Gameweek 36: Top 5 FPL Differentials

Just three Gameweeks remain in the Fantasy Premier League season!

If you’re not topping your mini-leagues or chasing a higher overall rank, don’t panic.

In this article, we highlight five low-owned players who could give your rank a real boost — ideal picks for managers looking to make up ground without relying on the usual favourites.

But before we reveal the names, here’s a quick look at the criteria we’ve used to select them:

• 3 attacking options (midfielders or forwards)
• 2 defensive picks (goalkeeper or defenders)
• All players selected have less than 10% ownership

Ready to discover the hidden gems that could transform your team’s fortunes? Let’s get started!

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Kevin De Bruyne: Low ownership, high upside for upcoming fixture

• Position: Midfielder
• Ownership: 9.8%
• Cost: £9.5m
• Projected points: 6.2

The Belgian maestro returns to our differentials article — and for good reason. De Bruyne remains the standout low-owned option with the highest upside. We tipped him last week, and he delivered in style with a goal and maximum bonus points, returning 11 points against Wolves.

There is a caveat, however. Erling Haaland made the bench in that match and, while he didn’t come on or even warm up much, his return appears imminent — and that could affect De Bruyne’s minutes.

Using the Opta Heatmaps tool, we’ve compared De Bruyne’s performance with and without Haaland this season. The sample sizes are modest — 1,038 minutes with Haaland (left) and 511 without (right) — but analysing per 90 stats still reveals a clear trend.

De Bruyne’s creative output improves when Haaland is on the pitch, while his goal threat increases when the Norwegian is absent. This likely reflects his role shift: he plays as a more advanced false nine without Haaland but drops deeper to create when they feature together.

Despite some uncertainty around his role, De Bruyne remains a strong pick ahead of Southampton. He has registered 17 shots on target this season — a figure bettered only by Savinho (21) and Haaland (58), both of whom have played more minutes. He also leads City in big chances created (14), underlining both his goal threat and creative influence — making him a tempting differential captaincy option.

Kevin Schade: Brentford’s overlooked threat with 10 goals

• Position: Midfielder
• Ownership: 1.1%
• Cost: £5.1m
• Projected points: 4.8

Schade reminded us that Brentford have more to offer than their usual popular FPL picks, producing a stunning 14-point return against Manchester United last gameweek.

While most managers are focusing on Bryan Mbeumo — owned by 69.8% of the top 1 million managers, making him the fourth most-owned player in that tier (as shown in the Insight Live tool) — others may be eyeing Yoane Wissa, who we recently compared to Chris Wood.

But Schade could be the true differential that sets your team apart.

The young German has been quietly impressive this season, scoring 10 goals and ranking as the seventh-highest scoring midfielder in the league, according to the Opta Stats Sandbox tool.

With a favourable fixture against Ipswich Town up next, Schade could be in for another strong return.

Anthony Elanga: Eyeing a haul versus leaky Leicester

• Position: Midfielder
• Ownership: 8.5%
• Cost: £5.4m
• Projected points: 4.2

Nottingham Forest’s push for Champions League football has stalled in recent weeks, but their upcoming fixture against Leicester City presents a golden opportunity.

The Foxes have conceded 42 goals in 17 away games — the worst away defensive record in the league, according to the Opta Stats Sandbox tool. They’re also the only team yet to keep a clean sheet on the road.

It’s a prime moment for Forest to bounce back, and Elanga could be at the heart of it.

While he hasn’t scored in recent games, Forest’s stats from the last five matches (via the Match Centre feature) highlight Elanga’s attacking involvement. He ranks second for expected goals (0.6), first for shots on target (5), second for FPL assists (1), and fourth for attempted assists (5).

With 6 goals and 9 assists this season, Elanga has been a consistent threat — and against a porous Leicester defence, he could be the differential spark Forest need.

Ederson: Clean sheet contender with surprising assist threat

• Position: Goalkeeper
• Ownership: 5.2%
• Cost: £5.3m
• Projected points: 4.6

We don’t often highlight goalkeepers as differentials — but Ederson is a rare exception.

Back from injury and set to face Southampton, the Brazilian is well placed for a clean sheet, and — surprisingly — could even offer attacking returns.

Ederson has already recorded 4 assists this season, an extraordinary figure for a goalkeeper. That puts him joint-sixth for assists among City players, alongside Bernardo Silva, according to the Opta Stats Sandbox. Incredibly, he has more assists than Phil Foden (3) and Jack Grealish (1).

His exceptional distribution and ability to start counter-attacks with accurate long passes make him a unique FPL asset. Combined with City's defensive strength, Ederson could be a game-changer in Gameweek 36.

Neco Williams: Attacking full-back with clean sheet potential

• Position: Defender
• Ownership: 3.7%
• Cost: £4.5m
• Projected points: 4.0

Rounding off our list is Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams — the most attacking of their defensive options. Williams has quietly impressed this season, racking up 102 points with 1 goal and 3 assists.

While Forest’s form has dipped slightly, the Algorithm is backing them for a strong defensive finish. According to the Predicted Points & Stats tool, they are second only to Manchester City (1.2) for projected clean sheets over the rest of the season, with a forecasted 1.1.

With a home fixture against a leaky Leicester side up next, Williams offers potential at both ends of the pitch — and could be a smart differential for managers looking to break the template.

FPL GW36 Conclusion: Dare to be Different

These five differentials offer a unique opportunity to gain an edge in your FPL mini-leagues. While they may be flying under the radar, their potential for big returns is undeniable. From De Bruyne's world-class creativity to Schade's goal-scoring form, and from Ederson's unprecedented assist potential to Williams' attacking threat from defence, these players could be the key to your FPL success in Gameweek 36.

Remember, in FPL, sometimes it pays to zag when others zig. So, why not take a calculated risk and bring in one or two of these differentials?

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