It’s no secret that selecting the higher-owned players in FPL is an intelligent way to play. You can stay near enough to the pack and won’t find yourself chasing points early in the season.
Some managers might look to stray from the template, though, and risk it with some differential options.
There’s a lot of upside to doing this. If your low-owned player hauls, you’ll get a bigger boost in rank and be in a great position at the start of the season.
You might also gain some quick team value as many other managers transferring in your player should see their price rise.
However, if the alternative, more highly owned player you don’t own does well, you’ll be behind on points compared to most managers.
While risky, it’s always exciting to go for a differential in your FPL team, and there are few better feelings than when they reward your faith with a big score.
Here are the best differential options for your FPL 2024/25 squad.
Kevin De Bruyne
[player_card name=”De Bruyne”]
Brilliant 2023/24 campaigns from some of his Man City teammates mean the Belgian maestro is currently owned by just 7% of FPL managers.
We know De Bruyne is an excellent asset when he plays. Despite starting just 15 times in the league, he still contributed to 14 goal involvements and had the highest expected assists per 90 among players who started consistently in the league.
Additionally, while he might be prone to an early substitution, he’s a likely starter, rotation aside.
After his first start upon returning from injury in GW22 of last season, De Bruyne was only out of the starting eleven 3 times for the remainder of the league season. Over this period, the more highly owned Foden failed to start the same number of games.
£9.5m is a lot of money for a player who faces more of a minutes risk than other premium options.
However, he’s one of the best in the league, and the opportunity to own De Bruyne when so few other managers do could be a great route to an early lead in the FPL ranks.
Diogo Jota
[player_card name=”Diogo”]
When Jota plays, he’s one of the best assets you can own in FPL.
Last season, Jota registered 10 goals and 7 assists and earned an FPL return every 67 minutes. His incredible record makes him look a bargain at £7.5m.
The issue is that Liverpool have multiple good attacking options, making it very difficult to be assured of any of them starting, with Salah the only nailed attacker.
However, based on Liverpool’s pre-season games, Jota’s minutes might be more secure than usual.
He started up front against Arsenal and Man Utd and is currently the only striker option available for the Reds, with Nunez and Gakpo yet to return from their breaks.
While they should feature at some point in pre-season, Jota will likely start the season with significantly more minutes in the tank than the others, which should see him favoured in the first few games.
There’s no denying Jota is a risky pick; it’s one thing to go for a low-owned player but another to go for one who could begin the season on the bench.
But, there’s also so much upside with Jota, who is also very capable of getting attacking returns even off the bench.
If Salah is out of the price range, and managers want a Liverpool attacker for their enticing opening games against Ipswich and Brentford, Jota could be worth taking the risk.
Marcus Rashford
[player_card name=”Rashford”]
Last season fell short of Rashford’s usual standards. He picked up a goal contribution every 253 minutes in the league.
However, before dismissing him, it’s worth considering just how excellent an asset Rashford can be when he’s in form.
He’s surpassed 20 goal involvements in 3 of the last 5 seasons and went on an exceptional run of 10 goals in 10 games towards the end of the 2022/23 season.
Given last campaign’s performances, Rashford’s price has deservedly dropped from £9.0m to £7.0m.
Of course, Rashford will not necessarily rediscover his past form, but at his reduced price point, there is no option with a better goal-scoring pedigree.
If he can play anywhere close to how he has in the past, then he’s a brilliant option, and given his 7% ownership, any managers with him in their side will shoot up the ranks.
Dominik Szoboszlai
[player_card name=”Szoboszlai”]
Given their appealing opening fixtures, playing Ipswich and then Brentford at home, a Liverpool attacker is arguably a must for FPL sides.
Many managers, especially those looking to include Haaland, will struggle to find the funds for the £12.5m Mohamed Salah.
Szoboszlai could offer an astute alternative route into Liverpool.
Last season, Slot’s Feyenoord played a very fluid system that saw the midfielders heavily involved in attacks.
Stengs and Timber, who played in midfield for Feyenoord, contributed 20 and 15 attacking returns across the season, respectively. No Liverpool player who predominantly plays in the midfield recorded more than 12 FPL returns last term.
This indicates Szoboszlai could be a better FPL option this season. He’s technically brilliant and has already taken up some very advanced positions in pre-season. He also should take some free kicks for Liverpool.
Expect Szoboszlai to improve on his 7 FPL returns this campaign.
Alexis Mac Allister is another who could excel under Slot.
While he typically plays a more box-to-box role than Szoboszlai, he picked up a superior 10 FPL returns and averaged 89 minutes a game, while his teammate averaged 64.
At £6.5m and with a good opening fixture run, both of these Liverpool assets look good differential picks.
Szoboszlai will be expected to take up more advanced positions, but Mac Allister offers better minutes.
Both should provide more attacking threat this season under their manager’s new system.
Brennan Johnson
[player_card name=”Brennan Johnson”]
Johnson picked up form towards the latter half of the 2023/24 campaign, finishing on 5 goals and 12 assists in FPL.
Spurs have some promising opening fixtures. They play Leicester away and Everton at home in GW1 and GW2.
Interestingly, Johnson actually underperformed his expected goals last season. He had an xG of 10 despite converting just 5 times. This implies that Johnson’s goal-scoring should improve in the upcoming season.
At the same £6.5m price tag, Dejan Kulusevski is another interesting differential option.
His 11-goal contributions last season weren’t as good as Johnson’s. However, in pre-season, Postecoglou has predominantly deployed the Swede in a central striker role.
He’s looked very promising in this role so far, scoring once and assisting 3 times in the 4 pre-season games he’s played.
It’s unlikely Kulusevski will start every game as a striker for Spurs, but the newfound possibility of him playing there definitely increases his FPL appeal.
Rodrigo Muniz
[player_card name=”Muniz”]
While he had to wait until GW23 for his first league goal last season, Muniz excelled in the Fulham attack from then on, scoring nine times in total.
His side have an excellent fixture run to kick off the season. After Man Utd in GW1, it’s the newly promoted duo of Leicester and Ipswich in the following games.
His underlying data of 0.50 xG per 90 is really encouraging for a forward that will set managers back just £6.0m of their budget.
His low price makes him a less risky pick than some other attackers on the list.
He won’t prevent you from affording the premium players and he could even work well as an 8th attacker, who you bench in GW1 and only play for his better fixtures the following weeks.
Harry Maguire
[player_card name=”Maguire”]
There are question marks over his minutes in a full-strength Man Utd side, but an injury to new signing Leny Yoro means Maguire should start the season.
He’s a notorious threat from set plays and is more likely to get you an attacking return than any of his defensive teammates. Last season, he put up an xGI per 90 of 0.16, more than Dalot (0.12) and Luke Shaw (0.08).
There’s definite clean sheet potential with Man Utd too. While last season wasn’t their strongest overall, they still conceded the 5th fewest goals in the league.
If you want to prioritise spending in other areas, Lisandro Martinez is a solid alternative to Maguire.
While he offers very little attacking threat, the Argentinian is £0.5m cheaper and offers an affordable route into one of last season’s better defences.
If you opt for one of the Man Utd defenders to start the season, you’ll want to partner them with a good rotation option for GW3 away to Liverpool.
Fulham at home in GW1 and Southampton away in GW4 are where the potential clean sheets look to be.
Antonee Robinson
[player_card name=”Robinson”]
Only 5% of managers own Robinson, who offers great FPL points potential from clean sheets and an attacking threat.
Last term, his Fulham side kept the joint 4th most clean sheets in the league, tied with Liverpool.
Additionally, Robinson was important in his side’s attacks, contributing 6 assists.
Overall, there’s not much to dislike about Robinson. He’s affordable, has 2 great fixtures in the first 3 gameweeks against newly promoted teams, and has a decent chance of rewarding managers with attacking returns.
The sole concern may be over how the loss of defensive midfielder, Palhinha, who was integral to Fulham last season, will affect the side.
Managers who opt for Robinson should look to bench him in GW1. Fulham play Man Utd who should score.
There’s clear potential for points the following weeks though, against Leicester and Ipswich.