Other than Chelsea’s home game against Norwich, the top six from last season all have a tricky fixture this weekend. With no obvious targets amongst the usual suspects, then, it may be an ideal time to take a bit of a punt on a ‘Differential’.
This week’s three picks all have less than 0.6% ownership putting them on the riskier end of the Differential scale but as we saw with Andy Carroll’s leap from 2% to 50% last season, a decent run of form and a couple of goals can change that in a heartbeat….
Ross Barkley
David Moyes has publicly stated that he intends to protect the young star by easing him in gently, but Ross Barkley has been outstanding in Everton’s last two matches, and it’s very hard to see him being dropped against Blackburn. Barkley’s performance on the left of midfield was one of very few positives Moyes will have taken from the QPR game; his ability to take players on and make clever forward passes is something that has been sorely lacking in Everton’s play of late, and another strong performance midweek where he picked up an assist will only strengthen his claim.
Against Sheffield United, Everton lined up as a 4-2-3-1 with three creative players in Arteta, Barkley and Osman behind a lone striker and they looked a much better side as a result. Moyes will be expected to stick with a similar lineup for the trip to Ewood Park then, the only changes likely to be Rodwell and Anichebe making way for Cahill and Saha – Barkley should keep his spot on the left. With an ownership of just 0.6% (that’s less than a fifth of those that have Phil Neville), and coming in significantly cheaper than Cahill or Osman at just 5.0m, Barkley looks a great differential option for the next couple of weeks.
Jonas Olsson
With the best ranked fixtures of any side in our ‘next six ticker’ including a home tie on Sunday against a Stoke side still recovering from Thursday’s Europa League game, it could be a great time to look at investing in West Brom. Although Somen Tchoyi, Paul Scharner and Nicky Shorey were all considered as potential ‘Differentials’, we eventually went with the safe starting role and occasional goal threat of Swedish International, Jonas Olsson. West Brom had a woeful defensive record last season, but we’re expecting a marked improvement this season now that Hodgson has had time to really work with his team and with 21 points on the Premier League’s EA index, Olsson also offers the potential of bonus points along the way.
Coming in at 4.5m and ownership of 0.6% in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Olsson is definitely in the budget ‘Differential’ category but has the added advantage of having home and away fixtures rotate perfectly with Aston Villa – with so many managers opting for Given or other Villa defenders Olsson could be a great long term pick even when fixtures get tougher.
Junior Hoilett
Despite a poor start to the season, Blackburn will fancy their chances against Everton this weekend, and Hoilett looks the pick of the bunch after a strong performance at Aston Villa last weekend. He was easily the most creative attacking outlet in the Blackburn side in that game, and it was his clever play and skill on the ball that led to their only goal; a perfectly delivered cross into Pederson, after beating two defenders.
Hoilett made the picks twice last season, and duly delivered the goods with a goal in each game so we’re hoping he can make it three successes in a row (assuming Everton are 5-0 up at the time, obviously). His place in the side looks pretty nailed on for the season and at 6.0m and ownership of 0.5%, could be a great value pick as a third striker.
