Spot the Differential – Gameweek 3

As the minutes tick away towards the Gameweek 3 deadline, our weekly assessment of some overlooked Fantasy alternatives is rolled out again. We’ve a trio of wide men with favourable fixtures for your perusal this morning, with a Tyne-Wear duo and north London option all worthy of our attentions.

Hatem Ben Arfa

It’s hardly been the best of starts for Newcastle. A couple of games into the season and the Tyneside team have yet to register a league goal, continuing a run that has now seen them find the net twice in their last eight league matches.

If there’s one person capable of putting a smile back on Alan Pardew’s face, though, it’s Hatem Ben Arfa. The mercurial Frenchman climbed off the bench in the midweek Capital One Cup clash against Morecambe and immediately made the difference, setting up assists for both the Magpies’ late strikes.

With a home clash against Fulham this weekend followed by showdown against Villa and Hull, Ben Arfa may well finally deliver on the potential that has seen him register eight attempts on goal thus far. At 7.0 in Fantasy Premier League (5.9 in Sky Sports and 3.5 in Sun Dream Team) and with a 4% ownership, the fleet-of-foot-Frenchman looks a decent short-term punt heading into the deadline.

Adam Johnson

The Sunderland winger is another whose statistics suggest he’s been a little unlucky not to pick up the points. So far, only five midfielders have created more goalscoring opportunities for team-mates that Johnson, while his eye for goal has produced five attempts without any degree of success.

Nevertheless, his displays hint he could be set for an upturn in Fantasy output as the former City wide man attempts to return to the form that harvested five goals and nine assists for the Black Cats last time around. A trip to Selhurst Park, where he faces a Palace side without a point to their name, affords Johnson the perfect platform to finally get his campaign up and running.

At 7.0 in FPL (7.4 in Sky Sports and 3.5 in Sun Dream Team) and 3% ownership, he could appeal to those on the lookout for a one-week punt ahead of the international break – with Arsenal, Liverpool and United in three of the following four, however, the upcoming schedule is far from encouraging.

Andros Townsend

The typically high-scoring north London derby brings the Tottenham wide man onto our radar this time around. Having dazzled in last week’s Europa League win over Dinamo Tbilisi, Townsend retained his starting berth against Swansea last Sunday and provided the assist for Roberto Soldado’s converted spot-kick.

With Aaron Lennon still likely to miss out due to a foot problem, Townsend looks set to be unleashed against Kieran Gibbs on the flank in Sunday’s showdown against Arsenal – given that the previous five Emirates encounters have harvested 30 goals, a goalless game looks highly unlikely.

A price of just 5.5 in FPL (4.6 in Sky Sports and 2.5 in Sun Dream Team) and ownership of under 1% makes Townsend a real under the radar option before Erik Lamela and the incoming Christian Eriksen stake a claim for starting roles in the attacking midfield positions.