GW36 Differential Focus

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 look ahead to Gameweek 36 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.

DEF: John Stones

• Cost: £5.6m
• Selected by: 8.7%
• Next Fixture: EVE (a)

Manchester City is ranked third best for defensive fixture difficulty - click here for Fixture Planner

Although Manchester City is not one of the two teams who double in Gameweek 36, they do have a reasonable fixture against Everton, followed immediately by a double in Gameweek 37, where they face Bournemouth and Chelsea. That makes three teams in two Gameweeks whose season long goal threat has been below par.

In his new midfield role, John Stones (£5.6m) now has more potential to add goal involvements to his repertoire. According to Opta Player Heatmaps, Stones is racking up an average of 5.7 points per game (since Gameweek 33), compared to 4.1 points per game previously. Looking at his underlying attacking numbers, it would seem Stones’ goal threat has risen significantly.

With a title race well and truly on, Stones could be a great defensive differential for the season run-in.