The Scout looks at the transfer trends of Fantasy Premier League managers and picks out the best differentials ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season.
Forwards
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (£11.5m) have both been a top priority when building opening squads.
The duo are the most-owned players in the game, found in 65 per cent and 57 per cent of teams respectively.
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane (£11.5m) has also proven popular, backed by 23 per cent, while 25 per cent of managers have picked Leeds United front man Sam Greenwood (£4.5m) to sit on their bench.
Those four are the only forwards with an ownership in excess of 20 per cent, handing managers some ready-made differentials for the first few Gameweeks.
Jamie Vardy (LEI) £9.5m
Leicester City's talisman averaged 5.3 points per match last term, joint-top with Cristiano Ronaldo (£10.5m) among forwards in Fantasy.
Despite being limited to just 20 starts due to injury, Vardy still showed his potential for huge hauls by recording seven double-digit returns.
He is owned by a mere five per cent of managers ahead of a favourable short-term schedule, with Brendan Rodgers’ side hosting Brentford and Southampton in the first three Gameweeks.
Callum Wilson (NEW) £7.5m
Newcastle United’s forward was also sidelined for large parts of last season, managing just 16 starts.
Yet Wilson still proved a reliable source of returns when selected, finding the net on eight occasions.
Indeed, his average of 173.8 minutes per goal ranked third among forwards with more than three goals in 2021/22.
Selected by a mere three per cent of managers, Wilson has the schedule to start the campaign in prolific form.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of the Magpies’ first six matches score only two.
Anthony Martial (MUN) £7.0m
The Frenchman has been among Manchester United’s most impressive performers under new manager Erik ten Hag this summer.
Handed the lone striker role in the ongoing absence of Ronaldo, Martial has scored in three of his four appearances so far.
Costing only £7.0m, the forward could deliver major value from the very start of the season.
Three of the Red Devils’ opening four matches score two in the FDR.
Also in this series
Part 1: Sa among overlooked goalkeepers
Part 2: Versatile Zinchenko can thrive at Arsenal
Part 3: Grealish can be an early bargain
