You already know that Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford are pretty decent footballers.
You probably also have an inkling that James Maddison can play, and that Martin Odegaard and Bruno Fernandes might be a little bit underpriced.
But who are the best differentials in FPL 2023-24?
We like to err-on-the-side-of-boring early in the season. It’s how you win mini-leagues.
But the mid-priced category gives us the most room for creativity, so here are six mid-priced players all owned by less than 15% of managers, who probably deserve a lot more attention.
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Jarrod Bowen (WHU)
The memory of an FPL manager is notoriously short. They’re like bigger, grumpier goldfish.
So it’s no surprise that few managers remember how excellent Bowen’s 21/22 season was, in which he mustered 29 attacking returns and 206 FPL points.
Has he lost it? Apparently not. With multiple goals and assists to his name already in pre-season, he’s living proof that English people that spend their summers in Australia can still be somewhat productive.
Looking for a cheaper option? Check out our guide to the Best 6.5m Midfielder in FPL 2023-24.
Phil Foden (MCI)
Foden is the sort of player that could’ve cost £1.0m more without too many shaved-eyebrows being raised.
If he gets more than 2,000 minutes in the Premier League (a feat he has only barely scraped once – in the 21/22 season), he’ll probably be one of the highest scoring FPL midfielders in the league.
He managed 18 attacking returns in just 1,832 minutes last campaign. For context, Martin Odegaard (the second highest scoring midfielder last season) had 3,132 minutes and only mustered 5 more. No midfielder scored more FPL points-per-90 than Phil.
It’s a tale as old as time for a player who many believe deserves more match time than he currently enjoys. With Mahrez gone and De Bruyne injured, Foden has more of an opportunity than ever to finally get it.
Callum Wilson (NEW)
I hope you’re sitting down for this one, but of the players who played more than 200 minutes last season, Erling Haaland had the highest xG/90 (expected goals per 90). ‘Course he did.
But Callum Wilson was second.
18 goals, 6 assists. He did it in 1,870 minutes.
He was also third for FPL points per 90 (amongst players who actually played regularly). Only Haaland and (rather strangely) Firmino bettered his 7.5 points-per-90 tally. In the final eight gameweeks, he was top for that metric.
There’s concern over how frequently he’ll play, but he played over 60 minutes in five of the last seven games last season, starting alongside his like-for-like replacement, Alexander Isak, in all five.
Read more about Wilson & Isak here: Which 7.5m-8.0m Forward To Pick In FPL 2023-24?
Darwin Nunez (LIV)
For a player who was famously – and almost comically – wasteful throughout last season, it’s hard to believe that Darwin Nunez still managed 14 attacking returns in just 1,684 minutes of football.
Indeed, his expected goal involvements per 90 – a solid barometer for forwards – was second (1.18) only to – you guessed it – Erling Haaland (1.27) amongst forwards.
In lazy terms, this means that when Darwin was on the pitch, he was very involved.
He started and played 46 minutes in Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly. It took him 3 minutes to score.
Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo (who both scored in that game too) are the nearest thing to a like-for-like replacement, but none have the towering, bouncer-outside-a-nightclub presence of the Uruguayan.
Pedro Porro (TOT)
In the final six gameweeks of the season, it was not Trent Alexander-Arnold or a trendy Arsenal defender topping the charts for FPL points-per-90 amongst defenders.
Instead it was Pedro Porro. The little Spaniard that could.
We’ve already talked about Ange Postecoglou’s love of full-backs, so if Porro is his preferred choice (the alternative is Emerson Royal), there’s plenty of potential for him to thrive.
Alex Moreno (AVL)
A proper hipster pick, this one.
Villa’s Alex Moreno is orange-flagged at the moment due to a hamstring injury, but boy is the left-back one to watch.
Last season, Moreno was second only to Trippier for FPL points-per-start amongst defenders. After joining in January, he started 14 games.
This, combined with Villa’s strengthening at the back, bodes very well for him.
Unless we get clarity on his recovery, he’s not one to rush into your team just yet. But monitor his progress closely, because he might just be one of the most underrated FPL prospects in the game.
Why not check out our list of Free Entry FPL Mini Leagues with Prizes and our list of Offensive FPL Team Names!
