Spot The Differential – Gameweek Twenty Five

Until the fixtures begin to ease up for the clubs at the top of the table – around Gameweek 28 – we’re in an interesting situation where some of the highest returns could come from the ‘lesser’ teams. By looking at the ‘next six’ season ticker we can see that the top 5 clubs in terms of fixtures are Fulham, Wigan, Blackburn, QPR and Bolton, and there’s a lot of value options out there right now. We were almost spoiled for choice with the differential picks this week but in the end we rolled the dice and opted for a couple of risky, yet potentially explosive options……

Ryo Miyaichi

One of the most exciting young players in the Premier League, Ryo Miyaichi, could finally make his league debut this weekend after securing a loan move from Arsenal to Bolton on Deadline Day. After the success of Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge’s loan spells at the Reebok, Owen Coyle will be hoping his latest starlet can follow in their footsteps, and with a crucial tie against Wigan up next, the Japanese youth international could make an immediate impact.

Ryo possesses an incredible turn of pace, is happy when both turning inside and running at defenders as well as crossing from a wide position, and boasts an excellent shot; if he could nail down a starting place then, at just 4.9 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), he would be Fantasy football gold. He is a huge gamble at this early stage, of course, and will in all likelihood start on the bench this weekend but, even if he only manages a late cameo, his pace and movement against tired legs could still see him pick up some points. Bolton’s fixtures look great from Gameweek 28 onwards, suggesting Miyaichi may well be worth an early punt if you’re looking for a fifth midfielder option.

Coyle tested all three of his new signings in a behind closed doors game against Preston in midweek, but it was Miyaichi that stood out from the trio, scoring a stunning goal in a man-of-the-match display and earning some warm post-match praise from his manager. Fans have already begun to dub him ‘Ryo-naldo’, but there are surely more puns to be had from his Street Fighter alias. Perhaps his legs will spin like Chun Li, the incredible pace and Guile of Ryo will turn Wigan fans’ faces Blanka with Zan-grief. Hadouken! Sorry. Moving swiftly on then….

Morten Gamst Pederson

Despite languishing second from bottom in the Premier League, Blackburn’s attacking force are in European qualification form; their 34 goal tally is the seventh highest in the league. It’s pretty obvious where Rovers’ problems lie then and, while their defensive frailties are a big problem for the club, it doesn’t make any difference from a Fantasy football perspective. Blackburn are a perfect example of how taking a closer look at the statistics can sometimes give us a big advantage; the likes of Morten Gamst Pederson, Yakubu and Junior Hoilett should not be ignored.

One of the most consistent point scorers of the last five or six seasons, Pederson is often near the top of the value charts at the end of the year, and will always have a place in the hearts of Fantasy football veterans. It’s perhaps surprising, then, to see his current ownership sitting at just 1.3% in the FPL game, and even more so considering his recent form. Without setting the world on fire, he’s picked up a goal or an assist in 5 of his last 7 games and, considering four of those games were away to Liverpool, Everton, United and Arsenal, that’s a pretty impressive return for a midfielder priced at 6.2.

 Jean Beausejour

A recent arrival in the January transfer window, Jean Beausejour has quickly established himself in the Wigan side and, after turning in a man of the match performance against Everton last weekend, the Chilean international looks like he could be key to Wigan’s hopes of surviving relegation. Beausejour struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League with Birmingham last season but thankfully, 18 months later, those difficulties now seem to be behind him. After a strong start to the season in the Championship, he has hit the ground running for his new club, picking up the assist for Wigan’s only goal last weekend after his low cross was turned in for an own goal by Phil Neville.

As a differential, they don’t really come much rarer than Beausejour. Since being added to the FPL game two weeks ago, he has only been picked up by 170 managers, which isn’t even enough to move his ownership percentage above 0.0%. Victor Moses is the obvious alternative with a slightly more impressive 4.8% (partly boosted by Mark’s early season obsession), but, after making minimal impact this term, perhaps it’s time for another Wigan player to step up and take on the bargain-midfielder-of-choice mantle. If he can get amongst the points again this weekend, we can expect that ownership to take a big jump – three of their next four fixtures are at home to Villa, Swansea and West Brom, with only a trip to Norwich in between.