If you are the sort of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager who enjoys going against the grain – or takes satisfaction from finding hidden gems before the crowd – then lowly selected players (differentials) can often provide value and offer a source of points which won't be shared by many other managers. As long as the player picks are justifiable, differentials can give you an edge over your mini-league rivals.

In this article we shine the spotlight on midfielders who are currently selected by less than 10% of managers, but could emerge amongst this season’s top performers.

Riyad Mahrez

• Cost: £8.0m
  
• Selected by: 5.6%
  
• Points/90: 8.15

Riyad Mahrez was ranked 4th for Total Shots per 90 (3.68) last season - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox tool

The Manchester City midfielder is owned by just over 5% of managers and could be the ultimate differential, going into the new season.

He was second amongst all players for points per 90 minutes (8.15), beating Belgian teammate Kevin De Bruyne (£12m) who had 8. Only Mohamed Salah (£13m) could better him with a points per 90 ratio of 8.64.

Dejan Kulusevski

• Cost: £8.0m
  
• Selected by: 9.0%
  
• Points/90: 7.04
  

Analysis of £8m midfielders shows Kulusevski on top for FPL assists per 90 - taken from Fix Comparison Matrix

The Spurs midfielder is ranked as the fifth-best player across all positions for points per 90 minutes (7.04), and has some of the strongest underlying numbers for creativity, yet he is selected by fewer managers than some of his fellow £8m midfield counterparts such as Luis Díaz, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount.

As well as having a good run of opening fixtures, Spurs ended the last campaign on a high and have been firing on all cylinders under Antonio Conte. With two of the league's best finishers to convert his chances, Kulusevski could be a quality differential next season.

Raheem Sterling

• Cost: £10.0m
  
• Selected by: 7.5%
  
• Points/90: 6.90
  

Sterling took more shots/90 (0.55) than similarly priced Bruno Fernandes (0.29) - taken from Opta Player Heatmaps

Not far behind Kulusevski is Raheem Sterling (£10m) whose minutes should benefit from a move to Chelsea. While his price tag is clearly putting off many managers, Sterling is a consistently good performer and was ranked sixth amongst all players for points per 90 minutes.

James Maddison

• Cost: £8.0m
  
• Selected by: 5.9%
  
• Points/90: 6.61
  

James Maddison scored 6.61 points per 90 last season - taken from the Opta Stats Sandbox tool

With no European football to contend with, James Maddison (£8m) looks set to be a regular starter under Brendan Rodgers who will be keen to restore Leicester to their former glory.

Owned by just over 5% of managers, and with reasonable fixtures to begin the campaign, Maddison could be a valuable source of points, should he start the new season as he ended the previous one.

Yoane Wissa

• Cost: £5.5m
  
• Selected by: 0.4%
  
• Points/90: 6.5
  

Selected by less than half a percent of managers, Yoane Wissa (£5.5m), who has been reclassified as a midfielder for this season, is the eighth highest-scoring midfielder in terms of points per 90 minutes and costs just £5.5m. He has played in all three of Brentford’s pre-season games and has even found his way onto the scoresheet.

By Matt Whelan