Spot the Differential – Gameweek 2

Our Saturday morning regular brings a trio of favourably priced midfielders for your perusal. While Gylfi Sigurdsson’s display at Old Trafford has persuaded over 300,000 Fantasy managers to invest, our three options have remained firmly under the radar.

James Ward-Prowse

A role on the right of the Southampton front three brings the youngster into consideration as Ronald Koeman prepares for his first home match at the helm. Available for just 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Ward-Prowse welcomes West Brom to St Mary’s with his manager’s praise ringing in his ears as the Saints look to bounce back from last week’s narrow loss at Liverpool.

Koeman could be set to restructure in order to accommodate Shane Long but, as mentioned in the Big Numbers article from Gameweek 1, Southampton produced more crosses than any other side in the opening weekend and are clearly looking to utilise the aerial abilities of Graziano Pelle up top. Along with Dusan Tadic, Ward-Prowse’s delivery from the flank look a key weapon for the St Mary’s outfit and with a 34.6% cross success rate last season, his accuracy could bring in the assists if Pelle can find his goal touch.

The Saints upcoming schedule bodes well for further returns – Koeman’s men face just one of last season’s top eight in the next 11 Gameweeks and if Ward-Prowse can retain a starting berth, could be a real value option in our five-man midfields.

Yannick Bolasie

The Palace wide man had the unwanted distinction of firing the more attempts on goal without finding the net in 2013/14. Bolasie produced 48 shots without reward in the season gone by – put into perspective, that’s just one less than both Jordan Henderson and Christian Eriksen and on a par with Samir Nasri.

Crucially, not all of those efforts were pot shots from distance. The winger registered 31 attempts from inside the box but was denied time and time as Jason Puncheon hogged the headlines on the opposite flank but with the latter sidelined through suspension for the home clash against West Ham tomorrow, Bolasie is afforded the chance to shine.

Looking beyond the Hammers encounter, Palace also welcome promoted pair Burnley and Leicester to Selhurst Park in the next five and with a trip to Newcastle also on their short-term agenda, the 5.5-priced Bolasie could yet turn those statistics into Fantasy returns.

Aiden McGeady

Another option in the budget midfield bracket, the Republic of Ireland international arrives on our radars after an impressive start to the new campaign. Handed a role on the Toffees’ right, McGeady grabbed a goal in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Leicester and fired four attempts from inside the box – more than any midfielder in the Gameweek.

With Ross Barkley looking poised for an extended spell on the sidelines, McGeady could be set for a more prominent role for the Merseysiders this season and certainly has his manager’s backing. Only this week, Martinez went on record as saying “I haven’t seen such a talented footballer for a long, long time” in reference to McGeady and with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas still easing their way back to match sharpness after an extended summer break, the former Celtic wide man has quickly grabbed his chance.

Granted, the fixtures are hardly straightforward right now, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the next five. Last year’s wins over the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal showed that Everton are more than capable of prevailing and, at 5.5 in FPL, McGeady’s form is certainly worth considering.