With Fantasy Premier League managers increasingly turning to popular template picks, finding the right differential can give you the edge in Gameweek 7. The fixtures bring plenty of intrigue, from Arsenal’s home clash with West Ham to Newcastle’s favourable tie against Nottingham Forest.
We’ve identified five standout options, all owned by fewer than 10% of managers, who could provide the spark you need this week.
Our strategy balances attacking potential with defensive coverage:
⚽ 3 attackers – midfielders or forwards with goal threat
🛡️ 2 defensive players – defenders or goalkeepers with clean sheet upside
This ensures coverage across the pitch while prioritising attacking points, essential for Gameweek success.
Bukayo Saka’s season has been underwhelming so far, largely due to missing games after picking up an injury in Gameweek 2. He’s only managed one goal across four appearances, totalling 12 FPL points — far below the explosive returns managers expect from him.
However, the upcoming fixtures for Arsenal look extremely appealing:
If Saka can stay fit, this run offers huge potential for attacking returns.
To remind ourselves of his real output levels, we can look at his per 90 minutes statistics from the 2024/25 season in the Opta Heatmaps tool.
They highlight just how dangerous Saka is in both goal threat and creativity, making him a standout differential for Gameweek 7 against a West Ham side that has conceded a league-high 14 goals — though they will be hoping to tighten up under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh has quietly made a strong start to the season. As highlighted in the Match Centre feature, he has scored once, ranks third at Brighton for xG (1.0), registered 3 shots on target, and leads the team for both FPL assists (2) and attempted assists (8) across the last five games. On top of the numbers, he also passes the eye test with his direct runs and creativity.
This week’s fixture looks promising too. Wolves remain shaky at the back, conceding 13 goals — the second most in the league — with no clean sheets in six matches and just one point to their name.
With that kind of opposition, Minteh stands out as a high-upside midfield differential capable of delivering both goals and assists.
Now leading the line at Leeds, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has produced 1 goal and 1 assist in just 267 minutes, returning 16 FPL points. His minutes have been managed, but when on the pitch he remains a lethal presence in the box.
The stats underline his threat:
Facing Spurs at home in Gameweek 7 is a tough test, so he may appeal more to those on a Wildcard. For others, it could be another chance to scout his performance.
The fixtures that follow as shown in the Fixture Planner — Burnley (A) and West Ham (H) — look far more inviting, and with few forwards outside of Erling Haaland standing out this season, Calvert-Lewin could emerge as a smart budget route in Fantasy Premier League.
Chris Richards has been thriving under the new DEFCON scoring system, which rewards defensive actions. He has already collected 30 FPL points in six starts, picking up the extra +2 DEFCON bonus in half of his matches so far.
Palace have also been impressively solid at the back, conceding just 3 goals — the joint fewest in the league alongside Arsenal — and keeping 3 clean sheets, a record bettered only by Newcastle’s 4, as shown in the Opta Stats Sandbox.
An away trip to Everton offers a potential clean sheet opportunity, but with his DEFCON tally boosting his points potential, Richards is shaping up as one of the best budget defenders in Fantasy Premier League.
The Predicted Points & Stats tool projects him to score over 17 FPL points across the next four Gameweeks, ranking him fourth among all defenders, largely thanks to his DEFCON reliability.
Dan Burn has quietly become a valuable FPL asset, averaging 5.3 points per game according to the Opta Heatmaps tool.
Newcastle’s defensive resilience has been the foundation of his success, with 4 clean sheets already this season, along with 2 bonus points.
This week’s home fixture against Nottingham Forest looks favourable. Forest are still adjusting under new manager Ange Postecoglou, scoring just 5 goals in 6 matches — the fourth fewest in the league.
Since Postecoglou took charge, they’ve faced Arsenal before back-to-back games against newly promoted Burnley and Sunderland, yet managed just 1 goal in those three fixtures from 44 shots, the fourth highest shot tally in that period. That wastefulness highlights the opportunity for Newcastle to secure another shut-out, with Burn well placed to benefit again.
Gameweek 7 in Fantasy Premier League presents a prime chance to move away from the template and target low-ownership gems with strong underlying data.
If you’re chasing rank or looking for an edge in your mini-league, these five differentials could be the key to unlocking green arrows in Gameweek 7 — and perhaps well beyond.
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