Spot the Differential – Gameweek 17

As always on a Saturday morning, we roll out a trio of overlooked options for your weekend perusal. We opt for a Hammers’ centre-half at home to Leicester, City’s golden veteran as Palace roll up to the Etihad and the Magpies’ leading scorer ahead of a home derby encounter with Sunderland.

Frank Lampard

Whilst most of the buzz surrounding the Man City midfield focuses on which one of David Silva, Samir Nasri and James Milner will be moved to a False 9 position against Crystal Palace later today, the City veteran continues to fly relatively under the radar, with an ownership of just 1.8%. Lampard is likely to be handed minutes once again this weekend after getting himself on the scoresheet with the winner at Leicester last time out, and with no strikers to rely upon, Manuel Pellegrini will be looking to his midfield for the goals.

Lampard has proven time and again this season what a reliable goal scorer he is, with an average of 83.5 minutes per strike easily the fastest rate of any midfielder right now. Indeed, despite limited minutes, he’s still matched Yaya Toure for league goals, with four to his name so far – a suggestion that even if he has to make do with a substitute role, he’s still more than capable of finding the net.

What’s more, the 36-year-old squares up to a Palace side today who have accumulated just one shut-out in their last ten outings and are without a win in the previous four. Despite their striker crisis, City have every reason to be full of confidence – Pellegrini’s side have won seven on the bounce in all competitions and at a price of just 5.4, Lampard could prove a canny short-term budget buy, with a trip to West Brom and back-to-back home encounters against Burnley and Sunderland to follow.

James Tomkins

With raiding left-back Aaron Cresswell currently the popular pick amongst West Ham’s rearguard, Tomkins has remained firmly off our radars. Owned by less than 1% of Fantasy managers, the 4.9-priced centre back is the cheapest of Big Sam’s backline regulars and, despite scoring just once so far this term, has produced 11 efforts inside the box – a total bettered by only two other defenders.

Tomkins’ aerial threat heightens his appeal as the Hammers play host to Leicester later today. Given that Nigel Pearson’s side have conceded more headed attempts than any other so to this point, it’s fair to assume that Allardyce will have his side primed to take advantage – with plenty of high balls into the box expected, Tomkins close-range threat from dead-ball situations is likely to pose the Foxes problems.

Defensive returns also look a strong possibility. West Ham have conceded just two goals in the last five in front of their own fans, whilst Leicester have found the net in only three of the previous nine Gameweeks. Given that Tomkins has racked up two assists, a pair of clean sheets and five bonus points in his last four at Upton Park, there’s every reason for optimism heading into this afternoon’s encounter.

Papiss Cisse

Yes, he’s not yet 100% fit ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby clash with Sunderland. Only yesterday, Alan Pardew conceded Cisse is still carrying “a heavy cold” after missing the midweek cup loss at Spurs but bearing in mind the St James’ Park showdown isn’t until tomorrow afternoon, we reckon he’ll load up on the Lemsips and make the bench at worst.

Cisse’s impact as a sub in Newcastle’s previous home match, where he climbed off the bench to end Chelsea’s unbeaten record with a 38-minute brace, underlined his form. In just 520 minutes, he’s racked up seven goals and an assist – indeed, when on the pitch, he’s played a part in 89% of his side’s strikes.

After back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Spurs, Pardew is desperate to halt the Magpies’ slide and a win against the Black Cats looks the perfect pre-Christmas tonic. At 5.8, Cisse’s predatory displays have earned him maximum bonus every time he’s found the net this term and his ice-cool finishing could prove decisive in the heated atmosphere of the first Tyne-Wear head-to-head of the season.