have produced 10 fantasy points. Ashley may be stealing the headlines, but Kewley is currently one of the strongest alternatives. Scout verdict: 🔥 Excellent early option. ⭐ Jordan Cowin – Malew – 10 pts Malew have two players sitting right behind Ashley. Cowin has 2 goals from one appearance and 10 points. With two Division 2 selections available, managers don't necessarily have to choose between the leading options. Scout verdict: 📈 Definitely one to consider. ⭐ Patrick Cooper – Malew – 10 pts Same club. Same goals. Same points. Cooper joins Cowin on 2 goals and 10 points, making the Malew pair very interesting indeed. Further down, Danny Corrin, Jonathan Quirk, Oliver Leigh, Ross Crawford and Thomas McNee have all scored once and sit on six points. 🎯 Scout Division 2 Pick JAMES ASHLEY – St Georges Three goals. Fourteen points. No debate required at this stage. --- 🟠 COMBINATION 1 Only one Combi 1 player can make your seven, so choosing the right one can provide a big advantage. Two players have made the strongest early case. ⭐ George Taylor – Peel – 7 pts Taylor has started with 2 goals from one appearance, putting him joint-top of the current Combi 1 standings. For a position where you only get one selection, that's exactly the sort of start fantasy managers should notice. Scout verdict: ⭐ Early front-runner. ⭐ John Hagedorn – St Johns United – 7 pts Anything Taylor can do, Hagedorn can currently match. He's also scored twice in his opening appearance and sits on seven points. There's absolutely nothing between the pair statistically at this stage. Scout verdict: 🔥 Genuine alternative to Taylor. 👀 Chasing Pack There are already several one-goal players sitting on four points. Brandon Forrester and Ciaran Leece of St Johns United, Harrison Richards and Matthew Shimmin of Peel, and Braddan pair Joseph Teare and Terry Rigaux are all off the mark. That makes Combi 1 particularly interesting because we're already seeing multiple attacking options emerging from the same clubs. 🎯 Scout Combination 1 Pick George Taylor – Peel It's effectively a coin toss between Taylor and Hagedorn after one appearance. For now, the Scout is going Taylor. --- 🟢 COMBINATION 2 We may already have an early standout here. ⭐ Kieran Douglas – Malew – 7 pts Douglas has opened the campaign with a hat-trick. Because of the Combi 2 scoring structure that gives him seven points, but don't let the lower fantasy total disguise what he's actually done. Three goals in one game. That's the statistic that matters when deciding whether he should occupy your single Combi 2 position. Scout verdict: 🚨 Serious selection candidate. 👀 The Challengers Behind Douglas, five players currently sit on three points after scoring once. Daniel Thirlwell, Mark Hargreaves and Nathan Berry give Malew even more representation among the early scorers. Meanwhile Charles Simuchim and Lewis Richardson have both found the net for St Georges. But right now there's one obvious name at the top. 🎯 Scout Combination 2 Pick Kieran Douglas – Malew A hat-trick from your Combi 2 player would be a very useful return indeed. He's the clear Scout choice from the early results. --- 🧠 THE SCOUT'S SEVEN So, if the Scout had to pick a seven-man MFF team right now based purely on the opening performances, this would be it: 🔴 Sean Doyle – Corinthians © 🔴 Lewis Hicks – Union Mills 🔴 Tyler Hughes – Union Mills 🔵 JAMES ASHLEY – St Georges 🔵 DANIEL KEWLEY – Gymnasium 🟠 George Taylor – Peel 🟢 Kieran Douglas – Malew Captain: Sean Doyle There isn't much to separate Doyle, Hicks and Hughes after identical two-goal starts, but Doyle gets the armband for the Scout's first selection. 💎 Scout Differential John Hagedorn – St Johns United Combination George Taylor might get the Scout's Combi 1 shirt, but Hagedorn has exactly the same early numbers — two goals and seven points. If Taylor becomes the popular choice, Hagedorn could be a very useful way of going against the crowd. --- 📊 Don't Chase Points... Yet There's one big word of warning. We're only getting started. One hat-trick doesn't necessarily mean a player will be one of the season's leading scorers, just as a blank in the opening fixture doesn't suddenly make an established goalscorer a bad fantasy selection. But early results give us information. Right now we know: 🔥 James Ashley has started with a hat-trick. ⚽ Lewis Hicks, Sean Doyle and Tyler Hughes have all scored twice in the Premier League. 🎯 Daniel Kewley, Jordan Cowin and Patrick Cooper have two each in Division 2. 📈 George Taylor and John Hagedorn lead the early Combi 1 race. 🚨 Kieran Douglas has three goals already in Combi 2. And with unlimited changes between Gameweeks, MFF managers can afford to react to form. Gameweek 1 still has more football to come, so don't hit the panic button just yet. But the early shortlist is forming. The Scout will be watching. 👀 ⚽ Manx Fantasy Football