Fantasy Premier League managers were left in one of two camps in Gameweek 6 – the have Cole Palmers and the have nots. Whichever side you found yourself on, Football FanCast have found three differential midfielders to move you up your mini leagues in Gameweek 7.
To qualify for our list, the players must have a total expected goal involvement (xGI) this season of more than 2.0 and be less than 10% owned.
3 Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool, £6.5m, 2% owned
With all the excitement surrounding Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold in this season’s FPL, the new role Arne Slot has handed to Szoboszlai has gone slightly under the radar. The Hungary international is playing more advanced than he did under Jurgen Klopp, similar to the position in which he racked up 10 goals and 13 assists during his final season with RB Leipzig.
FPL: The best cheap Joao Pedro replacements, low owned strikers on wildcard
The Seagulls striker is facing a spell on the sidelines – but who should you bring in instead?
ByBen GoodwinSep 26, 2024
His xGI per 90 minutes stands at 0.39, with two assists coming his way, while he also has a goal and assist apiece in the Champions League, end product which should translate into domestic action before too long.
The 23 year-old’s late runs into the box saw him rack up a huge 0.7 expected goal chance last time out against Wolves, which was saved, but showed signs of what’s to come with his new found freedom under Slot.
2 Dwight McNeil, Everton, £5.6m, 5% owned
Okay, maybe we’re a little late to this one, but McNeil’s stunning brace to turn things around for the Toffees against Crystal Palace shows very few signs of being a flash in the pan. In fact, the former Burnley star racked up more expected goal involvements in four of the previous five games than he did in the 2-1 win last weekend.
Crystal Palace (H)
2/0
0.46
Leicester (A)
0/0
0.47
Aston Villa (A)
1/1
0.89
Bournemouth (H)
0/1
0.81
Tottenham (A)
0/0
0.66
Brighton (H)
0/0
0.16
Sean Dyche will be desperate to prove to the incoming new owners that he deserves to keep his job, and he expects McNeil to be a big part of that, having played the winger in all but eight minutes of the league season so far. With upcoming fixtures against Newcastle, Ipswich, Fulham and Southampton, McNeil suddenly looks like one of the best assets in the game for a short-term punt.
1 James Maddison, Tottenham, £7.5m, 5% owned
Much like Szoboszlai, Maddison’s value as an FPL asset has gone slightly under the radar due to the presence of high profile teammates such as Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke. However, Maddison’s xGI of 4.81 this season is by far the highest in the Spurs squad and actually the fourth best in the league, behind only Salah, Palmer and of course Erling Haaland.
Maddison is also not under any threat of rotation having started every league fixture so far this season, and faces some favourable upcoming fixtures after the international break.
Brighton (A)
2
West Ham (H)
2
Crystal Palace (A)
3
Aston Villa (H)
3
Ipswich (H)
2
The England international – who is desperate to show he belongs as a Three Lions regular – is now undoubtedly one of the best and most underrated midfielders in FPL this season.