The wait is almost over. The new FPL season is upon us. It is time to get those drafts ready. It is time to start making changes to your drafts every two hours. We are all looking for that one or two differential players, to move away from the template team. That is why we are here to help you out. In this blog, let’s take a look at our top FPL GW1 Differential picks/punts to consider in your teams.
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks (<10% ownership)
Emi Martinez vs Newcastle(A), £5.0m, TSB: 7.7%
The goalkeeping spot in our teams is probably the most annoying to decide who to go with. There is no obvious big hitter here. The FPL template this season seems to be Andre Onana. However, we believe that Emi Martinez is a viable alternative to the new Man Utd man.
Having Emi Martinez in goal allows you to have the three best assets from Man Utd (Shaw, Bruno, and Rashford) for their kind run of opening games. Meanwhile, Aston Villa, have one of the best set of fixtures to start the season. Nine out of their opening Fourteen fixtures have an FDR rating of 2.
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Aston Villa ended last season with a tremendous defensive record. Emery’s men had the best defensive record between GW25 and GW38, conceding only 8 goals in that time. Martinez kept more clean sheets than any other keeper, and also registered more FPL points than anyone else.
Further Read: Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2023/24 FPL Season
James Tarkowski vs Fulham(H), £4.5m, TSB: 3.5%
We all want to go for that one pick who we know has high upside, but just can’t predict when it may come to fruition. Over the years, we have seen James Tarkowski be a great FPL asset. He has had 15 attacking returns in the last 5 seasons. That is a great tally for a CB playing for clubs fighting for relegation.
Five of Everton’s opening eight matches have an FDR rating of 2. For starters, Fulham are a team who are susceptible to leaking goals from set plays. The Cottagers conceded a goal from a set piece in each of their three games in the Preseason Summer Series tournament.
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Last season in the league, Tarkowski registered the second most number of shots in the box(32), among defenders. Meanwhile, Fulham had the fifth-worst record in the league for goals conceded from set plays last season. Without Palhinha and possibly Tim Ream, they’re further weakened.
Incredibly, Tarkowski created a whopping 6 big chances across the season, way for than any other centre-back. Therefore, he not only has goal threat, he also has great assist potential, from set pieces.
James Tarkowski has recovered from his knock against Sporting on Saturday and is back in training ahead of Everton’s fixture against Fulham
Tarkowski fitness update
Further Read: Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Joao Pedro vs Luton(H), £5.5m, TSB: 8.1%
Joao Pedro has been Brighton’s standout performer in pre-season. The Brazilian got 2 goals and an assist in pre-season. Most notably, both of his goals came from the penalty spot. There is a high chance that he is the new spot-kick taker for the Seagulls.
Brighton’s tremendous start to the season in terms of fixtures has been well-documented. Joao Pedro scored eleven goals and got four assists in the championship last season for Watford.
Furthermore, in the championship last season, Joao Pedro netted a goal at home against Luton Town. Therefore, he would be going into the FPL GW1 fixture against the Hatters full of confidence.
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Brighton had one of the best attacks last season. De Zerbi’s men were fourth-best in the league for shots in the box, one better than Man City. They were top for total number of shots. Meanwhile, only Brentford(7) and Man City(9) won more penalties last season than Brighton(6). This makes Pedro an even more enticing pick!
Further Read: Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2023/24 FPL Season
Diogo Jota vs Chelsea(A), £8.0m, TSB: 3.2%
Diogo Jota has been one of the stand-out performers in pre-season across all the 20 teams. The Liverpool man registered 4 goals and 2 assists in 5 matches. Most importantly, he started each of the previous two friendlies, with Darwin sitting on the bench.
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As we can see from the above graphic, Jota was second only to Darwin for Big chances per 90. In addition to that, he was second only to Bobby Firmino for goals per 90. Therefore, it is safe to believe that the Portuguese international is one of the most explosive assets from Liverpool!
| Player | Mins | SIB | BC | Goals | Assists | BP | Points | Mins/Point |
| Salah | 883 | 38 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 78 | 11.32 |
| Jota | 522 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 54 | 9.67 |
| Gakpo | 709 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 15.41 |
| Darwin | 246 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 15.38 |
If we take a look at data from GW30 to GW38 last season, Jota comes out on top for Mins/ Point. We gotta bear in mind, this is a period in which Jurgen Klopp had all his attackers fit. In fact, in this period, Jota was the seventh-highest points scorer player across all teams.
Further Read: 2023/24 Pre Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
Ben White vs Nottingham Forest(H), £5.5m, TSB: 9.7%
Ben White finished as top scoring defender in FPL from Arsenal last season, with 156 points, 10 more than Gabriel. However, most FPL managers have overlooked the Englishman due to the difference in price between himself and Gabriel.
White registered 7 attacking returns (2G + 5A) last season. Only 5 defenders registered more attacking returns. He also created 7 big chances, the fifth-best tally among defenders. As we can see, the Gunners have a great run of games to start the season. Given the rotation risks in the midfield, it doesn’t seem ideal to pick anyone apart from Saka.
Although, Odegaard is safe for minutes, his key stats aren’t inspiring whatsoever. Therefore, going double defence might be the best way forward. Furthermore, anybody who watched the Community Shield would know how influential White was going forward. On another day, he could have registered an assist.
In general, given the fact Arsenal play 3 of last season’s bottom 7 goal scorers in their first 5 games, further strengthens the case for doubling up in the defence.
Further Read: Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Moussa Diaby vs Newcastle(A), £6.5m, TSB:6.7%
As we stated earlier, Aston Villa have a great run of games to start the season all the way until GW14. Therefore, Diaby is our second pick from the Villains for the FPL GW1 differentials.
Diaby registered 17 attacking returns (9G + 8A) and 25 attacking returns (13G + 12A) in the 2022-23 season and 2021-22 season, in the Bundesliga, respectively. This shows that he not only scores goals, but is also a creative force to reckon with.
Diaby scored in 2 out of Villa’s 4 friendlies during the pre-season. The best part being, he played upfront along with Watkins, as part of a front two. Aren’t we FPL managers searching for a player playing out of position? Aren’t we FPL managers searching for a £6.5m midfielder?
Well, Moussa Diaby is the answer to both of the aforementioned questions. Incidentally, the two goals he has scored for Villa so far, both have come against Premier League opposition (Fulham and Brentford).
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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season
Pre-Season Friendlies Updates & Fixtures
2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
2023/24 Pre Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL GW1 Must Read Articles:
FPL GW1 Scout Picks Based On Stats, Analysis, And Matchups
2023/24 Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks To Consider Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL GW1 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 1 To 6
Drafts for FPL GW1:
FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland + Salah and Trent Trio
FPL GW1 Drafts with 3-4-3 Formation | 2023/24 FPL Season
Initial GW1 Drafts for the 2023/24 Season with Pros and Cons
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW1 Deadline
Four Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL Goalkeepers Analysis:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Goalkeepers at Each Price Point for the 2023/24 Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
2023/24 FPL Season Positional Analysis:
Defenders:
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
Midfielders:
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5 & £5.5 Million FPL Midfielders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £6.0 -£7.5 Million FPL Midfielders | 2023/24 Season
Mbeumo vs Mitoma vs Eze vs Diaby- 6.5. FPL Midfielders Comparison and Verdict
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 -£12.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Forwards:
Best Mid-Priced FPL Forwards (£7.0 – £8.0m) | 2023/24 Season
Best FPL Forwards in The £6.0 & £6.5M Price Bracket
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Ultimate Guide & FPL Calendar:
Ultimate FPL Pre-Season Guide & Tips for the 2023/24 Season
2023/24 FPL Season Schedule: Key Dates, Information & Timeline
Fixture Analysis:
FPL Fixture Analysis For The 2023/24 FPL Season | PL Fixtures
General FPL Blogs:
FPL Team Structure Guide- 6 Different Team Structures with Drafts, Pros and Cons
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2023/24 PL Season
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Differentials- Players To Watch Ahead Of The 2023/24 Season
FPL Budget Enablers(Top Budget Picks Position wise)
Under Priced FPL Assets from Big 6 Teams
Best Differential FPL Team For The 2023-2024 Season
Players to Avoid in FPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 1
Initial Reaction to FPL Player Price Reveals for the 2023/24 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 23/24 Season
FPL Tips and Best Practices to Have an Enjoyable FPL Season
FPL Team ID- What is it? How to get a Low Team ID for 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Team Names for the 2023/24 FPL Season
If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season?
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K K Anirudh
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