FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of FPL GW1 Deadline

It seems as though it’s been ages since Bukayo Saka had his penalty saved by Gigi Donnarumma. That’s what happens without football, time moves slowly. But the wait is over. We are now less than 24 hours away from the start of the new Premier League season. The season kicks of with a London derby at the Brentford community stadium as the hosts take on Arsenal. This is the time of the season where we normally dismantle our FPL squads before building a new one. So, we are here just about in time, with our suggestions on who you can take in your squads to move away from the template ones. In this blog, we look at the best differentials or punts as people in the FPL community like to call it, ahead of the FPL GW1 deadline. 

Note: Player ownership are from the time of writing and are subject to change as we move closer to the deadline. 

FPL GW1 Differential Picks(<=10%)

Nicolas Pepe vs Brentford(A) £7.5, TSB:3.3%

Nicolas Pepe has been one of those players who has flattered to deceive in the two seasons he has had in England. However, towards the end of last season, the Arsenal man found his rhythm and finished with 5 goals in the last 4 matches. 

Pepe has been in good form in pre-season too, registering a goal and two assists. However, it wouldn’t be fair to judge someone based on pre-season form as they can be misleading. The key is to see if the player has had enough minutes under his belt and Pepe has had a good amount of time on the pitch ahead of FPL GW1. 

In his time in the Premier League, Nicolas Pepe has been the sort of player who has done well against “weaker” teams. Seven of his ten goals last campaign came against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table. Furthermore, even in the 19/20 season 9 of his 11 attacking returns came against teams that finished in the latter half of the league in that season. In short, Pepe has been a bit of a flat-track bully. It wouldn’t be a surprise, therefore, if the Ivorian gets off to a flyer, against a newly promoted club in Brentford. 

The Bees are a very attacking team, who will take the game to the opposition no matter who the opponent is. This presents an opportunity for Arsenal and indeed their record signing to have a field day. 

Pro Tip: Pepe could be the perfect one week punt for managers, he can then be replaced by the likes of Gundogan or Buendia in GW2

Further Read: FPL GW 1 Captaincy Analysis, Metrics & Top Picks | AK FPL

Ilkay Gundogan vs Spurs(A) £7.5, TSB:8%

It is of great surprise to us that we are able to field in Ilkay Gundogan as one of the differentials ahead of FPL GW1. Indeed, the German was Manchester City’s top scorer last season in the league with 13 goals. He did of course get rotated in the league in the final third of the season a lot, due to City’s exploits in the champions league. However, Gundogan did register attacking returns in both GW 36 and 37. So the question is are managers overlooking him? We certainly think so. 

The Manchester City midfielder has had a decent pre-season too. He amassed 2 goals and an assist. But more importantly, he is well warmed up heading into the new season. The champions kick off their title defence against a Spurs side, who are looking to find their feet under their new boss. 

Last time out: Does anyone remember what happened when Ilkay Gundogan faced Spurs last? He scored two goals and set up one other, to register a whopping 18 points in FPL, in what was a double GW. Unfortunately, he got injured and missed the second fixture. However, he more than gave enough points to managers in that one game alone. 

One other reason why Gundogan is being overlooked could be the fact that he played deeper in the champions league final. Having said that, if you had watched the Community Shield, you would have clearly observed that he was getting himself in advanced positions and that he still remains one of Manchester City’s biggest goal threat. As a result of which it would be wise to pick him as one of your midfielders! 

Further Read: FPL GW 1 Captaincy Analysis, Metrics & Top Picks | AK FPL

Mason Greenwood vs Leeds(H) £7.5, TSB:6.4%

Mason Greenwood is another one of those players who ended the 2020-21 Premier League campaign on fire. The youngster netted 6 goals in his last 9 matches, collecting an assist in the process too. 

The England international then missed the Euros through injury. However, he has since come back from injury and has had a good run in the off-season. In fact, Greenwood, along with Wan Bissakka played more minutes than any other first-team outfielder. 

In FPL GW1, Manchester United take on Leeds United, who surprisingly have been leaky defensively in pre-season. Bielsa’s men conceded 9 goals in 3 matches. Though pre-season doesn’t count for much, it is cause for concern for the Yorkshire side. 

One of the most recurring themes last season was Leeds getting beaten heavily away from home, by the traditional big six. In fact, they gave away a whopping 18 goals in 6 of them matches. One-third of those were given away, in the reverse fixture last season, at Old Trafford. 

Given the fact that Rashford is out injured and that Martial is not yet at 100%, Greenwood is a certain starter for a few weeks. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘s men do have good fixtures to start the season, so having another attacker on top of Bruno makes total sense for FPL managers. 

Further Read: FPL GW 1 Captaincy Analysis, Metrics & Top Picks | AK FPL

Said Benrahma £6.0 TSB:4.9%

Truth be told, this man has been talk of the FPL community in the past few weeks. So he simply had to be one of our differentials for FPL GW1. Indeed, Said Benrahma has absolutely torn it up in pre-season, registering 2 goals and 3 assists in the process. In other words, he is one of the most in-form players heading into the new season. 

Previously we had stated that what happens in pre-season must be taken with a pinch of salt. However, Benrahma ‘s form has been a continuation of what he showed in the final few weeks of last season. The Algerian got a goal( his first one at that) and 2 assists in the last 5 matches. 

Two other factors which makes Benrahma a viable differential. One is the fact that he is on a lot of set pieces, and it goes without saying that West Ham are one of the best sides from dead-ball situations. Second is the fact that he is priced at £6.0, which is £0.5 or £1 cheaper than similar players like the Algerian. In simple words, the West Ham man would be the perfect enabler for your teams. 

Further Read: Assessing The Eye Test Of 3 FPL Players Who Instantly Caught My Eyes

Lewis Dunk £5.0 TSB:6.9%

Much like we were for Gundogan, we are extremely surprised that Lewis Dunk can feature on this list before FPL GW1. The Brighton captain has been one of the most consistent performers in the last two seasons. In fact, in the second half of the 20/21 season( from GW 20 to 38) only Trent outscored Dunk in FPL, among defenders. 

Overall, in the league last season, Dunk was the joint top scorer(5) among defenders, along with Kurt Zouma. Furthermore, Brighton were the third-best team defensively in terms of xGC after Chelsea and Manchester City. 

Graham Potter’s men have a good set of fixtures to start the season. The Seagulls take on Burnley on the opening weekend of the season. The Clarets were the third-lowest scorers last season with a mere 33 goals. A clean sheet to start the season is on the cards for Dunk and co! 

FPL GW1 Ultra Differential Picks(<=1%)

Seamus Coleman £5.0, TSB:0.6%

Seamus Coleman is all set to start at RB for Everton this season. The defender will lead his side onto the field in FPL GW1 for the first time under their Rafa Benitez. The former Newcastle manager in the past has been known for organizing his teams well defensively. Expect no less with his Everton side too. 

The Toffees take on Southampton, a side that has lost its key player upfront, and are also on the verge of losing their most important player at the back too. And dare I say, losing Vestergaard diminishes the Saints as a goal threat even further. As a result of which, the chances of the Merseyside club keeping a clean sheet is high. 

Everton’s fixtures at the start of the season is pretty attractive to the say the least. Therefore having a defender from their lineup would be a wise thing to do. Seamus Coleman provides a cheaper alternative to Lucas Digne. 

Pro Tip: Digne is definitely the best defensive asset to pick from Everton. In case you can’t afford him, then Coleman can become an option

Fixtures: SOU(H), LEE(A), BHA(A), BUR(H), AVL(A), NOR(H)

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of the 2021/22 Season:

Thanks for reading the ‘FPL Differential picks for GW1’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 25000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates. Link to all our 2021/22 FPL pre-season blogs.

Check out our Rules and Basics Guide, FPL Team Structure Guide, FPL Goalkeepers, FPL Budget Strikers, FPL Midfielders, FPL position-wise player analysis, FPL Individual player comparison and analysis, FPL Strikers, FPL Defenders, FPL Chip Strategy, FPL Chips, FPL Team reveals, FPL History, FPL Team Analysis, FPL Eye Test, Captaincy Picks, Differential Picks, and FPL Player Analysis.

2021/22 FPL Season ALLABOUTFPL Mini League:

👑🔥AllAboutFPL League Announcement:

🎁Prizes up for grabs:

🥇-Trophy from @allaboutfpl
🥈-Box from @shirtlootbox
3⃣,4⃣,5⃣- Merchandise from @drafthound

🏆Cup winner- Medal from @FFMedals

✅Entry: FREE
✅Eligibility: Follow above accounts and Retweet this#FPL #FPLCommunity pic.twitter.com/mEPYBjI4bd

— ALLABOUTFPL (@allaboutfpl) July 28, 2021

Don’t want to pay and try out a free trial instead?
Get a seven-day free trial for FFHUB now: Free trial

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of the 2021/22 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering the lengths and breaths of FPL analyzing every single topic possible right from team previews, fixture analysis, position analysis, tips, team reveals, and strategy from our expert writers over the pre-season. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

FPL GW1 FPL Deadline Countdown

Login and set your team for FPL GW1 now!