Double Gameweek 26 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is almost upon us, which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more differential options.
This time, we’ve selected low-owned picks at Watford, Liverpool and Burnley, 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.
ISMAILA SARR
- FPL ownership: 3.0%
- Price: £5.7m
- GW26-30 fixtures: avl + CRY | mun | ARS | sou | EVE
Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) is back on the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) radar after featuring as a substitute against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
The influential winger had only returned to training the day before, having won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Senegal. However, he still managed to rack up three efforts on goal in 45 minutes, testing Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) late on, and will now look to build on that display against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Sarr scored five goals in 12 Premier League appearances before a knee injury in November, and up until that point, ranked joint-third amongst all midfielders for shots in the box, with his tally of 21 only bettered by Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Sadio Mane (£11.7m).
Watford are yet to score under Roy Hodgson, but they have a chance to put that right in the coming week, with the veteran manager suggesting Sarr has a big role to play:
“He’s a player that we are hoping, going forward, will give us something a bit extra. It was a big ask for him today, having come back from Africa, and the celebrations from Senegal after winning the cup. We sort of asked more from him than he was able to give us today. But going forward I have big expectations for him and we as a team have expectations of what we want to see from him.” – Roy Hodgson speaking after Gameweek 25
Now, having had a week of training with his team-mates, Sarr could be an excellent differential for Double Gameweek 26.
LUIS DIAZ
- FPL ownership: 0.6%
- Price: £8.0m
- GW26-30 fixtures: NOR + LEE | – | WHU | bha | MUN
Luis Diaz (£8.0m) has hit the ground running at Liverpool following his January move from Porto.
After a brief, but impressive, cameo against Cardiff City in the FA Cup fourth round, when he registered an assist, he was then thrust into the starting XI against Leicester City in Gameweek 24.
Ending the match with four goal attempts, two shots in the box, one big chance and nine penalty box touches, it was a solid showing from the Colombian winger, with his infield movement causing plenty of problems for the Foxes backline.
Following Sadio Mane’s AFCON return, Diaz had to settle for a place on the bench against Burnley last weekend, but after sparking the Reds into life at the San Siro in midweek, could now become an explosive differential for Double Gameweek 26.
In light of Diogo Jota’s (£8.5m) reported injury, which could keep him out for two weeks, the expectation is that Diaz will start at least one of Liverpool’s two fixtures in Double Gameweek 26 against Norwich City and Leeds United. With the possibility of minutes off the bench in the other, that could be enough to haul, given the defensive weaknesses of their opponents.
Notably, across the season, both Norwich and Leeds rank in the bottom four for chances conceded from their right-flank, the side Diaz, in all likelihood, willbe attacking.
Diaz has shone in his first three appearances for Liverpool, and now, ahead of their double-header, is an exciting FPL differential.
JAMES TARKOWSKI
- FPL ownership: 1.4%
- Price: £4.9m
- GW26-30 fixtures: bha + TOT | cry + LEI | CHE | bre | SOU
James Tarkowski (£4.9m) has become one of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders in recent seasons and could be a solid FPL differential given Burnley’s forthcoming schedule, which includes back-to-back Double Gameweeks.
The Clarets started the season slowly, but have shown signs of their old defensive resilience of late, with two clean sheets against Arsenal and Watford in their last four Premier League outings. Notably, they also restricted Liverpool and Manchester United to just one goal apiece during that run.
Admittedly, the fixtures against Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur in Double Gameweek 26 aren’t ideal, though there is potential for a shut-out against the Seagulls, given that they have managed just 10 goals at the Amex all season.
In addition to clean sheet potential, Tarkowski also carries a bit of goal threat from set-pieces, with 14 headed attempts across the season so far. Amongst all defenders, only Joel Matip (£4.9m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.7m) have managed more. That could be important in Double Gameweek 27, too, given how vulnerable Crystal Palace and in particular, Leicester City, have looked defending corners this season.
It’s also worth noting that Burnley have two further fixtures that still need to be rescheduled. That means they are likely to have further Double Gameweeks later in the campaign, and suggests Tarkowski could be the ideal play for those in search of a sub-£5.0m defender.
