As you’ll be aware from our previous articles on Seamus Coleman and Shola Ameobi, the idea of this feature is to highlight those players with very low ownership levels but bags of potential. When the vast majority of people in your mini league have the likes of Bale (51% total ownership in FPL) Carroll (49%), or Drogba (40%), picking those hidden gems that no one else has even noticed yet can give you an edge over your rivals, and let’s face it, major bragging rights when they pull off a major points haul.
In a change of format, rather than focusing on one player per article, we will now be covering 4-5 different players on a weekly basis to give you a spread of options to consider…
Asmir Begovic
Despite being owned by just 0.5% of all Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, the young Bosnian looks set to remain Stokes first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season, and priced at just 4.3m, looks an excellent Fantasy pick. The popular strategy of choosing two low priced goalkeepers from the same city or region (so that their home and away fixtures rotate well) has been difficult to put into practice this season, and many Fantasy managers will be missing the good old days of Hart and Sorenson. With Begovic seemingly first choice at Stoke however, this opens up a nice pairing of Foster and Begovic or alternatively Carson and Begovic, and while the home and away fixtures do not quite dovetail perfectly, you would be able to pick a home goalkeeper in 19 of the remaining 24 gameweeks with either of these pairings.
Goalkeeper strategies aside, Begovic has done enough to justify inclusion regardless of your other pick. As well as keeping a clean sheet in his last two games, his 22 saves in the last five games have earned him an additional five save points, and he has averaged 5.4 points per game since playing his first league game against Everton at the end of October. Stoke’s next game against Man City may not look the best on paper, but with save points almost guaranteed and City’s inconsistent attacking record making a clean sheet at home a real possibility, Begovic could come out of the weekend with another big points haul.
Rafael Da Silva
Rafael’s typically Brazilian performances at full-back see him constantly looking to play an expansive, attacking game, and from a Fantasy perspective his potential is obvious. Against Wigan last weekend, this potential was finally realised, as he picked up an assist, a clean sheet and maximum bonus for a 12 point haul. In addition to the potential attacking returns, we cannot forget that Rafael plays in a United back line that will probably keep 18-20 clean sheets this season. Despite looking decidedly leaky in the early season games, United have now kept four clean sheets in their last eight games (since the Ferdinand and Vidic partnership was resumed), and we can expect plenty more given their favourable run of fixtures over the next few weeks.
With so many options at right back, rotation is a major risk, but after his performance last weekend and the fact that he was rested against Rangers midweek, he looks odds on to start against Blackburn this weekend. Whether he still gets picked for the harder games is another question, but for now at least, he appears to be first choice.
Currently owned by just 1.1% of FPL managers, Rafael has dropped to 5.6m from his starting price of 6.0m, so if he does become a regular starter then there are very few players around that can offer such good value for money. It is also worth mentioning the Metro game here too, as Rafael is priced at a mere 3.7m. Compared to Vidic at 6.6m and Evra at 6.9, this looks a steal.
Carlos Salcido
After their 4-1 battering at home to Man City last weekend, Fulham will be looking to reclaim their ‘hard to beat’ tag with another home game against Birmingham this weekend, a game that offers excellent potential for a clean sheet. Like Rafael, Salcido’s value comes from playing in a traditionally strong defence, while also scoring points at the other end of the pitch. Despite being dominated last weekend by a rampant City, Salcido managed to put in seven successful crosses, more than any other defender (except Aleksandar Kolarov) in any of last weekend fixtures, and he was unlucky not to come away with at least an assist in that game.
While Brede Hangeland remains the popular choice in the Fulham back line, Carlos Salcido’s attacking threat means he has the potential to outscore the big Norwegian over the remainder of the season, and looks worthy of a punt now that he appears to have made the left back spot his own on a permanent basis. Owned by just 0.3% of FPL managers, Salcido is a big differential and comes in at 5.0m, 0.6m less than Hangeland.
Danny Welbeck
The young Sunderland striker has been in outstanding form recently, and with three goals and six Bonus points in his last two games he seems to be finally living up to the potential he showed during his limited appearances for United and on loan to Preston last season. Despite struggling for points while playing in midfield early in the season, the lanky striker has been a revelation up front since Sunderland shifted to 4-4-2, and has turned in an incredible 26 points in his last three games, despite facing Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton. His attacking role may be under threat with Gyan and Bent returning to fitness recently, but at just 5.0m, he could be worth a punt; even on the wing, he could still end up pulling in a decent haul now that Sunderland have finally remembered how to score.
Welbeck is owned by just 0.5% of FPL managers, and has dropped from 5.5m at the start of the season to just 5.0m, but after back to back man of the match performances, we can expect plenty of people to start paying attention soon. Sunderland travel to Molineux at the weekend, in what promises to be an open game with plenty of goals. Steve Bruce indicated this week that Welbeck is “undroppable” at the moment and that he will play up front again this weekend regardless of Gyan’s fitness, so he looks to be an excellent investment, in the short term at least.
