Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW1 Deadline

FPL GW1 is just a couple of days away!! The Template Teams are starting to flood the timelines of Insta, X(formerly Twitter), Threads and Youtube. While most of us are going with 7-8 Template players in our team, there is always an option to go with a couple of Tasty Differentials (Lowly owned FPL assets) in your team, so that you enjoy their hauls to yourself.

Jumping on the Bandwagon a week earlier compared to most people can be highly beneficial for your Overall ranks. After that just enjoy their hauls and hope for some prices rises while most people flock to that Bandwagon.

In this article, we will be highlighting 5 Players who are less than 10% Owned and 1 Ultra Differential (less than 1% Owned) for all of you as of Tuesday 13^th August, 2024. There are many more whom you guys can consider if you decide to not go with the 6 players mentioned below.

Link to all our 2024/25 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 to Target Ahead of GW1 Deadline

Diogo Jota – Liverpool – 7.5 Midfielder – 8.7 % TSB

• Managers were licking their lips when they saw Diogo Jota line up as a Center Forward instead of Darwin in Liverpool’s 1^st choice Starting Team against Sevilla.
• An OOP Midfielder playing as a Forward for Liverpool with those brilliant fixtures could be too hard to resist.
• Jota had the highest Goal Involvement per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season with 1.33 per 90. That was even more than Haaland’s 1.23 Goal Involvement per 90.

• Jota has played most of pre season and has looked sharp, compared to very few minutes for Diaz, Gakpo and Darwin. 3 Assists and 1 Goal in Pre-season, Jota could be an alternative pick to those considering going without Salah or maybe even doubling up with Salah.
• A match against a Promoted team Ipswich who conceded an average of 10.8 Shots per game in the Championship, Jota could be an Explosive option if he plays most of the minutes in that match.
• Jota has always done well for FPL Managers when he has been fit. Better to get on him early and enjoy his hauls and move off if he gets injured.

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Leon Bailey – Aston Villa – 6.5 Million Midfielder – 4.1%

• 10 goals, 11 assists & 148 FPL points last season made Bailey the joint 2nd highest scoring Aston Villa player. D Luiz also finished with 148 points but he was on pens and played 929 minutes more than Bailey!
• Bailey’s 0.91 goal involvement per 90 last season was the 3rd highest amongst midfielders priced less than 9.0 Million.
• Aston Villa open the season against West Ham & have an incredible run of games from GW3 onwards. You’ll ideally want a Villa attacker for this run!

• Bailey offers the guarantee of a confirmed start in GW1(Watkins isn’t a guaranteed starter having played 0 minutes in pre-season) & offers an early route into Aston Villa’s attack for their incredible fixture run from GW3 onwards.
• In pre-season, Bailey picked up a goal & assist and featured in all the games.

Further Read: Best FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland and Salah

Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest – 6.0 Forward – 4.8 % TSB

• Nottingham Forest have the best 3 Fixtures to open the season and what better way to target their fixtures by going for their Main Man up top.  Wood really did well after Nuno took over last season and will once again look to get more than 10+ Goals this season.
• A Great Pre-season for Wood with 3 Goals and 2 Assists. Wood looks to be in red hot form.
• Awoniyi not having too many minutes in Pre-season is another arrow in Wood’s bow. Expect Wood to start the season and if he continues his form, Awoniyi could take some time to get into the team.
• After Solanke’s departure, Bournemouth could take some to gel with a new forward and system. Target Bournemouth for the first few weeks in my opinion.

Top Forwards for FPL Points/90 Lasts season:

• Haaland- 7.64
• Isak- 6.83
• Wood- 6.53
• Mateta- 6.50
• Wakins- 6.37

Further Read: Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2024/25 FPL Season

Yankuba Minteh – Brighton – 5.5 Midfielder – 1.3 % TSB

• What a Pre-season Minteh has had. 3 Goals and 2 Assists, he has been Brighton’s most impressive player in Pre-season. That is why Newcastle fans were so disappointed to let him go to their Premier League rival.
• Minteh has less competition at the start of the season with Solly March still injured, Adingra the 2^nd choice Right Winger for now.
• Hurzeler is known to develop young players and integrate them to the main team in a seamless way. Also, as part of Hurzeler’s system, the Wingers become more like Inside Forwards with the Striker dropping deep to link up play. This is why Minteh can flourish as he is used to this system (having played under Arne Slot for Feyenoord last season)

Minteh Stats for Feyenoord last season in league:

• Matches– 27(17 starts)
• Goal Involvements- 15(10 goals, 5 assists)
• xGI/90– 0.87
• Goal Involvements/90– 0.93

• An Everton team without Branthwaite is worth targeting in my opinion. Minteh also has an explosive nature to his game compared to a slow & steady approach. Perfect way to start the season in my opinion.

Lewis Hall – Newcastle United – 4.5 Defender – 2.7 % TSB

• Lewis Hall finally looks to have his breakout season this year. He has played the most minutes of any Newcastle player in Pre-season with Dan Burn mostly covering at Center Back.
• He has grabbed 1 Goal and 2 Assists in Pre-season often inverting into attacking positions in midfield. He has a mean cross on him as well with Target Man Alexander Isak the main target in the six yard box.
• Playing Southampton at home seems a fine way to start the season for Newcastle. Newcastle are a different team at home and will look to start the season with a party atmosphere against a Newly Promoted team.
• Even if the clean sheet goes, Hall still has potential to get attacking returns. If Hall starts off well, it seems it will be difficult to displace him from the team.

Further Read: Best £6.5m FPL Midfielders Comparison For 2024/25 FPL Season

Ultra Differential Pick for FPL GW1(Under 1 % Ownership)

Ola Aina – Nottingham Forest – 4.5 Defender – 1 % TSB

• Forest had the 4^th Best xGC conceded last season and massively underperformed their stats due to Matt Sels being an average Goalkeeper. Nuno being a Defensive minded coach has signed some decent defenders and is on the search for a New Goalkeeper to sort out these issues.

• Bournemouth have just lost their striker Dominic Solanke to Spurs which weakens their attack massively. Enes Unal being injured, they will have to play with either Budget Jebbison up top or an OOP Midfielder as a Striker, which increases the chances of Forest keeping a clean sheet.
• Aina had 1 Goal and 1 Assist from 22 appearances last season and is now firmly established in the team. With an opening 3 fixtures that read Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves Aina could be a bargain option for your teams.

That’s it for Gameweek 1. We will be back with 6 More Differentials next Gameweek where we will be hoping to get some positive returns from our current selected Differentials for FPL GW1.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2024/25 FPL Season

FPL Gameweek 1 Articles:
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks(<10% TSB) To Target Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Scout Selection- Top Picks for GW1 with Stats and Analysis
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
Top FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL Team Structure Analysis with Drafts and Ratings
FPL GW1 Tips- Best Formations & Structure, Haaland + Mo?, More

Must Read articles:
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2024/25 PL Season
2024/25 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
Best FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2024/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Budget Enablers For The 2024-25 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 24/25 Season
List of Creative FPL Team Names for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £6.5m FPL Midfielders Comparison For 2024/25 FPL Season
Team wise Best FPL Differentials(<10% TSB) for the 2024/25 Season
Best Liverpool FPL Assets to Target for FPL GW1
2024/25 FPL Season – Teams & Players to Target | Fixture Analysis
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2024/25 FPL Season
2024/25 FPL Season- New Rules & Changes | What’s New in FPL?
Players to Avoid in FPL GW1 Drafts
Underpriced FPL Assets from Traditional Big 6 Teams
Ultimate 2024/25 FPL Pre-Season Guide: Tips, Preview & More

GW1 Drafts and Analysis:
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
204/25 Season FPL Team Structure Guide with Drafts & Ratings
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
Initial FPL GW1 Drafts for the 24/25 FPL Season with Pros & Cons

Position-Wise Analysis:
Defenders and Goal Keepers series:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £5-5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Premium FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season(>=6.0 million)

Midfielders Series:
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 – £12.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
Best Mid-Priced FPL Midfielders (£6.5 -£7.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Budget FPL Midfielders (£5.0 -£6.0 Million) | 24/25 Season

Forwards Series:
Best Premium FPL Forwards Analysis Ahead Of 2024/25 Season
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 24/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£6 – £7 Million) | 24-25 Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£7.5 – £8 Million) | 24-25 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 2024/25 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, 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 2024/25 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering team previews for all 20 teams, FPL team structures, must-own players, player comparisons, differential picks, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, multiple FPL drafts with pros and cons, chip strategy, rules guide, beginners guide, FPL tips, and more. 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.

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