Five perfect differential picks for the final day of the FPL season - including Newcastle & Spurs stars
Our FPL expert picks out five differential options to sign for Gameweek 38 - and three players to avoid.
The final day of the Premier League season is upon us at last – and with it, the final deadline for Fantasy Premier League managers to grapple with, which arrives on Sunday at 14:30 BST.
We’ve got one last chance to pick the players who will help us to win our mini-leagues or dodge the disgrace of finishing last, and as 3 Added Minutes’ resident FPL expert I’ve picked out five players who I think could be fine differentials for the final weekend – and identified three widely-selected players I think you should swerve as the curtain comes down…
Newcastle & Spurs players among FPL differential options on final day
William Osula: Picking form players is always a sensible strategy, and the on-song Osula has five goals in his last six games, including a brace against West Ham last weekend. Newcastle have a relatively tough game against Fulham but seem to have found a little bit of form to close out the campaign, and the Danish striker appears to be pretty much nailed on to start in the number nine role. With an overall ownership of just 1.5%, the chances are that few of your rival players will have him in their side, too, making him an ideal differential.
Richarlison: Tottenham have plenty to play for, have been rather better under Roberto De Zerbi, and Richarlison is their most reliable source of goals – a low bar to clear, perhaps, but with Dominic Solanke touch-and-go with a hamstring injury the Brazilian should be the safest bet for anyone backing Spurs to get the win they need against an out-of-sorts Everton side. I wouldn’t blame anyone for picking Pedro Porro or Micky van de Ven if they need a defender, either.
Eli Junior Kroupi: The young Frenchman is in fine fettle right now, scoring in five of his last seven matches, and is the primary penalty taker for a Bournemouth side who will be desperate for a win which could earn them a place in the Champions League. Despite being both cheap and very good indeed, Kroupi is only owned by 6.6% of FPL teams – another player who could be a fine differential over the closing weekend.
Jaidon Anthony: Burnley players haven’t exactly been worthwhile assets for most of this season, but with a home game against fellow basement-dwellers Wolves in the offing it wouldn’t be a surprise if they scored a goal or two. We’ve already recommended strikers that we’d pick ahead of Ziann Flemming, but Anthony – who has eight goals and four assists this season – might not be a bad shout for anyone who really needs a deep cut differential.
Yankuba Minteh: Brighton have plenty to play for and finish up against a Manchester United side who may as well be on the beach already. I’m not keen on Brighton defenders, by any means, but Minteh has looked good lately even if he only has one recent goal and can be dangerous during his brief patches of form. Pascal Groß is the higher floor, lower ceiling alternative from the Seagulls.
West Ham & Nottingham Forest stars worth avoiding in Gameweek 38
Jarrod Bowen: Bowen is Gameweek 38’s most transferred-in player as it stands but is out of sorts, having failed to score in his last 11 matches, and seems to be playing much too wide to be a factor in the box right now. Ignoring form is seldom a sensible idea, and to compound matters, West Ham are up against a Leeds team who have a lot of injuries and little to play for but still concede very few goals – although based on the stats, their 1-0 win over Brighton last week, during which they could and should have shipped several, might be a bit of a red herring.
Morgan Gibbs-White: I generally prefer to avoid players from teams who have nothing left to play for at the end of the season save for pride, and doubly so when they’re up against good sides who have reason to be more motivated – and Nottingham Forest play Bournemouth. Throw in Gibbs-White’s nasty facial injury, and I don’t fancy him as a differential this weekend.
Ollie Watkins: Against all logic, Watkins is one of the most transferred-in players this week despite the fact that Aston Villa are away to Manchester City and will likely have a steaming collective hangover after winning the Europa League final. I wouldn’t be slightly shocked if Villa took a hiding at the Etihad on Sunday, and there’s only so far that Watkins’ recent form can take him.