Editor’s note – This article was submitted 10:30am January 30th so could not go up before the Gameweek 21 deadline. As this is part of a series, we will not be updating the statistics and prices present in an effort to not disrupt any further articles that may already be planned out.
In Fantasy Premier League, a competition where scoring points are crucial, players like Bruno Fernandes (£11.4m), Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) and Harry Kane (£11.1m) are highly-owned, and for a reason. They score a lot of points, whether it be from goalscoring, keeping clean sheets, assisting or racking up lots of bonus points through the bonus points system. These players are considered the ‘template’ and have very high ownership (Heung-Min Son (£9.8m) is owned by around 60% of the managers). However, the difference in rank and total points are made by captain choices, and mainly, the differentials, those that are lesser-owned by managers but have the potential to haul points. To gain rank quickly, owning these differentials are high-risk high-reward options, i.e., these differentials have a relatively low chance of getting good points, but reward their owners handsomely when they do pull of a haul.
Considering that we have hit Gameweek 19, with half of the season completed, it would be optimal to find out the best differentials in the game. Differentials will have ownership of 5% or below, and the team will follow the 100.0 million point restriction and a maximum of 3 players per team. The formation used will be a 3-5-2. Part 1 will look at the defenders and goalkeepers while Part 2 will look at the midfielders and forwards.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski – 5.1 million – West Ham United
Fabianski has been immense in goal this season, keeping seven clean sheets and getting in 79 points, putting him at the joint fourth best goalkeeper in the league. What is very surprising is his ownership of 4.1%. Despite being one of the better goalkeepers in the league, with a solid West Ham defence in front of him, he has not been a very popular pick. Nevertheless, considering his solid goalkeeping, he is a great goalkeeping option for the team.
Defenders
Jannik Vestergaard – 4.7 million- Southampton
Jannik Vestergaard, Southampton’s Danish centre-back, has been tremendous in defence, especially with his aerial ability. The Dane stands at two metres tall and has been heavily involved in six out of Southampton’s eight clean sheets. While these clean sheets have been a massive source of his 63 points, he has scored three goals so far this season, making him Southampton’s fourth-best goalscorer. All of his goals have come from imperious headers and has been great in general in winning headers, whether it be in his own box or in his opponents. His ownership is currently 3.5%, but there could be a decrease in ownership due to his recent injury.
Angelo Ogbonna – 5.0 million – West Ham
Angelo Ogbonna, the Italian centre-back that arrived in the 2015/16 season from Juventus, has proven his worth for the Hammers this season so far. He has been involved in the attack with two decisive goals against Leeds United and Aston Villa, both headers from set-pieces. He has also made 6.1 interceptions per game and competed in 13.5 duels per game, 5 of those being aerial duels. He has maintained six clean sheets, making him a great source of points. His 73 points this season are indicative of his, and West Ham’s form, making him a good option for his price, and at an ownership of 3.0%, he looks to be a great differential option to reap the benefits of West Ham’s defence.
Matty Cash – 5.0 million – Aston Villa
After a spectacular season of three goals and five assists at Nottingham Forest in the 2019/20 season, Aston Villa snapped up the 23-year-old for 16 million Euros, and he’s been consistently solid this season as well. So far, he sits on 62 points, one lower Vestergaard and more than other popular options such as Reece James season. Cash has created two goals but hasn’t scored for Villa, yet. He assisted Grealish in their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and one against Chelsea. He attempts three crosses per game and makes one key pass per game. He also maintained eight clean sheets, courtesy of a solid defence alongside him, Emiliano Martinez’s heroics and Villa’s tactics in defence. Surprisingly, Matty Cash is owned only by 1.2% of Fantasy Premier League managers, and if one is looking for a great differential defender with attacking returns and clean sheet potential, Cash is a no-brainer.
