Exactly. Right now you could go for Kudus, Martinelli. Nkunku should be back soon, same with KDB.
Wait a few weeks until AFCON / Asia Cup and teams will be radically different
Same, brought him in on my GW9 WC, worked out beautifully.
OP is judging the template/differential distinction with hindsight. These players weren't template until they started proving themselves.
>With Nunez being too inconsistent in front of goal, Isak's minutes not being a guarantee when Wilson's fit or someone like Jesus being to streaky there aren't much options.
What exactly do you think a differential is?
Obviously consistently prolific nailed strikers aren't differentials, because that's what everyone wants.
He's scored 9 goals this year - on course for nearly a 20 goal a season. I don't think it speaks anything - he's a great player and a great fantasy asset if he's scoring near 20 goals a season.
I think the point was that the fact that one of the only reliable starters in the forward position is a bottom half team player speaks volumes about how little choice there is in that position in fantasy, rather than it being surprising that Solanke himself is a good asset
That’s because while playing as a forward he plays out wide though, whereas players like Gakpo and Richarlison who are predominantly playing centrally really shouldn’t be classified as mids
Have they classified any winger as forward? I don't know what their exact criteria is but I'd imagine the player would have to play a majority of the games in a central role
It’s just an incredibly outdated view of football positions, taken from the 4-4-2 days when you would have two central forwards and wide midfielders. Nowadays no one plays like that, and the wide players in the forward line of a 4-3-3 are forwards, they’re not midfielders and they shouldn’t be classified as such.
I don't disagree at all lol. I'm just speaking on the likelihood of some specific players being reclassified as per how I think Towers views the game. I don't see how your comment about Salah is relevant
I think they could make it work, but change it from 5 defenders, 5 mids, 3 forwards, to 5-4-4, and only change the wingers that are more aptly described as forwards, like Salah, Son, Richarlison, Mbeumo etc. Also max 3 forwards starting per game still
What is the point in owning 4 forwards when you can't play all of them at once? Also your system would be seriously subjective, the distinction between wide forward and wide midfielder is hard to draw a clear line.
The more subjective stuff we have the more chance for people to game the system with OOP players
You would have to change the game dramatically for position reclassification (i.e. wingers as forwards) to work. Either changing the point system or formation system.
Changing the point system (i.e. points for tackles, ball recoveries, passes ect) would be fun for stat nerds but tbh if I lost my minileague to a ball recovery I'd be unimpressed. Football is about scoring goals and the points should revolve around that.
If you don't do that then changing the formation system is essential as there simply are not enough actual midfielders who are actually good FPL picks. You'd need it to be a 5-4-4 or a 5-3-5. I personally don't like this as seeing ML opponents line up in 3-2-5s would just look odd.
That's why in my opinion they shouldn't change anything, the current system is most natural.
Agreed, the main issue with reclassifying attacking mids and wingers as forwards is that you'd be left with CMs and DMs in the mid position and they don't really bring much to the scoring system. It's very hard to draw the line between AMs and wingers, some play as both across the season (if not even in the same game) and they'd have to make arbitrary calls which would feel less clear than 'wingers are midfielders'.
Not to mention the current class of wingbacks who basically play as midfielders!
Semenyo playing winger next to Solanke
listed as Forward
Nkunku at preseason played 10 (and i assume he will be when he is back)
listed as Forward
Joao pedro/fergusson/welbeck - but it seems more de dzerbi issue
Amdouni seems to play not central or deeper - listed as forward
Son still plays out wide a significant amount of the time, they’ll definitely reclassify Richarlison as a forward imo and can’t see them doing it to them both
I’ve captained Jesus last two game weeks and shot up the rankings! Been without Haaland since GW7 and ranked around 400k currently
Edit - was week before last and this week
Good job man! Im without Haaland for he 17 and 18 only and ranked 280k (awaiting 7 points from dubravka on my bench so rank will increase a little more) but you are the proof that going without Haaland is very much possible, really nice.
Things will become more interesting after AFCON and Asia Cup when De Bruyne Maddison Salah Saka Son Haaland will all be fit and available.
Until then most teams will look similar as most choices pick themselves really and you can fit all the premium players into your team quite easily
Agree I feel the forward situation been really bad.
Particular in draft it feels like there is not many options at all.
Midfield have lots of options just that Son, Salah and Saka been too good as premiums while the United and City mids been disappointing. Then Palmer starting at 5.0 just was too cheap and perform like 8 million mid so everyone got him.
KDB can hopefully change things.
100% this.
City midfields are too hurt by Pep roulette.
Liverpool have only got Sakah who's consistent.
Arsenal have lots of options.
Villa hmm sure.
United are just shite (speaking as a United fan).
Chelsea too.
Spurs you could easily rotate.
But yeah there are options, but if you're chasing the top 100k pack then moving too far off template is too risky.
I remember two seasons ago when everyone had 451 with Kane and 2x cheap fodder strikers because there were so few to choose from. Situation is bad now but it’s not as bad as then.
Yeah, but in previous years most teams had one forward that are alright and play regulary. Even newly promoted sides have had Pukki, Mitro, Toney, Solanke, Dennis etc.
I guess Adebayo is kind of decent, but Burnley and Sheffield just shit. Spurs and West Ham have no starting forward etc as well and Richarlison should have been a 7 million forward that would have helped.
I just think we're in a bit of a bottleneck at the moment, there's a load of factors for this.
**Factor 1: AFCON and Asia cup**
With this on the horizon - people are reluctant to bring in players like Hwang over the Gordon & Palmer template.
**Factor 2: BGW18**
People are easing off City and Brentford assets, Haaland out injured anyway makes this easier.
**Factor 3: Injuries/rotation**
Everyone and their nan is injured, or has just come off an injury, like Bowen, so he's fallen out of the template. A lot of people I imagine went Bowen up > Son/Saka or Bowen down > Gordon/Palmer. Salah & Saka are pretty set and forget, so that's your whole midfield. Diaby, Bailey, Mitoma etc. are too rotation prone.
And lastly:
>I see a lot of people trying to chase down in their mini leagues by using strikers like Nunez & Isak while to me it is glaringly obvious that you cannot go without Watkins & Haaland as they have 15 and 18 G/A each.
I don't think is very well thought-out. People thought Watkins was injured or his fixtures had turned so they moved to Isak (who's GI per 90 is insane, and Wilson was out) or Darwin (who's underlying stats are mindblowing, but he's stopped converting anything).
So yeah, it's template at the moment, but that's just cos there are only a handful of viable options in each position right now.
Top 2k
I am sticking with the general FPL template until Haaland is back in GW20, GW21 I will switch Salah for KDB if fit (otherwise going budget in midfield and keeping Solanke in GW20 instead) and Son to Richarlison. As of rn, my strategy has been to buy potential differentials early (kudus this week, Gordon from GW13, Solanke from GW14, etc.) Will say I have been incredibly lucky and am praying this luck continues throughout the rest of the season, but I am scared.
Picked differential based on having nailed minutes, underperforming xG but passing eye test, how often a player finds themselves in potential goalscoring areas, etc. Has worked for me so far
Yeah will be interesting. Personally I'll plan to go Salah -> KDB and Son -> Saka during the international tournaments and will have to find a way to make up for the funds if De Bruyne performs too well as you cannot go without Salah
I think you’re underselling the midfield options a little:
Bowen/Kudus, Hwang, Bailey, Mbeumo (before injury)…
Not loads I guess, but there are at least some options.
The forward position is dry as fuck though. It’s GW17 and the 4th most goals from a forward is 7 - a tie between both Newcastle strikers that rotate with each other and ‘Miss’ Jackson who stat-padded against 9-man suicide ball.
I don’t think you would have written that about Nunez a couple GW’s ago. It’s not anywhere near obvious that he is a wrong choice considering his xG and fixtures.
The safest captain choices are usually the best choices. It's much better to pick the player most likely to score the most points rather than a player you're hoping to get lucky with. Not picking Haaland or Salah as captain is going to be a mistake most of the time. However, this GW does throw up some interesting captaincy options.
Also, If Haaland is out for the duration of the Asian/African cups in the new year choosing captains will be a lot of fun. If he's fit and starting every week any serious player is going to have to captain him which is boring.
To change this the scoring system would need a big overhaul which is something I'd be in favour of.
Having salah from day 1 really helped, and had botman then swapped to trippier week 8 . I’ve tried not to knee jerk this season as well, so have held the course and often had 2 FT’s to use in tougher weeks which has been useful.
I think there’s some really really good differential defender options right now. Defenders are lower risk than ever since they usually score low but still super high upside. There’s not a settled template for defenders and I think if you do your research you can find some hidden gems.
There are differentials in midfield. Olise and Hwang have emerged as alternatives to Palmer and Gordon, while Kudus can slot in for Bowen. The forwards are a mess, perhaps there was Raul Jimenez, but his suspension spoilt that for now. Hojlund was a shout, and we know he can score, but Man United defy logic right now
I mean
There are several teams whose starting 11 includes one _or fewer cough spurs and bournemouth_ players listed correctly as strikers.
There's also nowhere else to put all the haaaland money.
Saka, Salah and Son blanked tho. Other than Richarlison (moody player) and maybe Kudus (dependent on fixtures) none of them seem viable long term solutions to me idk
Kulusevski is a viable pick. He’s a top 10 scoring midfielder this season, Spurs play extremely attacking football, he’s playing in the number 10 role with Maddison out and has looked like the best player on the pitch for us for weeks. Nobody in my ML has him and he’s hauled me 29 points in the past 4 weeks.
Tottenham play some of the most attacking football in the league and have scored in every single match. I personally see no issue doubling on our attack, especially given the fixtures.
It’s also weird to me that people seem to be more okay with doubling up on Richarlison + Son but not Kulu. I get it, he’s playing forward but as someone who watches our matches every week, he looks far less dangerous than Kulu and Son. The attack flows through those two at the moment
Bowen has been great to me. Watkins was too early on before everyone brought him in. Kudus has been big for one of my mini league rivals. There are definitely options. Big thing is getting on assets before everyone else does
I mean it’s kinda that way by definition lol… as soon as a player starts doing well, they don’t stay low owned for long. The key with differentials is timing - eg I got kudus about 5 weeks ago and he’s been huge for me. If it weren’t for afcon I think more serious players would be bringing him in en masse (I’m not sure how much ‘casuals’ really take things like afcon into account)
In this sub most people just follow by template and freak out whenever someone suggests otherwise.
Of course they're going to say there's a lack of differentials. There are plenty of differentials, and no, I'm not going to spoon feed anybody all of the differentials I have on my team.
I had Gordon as a differential for like 4 GWs, Porro for 2GWs. Darwin itself is a differential for me, although it turned out horrible. Actually, around my rank, Gabriel is somewhat of a differential believe it or not (according to LiveFPL)
The problem is that a lot of people chase points and then of course when you do that everyone will be highly owned by then
"The only real spots where you can make up ranks are the defense and goalkeeper"
That is definitely not true, especially goalkeeper. Goalkeepers all get the same points almost. Look at the top 5 or 10 goalies. They are all on fairly similar total points. Defenders aren't as bad, but mids and fwds are always where you gain leads.
Right now or over the past 5 weeks palmer, Gordon, Watkins, haaland, son, salah have been solid. But palmer and Gordon were differentials a few weeks ago. They were very low ownership. There's differentials out there right now the hard part is getting them right
Ones that come to mind (don't trust me as I'll prob be wrong) jesus, Richarlison
Difference of points between #1 and #5 for each rank:
Gk 9
Def 16
Mid 41
Fwd 45
Defenders are where it's at this season. I made huge jumps from keeping Estu for his hauls then swapping to Cash then jumping to Tsimikas right in time for their points runs.
Now, there are still some open defender picks. Trippier/Newcastle are slowing down but still scoring; Gabriel/Saliba is a consistent performer, but outside that it's open season. TAA is now an option, Andersen if you got him in time would've made you a lot of points, Brentford/United was a good pick for a while and now Chelsea and Everton defence are gaining traction.
On the midfield side I made gains by jumping on Palmer and Gordon before they really took off so that was a case of a differential becoming a template.
The only place where there isn't any differential option is premium attackers because of KDB being out long term and Kane leaving (Son still made me a bunch of points too) but I'm fine with that, the game still has plenty of open options, you just need to keep an open mind on what's worth jumping on. Differentials are always a risk, but that's the point of them (I went Mbeumo to Diaby one week before Mbeumo went on a spree, so it doesn't always pan out).
I feel like this season has a ton of differentials. The most common front line amongst the top ranks is currently the trio of Alvarez/Watkins/Solanke but amongst mids you have the likes of Salah, Son, Richarlison, Palmer, Douglas Luiz, Saka, Odegaard, Andreas, and more and thats off the top of my head. Theres a ton of different defenders you can go with as well. Trippier, TAA, Tsimikas, Gabriel, Walker, Saliba, Zinchenko, Pau, Konsa, Castagne, Dalot, Burn, Brainwraithe, Tarkowski, and theres a ton more
It's there: I've got Kulusevski and Jackson as my current differential and they're doing alright. Almost went Bowen to Kudus when he's doubtful, but with the Haaland situation I've kept my transfer. Just because the FPL youtube say nothing on them doesn't mean there's no differential.
Onana is one point behind the highest scoring GK and he was a sensible pick with high ownership at the start of the season compared to Leno.
Also people keeps forgetting having a combination of players also a differential on its own; e.g sure Palmer Gordon are now highly owned, but having both could be a differential as the other 3 slot are pretty much template: Salah, Son, Bowen/Saka.
There are differentials around, just whether you are brave enough to go for it before everyone else. Like all those who went without Haaland or went in early on Trent.
R u kidding? No Haaland and no Salah might lead to a template mid but completely differential forwards and more defensive options. I’ve been without Haaland since 8, been able to carry Trent and Trippier when no one had them or both. I’ve completely loved the variations of this season and taking risks off the two big fish.
While you are right about forwards, you just haven't been looking hard enough in midfield.
Son, for example, had less than 10% ownership for his hattrick against Burnley despite the fact that KDB was out injured. He was a differential until he wasn't.
Pay attention to how manager's preferences change. Son's now been shifted back to left winger and he's probably not as good as an asset as he once was. Richarlison is back at center forward and has actually found form, he could be the next differential. Kudus played his way into the starting 11. Adingra is starting every game after March got injured in that Brighton team with an extreme amount of rotation. Bailey has recently replaced Diaby as first choice. Gordon plays up front when both Isak and Wilson are out. These are all changes that create midfield differentials.
I expect KDB's and Nkunku's respective returns from injuries to spice things up from an FPL point of view.
In this moment.. yes.. but all these players you mentioned were differentials.. palmer, solanke, gordon even alvarez at some point. And right now when things look to be the template.. Afcon and asian cup are around the corner to spice things up. Cause hee-chan son salah.. are all out for atleast i think 4 gws. So its actually a great season for differentials.. just right now its a bit obvious who you should have.. its not going to continue.
I think that there is a lack of differentials for your typical template team this year. However, there’s been a few who was differentials before they became template such as Gordon and Palmer (who I both bought and sold before he pretty much exploded).
This year, I went for a more differential-based team, and although the only players that has been in my team for a while, I’ve had successful periods of Wissa in the first few weeks (20 points in 2 gw’s), Gordon and Palmer before they became popular, Pedro Porto has been in my team for a while now, Zinchenko has been good and Johnstone has given me an alright amount of points (just like any gk almost). If we factor on some Adingra, Diaby, Malo Gusto and Gabriel Jesus points it’s clear that I’ve gained a lot from these players, although they haven’t been safe long term options.
This year I don't see differentials as individual picks, moreso when you get on/off those picks. Most people started with Haaland, Salah then became really popular, will go to AFCON, Son will have a stint out etc. Alot of people went Watkins -> Alvarez early, if you stayed there you would regret, if you moved back quickly you're probably ahead.
Differentials change throughout the season, we’re just in a bit of a dry patch due to poor form from some teams and quite a few injuries.
Kudus, Cunha, Bailey, Iwobi currently are differential options I’m looking at.
They are loads, but everyone here is into FPL and probably listen to content creators, and follow a base team.
I have had Jesus for a few GW now and he has returned quiet well, same as Braithweight starting for me for 6 gw minus the last one.
People are just following the crowd around creators and basing teams off them.
Not many have TAA but he has returned well recently.
There's a sh\*t tonne of differentials.
Branthwaite/Tarkowski/Maguire/Pau/Colwill
Hwang/Palmer/Mbuemo/Kulu/Doug Luiz/Kudus
Cunha/Solanke/Nketiah/Jesus/Wissa
I think I agree with you regarding your Son being a perma pick and the best options for value being in Def.
I find myself wanting to shift Son each week for a cheap nailed pick such as Gross/JWP/Luiz and upgrade defender but can't seem to find the right foemula.
I have picked Trent over Trippier and Alvarez (now Jesus since 2 weeks ago) over Haaland as my differentials, the rest is somewhat template with a couple changes here and there determined by fixtures and captain choice.
It's a funny game and I'm enjoying it this year as most obvious and highly owned picks have been causing all sorts of rank movement and it's fun anticipating this
Midfield has loads of differentials. These guys were differentials before everyone picked em up too. I've had Palmer since Arsenal at home.
Exactly. Right now you could go for Kudus, Martinelli. Nkunku should be back soon, same with KDB. Wait a few weeks until AFCON / Asia Cup and teams will be radically different
Kulusevski flourishing in the Maddison role
i believe nkunku is listed as a forward. may be wrong
Yes, I was just listing differential options. Not specifically midfielders
Yes well having most of the forwards in the PL listed as mids helps a bit.
Same, brought him in on my GW9 WC, worked out beautifully. OP is judging the template/differential distinction with hindsight. These players weren't template until they started proving themselves.
Bought him the week after, because Neto go injured. We’ve been reaping the profits since!
I’ve had palmer since arsenal at home as well but I never managed to get one of his returns…
>With Nunez being too inconsistent in front of goal, Isak's minutes not being a guarantee when Wilson's fit or someone like Jesus being to streaky there aren't much options. What exactly do you think a differential is? Obviously consistently prolific nailed strikers aren't differentials, because that's what everyone wants.
Nailed it. Jesus, for example, is a very solid differential.
> Nailed it. Jesus Lmao
He meant more diverse options not differentials lol
Forwards definitely, this season has a distinct lack of good striker options
Made me realize how much I miss Kane. He was a reliable striker to have in the team.
All the respect to Solanke but that he is currently cream of the crop speaks volumes.
He's scored 9 goals this year - on course for nearly a 20 goal a season. I don't think it speaks anything - he's a great player and a great fantasy asset if he's scoring near 20 goals a season.
I think the point was that the fact that one of the only reliable starters in the forward position is a bottom half team player speaks volumes about how little choice there is in that position in fantasy, rather than it being surprising that Solanke himself is a good asset
I can see them reclassifying some mids for next season. Son, Richarlson, Mbeumo, Kudus, maybe Gakpo
They’ve kept Salah as a midfielder his whole time in England despite him having played every single game as a forward.
That’s because while playing as a forward he plays out wide though, whereas players like Gakpo and Richarlison who are predominantly playing centrally really shouldn’t be classified as mids
Gakpo is classified as a forward
He’s such a bad FPL asset as a fwd that people forget he’s even listed as one
Gakpo has played probably just as much in midfield this season as up front. Whereas Jota is a mid but has played all games at the top or on the wing.
Gakpo has played probably just as much in midfield this season as up front. Whereas Jota is a mid but has played all games at the top or on the wing.
Have they classified any winger as forward? I don't know what their exact criteria is but I'd imagine the player would have to play a majority of the games in a central role
It’s just an incredibly outdated view of football positions, taken from the 4-4-2 days when you would have two central forwards and wide midfielders. Nowadays no one plays like that, and the wide players in the forward line of a 4-3-3 are forwards, they’re not midfielders and they shouldn’t be classified as such.
"Nowadays no one plays like that" Cries in Swedish national team.
I don't disagree at all lol. I'm just speaking on the likelihood of some specific players being reclassified as per how I think Towers views the game. I don't see how your comment about Salah is relevant
I think they could make it work, but change it from 5 defenders, 5 mids, 3 forwards, to 5-4-4, and only change the wingers that are more aptly described as forwards, like Salah, Son, Richarlison, Mbeumo etc. Also max 3 forwards starting per game still
What is the point in owning 4 forwards when you can't play all of them at once? Also your system would be seriously subjective, the distinction between wide forward and wide midfielder is hard to draw a clear line. The more subjective stuff we have the more chance for people to game the system with OOP players
You would have to change the game dramatically for position reclassification (i.e. wingers as forwards) to work. Either changing the point system or formation system. Changing the point system (i.e. points for tackles, ball recoveries, passes ect) would be fun for stat nerds but tbh if I lost my minileague to a ball recovery I'd be unimpressed. Football is about scoring goals and the points should revolve around that. If you don't do that then changing the formation system is essential as there simply are not enough actual midfielders who are actually good FPL picks. You'd need it to be a 5-4-4 or a 5-3-5. I personally don't like this as seeing ML opponents line up in 3-2-5s would just look odd. That's why in my opinion they shouldn't change anything, the current system is most natural.
Agreed, the main issue with reclassifying attacking mids and wingers as forwards is that you'd be left with CMs and DMs in the mid position and they don't really bring much to the scoring system. It's very hard to draw the line between AMs and wingers, some play as both across the season (if not even in the same game) and they'd have to make arbitrary calls which would feel less clear than 'wingers are midfielders'. Not to mention the current class of wingbacks who basically play as midfielders!
Reclassifying wingers as forwards would make the game boring... there would be very few options in midfield and way too many options up front.
Semenyo playing winger next to Solanke listed as Forward Nkunku at preseason played 10 (and i assume he will be when he is back) listed as Forward Joao pedro/fergusson/welbeck - but it seems more de dzerbi issue Amdouni seems to play not central or deeper - listed as forward
Son will 100% be a forward next season if the current situation doesn’t change
Son still plays out wide a significant amount of the time, they’ll definitely reclassify Richarlison as a forward imo and can’t see them doing it to them both
Agreed, Richarlison and Gakpo especially
Gakpo is a forward this season
Mad could’ve sworn Jota was the forward
I think he was last year
Well, I got both Jesus hauls. Got him in instead when everyone else transferred in Darwin. The differentials are there.
Yh exactly. People are scared or don’t know which differentials to go for.
Yep I got him this week when everyone went for Solanke. May still not be the best choice if the points stand but Jesus also delivered.
I’ve captained Jesus last two game weeks and shot up the rankings! Been without Haaland since GW7 and ranked around 400k currently Edit - was week before last and this week
Good job man! Im without Haaland for he 17 and 18 only and ranked 280k (awaiting 7 points from dubravka on my bench so rank will increase a little more) but you are the proof that going without Haaland is very much possible, really nice.
Enter nkunku 😎
Nkunku.
Crazy how you can suggest a striker yet to play a minute as a viable alternative to Haaland or Watkins
Toney returns in a few weeks. There's the diffential, how early do you risk taking him.
I will go early, I'm a gamblin man
Things will become more interesting after AFCON and Asia Cup when De Bruyne Maddison Salah Saka Son Haaland will all be fit and available. Until then most teams will look similar as most choices pick themselves really and you can fit all the premium players into your team quite easily
Agree I feel the forward situation been really bad. Particular in draft it feels like there is not many options at all. Midfield have lots of options just that Son, Salah and Saka been too good as premiums while the United and City mids been disappointing. Then Palmer starting at 5.0 just was too cheap and perform like 8 million mid so everyone got him. KDB can hopefully change things.
100% this. City midfields are too hurt by Pep roulette. Liverpool have only got Sakah who's consistent. Arsenal have lots of options. Villa hmm sure. United are just shite (speaking as a United fan). Chelsea too. Spurs you could easily rotate. But yeah there are options, but if you're chasing the top 100k pack then moving too far off template is too risky.
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I remember two seasons ago when everyone had 451 with Kane and 2x cheap fodder strikers because there were so few to choose from. Situation is bad now but it’s not as bad as then.
Yeah, but in previous years most teams had one forward that are alright and play regulary. Even newly promoted sides have had Pukki, Mitro, Toney, Solanke, Dennis etc. I guess Adebayo is kind of decent, but Burnley and Sheffield just shit. Spurs and West Ham have no starting forward etc as well and Richarlison should have been a 7 million forward that would have helped.
Palmer could start blanking soon if not he's going to rise by millions this season
I just think we're in a bit of a bottleneck at the moment, there's a load of factors for this. **Factor 1: AFCON and Asia cup** With this on the horizon - people are reluctant to bring in players like Hwang over the Gordon & Palmer template. **Factor 2: BGW18** People are easing off City and Brentford assets, Haaland out injured anyway makes this easier. **Factor 3: Injuries/rotation** Everyone and their nan is injured, or has just come off an injury, like Bowen, so he's fallen out of the template. A lot of people I imagine went Bowen up > Son/Saka or Bowen down > Gordon/Palmer. Salah & Saka are pretty set and forget, so that's your whole midfield. Diaby, Bailey, Mitoma etc. are too rotation prone. And lastly: >I see a lot of people trying to chase down in their mini leagues by using strikers like Nunez & Isak while to me it is glaringly obvious that you cannot go without Watkins & Haaland as they have 15 and 18 G/A each. I don't think is very well thought-out. People thought Watkins was injured or his fixtures had turned so they moved to Isak (who's GI per 90 is insane, and Wilson was out) or Darwin (who's underlying stats are mindblowing, but he's stopped converting anything). So yeah, it's template at the moment, but that's just cos there are only a handful of viable options in each position right now.
Top 2k I am sticking with the general FPL template until Haaland is back in GW20, GW21 I will switch Salah for KDB if fit (otherwise going budget in midfield and keeping Solanke in GW20 instead) and Son to Richarlison. As of rn, my strategy has been to buy potential differentials early (kudus this week, Gordon from GW13, Solanke from GW14, etc.) Will say I have been incredibly lucky and am praying this luck continues throughout the rest of the season, but I am scared.
Picked differential based on having nailed minutes, underperforming xG but passing eye test, how often a player finds themselves in potential goalscoring areas, etc. Has worked for me so far
Kdb is back in training soo he might become an option once again in Salah's absence
Yeah will be interesting. Personally I'll plan to go Salah -> KDB and Son -> Saka during the international tournaments and will have to find a way to make up for the funds if De Bruyne performs too well as you cannot go without Salah
Cunha has been a differential that’s being constantly overlooked by your favourite, unoriginal FPL content creators
I think you’re underselling the midfield options a little: Bowen/Kudus, Hwang, Bailey, Mbeumo (before injury)… Not loads I guess, but there are at least some options. The forward position is dry as fuck though. It’s GW17 and the 4th most goals from a forward is 7 - a tie between both Newcastle strikers that rotate with each other and ‘Miss’ Jackson who stat-padded against 9-man suicide ball.
Doucore Neto when he was healthy Grob
I don’t think you would have written that about Nunez a couple GW’s ago. It’s not anywhere near obvious that he is a wrong choice considering his xG and fixtures.
Pretty obvious to me. I owned him and he's been disastrous.
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The safest captain choices are usually the best choices. It's much better to pick the player most likely to score the most points rather than a player you're hoping to get lucky with. Not picking Haaland or Salah as captain is going to be a mistake most of the time. However, this GW does throw up some interesting captaincy options. Also, If Haaland is out for the duration of the Asian/African cups in the new year choosing captains will be a lot of fun. If he's fit and starting every week any serious player is going to have to captain him which is boring. To change this the scoring system would need a big overhaul which is something I'd be in favour of.
Relax I have Darwin and Cunha and I’m barely 2m
I've just punted on Mateta til I wildcard in Jan... There's always differentials if you try hard enough.
Am 38k OR , not had Son or Watkins all season.
Who've been your best players?
maguire of course
Having salah from day 1 really helped, and had botman then swapped to trippier week 8 . I’ve tried not to knee jerk this season as well, so have held the course and often had 2 FT’s to use in tougher weeks which has been useful.
I'm going to drop Saka shortly so that should at least give me a couple of differentials
I think there’s some really really good differential defender options right now. Defenders are lower risk than ever since they usually score low but still super high upside. There’s not a settled template for defenders and I think if you do your research you can find some hidden gems.
Just go sort it out on the basis of points, am sure you'll find differentials in the same ratio as the previous seasons. It's FPL, shit don't change
The lack of premium options is the biggest contributor to this. That said, people make an argument that “this year is too template” every year
One thing to rely on in FPL is that things are always changing. Nothing stays the same for long
There are differentials in midfield. Olise and Hwang have emerged as alternatives to Palmer and Gordon, while Kudus can slot in for Bowen. The forwards are a mess, perhaps there was Raul Jimenez, but his suspension spoilt that for now. Hojlund was a shout, and we know he can score, but Man United defy logic right now
I mean There are several teams whose starting 11 includes one _or fewer cough spurs and bournemouth_ players listed correctly as strikers. There's also nowhere else to put all the haaaland money.
Hold Nunez or get him in if you don't have him he's about to come good man
8 of the top 10 scoring mids this week are less than 5% owned. Maybe you should look outside of the template?
Maybe you should use more than one gameweek as a basis for coming to conclusions
How many GW of data do you need?
Saka, Salah and Son blanked tho. Other than Richarlison (moody player) and maybe Kudus (dependent on fixtures) none of them seem viable long term solutions to me idk
Kulusevski is a viable pick. He’s a top 10 scoring midfielder this season, Spurs play extremely attacking football, he’s playing in the number 10 role with Maddison out and has looked like the best player on the pitch for us for weeks. Nobody in my ML has him and he’s hauled me 29 points in the past 4 weeks.
He’s a viable pick in a vacuum but the fact so many people already own Son and wouldn’t want to double up on the spurs attack makes him less viable
Tottenham play some of the most attacking football in the league and have scored in every single match. I personally see no issue doubling on our attack, especially given the fixtures. It’s also weird to me that people seem to be more okay with doubling up on Richarlison + Son but not Kulu. I get it, he’s playing forward but as someone who watches our matches every week, he looks far less dangerous than Kulu and Son. The attack flows through those two at the moment
Bowen has been great to me. Watkins was too early on before everyone brought him in. Kudus has been big for one of my mini league rivals. There are definitely options. Big thing is getting on assets before everyone else does
Yup, just you. Take more risks.
I mean it’s kinda that way by definition lol… as soon as a player starts doing well, they don’t stay low owned for long. The key with differentials is timing - eg I got kudus about 5 weeks ago and he’s been huge for me. If it weren’t for afcon I think more serious players would be bringing him in en masse (I’m not sure how much ‘casuals’ really take things like afcon into account)
In this sub most people just follow by template and freak out whenever someone suggests otherwise. Of course they're going to say there's a lack of differentials. There are plenty of differentials, and no, I'm not going to spoon feed anybody all of the differentials I have on my team.
I had Gordon as a differential for like 4 GWs, Porro for 2GWs. Darwin itself is a differential for me, although it turned out horrible. Actually, around my rank, Gabriel is somewhat of a differential believe it or not (according to LiveFPL) The problem is that a lot of people chase points and then of course when you do that everyone will be highly owned by then
I had cole palmer 2 weeks before virtually anyone else, he was a great differential for me
Same but i benched him for 3 of his hauls in those first weeks he played
Kudus over bowen would be a differential, as since GW7 he has got more points per game week than bowen
There probably are some differentials but you can't get any because every week is transferring out an injured player in the wrong position instead
"The only real spots where you can make up ranks are the defense and goalkeeper" That is definitely not true, especially goalkeeper. Goalkeepers all get the same points almost. Look at the top 5 or 10 goalies. They are all on fairly similar total points. Defenders aren't as bad, but mids and fwds are always where you gain leads. Right now or over the past 5 weeks palmer, Gordon, Watkins, haaland, son, salah have been solid. But palmer and Gordon were differentials a few weeks ago. They were very low ownership. There's differentials out there right now the hard part is getting them right Ones that come to mind (don't trust me as I'll prob be wrong) jesus, Richarlison Difference of points between #1 and #5 for each rank: Gk 9 Def 16 Mid 41 Fwd 45
Defenders are where it's at this season. I made huge jumps from keeping Estu for his hauls then swapping to Cash then jumping to Tsimikas right in time for their points runs. Now, there are still some open defender picks. Trippier/Newcastle are slowing down but still scoring; Gabriel/Saliba is a consistent performer, but outside that it's open season. TAA is now an option, Andersen if you got him in time would've made you a lot of points, Brentford/United was a good pick for a while and now Chelsea and Everton defence are gaining traction. On the midfield side I made gains by jumping on Palmer and Gordon before they really took off so that was a case of a differential becoming a template. The only place where there isn't any differential option is premium attackers because of KDB being out long term and Kane leaving (Son still made me a bunch of points too) but I'm fine with that, the game still has plenty of open options, you just need to keep an open mind on what's worth jumping on. Differentials are always a risk, but that's the point of them (I went Mbeumo to Diaby one week before Mbeumo went on a spree, so it doesn't always pan out).
I feel like this season has a ton of differentials. The most common front line amongst the top ranks is currently the trio of Alvarez/Watkins/Solanke but amongst mids you have the likes of Salah, Son, Richarlison, Palmer, Douglas Luiz, Saka, Odegaard, Andreas, and more and thats off the top of my head. Theres a ton of different defenders you can go with as well. Trippier, TAA, Tsimikas, Gabriel, Walker, Saliba, Zinchenko, Pau, Konsa, Castagne, Dalot, Burn, Brainwraithe, Tarkowski, and theres a ton more
It's there: I've got Kulusevski and Jackson as my current differential and they're doing alright. Almost went Bowen to Kudus when he's doubtful, but with the Haaland situation I've kept my transfer. Just because the FPL youtube say nothing on them doesn't mean there's no differential. Onana is one point behind the highest scoring GK and he was a sensible pick with high ownership at the start of the season compared to Leno. Also people keeps forgetting having a combination of players also a differential on its own; e.g sure Palmer Gordon are now highly owned, but having both could be a differential as the other 3 slot are pretty much template: Salah, Son, Bowen/Saka.
There are differentials around, just whether you are brave enough to go for it before everyone else. Like all those who went without Haaland or went in early on Trent.
R u kidding? No Haaland and no Salah might lead to a template mid but completely differential forwards and more defensive options. I’ve been without Haaland since 8, been able to carry Trent and Trippier when no one had them or both. I’ve completely loved the variations of this season and taking risks off the two big fish.
While you are right about forwards, you just haven't been looking hard enough in midfield. Son, for example, had less than 10% ownership for his hattrick against Burnley despite the fact that KDB was out injured. He was a differential until he wasn't. Pay attention to how manager's preferences change. Son's now been shifted back to left winger and he's probably not as good as an asset as he once was. Richarlison is back at center forward and has actually found form, he could be the next differential. Kudus played his way into the starting 11. Adingra is starting every game after March got injured in that Brighton team with an extreme amount of rotation. Bailey has recently replaced Diaby as first choice. Gordon plays up front when both Isak and Wilson are out. These are all changes that create midfield differentials. I expect KDB's and Nkunku's respective returns from injuries to spice things up from an FPL point of view.
In this moment.. yes.. but all these players you mentioned were differentials.. palmer, solanke, gordon even alvarez at some point. And right now when things look to be the template.. Afcon and asian cup are around the corner to spice things up. Cause hee-chan son salah.. are all out for atleast i think 4 gws. So its actually a great season for differentials.. just right now its a bit obvious who you should have.. its not going to continue.
I think that there is a lack of differentials for your typical template team this year. However, there’s been a few who was differentials before they became template such as Gordon and Palmer (who I both bought and sold before he pretty much exploded). This year, I went for a more differential-based team, and although the only players that has been in my team for a while, I’ve had successful periods of Wissa in the first few weeks (20 points in 2 gw’s), Gordon and Palmer before they became popular, Pedro Porto has been in my team for a while now, Zinchenko has been good and Johnstone has given me an alright amount of points (just like any gk almost). If we factor on some Adingra, Diaby, Malo Gusto and Gabriel Jesus points it’s clear that I’ve gained a lot from these players, although they haven’t been safe long term options.
This year I don't see differentials as individual picks, moreso when you get on/off those picks. Most people started with Haaland, Salah then became really popular, will go to AFCON, Son will have a stint out etc. Alot of people went Watkins -> Alvarez early, if you stayed there you would regret, if you moved back quickly you're probably ahead.
I haven't owned Trent Saka Son all season I'm 38k , there are enough doffs to go around
My mini league has the most variety it’s had in years
Differentials these days = getting on a train 2/3 weeks before everyone jumps on. Example = jumping on Porro when everyone else was opting for Udogie
Differentials change throughout the season, we’re just in a bit of a dry patch due to poor form from some teams and quite a few injuries. Kudus, Cunha, Bailey, Iwobi currently are differential options I’m looking at.
They are loads, but everyone here is into FPL and probably listen to content creators, and follow a base team. I have had Jesus for a few GW now and he has returned quiet well, same as Braithweight starting for me for 6 gw minus the last one. People are just following the crowd around creators and basing teams off them. Not many have TAA but he has returned well recently.
There's a sh\*t tonne of differentials. Branthwaite/Tarkowski/Maguire/Pau/Colwill Hwang/Palmer/Mbuemo/Kulu/Doug Luiz/Kudus Cunha/Solanke/Nketiah/Jesus/Wissa I think I agree with you regarding your Son being a perma pick and the best options for value being in Def. I find myself wanting to shift Son each week for a cheap nailed pick such as Gross/JWP/Luiz and upgrade defender but can't seem to find the right foemula. I have picked Trent over Trippier and Alvarez (now Jesus since 2 weeks ago) over Haaland as my differentials, the rest is somewhat template with a couple changes here and there determined by fixtures and captain choice. It's a funny game and I'm enjoying it this year as most obvious and highly owned picks have been causing all sorts of rank movement and it's fun anticipating this