Once again differentials had a lot of success in Gameweek 31+.
The likes of Eddie Nketiah (£4.4m), Christian Pulisic (£6.9m), Matt Ritchie (£5.3m) and one of last week’s selections, James Justin (£4.7m), all delivered for their owners, suggesting there is still value to be found.
This time, we focus on three low-owned picks, all of whom have an ownership of 5% or less, who we like the look of for Gameweek 32+ and beyond.
Jarrod Bowen
- FPL ownership: 0.1%
- Price: £6.4m
- GW32+ – 36+ fixtures: CHE | new | BUR | nor | WAT
Jarrod Bowen (£6.4m) has enjoyed a promising start to life at West Ham United.
Having arrived at the London Stadium in January from Hull City, where he registered 16 and six assists goals in 29 Championship appearances this season, Bowen does not look out of place in the Premier League.
He’s now started four back-to-back matches for the Hammers, scoring his first goal on his first start against Southampton in Gameweek 28, and went close on Tuesday against Tottenham Hotspur, with one effort blocked and another rattling the post.
Following a second consecutive defeat, David Moyes’ side remain precariously above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
However, until they were forced to chase the game at Spurs, they were well drilled and limited their opponents to just a few chances, and the return of Sébastien Haller (£6.8m) from a hip problem could give them a sharper edge going forward.
Despite a tricky tie against Chelsea on Wednesday, the Blues will have played twice since the Hammers last played a game, and the real appeal lies in Bowen’s fixtures to follow, which includes promising home matches against Burnley, Watford and Aston Villa.
With a crucial run of games coming up, 23-year-old Bowen can make a real impact, and could be a bargain at just £6.4m.
Gabriel Jesus
- FPL ownership: 3.8%
- Price: £9.6m
- GW32+ – 36+ fixtures: LIV | sou | NEW | bha | BOU
With Sergio Agüero (£11.7m) facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Gabriel Jesus (£9.6m) looks set to profit, which hands FPL managers an intriguing, and potentially explosive differential for the run-in.
Ahead of last night’s match against Chelsea, Pep Guardiola revealed the Brazilian forward was carrying a knock which prevented him from starting, but having appeared from the bench in the second half, he should be fit and raring to go when Liverpool visit on Thursday.
This campaign has felt a lot like previous ones for Jesus – almost half of his appearances have come from the bench, yet he has still racked up 18 goals in all competitions, and has the second highest xG per 90 of players who have registered 200+ minutes. Whilst it can be difficult to draw strong conclusions from that data (he doesn’t start as many of the big games as others), it does demonstrate his ability to get into good shooting positions.
Like Bowen, this is a move with fixtures from Gameweek 33+ in mind, when the highest ranked team Manchester City will face is Newcastle United in 13th.
Jesus has never been able to hold down a spot in the City starting XI due to the brilliance of Agüero, but now has seven Premier League matches to impress, and although it’s unlikely Guardiola will start him in every game until the end of the season, he will certainly get more chances, and could be an ideal gamble for those willing to roll the dice.
Abdoulaye Doucouré
- FPL ownership: 2.2%
- Price: £5.6m
- GW32+ – 36+ fixtures: SOU | che | NOR | NEW | whu
27-year-old midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré (£5.6m) joined Watford from Rennes in 2016 and has been one of their most consistent performers since.
Whilst he’s been coached by five different managers during that time, some of his best performances have arrived this season when playing in a more advanced midfield role. Manager Nigel Pearson pushed the Frenchman further up the pitch in his first match in charge, and he’s largely stayed there, registering three goals and three assists.
Doucouré was close adding to his tally in Gameweek 30+ against Leicester City, when he missed a great opportunity to open the scoring, and despite dropping to the bench last night, the feeling amongst supporters is that it was purely for rotation purposes, bearing in mind it was Watford’s second game in five days.
Watford need a reaction against Southampton on Sunday and will want to be safe by Gameweek 37+ when they face a Manchester City side who have beaten them 6-0 and 8-0 in their previous two encounters.
You get the feeling the Hornets’ season will be defined by their next three home matches, which sees them take on Norwich City and Newcastle United after the Saints.
The task of avoiding relegation won’t be easy for Watford but they have enough quality to survive and, whilst many FPL managers will turn to Ismaïla Sarr (£6.3m), Doucouré is an interesting, cheaper alternative who has the ability to thrive.
