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.
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In this article we look ahead to Gameweek 16 and find players from each position who are currently selected by less than 10% of managers, but could reward their owners in the upcoming Gameweeks.
If you are looking for a cheap, differential defender who is going massively under the radar at the moment, then you may want to consider Harry Maguire (£4.3m).
Often the subject of ridicule, Maguire is clearly working to silence his critics, as shown by his improvement in recent Gameweeks. Since Gameweek 8 – in which time Maguire has played every single minute for United – Maguire has only blanked on three occasions.
Manchester United’s performance against Chelsea was impressive. The 2-1 scoreline perhaps flatters Chelsea somewhat. According to Match Stats, Manchester United dominated the game, racking up an xG of 4.84, 28 shots (9 on target) and 21 attempted assists. It also took a penalty miss by Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) to keep the margin down to just one.
Up next for Maguire is another fixture at Old Trafford, this time against Bournemouth who have already conceded 30 goals this season.
With two wins in their last three Gameweeks – which could have been three save for a gripping and unfortunate 4-3 loss to Liverpool – Fulham could finally be turning a corner in terms of their performances.
Willian (£5.3m) has three goal involvements in his last three games, including a double-digit haul against Wolves in Gameweek 13. They face West Ham on Sunday, a team who will have had one day less to recover from their midweek fixture.
West Ham’s defensive frailties have been exposed this season; David Moyes’ backline have conceded 221 shots (ranked 5th worst), and have only kept one clean sheet, all season.
Using our Player Points Projections tool, we can see that the Algorithm ranks Willian as the fifth best midfielder in Gameweek 16 with a predicted points total of 4.9. Owned by less than 1% of managers, Willian could be a super differential!
Brentford fans will have been disappointed with last night’s game; a 2-1 loss which included an injury to their season’s top scorer Bryan Mbeumo (£7.1).
But, when one door closes another one opens. This could be a great time to jump on Yoanne Wissa (£5.9m), should Mbeumo’s injury see him ruled out of the tasty fixture at Sheffield United.
According to Opta Stats Sandbox, Wissa has had more shots (31) than any other Brentford player, is ranked 2nd for open play goals (3), and 2nd for big chances (8). In addition, he will be looked upon to provide the firepower in Mbeumo’s absence.
It is becoming widely known that Sheffield United are a team to target. After shipping two to Liverpool last night, they have taken their tally to an astounding 41 goals conceded – for reference, the next worse team is Burnley with 33. They are one of just two teams who are yet to register a single clean sheet, and have conceded 189 shots in the box.
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