Last season’s bargain bin took a bit of a battering in our regular ‘Spot The Differential’ articles, so we’ve politely told Andy Carroll and Seamus Coleman to do one, and invested in a nice shiny new bucket ready to kick off the new season.

For those of you that are new to the site, our regular Friday night/Saturday morning ramble is all about identifying those players who are on the verge of breaking out for the first time, or those who may have been overlooked in the past, and, due to a shift in tactics or injuries, look set to play a key role going forwards. The only criteria for selection are low ownership in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, and a price that makes them stand out as a potential bargain.

Getting ahead of the crowd and plumping for unproven players is a risky strategy so if you’re looking for solid, consistent selections then the Scout Picks are the place to start. Nobody won this game without taking a few risks along the way, however, and if you don’t mind taking an early season punt, then read on as we take our first rummage of the season and see who we pull out….

Mauro Formica

Although he signed during the last January window, Formica played no part in Blackburn’s relegation battle and it wasn’t until pre-season that we got a glimpse of a player who could prove to be a very special talent. A fast, agile attacking midfielder with an excellent range of passing in the final third, Steve Kean has even drawn a comparison with Argentina legend, Gabriel Batistuta. While that may be a little far-fetched, Formica still had an impressive goal scoring record at Newell’s Old Boys of around one every four games, and with the potential of assists to boot, his Fantasy potential is obvious.

Whether he can hold down a first-team spot is, of course, the obvious dilemma. He has started the last two games in pre-season, picking up a goal and an assist, but pre-season fixtures are rarely a guarantee of a starting role once the campaign proper kicks off. He has definitely shown enough in those games to warrant inclusion though, and in their last game against Kilmarnock, Formica played the full 90 minutes- bearing that in mind, we’re fairly confident of a place in Steve Kean’s first XI against Wolves.

At 5.5m, Formica is one of the cheapest midfielders in the game and with ownership of just 0.3%, he could be a great differential going into the weekend’s fixtures if you’re looking to shave a few pounds off your budget.

Anderson

Sir Alex Ferguson has made no secret of his desire to sign a creative midfielder this summer, but despite links to several big names, it looks increasingly unlikely that any further new faces will be arriving. From a Fantasy perspective this creates an interesting situation; with Anderson and Tom Cleverley staking a strong claim in pre-season -particularly in last weekend’s Charity Shield- there is the potential for two of Man United’s midfield line-up to be available at a bargain price of 6.0 or under.

Of the two, Anderson looks the more likely to be given a starting role straight away and considering his form at the end of last season, he could prove to be a great pick. Two goals against Schalke in the Champions League semi-final were enough to earn him a place in the Differentials for the last Gameweek of the season (and the armband in my own personal Fantasy team) and the handful of managers that took the punt were duly rewarded with a goal, an assist and maximum Bonus Points.

With an ownership of just 1.5% in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Anderson is a clear differential to the most popular mid-priced midfielders but if he can start this season like he finished the last, then you can expect his ownership, and value, to shoot up over the coming weeks and could be worth an early investment.

Edin Dzeko

With Roberto Mancini ruling Carlos Tevez out of the home game with Swansea and admitting Sergio Aguero will be benched at best, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli are expected to lead the attack for Man City in Monday’s game. While the fiery Italian is capable of racking up a big score if he’s in the mood, Dzeko comes into the game with the pre-season form and at 0.5m cheaper in the FPL game looks the better option.

After scoring against Inter Milan and Man United in his last two games, Dzeko will be relishing the prospect of getting his campaign off to a flier against the Premier League newcomers, and apart from David Silva, probably represents the best chance of attacking points from the City lineup. Starting the week with less than 2% ownership, the doubts surrounding Aguero and Tevez have seen him creep up to 5.3% but he still represents a strong differential.