Spot the Differential – Gameweek 1

Our Saturday morning regular returns to hand Fantasy managers a trio of overlooked protagonists to consider as we fine-tune our starting line-ups. Arsenal and Everton’s plum home ties bring a couple of midfielders into contention, whilst the Saints’ Serbian playmaker will be looking to pull the strings at St James’ on Sunday afternoon.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Having featured prominently in the first half of the previous campaign, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a series of groin and hamstring injuries that limited him to just four league starts this year. Now fit and firing, the winger’s sumptuous winner against Chelsea last Sunday could well augur a breakthrough campaign and surely cements a start at home to West Ham.

With Arsene Wenger expected to name the same XI that started in the Community Shield, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s looks poised to supply ammunition for Theo Walcott on either flank. No Gunners player fashioned more attempts at goal (two) against Chelsea’s typically resolute rearguard that afternoon, with the England international claiming his second goal in three pre-season ties.

Showing signs of the form he showcased in Europe earlier this year, the 6.0-priced midfielder could cash in against a West Ham United outfit that fell to a 3-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture last season – indeed, the visitors managed just two clean sheets on their travels in 2014/15. Another strong performance this weekend will certainly give Wenger a real headache when Alexis Sanchez is fully fit but, if the Gunners boss chooses to ease the Chilean into contention, Oxlade-Chamberlain could well keep his spot for the enticing head-to-head against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 2.

Dusan Tadic

Although Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane (both 8.0) have understandably taken centre stage as Fantasy managers look to exploit Southampton’s agreeable early schedule (new, EVE, wat, NOR, wba), Dusan Tadic (7.0) shouldn’t be overlooked as a viable source of attacking returns.

The Serbian playmaker got off to a breathless start in his debut Saints campaign, tallying one goal and seven assists by Gameweek 8. Although his form and playing time somewhat tailed off the in the second half of the season, there’s hope he can rediscover his groove with a year’s experience under his belt – certainly, Tadic’s displays in pre-season, which included a hat-trick of assists against Groningen, bode well for a quick start

Tadic’s underlying statistics hold up well under the microscope, too. The ex-FC Twente midfielder’s shot frequency (37.5 minutes per attempt) nearly matched Mane’s (40.6), while his key pass frequency (31.6 minutes) was only surpassed by Mesut Ozil and a trio of Manchester City midfielders (Samir Nasri, David Silva and Jesus Navas). Couple this with the fact that Tadic is Saints’ first-choice penalty taker and enjoys a share of their free-kicks and corners, and he’s shaping up to offer great value in his price bracket.

Kevin Mirallas

Amid rumours that the Belgian winger was angling for a move away from Goodison Park this summer, Kevin Mirallas (7.0) penned a new deal with the Toffees on Friday afternoon. Although the Belgian is a slight doubt for the home clash against Watford, Roberto Martinez’ confidence over his availability looks ominous for the Hornets.

Despite clocking just 1420 minutes last term, Mirallas still managed to amass seven goals and one assist – among the league’s full roster of regular midfield starters, only Alexis Sanchez (192.4) and Sadio Mane (204.3) bettered this minutes per goal average (213.7 minutes). Factor in Mirallas’ free-kick proficiency and it’s manifest that he could flourish into a key performer in the mid-price bracket if afforded a prolonged run of starts – an easier task in the absence of former loanee Aaron Lennon.

Certainly, one look at the schedule from Gameweek 2 onwards suggests Everton’s assets may be best left alone. For those prepared for a one-week punt, though, Mirallas could well be worth a gamble against a less-than stellar defence that shipped 50 goals in the Championship. Considering that the most popular picks at his price point (Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Nacer Chadli) face tougher Gameweek 1 match-ups, Mirallas could emerge as a profitable alternative as Martinez’ men look to get three points on the board.