Gameweek 12 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is just hours away, which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more differential options.
This time, we’ve selected low-owned picks at Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool, who we think have the potential to make an impact.
As always, to qualify, the player must have an ownership of five per cent or less at the time of writing.
MATT DOHERTY
- FPL ownership: 0.8%
- Price: £4.6m
- GW12-16 fixtures: mun | NEW | bou | LIV | LEE
Matt Doherty (£4.6m) has had to bide his time at Tottenham Hotspur this season, as Emerson Royal (£4.9m) has been Antonio Conte’s preferred right wing-back.
However, the Irishman has now started two consecutive Premier League games in the absence of the suspended Brazilian, which has coincided with back-to-back wins and clean sheets.
Asked about the performance of Doherty against Everton, Conte said it was the best he had seen the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man this season.
“I’m really happy for Matthew. He played a good game against Brighton but today he was better. He was good against Brighton but today I saw Matt Doherty of last season. I said to him ‘now finally you are the player I know’.” – Antonio Conte
In his last two appearances, Doherty has frequently got forward to contribute in the final third, racking up three shots in the box.
Now, he is expected to start again against Manchester United in Gameweek 12, before Emerson returns from his ban. However, if Doherty keeps performing at his current level, it’s hard to see the Brazilian breaking back into the starting XI for appealing fixtures against Newcastle United (h) and Bournemouth (a).
Doherty, of course, had the best minutes-per-expected goals (xG) average of any FPL defender after Conte’s appointment last season, and given how sharp he’s looked of late, can provide excellent value.
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
- FPL ownership: 2.2%
- Price: £4.4m
- GW12-16 fixtures: bre | MUN | bha | ARS | new
Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.4m) has kept four clean sheets in a row in all competitions, quickly emerging as a key player under Graham Potter.
At Villa Park on Sunday, the Spaniard produced a string of fine saves, including an outstanding reaction stop to deny Danny Ings (£6.7m) what looked a certain goal. In total, he made a whopping seven saves, returning 10 points for his small army of owners.
In his post-match interview, Potter hailed Kepa’s display.
“It was a world-class performance, especially in the first half. We needed Kepa at that point and he made some fantastic saves. I’m really pleased for him, he has had a tough period for us at times but he contributed to the game.” – Graham Potter
Despite only playing in three league matches this season, Kepa has already prevented more goals than any other ‘keeper with his saves. Indeed, his +3.20 xG prevented figure is ahead of closest rivals Alisson (£5.4m, +2.80) and Neto (£4.5m), +2.60).
It is worth noting that Potter is yet to explicitly state Kepa is his number one, but Edouard Mendy’s (£4.9m) dip in form, plus the Spaniard’s distribution and ability to play as an extra defender, suggests it’s his jersey to lose.
Kepa has provided the platform for Chelsea’s five wins a row, and at just £4.4m, is an excellent replacement for those managers wishing to sell Ederson (£5.5m) or Aaron Ramsdale (£4.9m) in Gameweek 12.
ANDREW ROBERTSON
- FPL ownership: 4.5%
- Price: £6.7m
- GW12-16 fixtures: WHU | nfo | LEE | tot | SOU
Andrew Robertson (£6.7m) returned from injury on Sunday, which coincided with Liverpool’s first clean sheet since Gameweek 6 as they ran out 1-0 winners over Manchester City.
In addition to nullifying Joao Cancelo (£7.3m) down City’s right flank, he also offered a constant threat going forward.
Indeed, among all teammates, only Roberto Firmino (£8.1m) received more passes in the final third (13), with the Scot attempting five crosses and one shot in the box. He also shared corners with James Milner (£4.4m), which offers another route to points in the coming rounds.
The obvious concern is rotation, having just returned from injury. However, Jurgen Klopp will be keen to stick with Sunday’s winning formula and there are potential clean sheets against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Southampton before we pause for the winter World Cup.
It’s also worth noting that Liverpool’s next two opponents, West Ham and Forest, sit among the bottom four sides for crosses and chances conceded from their right flank in 2022/23, so there are nice zonal matchups to take advantage of too.
Liverpool’s full-backs have been keen to their success in recent times, and given their upcoming fixtures, Robertson could be an effective under-the-radar pick.
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