Gameweek 6 is almost upon us which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more Fantasy Premier League (FPL) differential options.
This time, weโve selected low-owned picks at Southampton, West Ham United and Everton who we think have the potential to make an impact.
As always, to qualify, the player must have an ownership of 5% or less at the time of writing.
ADAM ARMSTRONG
- FPL ownership: 3.0%
- Price: ยฃ6.0m
- GW6-10 fixtures: WOL | che | LEE | BUR | wat
Adam Armstrong (ยฃ6.0m) has made a promising start at Southampton after joining for a reported ยฃ15m in August.
The 24-year-old took the Championship by storm last season and was second in the scoring charts with 28 goals in 40 appearances. He also registered 189 shots, more than any other player in the English leagues.
Now at Saints, he will need time to adapt to top-flight football, but has already scored against Everton and supplied an assist at Newcastle United. He also thought heโd won his side a penalty at Manchester City last weekend, only for it to be overturned by the referee at his pitch-side monitor. Blanks have arrived in three of his five fixtures, then, but it is worth noting the opposition that he is faced during that time, which has also included games against Manchester United and West Ham United.
Despite those tricky fixtures, his underlying numbers remain solid. Amongst all forwards, he ranks second for shots (16) – only trailingย Michail Antonioย (ยฃ7.9m) – with 11 of those attempts arriving inside the box. His 1.46 expected goals (xG) total, however, is trumped by 11 others.
Following last weekendโs 2-0 loss at home to Brentford, itโs hard to know which Wolverhampton Wanderers will turn up in Gameweek 6. The Molineux outfit’s defensive numbers have generally been good this season, but they have managed just one clean sheet during that time. A move for Armstrong also feels like more of a long-term play, given his fixtures from Gameweeks 8 to 12: Leeds United (h), Burnley (h), Watford (a), Aston Villa (h) and Norwich City (a).
At Man City last weekend, Ralph Hasenhรผttlโs side were superb, and with fixtures now easing, Armstrong could emerge as the best budget forward to own in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
KURT ZOUMA
- FPL ownership: 1.1%
- Price: ยฃ5.4m
- GW6-10 fixtures: lee | BRE | eve | TOT | avl
West Ham Unitedโs new signing Kurt Zouma (ยฃ5.4m) has impressed in his two appearances for the club, and quickly established himself as a key part of David Moyesโ backline.
After watching from the bench at Southampton in Gameweek 4, the 26-year-old featured from the start at Dinamo Zagreb last Thursday before facing up to Cristiano Ronaldo (ยฃ12.7m) on Sunday. Despite the Hammers conceding twice in that latter game, his performance was excellent, as he made 12 clearances as well as two crucial interventions to stop Man Utd adding to their tally.
While Zoumaโs forthcoming fixtures โ at least on paper โ donโt scream โbuy meโ, itโs worth noting that none of his opponents are exactly firing on all cylinders going forward, while defensively, West Ham arenโt easily broken down, with the effective Declan Rice (ยฃ5.0m) and Tomas Soucek (ยฃ5.9m) screening the back four.
There is also potential for Zouma to deliver attacking returns.ย
Despite limited minutes in 2020/21, he scored five Premier League goals at Chelsea, while his headed attempts per 90 minutes total was only trumped by Harry Maguire (ยฃ5.4m). That suggests that he could get some joy from set-pieces this weekend, against a Leeds United side who could be four centre-halves down and have already conceded twice from dead-ball situations this season, plus 15 times in 2020/21 โ the most in the division.
Zouma could take advantage of those weaknesses, then, and be a nice differential punt with just 1.1% ownership.
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE
- FPL ownership: 3.2%
- Price: ยฃ5.5m
- GW6-10 fixtures: NOR | mun | WHU | WAT | wol
Abdoulaye Doucoure (ยฃ5.5m) has hit the ground running so far this season, with a goal, three assists and 27 FPL points to his name already.
The Frenchman was predominantly used in a deeper midfield role in 2020/21, but has thrived after being handed more attacking responsibility by Rafa Benitez. That has been especially apparent when Everton use a 4-3-3 formation, which enables Doucoure to roam and have more influence in the final third.
He has also impressed defensively, as he leads the way amongst all midfielders for ball recoveries (45) and ranks in the top 10 for aerial duels won.
There will understandably be reservations about investing in the Toffeesโ assets after their heavy loss at Villa Park in Gameweek 5, but I do think that it was a more even contest than the scoreline maybe suggested, while itโs also worth noting that the defeat was their first of the campaign.
Encouragingly for Evertonโs forward players, this weekendโs opponents โ Norwich City โ have made plenty of defensive mistakes since returning to the Premier League. Across their five opening matches, they have conceded 14 goals, and while they have had a tough start against Liverpool, Man City, Leicester City and Arsenal โ they struggled against Watford last weekend, giving up six big chances in the process.
With Benitezโs gameplan based around getting lots of crosses in the box via the impressiveย Andros Townsend (ยฃ5.4m),ย Demarai Grayย (ยฃ5.8m) andย Lucas Digneย (ยฃ5.4m), Doucoure could thrive this weekend, and given that three of his next four fixtures at home, could be an effective midfield differential.
