A busy Friday edging closer to its conclusion with the arrival of our late-evening regular. As always, we roll out a trio of overlooked contenders for your consideration, with a pony-tailed protagonist braced for a trip to the midlands taking centre-stage.

Andy Carroll

Unwanted at Liverpool, loaned out to West Ham, sidelined for months with a knee injury – that pretty much sums up the forward’s season so far. Returning to the Hammers’ starting XI for the first time since Gameweek 14 last weekend, Carroll hit the headlines for all the right reasons, however, with a goal and maximum Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points proving the difference against Swansea.

As Sam Allardyce’s side prepare for a schedule that sees them square up to Spurs, United and Chelsea in the next five, in addition to a trip to Stoke, tomorrow’s trip to out-of-sorts Villa is more crucial than ever. As Marouane Fellaini demonstrated for Everton last weekend, Paul Lambert’s side are far from comfortable against a dominant aerial presence in the box – Allardyce will have his wide men tasked with firing crosses aplenty into the area as Carroll look to get the better of Ron Vlaar and co, with Kevin Nolan primed for any knock-downs. Coming in at 8.2 in FPL and 8.6 in the Sky Sports game, he’s far from cut-price but with ownership of less than 1%, Carroll could be a real weekend differential against a side that has conceded at least twice in all but one of the last eight Gameweeks.

Jon Walters

Tony Pulis will be hoping the Republic of Ireland international can rediscover his goal touch as Reading roll up to the Britannia this weekend. Stoke’s home form, so often the foundation of their Premier League success, has been far from impressive of late – the Potters have won just two of the last six in front of their own fans but intriguingly, both those wins have come about thanks to crucial strikes from Walters.

A goal in the 2-1 win over Newcastle in Gameweek 14, in addition to a brace in the 3-1 triumph over Liverpool five matches later, highlights the midfielder’s potential ahead of a clash with a Royals side that have conceded in every away match this term. So far, Walters has grabbed five goals and three assists and has racked up 94 FPL points; second only to Asmir Begovic for Pulis’ side.

Coming in at 6.4 in FPL and 7.9 in the Sky Sports game, with an ownership currently sitting at 6%, Walters has a decent upcoming run of fixtures on the horizon which could bolster his appeal and suggests he’s worth holding onto beyond this weekend, with a trip to Fulham and home clashes with West Ham and West Brom just around the corner.

Alfred N’Diaye

While Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko has stolen the goalscoring headlines so far, another new north east acquisition has been backed to find the net. N’Diaye chipped in with an assist on his first start for Sunderland and also came close to notching against Reading last time out – his physical presence and energetic displays looks crucial to the Black Cats’ cause this weekend as Arsenal roll up to the Stadium of Light.

With three wins in their last five at home, including a victory over City, O’Neill’s men have proven a different prospect altogether on Wearside. While the likes of Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson are the men most likely, N’Diaye – priced at just 4.5 in FPL and 5.1 in the Sky Sports game – has barged his way into the Sunderland starting XI since arriving last month and could be a real cut-price contender to consider, with a strong upcoming schedule to follow (wba, FUL, qpr, NOR) to follow directly after.