Three differentials for Double Gameweek 34

This weekly series puts the spotlight on three players who all have an ownership of 5% or under in Fantasy Premier League.

The end of the season is in sight and for those Fantasy managers chasing a mini-league deficit or seeking a short-term measure to improve their overall rank, a considered differential pick – or a crazed maverick selection – could have a significant impact.

One of our selections below has two Double Gameweeks to enjoy over the next fortnight, while all three have favourable fixtures this weekend.

Anthony Knockaert (£5.2m)

FPL ownership: 1.1%

There are some considerable downsides to Knockaert as a Double Gameweek 34 pick, not least Brighton’s lack of goals and the imminent return to fitness of Pascal Gross (£6.7m).

Knockaert’s dominance at set-piece situations will soon be threatened, then, but the hope for anyone taking a punt on the Frenchman is that Gross is perhaps not quite fit enough to feature from the start in the coming days.

With the likes of Shane Duffy (£4.8m) to aim at, Knockaert has taken more successful corners than any other midfielder in their last four matches.

Rotation is always a possibility with Chris Hughton having a wealth of options to choose from but the Seagulls boss has generally favoured stability in the wide areas for extended periods of the season and Knockaert has started six of the last seven games in all competitions, performing well against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.

The budget winger is Brighton’s leading assist-maker (six) this season and even if he only gets one start and a substitute appearance in Gameweek 34, the favourable nature of Albion’s fixtures could still reap Fantasy points.

Anthony Martial (£7.2m)

FPL ownership: 3.9%

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer promised “a couple of changes” in his pre-match press conference on Friday, citing Martial and Jesse Lingard (£6.7m) among the players who were benched against Barcelona in midweek as two who could potentially start against West Ham.

The Hammers are winless in seven on the road and no club has conceded more big chances either this season or in their last six matches.

When filtered by their last six matches, only two FPL midfielders have had more big chances than Martial and just four have had more shots on target – this despite the fact that the Frenchman has featured as a substitute in half of those appearances.

Seamus Coleman (£5.2m)

FPL ownership: 1.5%

With 42 points in five appearances, Coleman is the highest-scoring FPL defender in the last six Gameweeks.

Everton have kept five clean sheets in their last six Premier League games but the trip to Fulham offers the chance of returns at the other end of the pitch, too.

The Cottagers have conceded two or more goals in every single one of their Premier League games in 2019, while Scott Parker’s side have scored on just two occasions themselves in their last four at Craven Cottage.

Coleman has created eight opportunities in his last six appearances, two of them “big chances”.

From an eye test perspective, Coleman and Richarlison (£6.5m) appear to have struck up a good partnership down the right flank and combined well on several occasions in the 2-0 win over Arsenal.

Set-piece specialist Lucas Digne (£5.3m) perhaps remains the most attractive route into the Everton backline but Coleman has outscored his team-mate in FPL in 2019 despite playing three fewer games.