Gameweek 17 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is almost upon us, which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some differential options for the restart.
This time, we’ve selected low-owned picks at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, who we think have the potential to make an impact.
As always, to qualify, the player must have an ownership of 5% or less at the time of writing.
EDDIE NKETIAH
- FPL ownership: 0.9%
- Price: £6.5m
- GW17-21 fixtures: WHU | bha | NEW | tot | MUN
The game-time prospects of Eddie Nketiah (£6.5m) have been elevated after Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) picked up a knee injury while away at the World Cup. Mikel Arteta has yet to put a timeframe on his absence but widespread reports suggest the Brazilian striker could be out for up to three months.
Nketiah has led the line in each of Arsenal’s five mid-season friendlies, scoring twice. He also had a further two goals ruled out against Juventus last weekend.
The 23-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game this season, but his performances towards the end of 2021/22 offer encouragement that he can step up. From Gameweek 33 onwards, he was the Gunners’ first-choice striker, replacing Alexandre Lacazette as the team chased a top-four spot. In that time, he started all of Arsenal’s final eight league matches, scoring five goals. He also registered more shots inside the box (18), big chances (five) and efforts on target (12) than any team-mate.
As for Arsenal, the fixtures are so-so, but only Manchester City have scored on more occasions and registered a higher xG than them this season, while they have already breached the defences of four ‘big six’ teams. Their confirmed Double Gameweek 23 is another good reason for investment.
Nketiah is a sub-£7.0m route into the division’s second-best attack, and with an ownership of just 0.9%, is a tempting differential for Gameweek 17 and beyond.
MATT DOHERTY
- FPL ownership: 0.5%
- Price: £4.6m
- GW17-21 fixtures: bre | AVL | cry | ARS + MCI | ful
Matt Doherty (£4.6m) has been one of Tottenham Hotspur’s standout performers during the World Cup break, scoring four goals in three friendlies.
The Republic of Ireland international endured a frustrating first part of the season and was restricted to just three starts as he struggled to recapture his top form following injury.
However, he recently spoke about his fitness, whilst touching upon his ability to contribute both goals and assists.
“Physically I’m in a very good place right now. Probably in the best condition I’ve been in for a long time. My knee feels pretty good, I have no injury concerns at all. I’m just ready to attack the second half of the season and see how that goes.” – Matt Doherty
“Yeah, as a wing-back, especially the way we want to play, the wing-back is very important. You’ve got to create and score goals. I’ve always backed myself to do that over my career. If you see my record for goals it is quite good, even when I was at Wolves. I want to contribute as much as I can. I know that if you are playing in that position you have to be producing at the top end of the pitch.” – Matt Doherty
Doherty was even among three players Antonio Conte singled out for special praise in a recent interview.
“I think that we exploit very well this period, especially for players like Skippy, Bissouma, and for Matt Doherty.” – Antonio Conte
Spurs’ push for a top-four finish resumes at Brentford on Boxing Day, with fixtures against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to follow before the FA Cup third round. A provisional Double Gameweek 20, meanwhile, sees them sit second on our Season Ticker between Gameweeks 17 and 21.
Given his good mid-season form, Doherty should be more involved during the festive period, especially in Gameweek 17, with doubts around the availability of fellow wing-backs Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) and Ryan Sessegnon (£4.5m).
BRUNO FERNANDES
- FPL ownership: 2.6%
- Price: £9.8m
- GW17-21 fixtures: NFO | wol | BOU | MCI | ars
On the back of a stellar showing at the World Cup, Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) was equally influential against Burnley in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Playing behind the striker in Erik ten Hag’s 4-2-3-1 formation, the playmaker was always looking for opportunities in the final third, and it was his pass that unlocked the Clarets’ defence and enabled Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m) to tee up Christian Eriksen (£6.3m).
Fernandes’ two goals and two assists in the first 16 Gameweeks aren’t anywhere near as impressive as when he first arrived at the club. However, the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, combined with a kind run of opponents, could potentially see him make an impact during the festive period, especially if he reclaims penalty-taking duties.
It’s also worth noting that only Kevin De Bruyne (£12.6m) has created more ‘big chances’ than Fernandes this season.
As for Man Utd, their first three fixtures back are against Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth, all of whom are in the bottom eight for shots conceded in 2022/23. First up is Steve Cooper’s side, who kept three clean sheets in their final five league matches before the World Cup, but also received a 5-0 thumping from Arsenal during that run.
Fernandes was one of the best FPL assets in the game pre-Ronaldo and is an intriguing differential for the restart with his ownership currently sitting at just 2.6%.
