Spot the Differential – Gameweek 24

As the real life wheeling and dealing comes to a close on Deadline Day, we roll out a trio of overlooked alternatives for your Monday night consideration. Arsenal and Tottenham’s midfields supply us with a couple of options, whilst we also turn to West Ham’s wide man ahead of clashes with three of the bottom four in the next four rounds of fixtures.

Alexis Sanchez

Having completed his comeback from injury with a 34-minute run-out against Chelsea last Gameweek, Alexis Sanchez (10.9) reaffirmed his Fantasy potential with a goal and assist during the Gunners’ 2-1 FA Cup win over Burnley on Saturday afternoon. Although the Chilean failed to net in his previous six league starts, his capacity for explosive returns (six goals and 46 points in three outings from Gameweek 7-9) ensures that he’s the fourth-most transferred in midfielder (90,000+) this week, with many Kevin de Bruyne owners making a straight swap.

Taking the campaign as a whole, Sanchez still ranks top among Arsenal’s midfield contingent for attempts (57), shots inside the box (40), joint-top for shots on target (17) and top for penalty-box touches (112). Moreover, despite the fact he was sidelined for eight matches with a hamstring complaint, he still manages to sit second among all midfielders – behind Sadio Mane (46) – for shots inside box, while only Philippe Coutinho lays claim to a superior shot frequency (one every 19 minutes compared to 20.7).

In the wake of Arsenal’s two consecutive blanks, Sanchez – who sits in just 11% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) sides – is poised for a timely return to the starting XI for Southampton’s visit on Tuesday. Although the North Londoners came up short last time out at the Emirates, they’re the clear frontrunners with regards to big chances created on home turf (37), which bodes well for the Chilean’s attacking prospects.

Michail Antonio

In light of Dimitri Payet’s spellbinding displays since being discharged from the treatment room, it’s easy to overlook the excellent form of Michail Antonio (5.3). Since Gameweek 18, the  former Nottingham Forest winger – who’s valued 2.9 below his more illustrious, 8.2-priced teammate – has drawn a solitary blank in six appearances, notching two goals and five assists along the way.

Delving deeper into the statistics, Antonio ranked among the top 10 midfielders for attempts (nine) over the past four Gameweeks, while only four of his counterparts mustered more shots inside the box (seven). Despite clocking almost half the pitch time of Payet (780 to 1394 minutes), the robust winger has tallied one more shot inside the box (14) at a superior shot frequency (41.1 minutes to 49.8), furnishing us with an alluring budget route into the Hammers’ attack.

Considering that the Irons are about to embark on a superb quartet of fixtures (AVL, sou, nor, SUN), which includes a home tie against Sunderland in Gameweek 27 – at a time when Man City, Everton, Liverpool and Newcastle face a blank – the platform is set for Antonio to flourish.

Christian Eriksen

Scoring for the first time since a free-kick double against Swansea City in Gameweek 8, Christian Eriksen (8.4) bagged a brace at home to Sunderland a fortnight ago, before serving up an assist in Tottenham’s Hotspur’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace. Were it not for the headline-grabbing exploits of Dele Alli, the Danish playmaker might well be attracting more interest on the Fantasy market ahead of a favourable pair of match-ups against Norwich and Watford.

Over the past four Gameweeks, Eriksen ranks joint-third among midfielders for attempts (13) and joint-top – with Alli – for accurate shots (seven). Taking the season as a whole, he places joint-third in terms of shots on target (21), underlining his influence in the final third. On the distribution front, no midfielder has racked up more key passes (19) since Gameweek 20, while he ranks third in that respect (65) this term.

Having tallied 13 more attempts (90) and seven more shots on target (31) than any team over the previous four Gameweeks, Spurs are well placed to punish a Norwich City outfit that ranks second for goals conceded (43) and top for big chances surrendered (57). Beyond that head-to-head, they’ll fancy their chances when Watford pay a visit, given that the Lilywhites have carded more shots on target (87) in home matches than the rest of the field.