Differentials to start the season
We take a look at some of the best differentials to start the season in FPL. Using stats and the season ticker from the the Fantasy Football Scout members area we can identify some of those lowly owned options that we could use to get ahead of the competition early.
Starting the season owning players that are not template can really help FPL managers get off to a flying start. Going against the template has risk but it doesn’t mean differentials are not as good as the template players, in fact some have the potential to be better.
James Maddison-Leicester
90% of the top 10 highest scoring players in FPL belonged to teams in the top four last season. However Maddison came just outside that at 11th. Maddison managed an impressive 181 points last season for Leicester consisting of 12 goals and 11 assists.
Unfortunately Leicester come near the bottom of the season ticker for the first eight game weeks. This could be why managers are put off. However Maddison still plays against opponents like Brentford and Southampton which could be an exciting prospect.
The foxes midfielder made the top amongst players in his position for big chances created. Coming just outside the top 10 for attempts on goals too. At only 5.7% owned at the time of writing this, Maddison could well be a great differential to start the season with.
Mahrez-Man City
Owning a Manchester City asset has always had some risk of rotation. That was the case with winger Mahrez who comes in at a current ownership of just 6%. With attackers Sterling and Gabriel Jesus now out of the picture with new clubs we could well see Mahrez play a lot more minutes.
Per 90 minutes the Manchester City attacker reigns as one of the most effective players in the game. Topping most midfielders in the league for key data points like goal attempts per 90 and big chances total per 90 it seems Mahrez just needs the reliability of minutes to reach his potential.
Man City rank third in the league for the first eight fixtures. This means that owning Man City attackers could be key to start the FPL season with.
Zinchencko-Arsenal
New Arsenal signing and in-game defender Zinchenko really impressed from left-back against Chelsea in the recent pre-season friendly match. Having attacking drive in the final third and even making appearances in the opposition box.
At £5m there is even a feeling Zinchenko could play out of position in midfield. This means Zinchenko gets the benefit of clean sheets along with potentially having more attacking threat.
Arsenal start the season with fantastic early fixtures. In fact they rank first amongst all Premier League teams for having the best run of fixtures on the season ticker. With great fixtures and potentially playing out of position the 8.6% owned Zinchenko could be a great differential.
Ben Chilwell-Chelsea
Chelsea wing-back suffered a horrific long term injury last season, this kept him out for the majority of the campaign. However in the time he did play he was effective. Chilwell came first amongst all defenders for points returned per 90 minutes averaging 9 points per match.
At the time of writing the Chelsea defence is in transition. With Rudiger and Christensen both moved to Spain and Alonso and Azpilicueta looking to follow the Chelsea backline needs a re adjustment. However with Chilwell back and new signing Koulibaly already in there’s an argument their defence could even improve on last season.
At only 8% owned the attacking wing-back could be a great differential. Providing he is ready and we hear that from manager Tuchel it could be a great idea to start with the English international.
Tariq Lamptey-Brighton
£4.5m priced Lamptey is only owned by just 3% of the game at the time of writing this. One of the most exciting defenders to watch when he runs down the wing in the last couple of seasons has been injury prone for some time now. Hampered by constant muscle injuries could well be the reason managers are put off.
Lamptey was one of the only defenders to even get close to the top four defenders for expected goal involvement per 90 minutes last season. Not just that but Brighton also rank second on the season ticker in the first eight game weeks. They play Leeds, Fulham, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in that same period.
With a good pre-season behind him and great fixtures ahead Lamptey could make a fantastic cheap differential to start the season with.
Andy Robertson-Liverpool
The Liverpool left-back provides constant and relentless points for the community. Not only did Liverpool give managers the joint most clean sheets last season but they also utilise their full backs in such an attacking way that they become gold for the FPL community.
Robertson was the eighth highest points scorer from the 21/22 campaign in FPL. As well as being the third highest scoring defender in the game last season Robertson also came joint second for most assists with 11.
With Liverpool players Trent and Salah already in most squads the decision between Luis Diaz and Robertson is a challenging one. However Robertson is a sure thing and has proven to be such a reliable fantasy asset over the years. Andy Robertson could be one of the best differentials in the game.
For more great FPL picks ahead of the season check out our Best points per 90 FPL players from 2021/22 article.
