I view it more as a case of there being no concrete evidence to prove it false. Because as real as it may look, it's never concrete until it's announced this was a legit leak.
As for my stance on who "deserves" to get in - Ridley won't work. I pretty much feel Sakurai basically deconfirmed his playable appearance anyway, but even if he didn't, Ridley is a special case compared to other giants - he would require a complete redesign to scale down. His anatomy is built in such a way that he has to be giant.
Palutena deserves it. People like her, she's female, she has great potential, and she's part of one of Sakurai's baby franchises. Why wouldn't she make it at this point? Granted, this leak could be fake, but that doesn't mean she will not appear, unless we are directly told she won't. And I think if this is fake, they'll HAVE to put her in after seeing the reaction this leak caused. She makes too much sense to not appear.
And I will also be the devil's advocate with Pac-Man - he doesn't deserve it. I'm sorry, I know Pac-Man is a revolutionary game, but beyond that, not many people actually care about the franchise. He's not on the same caliber as Sonic or Mega Man, or even Snake. I'd sooner expect Rayman. Pac-Man just didn't stick when the 3D era came.