We are just over halfway into Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2023/24, so we know all about the template and popular picks.
However, there are plenty of intriguing low-owned players still to be found, who could potentially help you fly up the rankings.
In this article, we asked some of our Fantasy Football Scout pundits to name one under-the-radar player who they think can make an impact in the second half of the season.
Sometimes, the picks are backed up by data, but on other occasions, it is more a matter of eye test.
PRAS
- Player: Andrew Robertson
- Position: Defender
- Price: £6.4m
- Ownership: 2.2%
“Every season there is one team that goes deep across all competitions, causing several blanks and doubles along the way. This year, it seems to be Liverpool. At the time of writing, they are likely to be in the 5th round of the FA Cup and the final of the Carabao Cup.
“For teams like this, it is important to have a glue guy who you can rely on for the doubles – and for Liverpool (in addition to the obvious Salah and Alexander-Arnold – if fit), that man could be Andrew Robertson once he is back from injury.
“Liverpool’s defence has been top three under most metrics this season and adding a second defender, who at £6.4m, a mere £0.5m and £0.1m more than Porro and van Dijk respectively, is on my radar.
“Before his injury, he was taking corners and some set pieces from the left which makes his appeal greater. He could be a shrewd third pick when the attackers – despite their explosiveness, could see rotation again once Salah is fit and back.”
HIBBO
- Player: Ivan Toney
- Position: Forward
- Price: £8.0m
- Ownership: 3.8%
“The returning Ivan Toney threatens to break the FPL frontline template for the second half of the season, with the Brentford marksman currently owned by less than 5% of top 10k managers.
“Last season’s third-highest goalscorer (20) showed no signs of rustiness in the Bees’ 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest – with Toney opening the scoring to help move Thomas Frank’s side up to 14th.
“A glance at the player data table from last term shows Toney place in the top five for both big chances (33) and expected goals (xG, 18.79).
“These strong underlying numbers coupled with Toney’s status as a minutes monster, and his penalty and free-kick duties, make the Brentford talisman an obvious but differential pick.
“While the immediate fixture run for Thomas Frank’s side is difficult, with Manchester City home and away, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in their next five, Brentford ‘double’ in Gameweek 26 and are guaranteed to play in Blank Gameweek 29.”
AZ
- Player: Alejandro Garnacho
- Position: Midfielder
- Price: £4.8m
- Ownership: 5.6%
“I’m going to back Garnacho as the best ‘enabler’ over the second half of the season.
“An xGI NP/90 of 0.41 is a decent number for the £4.8m United man. His Touches IB/90 and shots/90 is amongst the best in the league and if you’re more of an eye test manager, then his goal against Everton is surely all you need.
“With many of us moving to a 3-4-3 to accomodate Haaland, Watkins, Toney, Solanke etc – and the need to free up funds to bring Salah back – Garnacho looks a great player to target.”
TOPMARX
- Player: Diogo Jota
- Position: Midfielder
- Price: £7.9m
- Ownership: 7.0%
“I’m not sure that after a 19-point haul, equalling his career-best score in Fantasy, that Diogo Jota counts as ‘under-the-radar’ but if you don’t own him, he’s the player at the top of the shopping list.
“He’s favoured by this site’s Rate My Team tool over the next six Gameweeks, ranking third among all players. Indeed, with his expected minutes increasing ahead of the Gameweek 21 deadline, the RMT had him in second spot behind Cole Palmer for the current round of matches.
“A word on his finishing, because he is undoubtedly running hot at the moment with seven goals from 3.2 xG; he averaged 0.18 xG per shot last term, the best rate among Liverpool’s regular attackers, and needed just 0.90 xG to score one goal. Those numbers suggest that he’s a good finisher and, while he’s unlikely to keep over-performing to such a degree, an increase in his xG to help compensate for any regression isn’t out of the question.
“Jota could prove a useful asset even after AFCON finishes. Cast your mind back to the previous edition of the tournament in 2021/22, Salah was on fire before he left, racking up 177 points over the opening 21 Gameweeks, returning 8.9 points per match (ppm). That rate dropped to 5.9ppm when he came back. Eye-catching double-figure hauls against Leeds and Man Utd aside, he wasn’t the same force of nature he had been in the first half of the season.
“Who knows what will happen this time but Salah, at 31 years of age, isn’t getting any younger, and a fit and firing Jota could certainly help ease his return.”
LATERISER
- Player: Rasmus Hojlund
- Position: Forward
- Price: £6.8m
- Ownership: 3.4%
“Being a Manchester United fan, I thought I’d weigh in about my team who are about to gain three first team players in Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez. One thing this immediately does is improve the way United play out from the back and it’s a huge upgrade of ball playing ability compared to Jonny Evans, Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who the above three players will be replacing.
“Combine that with the fact that Erik ten Hag has finally found his best front three in Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, and I expect United’s form to improve. That said, consider this a case of moving from below par to par instead of going above par because simply put, the players at our disposal are the kind that would finish between 5th and 10th in the league.
“Rashford has shown some signs of form and Garnacho is the best player we’ve had on the right wing this season. Garnacho’s creativity has surprised me as has his ability on his left foot. All of the above factors considered, I’m going to be going with my gut on this one and ignore the two midfield assets who are priced above £8.0m (Rashford and Bruno Fernandes) and instead pick out Rasmus Hojlund as the one to benefit from the ‘balance in the team’.
“Visibly, I see him forming a good relationship with Marcus Rashford on the pitch as well and if we don’t have any more first-team injuries, I expect Manchester United to have a slightly better second half of the season and Rasmus Hojlund to offer more than enough value for his £6.8m price tag. Martial is perma-injured which means Hojlund should play more 90 minutes and I’m not fully confident Rashford and Bruno will do justice to their outlay.”
NEALE
- Player: Sven Botman
- Position: Defender
- Price: £4.5m
- Ownership: 5.5%
“Sven Botman is not an under-the-radar pick in terms of being an undiscovered gem; it’s more that injury, Newcastle United’s form and Double Gameweek targets from other clubs have put him low down Fantasy shopping lists.
“He is currently in just 1.9% of squads in the top 100k. The Dutchman was a staple of many early-season FPL teams, when faith in the Newcastle backline was still unwavering.
“Despite their issues, Newcastle still sit joint-third in the Premier League for clean sheets.
“The two main reasons/excuses for their wobbly form have been injuries and fixture congestion. With sidelined players slowly starting to re-emerge and the Magpies now eliminated from Europe, I do expect a bit of a rally from Eddie Howe’s side in the second half of the season.
“They’re still a long way from the levels we saw in 2022/23, and I doubt we’ll see those again. But I expect those alarming underlying numbers, plus results, to improve after the winter break respite.
“Howe is said to be meticulous in his pre-match preparation and I think one of the issues we’ve seen this campaign is the relentless frequency of the fixtures, allowing just a couple of days of groundwork rather than a full week. The lack of regular midweek fixtures may help there – and also assist with energy levels, as we’ve seen many Newcastle players running on fumes over Christmas.
“There are some nice fixtures for Botman and co from Gameweek 23 onwards, while the Netherlands international will also get semi-regular chances from set plays.
“If Kieran Trippier leaves, of course, then there’ll be a stampede for Tino Livramento.
“The soon-to-be-fit-again Harvey Barnes is also someone I’ll be monitoring if Miguel Almiron departs, as we could see the former Leicester winger and Anthony Gordon operating down the flanks in the remaining few months.
“Away from my beloved Magpies, Luke Shaw will soon be back from injury at Manchester United. The Red Devils are also out of Europe and with the likes of him and Lisandro Martinez newly available, I’d anticipate an upturn in their defensive returns in the coming months. A taker of the occasional corner, Shaw is also capable of chipping in with attacking returns at the other end of the field.”
TOM FREEMAN/ZOPHAR
- Player: Mohammed Kudus
- Position: Midfielder
- Price: £6.8m
- Ownership: 3.3%
“There’s no doubt West Ham have struggled for goals in January. It’s only when you analyse the stats that the importance of Mohammed Kudus becomes so apparent: in the three games he started prior to AFCON, the Hammers grabbed seven goals against Arsenal, Man Utd and Wolves, whereas without Kudus in their starting XI (and Lucas Paqueta to be fair), they have scored two goals in two matches.
“Bearing in mind Kudus produced four goals, seven bonus and a total of 41 points between Gameweeks 14 and 19, his return will be vital as David Moyes’ side look to replicate the form which saw them defeat Arsenal, Man Utd, Wolves and Spurs in December.
“After Ghana’s 2-2 draw with Mozambique on Tuesday, Kudus could be back in time for the Gameweek 22 visit of Bournemouth. Even beyond the Cherries, I think West Ham’s counter-attacking style could cause problems against Man Utd and Arsenal. The fact Kudus and Jarrod Bowen have formed such a good understanding, often interchanging positions, only reinforces that.
“Priced at £6.8m, Kudus looks an intriguing mid-price option for those seeking an alternative to the far more popular Bowen.” – Tom Freeman
“Kudus’ departure for the African Cup of Nations came at an unfortunate time for West Ham with the winger scoring three goals in as many matches prior.
“With Bowen now significantly more expensive than his starting price, I think Kudus has potential to be the best pick in the the under £7.0m price bracket and is currently owned by just 3.3% of FPL managers.
“I expect that number to go up very soon.” – Zophar
