Spot the Differential – Gameweek 1

Having rolled out the Scout Picks yesterday evening, it’s time to turn our attentions to those overlooked alternatives. As always, we cast an eye over three players with minimal ownership for your perusal ahead of the fast-approaching Gameweek deadline:

Jozy Altidore

There’s nothing quite like warming up for a competitive debut for your new club by hammering home a hat-trick three days beforehand. Altidore proved pivotal in the USA’s 4-3 win over Bosnia on Wednesday – not only did he score three times, the new Sunderland striker also provided the assist for his nation’s other goal and looks in lethal form as Fulham make their way to the Stadium of Light.

With Steven Fletcher still struggling to overcome an ankle injury, Altidore is set to lead the line for the Black Cats this afternoon, with Stephane Sessegnon tucking in behind in a 4-4-1-1. His manager Paolo Di Canio has backed the forward big time and yesterday tipped the 23-year-old to score “15 or more” goals in his debut season on Wearside.

Arriving on the back of a season in Holland which saw him produce 31 goals and seven assists in 39 league and cup matches, Altidore has been reasonably priced across the Fantasy games. Coming in at 7.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with an ownership of less than 2%, he’s a real under the radar option who also has games against Southampton and Palace in the first three fixtures before the schedule takes a turn for the worse.

Andreas Weimann

With seven goals in five pre-season appearances, it’s understandable that Christian Benteke has hogged the Fantasy limelight ahead of Villa’s double Gameweek. Thanks to the big Belgian’s exploits, however, the rest of Paul Lambert’s troops have remained firmly in the shadows, allows the likes of Weimann to quietly, yet efficiently, produce the goods.

Fielded on the right of Villa’s 4-3-3 formation, Weimann has registered two goals and two assists over the midlanders’ final four friendlies – granted, that’s not quite Benteke territory but it’s indicative of his consistent displays under Lambert. Despite a security of starts and price of just 6.0 in FPL, Weimann has persuaded just 2% of managers to take a punt ahead of his pair of fixtures – if he can replicate the form that saw him net against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and United (twice) last time out, he may prove a canny acquisition.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Gareth Bale’s foot injury brings a former Fantasy favourite back into contention as Tottenham pay visit to Palace on Sunday afternoon. The Icelandic international struggled in his first season at the Lane and has, admittedly, yet to nail down a regular role under Andre Villas-Boas but, fielded in “the hole” behind Roberto Soldado in last weekend’s home draw against Espanyol, Sigurdsson was handed the full 90 minutes; perhaps an indication of his manager’s new-found faith.

As he’s previously shown during his time at Swansea, Sigurdsson is more than capable of producing on the domestic stage and Bale’s absence (and potential departure) may finally afford him a platform to vindicate Villas-Boas’ decision to splash the cash last summer. Coming in at just 7.0 in FPL, and with an ownership of just over 1%, he has a superb set of fixtures on the horizon to take advantage of – while snapping him up doesn’t come without risk, the potential pay-off could be worth the punt.