FPL GW7 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Gameweek 7 Deadline

Gameweek 6 was an absolute disaster for managers as most of the key players failed to return points. This meant that we were left with the lowest average for this season of merely 43. The disappointment of last week coupled with the fact that there is a fixture swing for some teams means that managers are pondering to use their wildcard either this week or post international break. Over 300000 managers have activated the button already this week. As a result of which differentials become all the more important this week. In this blog, we’ll be looking at the top six differential picks for FPL GW7. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 7 blogs.

Note: The ownership given is at the time of writing and is subject to change

FPL GW7 Differential picks (<10% TSB)

Bukayo Saka vs Brighton(A)

Truth be told, Saka and indeed Arsenal themselves had a horrendous start to the season. However, in the last 3 weeks they have put in a recovery of sorts. The Gunners have won each of their last three games, scoring 5 goals and conceding only 1 in the process. Bukayo Saka has been involved in 3 of those 5 goals(1 goal 2 assists).

Mikel Arteta’s men have some really good fixtures coming up. Each of their next five fixtures are ranked either 2 or 3 in the FDR chart. It is safe to say that Saka has been Arsenal’s best player so far this season. This can be illustrated by looking at the stats below

Parameters	Data	Club Rank
Shots	11	3
Shots in the box	9	1
Goals	1	2
Assists	2	1
xG	1.04	4
Key passes	9	2
xA	1.08	2
BPS	92	2
Points	26	1

As we can see, Saka tops the charts among Arsenal players for most of the key stats. The Gunners are benefiting from the fact that they have no European football this season. Furthermore, the young Englishman is priced a mere £6.2, we therefore feel he is a must have for at least next 2 months.

Further Read: Bukayo Saka The Explosive FPL Differential Ahead Of GW7 Fixture Swing

Cesar Azpilicueta vs Southampton(H)

One of the most advertised fixture swing ahead of FPL GW7 is that of Chelsea’s. A lot of managers are bringing in one if not two Chelsea players, ahead of the Blues’ phenomenal run of fixtures from FPL GW7 to 12. In this period 5 out of the 6 games have a ranking of 2 in FDR chart.

Pro Tip

Here is an early pro tip! It would be wise to have 3 Chelsea players in your teams, especially if you have activated the wildcard button. Lukaku and Rudiger are two obvious choices, the third one we feel should be Azpilicueta.

Why Azpi?

Now as far as the third Chelsea asset is concerned, there are several options, including Reece James, Marcos Alonso and Azpi himself. However, considering James’ uncertainty with fitness and Marcos Alonso potentially dropping out for Ben Chilwell means that the Chelsea skipper becomes the most reliable option. Indeed no Chelsea player has played more minutes(1960) in the league under Tuchel than the Spaniard.

Azpilicueta is not only a reliable starter, he also has the potential to provide attacking returns. He has already registered 2 assists across all competitions this campaign. Furthermore, despite playing significantly lesser minutes than both Alonso and Rudiger, the Spaniard has registered 126 points in BPS. This is exactly same as that of Rudiger’s and not far away from Alonso’s 143.

Further Read: Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW7 ~ Dias vs Cancelo, Alonso vs Rudiger, Saka vs Sarr

Raul Jimenez vs Newcastle(H)

Raul Jimenez finally got on the scoresheet, for the first time post his horrific injury, against Southampton. He also earned himself 2 bonus points in the process. It is a much needed boost for Wolves going into a run of winnable games.

Last time out

The last time these two sides met in the league, Raul Jimenez scored a goal in a 1-1 draw. That also happened to be his last goal at Molineux. The Mexican would be hoping he could repeat the same when these two sides face off in FPL GW7 too.

Key Stats

• Newcastle have allowed the second most number of shots this season(108), only Leeds(112) have allowed more.
• The Magpies have allowed the second most number of big chances in the league(18), behind only Norwich(19).
• Steve Bruce’s men have the worst xGC this season, with 13.5, they have also conceded the joint second highest amount goals(14), the Canaries(16) the only side worse off.

Raul Jimenez had been getting close to scoring goals prior to last weekend. In all he has had 4 big chances, 16 shots along with an xG of 2.01. Now that he has got himself on the scoresheet, he is only going to get better and better!

Further Read: FPL GW7 Wildcard | Teams & Players To Target, Tips, And Drafts

Chris Wood vs Norwich(H)

And we are back with one of our favorite differential picks, that is Burnley’s Chris Wood. The New Zealander has had a quiet start to the campaign. He has only scored 1 goal so far this season, in 6 matches. However, Burnley have played against Liverpool, Leicester, Arsenal and Everton already this season. So we can give Burnley as a team an excuse.

Sean Dyche’s men now enter a run of games wherein they face the kind of opponents they usually pick up their points against. 7 out of the next 11 games for Burnley have an FDR rating of 2. We have often seen Wood thrive in these kind of fixtures and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does so again!

Stat Attack

• Chris Wood has netted five times in four matches against Norwich, including three in his last two matches, against these opponents.
• Norwich have conceded the most number of goals(16) and indeed big chances(19) so far this season.

Despite only scoring one goal, Wood has been on the periphery of things this season. He has had 12 shots on goal, 3 big chances with an expected goals of 1.85. All stats point to an upturn in fortune for the striker, starting from FPL GW7.

Further Read: FPL GW7 Analysis – Players To Buy, Hold Or Sell Ahead Of Deadline

Nick Pope vs Norwich(H)

It is not often we put a goalkeeper as a differential. However, Nick Pope makes our differential list ahead of FPL GW7. He becomes the second Burnley player in our list. As you can imagine, he is not just an option for short term, he could excel for the next two months or so.

Pro Tip

This pick is especially for those who are on a wildcard. Sanchez has some challenging fixtures coming, so it would be wise to move him on. Mendy might be good choice, however he could just give six pointers. Burnley’s Nick Pope is the classic high risk high reward differential pick. He has the fixtures to thrive in goal, and if history is anything to go by, we could be in for at least two eleven pointers in the coming weeks.

As far as the stats are concerned, there is nothing much to be excited about with respect to Pope. But that is exactly what FPL is all about, the key is to foresee what could happen in coming weeks. Burnley’s fixture swing presents Pope an opportunity to keep clean sheets. 3 out of the next 6 fixtures for the Clarets are against teams in the bottom 12 of the table.

Key Numbers

• Norwich have created the least number of big chances(6), have the least xG(5.3), and they are also the team to have scored the fewest amount of goals(2).
• The Canaries also hold the record for the worst shot conversion rate this season(3.3%). The chances of Sean Dyche’s men shutting their opponents out this GW is very high.

Last season too Burnley got off to a pretty sluggish start. However, exactly, during this period of the season is when they started picking up points. This is no coincidence as the Clarets had a winnable set of fixtures at this stage in the 2020-21 too. In fact, Nick Pope registered 52 points , with 4 clean sheets and 52 points along with a whopping 11 bonus points, from GW8 to GW15. Will history repeat itself?

Further Read: Form and Fixtures Analysis Ahead OF FPL GW 7 | Best FPL Assets to Own

Ultra Differential Pick for FPL GW7

Josh King vs Leeds(A)

After a slow start to the season, King has now registered 3 assists in the last two matches, also picking up 2 bonus points in the process. Apart from that, the Norwegian has had 5 shots on goal, out of which 4 have been from inside the box, with 1 big chance. The Striker has also created 3 big chances, only five other players have created more in the entire league.

Watford take on Leeds, in FPL GW7, a team that has surprisingly been very poor so far this season. Leeds have conceded the most shots(112), SIB(73), shots on target(42) up and till now. Furthermore, they also have the second worst xGC(12.7) and have also let in the second highest number of goals(14)

Josh King can be perfect one week punt for those who are planning to wildcard post international break. Since Watford ‘s fixtures take a dramatic swing, it is only worth having their assets till FPL GW7.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 7:

FPL GW7 Wildcard | Teams & Players To Target, Tips, And Drafts
Why Big At The Back A Good Wildcard Strategy Ahead Of FPL GW7
FPL GW7 Analysis – Players To Buy, Hold Or Sell Ahead Of Deadline
FPL GW7 Transfer Trends Analysis | Popular Transfer Combinations
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW7 ~ Dias vs Cancelo, Alonso vs Rudiger, Saka vs Sarr
Form and Fixtures Analysis Ahead OF FPL GW 7 | Best FPL Assets to Own
FPL GW7 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW6
Making a For and Against Case For Three Premiums FPL Assets | Threemiums
Bukayo Saka The Explosive FPL Differential Ahead Of GW7 Fixture Swing

We have also made an elaborate guide covering every rule and chip available in FPL for the 2021/22 FPL Season ~ 2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 7 blogs.

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