Looking for a transfer that could give your Fantasy Premier League team an edge?
Our top five Gameweek 8 differentials combine promising underlying numbers, appealing fixtures and low ownership.
All five players are currently under 10% owned, offering an opportunity to move away from the most popular picks. From an underperforming Brentford striker to a speculative route into Manchester City’s attack, there are options for different budgets and appetites for risk.
The selection rules are simple:
Price: £7.8m | Ownership: 8.8% | GW8 predicted points: 4.3
Thiago has yet to hit the heights of last season, but his underlying numbers suggest that a lack of opportunities is not the problem. Could this be the moment to back him before the goals arrive?
The Brazilian has scored just once despite accumulating 3.51 expected goals (xG). Of his 17 shots, 16 have come from inside the penalty area, while only Thierno Barry (14) and Erling Haaland (12) have received more Opta-defined big chances than his seven among forwards, as shown in the Opta Stats Sandbox.
That gap between opportunities and output is reflected in his 30.54 expected FPL points (xFPL), compared with an actual return of 18 points. Underperformance does not guarantee an imminent haul, but there is a stronger case here than his goals tally alone would suggest. Two FPL assists also show that he can contribute beyond finishing chances himself.
Brentford’s next four fixtures are Hull City (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Brighton (A) and Everton (H). The trip to Hull provides an appealing starting point, followed by two home matches across the following three Gameweeks. It is a run that gives Thiago an opportunity to turn promising numbers into meaningful returns.
There is, however, an important caveat: Thiago is one yellow card away from a one-match suspension, as shown in the Suspension Tightrope tool. Five bookings within a team’s first 19 Premier League fixtures trigger a one-game league ban, so prospective owners should have bench cover ready.
Price: £6.2m | Ownership: 9.2% | GW8 predicted points: 4.3
Tavernier makes another appearance in our weekly differentials article, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand why his ownership remains below 10%.
The Bournemouth midfielder has collected 42 FPL points, placing him third among midfielders behind only Rayan Cherki (44) and Pascal Groß (58), as shown in the Opta Stats Sandbox. No midfielder has scored more than his four goals, making his £6.2m price particularly attractive. Only Haaland (12) and Isak (11) have earned more than his 10 bonus points.
He has been unfortunate not to register an assist, too. The Cherries midfielder has created 12 chances and accumulated 1.18 expected assists (xA) without recording an FPL assist. That offers another possible source of returns alongside his goals.
Bournemouth’s next five fixtures are Manchester United (A), Leeds (H), Ipswich (A), Nottingham Forest (H) and Fulham (A). An opening trip to Old Trafford may give some managers pause, but United have conceded four goals in three home games and are yet to keep a clean sheet at home. The subsequent matches against Leeds and Ipswich further strengthen the case for investing.
The Predicted Points & Stats tool ranks Tavernier fifth among midfielders for projected points across this five-Gameweek run, with all four players above him costing considerably more. Bryan Mbeumo is projected to deliver a similar total but costs £1.6m more, underlining the Bournemouth man’s potential value.
For managers seeking a differential with both established returns and encouraging projections, Tavernier makes a compelling case.
Price: £7.5m | Ownership: 2.4% | GW8 predicted points: 3.1
If you are prepared to play the Maresca lottery, Doku could offer an intriguing route into Manchester City’s attack.
With Antoine Semenyo facing a prolonged absence, there is an opportunity for the Belgian winger to earn more minutes and potentially become an integral part of City’s attacking setup.
That outcome is far from guaranteed, but the Predicted Lineups tool currently gives him an 89% chance of starting.
The 24-year-old has already demonstrated what he can deliver in limited time. Across just 126 minutes, Doku has recorded one goal, two FPL assists and 19 points, including four bonus points.
His creativity is particularly encouraging: five chances created and 1.00 xA suggest he has been supplying opportunities as well as taking them.
All four of his shots have also come from inside the penalty area. It is a small sample, but one that makes the prospect of increased minutes interesting.
Aston Villa away is not necessarily the ideal entry point. Waiting another Gameweek would provide more evidence of how Enzo Maresca intends to arrange his attack without Semenyo. Interestingly, he didn't feature against AEK Athens on Tuesday night in the Champions League, could this be a sign he is being saved for the Premier League?
However, finding a successful differential sometimes means acting before everyone else has certainty. At just 2.4% ownership, Doku is the speculative pick of this week’s selection: an exciting opportunity, provided you can accept the risk of rotation.
Price: £4.5m | Ownership: 4.0% | GW8 predicted points: 4.6
Ajer is another regular favourite in this article, and his combination of price, minutes and defensive contribution points makes it easy to see why.
The Norway international has played all 630 minutes of Brentford’s opening seven matches, collecting 30 FPL points. His defensive work provides an additional route to returns, with an average of over 10 defensive contributions per 90 minutes and six FPL points already earned through DEFCON.
That matters when considering a budget defender. A clean sheet remains valuable, but Ajer has shown he can supplement his score through defensive contributions when Brentford concede.
There is also some attacking potential. He has already scored once, with all four of his attempts coming from inside the box and two hitting the target. At £4.5m, even occasional attacking returns can make a significant difference to his value.
How many clean sheets do Brentford keep for this run of games? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qvBkU10fYh
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) October 20, 2026
Brentford visit Hull in Gameweek 8, before facing Nottingham Forest at home, Brighton away and Everton at home. That gives Ajer a useful stretch of fixtures in which to combine clean-sheet potential with his defensive workload.
With 4.6 predicted points this Gameweek, he is joint-top among our five selections despite being the cheapest player on the list.
Price: £5.0m | Ownership: 4.9% | GW8 predicted points: 4.6
Muharemović offers another way to target defensive contribution points, with the Leeds centre-back already earning eight FPL points through DEFCON.
The 23-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international has the profile to interest managers looking for a defender with multiple routes to points. He averages over 10 defensive contributions per 90 minutes and, like Ajer, has played every minute of his team’s opening seven fixtures.
His 34 FPL points include two clean sheets and two FPL assists, with only Hato, De Cuyper (three each) and Gvardiol (four) registering more assists among defenders, as shown in the Opta Stats Sandbox. His creative contribution is supported by 1.28 xA, while six shots inside the box suggest there is also potential for a goal to accompany those assists.
Leeds sit second for projected clean sheets over the next three Gameweeks in the Predicted Points & Stats tool.
The trip to Sunderland is the immediate opportunity, with Muharemović projected to score 4.6 points in Gameweek 8. His appeal extends beyond that single fixture, though: defensive contributions, secure minutes so far and demonstrated assist potential give him several ways to reward owners.
At 4.9% ownership, the Leeds defender remains a largely overlooked option for managers seeking more than clean-sheet points from their backline.
Prices, ownership and projections are correct at the time of writing.
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