Everton, Brentford and Aston Villa midfielders are on our differentials radar in Gameweek 24.
At the time of writing, these three players all have an ownership of 2.0% or less in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
JESPER LINDSTROM
- FPL ownership: 0.1%
- Price: £5.0m
- GW24-28 fixtures: LEI + LIV | cry | MUN | bre | wol
While he has been unable to produce any attacking returns under David Moyes so far, Jesper Lindstrom (£5.0m) has played his part in Everton’s recent revival.
The Danish international has registered five key passes and 0.6 expected assists (xA) in the last three Gameweeks, the most of any Everton player.
In Double Gameweek 24, he’ll first come up against a Leicester City side that rank bottom for key passes conceded and second-bottom for crosses conceded from their left flank since the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Playing in a hybrid winger/wing-back role, Lindstrom – who is on a season-long loan from Napoli – has plenty of license to break forward and create, with 35.5% of Everton’s chances created under Moyes arriving from his flank.
His ball-carrying ability on the counter-attack will be a key weapon against Liverpool, too, so there is potential for returns in Double Gameweek 24.
Beyond that, Everton have a confirmed home match against West Ham United in Blank Gameweek 29, so for those not playing the Free Hit chip, investing in their players now can also help further down the line.
Lindstrom is unsurprisingly sat in just 0.1% of FPL squads but he looks an interesting prospect, especially for those looking to roll the dice on a real midfield differential.
MIKKEL DAMSGAARD
- FPL ownership: 1.4%
- Price: £5.0m
- GW24-28 fixtures: TOT | whu | lei | EVE | AVL
With a home clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Brentford playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.0m) is worth a look for our five-man midfields.
The Danish international assisted his seventh goal of the season in last week’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, producing an eye-catching four key passes.
Spurs are ranked second-bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC) since the start of November. They have also shipped 18 goals in seven league matches, making the clash that little bit more favourable for Damsgaard.
You’d expect Brentford to score at least a couple, too, given that their 29 goals scored at home this season is more than anyone else.
Off the ball, Damsgaard often finds himself in pockets of space. This could be particularly problematic for Spurs on Sunday, given their lack of a true defensive midfielder to successfully manage the space in front of their backline.
The match-up looks very promising, then, and with favourable fixtures against West Ham and Leicester City to follow, Damsgaard could be a superb differential.
“This season, he is starting to show what we believed we’d get from him. We knew that wouldn’t happen straight away because of the time he was out before he came here, but it ended up being longer than expected – both for him and us.
“Mikkel was then unlucky with another injury but, after two years of relatively consistent training and a good environment – and with patience both ways – we are now seeing the fruit of the work.
“He has been one of our best players this season; we are very dangerous when he is playing. But there is more to come from Mikkel. It has been half a season, now he needs to perform for a full season. We need to add layers, but I am happy with what he is doing.” – Thomas Frank on Mikkel Damsgaard
JACOB RAMSEY
- FPL ownership: 0.3%
- Price: £5.4m
- GW24-28 fixtures: wol | IPS + LIV? (potential DGW) | CHE | cry | bre
Following an impressive individual display in Aston Villa’s 4-2 win over Celtic on Wednesday, we’ve opted to include Jacob Ramsey (£5.4m) among our trio of differentials.
The 23-year-old provided a pair of assists against Brendan Rogers’ side, had a shot deflected onto the post, and most importantly, played a key role in Villa’s attack, with five key passes in total.
Under Unai Emery, Ramsey takes up a narrow position on the left, looking to attack the space in behind the opposition defence.
It clearly suits his profile, having scored his first league goal of the season against West Ham in Gameweek 23.
“I think two or three years ago I played in a different position under this boss. I was more box-to-box with late runs. Now I am linking in the final-third with the midfielders. My game is to run past people, be powerful, explosive and get goals.” – Jacob Ramsey
Looking at Gameweek 24, Ramsey could take advantage against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that has conceded 12 goals in their last five matches.
Mario Lemina (£4.8m) is also set to depart Molineux and Joao Gomes (£4.9m) is suspended, adding to the appeal of Villa’s attackers.
With a potential Double Gameweek 25 to follow against Ipswich Town and Liverpool, both at home, Ramsey could therefore thrive now he is back to his best.
