On the face of it, last weekend seemed to return to type as the top three Fantasy Premier League points’ scorers had an average ownership of more than 15%. But they all happened to be defenders priced at £6.0m or less – or in John Lundstram’s (£4.8m) case, a midfielder that just happens to be listed as a defender.
In this climate of unexpected backline mega-hauls, the differentials also matched these tallies with double-digit points of their own from Lys Mousset (£4.9m) to Leandro Trossard (£5.8m).
This column’s picks also chipped in with attacking Fantasy returns for Christian Pulisic (£7.3m) and Sebastian Haller (£7.3m).
It’s time to look again at some other players that may be flying under the radar. Here are three differentials to have a think over for Gameweek 12:
Dele Alli
- Ownership: 0.8%
- Price: £8.4M
- GW12 fixture: Sheffield United (h)
It’s strange to think that a midfielder that has scored in excess of 40 Premier League goals over the past four seasons has an ownership of less than 1%.
In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that Dele Alli was a mainstay for FPL managers. However, form and fitness issues over the past 12 months have reduced his output and ultimately resulted in him losing his place in the England team.
Having said that, Alli has seemingly turned a corner with three full Premier League starts in a row that saw him score two goals for good measure.
Of course, it may seem a bit steep to purchase a player with his price tag after only recently returning to the first-team set-up.
But it can’t be discounted that, over the past four Gameweeks, only Pulisic and Ayoze Perez (£6.1m) have scored more goals than him among midfielders priced at £8.5m or less.
Alli’s two goals have come from three shots on target. While this highlights accuracy, the lacks of shots over 300 minutes is a minor concern.
Up next for Tottenham are Sheffield United. The newly-promoted team have proven their defensive credentials of late but they’ve conceded during their last two travels to the capital and Spurs’ attack will definitely challenge them.
Willian
- Ownership: 2.7%
- Price: £7.1M
- GW12 fixture: Crystal Palace (h)
Tammy Abraham (£7.9m) and Mason Mount (£6.9m) are currently among the most-owned players in Fantasy Premier League, while Pulisic has also demonstrated his worth of late.
But there’s a player from Chelsea’s old guard that is definitely worth considering if you’re looking for someone different.
Willian has started every Premier League game since Gameweek 5 and has also quietly racked up four attacking returns during his last five league outings.
Over the last six league games, he is ranked fourth for passes received in the final third (128) and sixth for touches in the final third (195) among midfielders priced at £7.5m or less.
Despite playing in an attack-minded team, the biggest concern with Willian is that Mount could offer more in terms of price per million with his marginally cheaper price.
Willian also takes set-pieces which adds to his appeal and he has averaged over ten attacking returns during the past four seasons, which shows his capabilities and importance to the team.
Chelsea this weekend face Crystal Palace, who have only kept one clean sheet in their past seven Premier League games. This should bode well for Willian and his teammates as Chelsea have scored 25 goals in 11 Premier League games this season.
Harvey Barnes
- Ownership: 1.0%
- Price: £5.9m
- GW12 fixture: Arsenal (h)
Leicester seem almost unbeatable of late under Brendan Rodgers.
For now, they reside at the top echelons of the Premier League table, as they were during their unexpected title-winning season.
If they are to challenge the status quo again, then it will be players like Harvey Barnes who could make the difference in terms of durability across the season.
His FPL ownership is a fraction of Jamie Vardy’s (£9.4m) and yet Barnes has also chipped in by registering 23 points in his last three games. That’s no mean feat for a player priced at less than £6m, especially one that has proven to play across multiple midfield positions.
In his last six games, Barnes has had more touches in the final third than the likes of Son Heung-min (£9.6m) and Andriy Yarmolenko (£6.0m).
Barnes has also exceeded his attacking returns from last season in half the minutes played.
It’s clear that he’s getting better and could be a genuine fourth or fifth midfield option for those FPL managers that can’t afford the likes of James Maddison (£7.4m) or Youri Tielemans (£6.6m).
Leicester currently boast the third-best home record in the Premier League and on Saturday face an Arsenal team that have only won one away league match this season and are struggling to keep clean sheets.
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