It’s time to reveal our three differentials for Gameweek 16, as we edge closer to Saturday’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline.
To qualify, the player must have an ownership of 5% or less at the time of writing.
DEAN HUIJSEN
- FPL ownership: 0.4%
- Price: £4.3m
- GW16-20 fixtures: WHU | mun | CRY | ful | EVE
While Milos Kerkez (£4.6m) has been the main attraction in the Bournemouth backline so far this season, his team-mate Dean Huijsen (£4.3m) is worth a look should you need to free up funds.
The teenager put in an assured display in Gameweek 14, scoring his first goal for the club in a man-of-the-match display against Tottenham Hotspur.
And with Marcos Senesi (£4.8m), who has missed Gameweeks 14 and 15, ruled out for a significant period having undergone surgery on a quadriceps injury, Huijsen looks set to continue in the first XI.
“I think Dean is showing from the beginning that he’s someone with confidence in himself. For someone that is 19, he already has played six, seven games, I think. Now, with the injury of Marcos [Senesi], for sure he will have to play more. I hope that they can, with Zaba [Zabarnyi], with Milos [Kerkez], players that are very, very young, it’s not always easy to play as a defender in the Premier League, being as young. I think they can grow together and continue their development because the good thing for them is that they still have room to improve.” – Andoni Iraola on Dean Huijsen
Bournemouth face West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Everton at home over the next five Gameweeks, fixtures that appear favourable in regard to Huijsen’s clean sheet prospects.
Equally significant is his goal threat.
Huijsen is averaging a shot every 93.4 minutes this season. At 6ft 5ins, he looks to have plenty of attacking upside, something Andoni Iraola touched on after his recent goal against Spurs.
“We worked on this exact corner routine and it was the target and it was the movement we work on, that sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. We’ve tried other things and they haven’t worked, but I think it’s a nice goal. I think with Dean also we had our tallest player and he has been always, in his young career, a goal threat for someone who is a centre back. It’s good that he had this. He had also the crossbar against Brentford, I think the games he’s played always he has one or two chances even playing as a centre back and it’s like an extra for him. It’s not the main part of his game, but it’s always nice that we can have these threats.” – Andoni Iraola
That potential to deliver points at both ends of the pitch, allied to an ownership of just 0.4%, certainly makes Huijsen an intriguing option ahead of Bournemouth’s promising fixture run.
ALISSON BECKER
- FPL ownership: 4.9%
- Price: £5.4m
- GW16-20 fixtures: FUL | tot | LEI | whu | MUN
Alisson Becker (£5.4m) returned to Liverpool’s starting XI earlier this week after two months out.
Showing no signs of rust, he made an instant impact.
The Brazilian kept a clean sheet with a number of solid stops, including a flying save to deny Yaser Asprilla.
Most important, however, was the fact he played 90 minutes. That answers any questions over fitness ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Fulham.
“He showed again today why I said so many times that he’s our first goalkeeper. That has nothing to do with Caoimhin [Kelleher] – he did so, so well. But Alisson has been so important for this club for so many years, for his country as well. [He] showed today that he’s probably one of the best, in my opinion the best goalkeeper in the world. And let’s hope he can keep continuing to bring these performances. Let’s hope even more that he can stay fit.” – Arne Slot on Alisson Becker
As good as Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.6m) was in Alisson’s absence, there is no denying Liverpool are a much better team with the Brazilian in goal.
At the back, the Reds have the best defensive record for goals conceded (11). They also boast the lowest xGC (13.68) and the most clean sheets (seven) in the division.
Allison offers a nailed-on route into that backline for just £5.4m. He could be a canny differential for the festive period and beyond.
MATTY CASH
- FPL ownership: 1.5%
- Price: £4.4m
- GW16-20 fixtures: nfo | MCI | new | BHA | LEI
Unai Emery pushed Matty Cash (£4.4m) into a more attacking role on Tuesday night as Aston Villa beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League.
Playing as a right-winger in front of Ezri Konsa (£4.4m), the 27-year-old was a real threat.
Cash played a key role in the opener, supplying the cross that Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) nodded back to goalscorer John McGinn (£5.2m).
He nearly registered an assist of his own later in the match and came close to scoring from a tight angle.
In total, he recorded three shots in 70 minutes of football.
“After the injury to Bailey and Philogene is a process, I decided to use Cash playing as a full-back defending low but attacking high and wide. He has the potential to do it. He played the beginning of his career like a winger and on Tuesday he worked fantastic.” – Unai Emery on Matty Cash
To be fair to Cash, he offered more on the right than either Leon Bailey (£6.2m) or Jaden Philogene (£5.3m) have done all season. It’ll be interesting to see if Emery starts him in the same role again in Gameweek 16.
Investment does carry a risk, of course, because Cash could easily revert to his usual right-back role. Even in that scenario, however, you should still get the odd forward foray. At just £4.4m, he is easily benched in tougher fixtures.
So for those in need of a cheap defender, Cash is an intriguing differential, given that he’s owned by just 1.5% of FPL managers.
