Gameweek 25 started off in the worst possible manner as almost all of the big assets failed. But both Arsenal and Liverpool delivered in their respective second games. Gameweek 26 could be a season-defining week for managers. There is a strong thought of playing the wildcard. As a result of which playing the right differential is all that more important. Our differential picks this week have been based on various double/blank scenarios to fit most of the FPL manager’s team and chip scenarios. Let’s look at our top six FPL GW26 Differentials picks.
Note: The TSB mentioned is at the time of writing and is subject to change
Stats from Fantasy Football Hub, FFScout
Link to all our FPL GW26 blogs including Fixtures to target, Double and blank game-week news, Predicted GW26 Lineups, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!
Top FPL GW26 Differential Picks (<10% ownership)
Ollie Watkins vs Crystal Palace(H), £7.3m, TSB: 7.1%
Ollie Watkins is the most player in the league. Indeed, the Englishman has scored in each of the last 5 league matches. The Villa man has been in a revelation since Unai Emery has taken charge. Only 5 players have had more goal involvements(9) in FPL than Watkins since GW15.
Aston Villa are one of eight teams to have both a fixture in GW28 and a double in GW29. Among these teams, they are one of the few teams to be in top form. The likes of Chelsea, Leicester, and Newcastle are not really in form. While others like Forest and Leeds aren’t trustworthy.
Since GW17, no team has conceded more shots in the box than Crystal Palace. The Eagles also have the fourth worst record for big chances given away in that time. Furthermore, Vierra’s men have failed to win any of their last 8 games.
Meanwhile, Villa have the likes of Leicester and Bournemouth coming up in the next 5 matches. As we can see from the above image, they are among the worst as well defensively. It is safe to say that Watkins has the fixtures as well as the form to deliver in the next 5-6 weeks.
Further Read: Confirmed & Likely FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks From FPL GW26
James Maddison vs Southampton(A), £8.1m, TSB: 4.4%
James Maddison has got to be one of the unluckiest players in the league and indeed for FPL managers to hold. He has missed 7 games through injury this season. The Foxes have lost 6 of them. They have scored only 4 goals in these matches.
Meanwhile, when he has featured, the Foxes have scored 32 goals in 17 games. Maddison has contributed to 14 of them( 9 goals 5 assists). The midfielder is 5th best for goal involvements per 90 in the league. His tally is better than the likes of Rashford and Saka.
Leicester City are another one of those teams with a great run of fixtures coming up. The Foxes have a fixture in GW28 and also double in 29 and they have good fixtures beyond that. Meanwhile, James Maddison has scored 5 goals against Southampton, his best tally against a particular team.
Further Read: FPL GW26 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
Lewis Dunk vs West Ham(H), £4.7m, TSB: 4.6%
Brighton have been unfortunate this season for clean sheets. Only Manchester City have conceded fewer shots on target De Zerbi’s men. They have also conceded the fifth least amount of big chances. Yet, they have kept only 6 clean sheets.
Looking at the fixtures coming up, Brighton have a great chance of keeping more clean sheets. For starters, their FPL GW26 opponents West Ham have scored only 7 goals on the road all season- the third-worst tally in the league.
The Seagulls will be having 5 double Gameweeks from now until the end of the season. Therefore it will be wise to double up if not triple up on their players. Lewis Dunk over the years has proven himself to be a great asset in front of goal. As a result of which he is the standout defender from the South Coast side
Further Read: FPL GW26 Odds Preview- Goals, Clean Sheets and Predicted Points
Kelechi Iheanacho vs Southampton(A), £6.2m, TSB:1.8%
This is a very sentimental pick for us as Iheanacho was one of our early successes in the differential blog in the time in which he banged for the Foxes. It seems as though as that kind of period is coming back as Rodgers has finally regained his faith in the Nigerian.
In the last 4 games, that is since Ihenacho started playing from the start, he comes out as the second best for xPts among Forwards in FPL. He is joint third for big chances and fourth for xG in that period. Furthermore, he is Top among Forwards for xA and only March has created more big chances than him in the time frame in the entire league.
As stated earlier, Leicester City have among the best double GW 29, along with the fact that they have a guaranteed fixture in GW28. Therefore tripling up on their assets is a must. Iheanacho also netted in Leicester’s FA cup exit midweek. He would be looking to continue his excellent run against the bottom club.
As for Southampton, they have failed to win any of their last 8 home games, losing 6 of them. They have also conceded the most goals at home, keeping 0 shutouts in the process.
Further Read: When to Use Your FPL Chips? FPL Chip Strategy Explained
Evan Ferguson vs West Ham(H), £4.6m, TSB:1.9%
Evan Ferguson netted the winning goal for Brighton in their FA Cup tie at Stoke this midweek. That was his second start post-injury, after playing 72 minutes in the league game against Fulham last time out. The forward had 3 shots in the box and a big chance in that game. He was extremely unfortunate not to find the back of the net.
Ferguson is second only to Undav for shots in the box, big chances, and xG per 90 for the Seagulls this season. With Welbeck prone to injuries, Ferguson can act as the perfect bench fodder in single gameweeks but a powerful weapon in doubles for FPL managers.
Ferguson has 5 goals and 4 assists in all competitions in less than 700 minutes this season. Now that he is back to full fitness, with Brighton having multiple double GWs, he might be the best enabler for Wildcarders this week.
Further Read: FPL GW26 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
Top FPL GW26 Ultra Differential Pick (<1% ownership)
Ethan Pinnock vs Fulham(H), £4.4m, TSB: 0.3%
Last, but not the least, a Brentford player. The team that everyone is chasing after. This is because Brentford double in both GW27 and GW29. Plus, they don’t blank in GW28 or GW32. It is a dream for FPL managers.
Ethan Pinnock was injured at the start of the season. He made his first start in GW10. Since then he comes out on top of nearly all the key metrics. He is top for xG, big chances, BPS, xPts among Brentford defenders. However, he hasn’t hauled yet, which bodes well for us FPL managers.
Pinnock registered a goal and an assist last season in the league. He also had registered 3 goals and 5 assists in the championship for the Bees in the two seasons prior to that. Therefore he has attacking returns in him. Numbers suggest they aren’t far away.
The Wildcarders have almost certainly gone with Ben Mee or in rare cases, Henry. But here we have a gem of an asset who is the cheapest and statistically tops the charts. Therefore, he is the perfect differential to climb up the ladder in the leagues for FPL managers.
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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW26
Confirmed & Likely FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks From FPL GW26
FPL GW26 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down Key Dilemmas
FPL GW26 Predicted Lineups, Injury/Press Conference Updates
FPL GW26 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
FPL Gameweek 26 Scout Picks based on Stats and Matchups
Gameweek 26 Transfer Tips- Players to Buy, Hold, Sell
Top FPL GW26 Differential Picks to Consider(<10% TSB)
FPL GW26 Odds Preview- Goals, Clean Sheets and Predicted Points
FPL GW26 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
When to Use Your FPL Chips? FPL Chip Strategy Explained
FPL Gameweek 26 Stream
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Link to all our FPL Gameweek 26 blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics including the best wildcard team, chip strategy, differentials, and more.
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K K Anirudh
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