5 FPL Differentials for the Next 6 Gameweeks

The season started two months ago, but the template is already established. Most teams look similar: there's a group of players who appear in almost all of them. If you want to beat the average, you need to take a risk and chase some differentials. But true differentials are hard to find, and there's a catch: if your differentials do badly, the average team pulls ahead of you.

I have a prediction model running, and I asked it to find players who are owned by very few managers but should score well over the next six gameweeks, GW8 to GW13. I picked five, from every part of the pitch and at every price.

One rule: skip players who aren't in form, and check the model's findings against my own eye test. That's why I left out Gonzalo García, who has looked poor to me. Perhaps that'll be the wrong call; we'll see. My thinking is that a differential who keeps getting into great positions and keeps blanking will drive you mad, so anyone who's been doing that for weeks didn't make the cut.

The five picks

Player	Club	Pos	Price	Owned	Projected, GW8–13
Silva	Bournemouth	DEF	£5.0m	under 1%	24
Stach	Leeds	MID	£6.0m	2%	23
Gomez	Brighton	MID	£5.0m	4%	22
Rudoni	Coventry	MID	£4.9m	under 1%	21
Evanilson	Bournemouth	FWD	£6.1m	4%	20

For a sense of scale: De Cuyper is in 41% of teams and I have him on 24. Groß is in 45% and I have him on 25. These five are in the same ballpark, cost the same or less, and almost nobody has them.

1. Silva (Bournemouth, DEF)

The best-kept secret in FPL defence. Fewer than one manager in a hundred owns him, and I rate him level with defenders sitting in four out of ten teams.

He looks like a bargain: only £5m, and he's the full defensive package.

• He never comes off. Every single minute of Bournemouth's season so far.
• He does the dirty work. He's banked the two DEFCON points in five of his seven games. That's two points most weeks, even when Bournemouth lose.
• He gets chances. More than most defenders, all season, and he hasn't scored yet. That goal is coming.

Gameweek 7 was the whole thing in one match: a clean sheet, DEFCON and a bonus point for 8 points. And the fixtures are friendly: Man Utd away, then Leeds, Ipswich away, Forest, Fulham away and Brighton.

Want a backup? His teammate James Hill is just as unloved. And Bournemouth's attack shows up later on this list too.

2. Stach (Leeds, MID)

A midfielder who plays like a centre-back. Stach tackles, blocks and wins the ball back more than most midfielders in the league, which means DEFCON points without needing Leeds to score. He's hit the threshold in three of seven games.

He's also on corners and free kicks, so there's attacking upside he hasn't cashed in yet: one goal so far, and he's been getting chances for more.

The fixtures through GW12 are kind: Sunderland and Bournemouth away, then Tottenham, Chelsea away and Coventry. GW13 at Man City, less so.

The catch: he's gone quiet. Two points in each of his last two games. But those were Arsenal away and Man United, two of Leeds' hardest games of the season. The fixtures get kinder now, so he may find his form again soon.

3. Gomez (Brighton, MID)

The in-form one. Diego Gomez has scored 8, 5 and 8 in his last three gameweeks. He's matched Cunha's points for the season while costing about £3m less, and he plays almost every minute.

The best bit is how he scores, because it's hard to stop:

• Clean sheets. Brighton have kept five in seven, and he gets a point for each.
• DEFCON. Two hauls in a row, including a monster 19 defensive actions in GW6.
• Goals and assists. A goal and three assists, and he scored in Gameweek 7.

The catch: Brighton go to Liverpool and Man City next. Scary? Maybe not for this Brighton team: they've won four in a row, and Arsenal looked scary too until Brighton beat them 3–0. And Gomez gets busier when his team is under pressure, so I still expect a few points from both. Then the run eases, with Brentford and Newcastle at home.

4. Evanilson (Bournemouth, FWD)

The forward who's just woken up. His last three gameweeks went 2, 7, 12: a goal against Chelsea, then a goal, an assist and maximum bonus against Sunderland. He has more assists than anyone else on this list.

It isn't luck. He's getting into far better positions: more good chances in the last two games than in the first five put together.

He gets the same kind run as Silva, and GW10 at Ipswich looks like his best shot.

The catch: I rate him a bit below the popular forwards, because my numbers remember his quiet start. If the last two weeks are the real Evanilson, he'll beat that easily. If not, he's a forward who sets up more than he scores.

5. Rudoni (Coventry, MID)

The bargain. The cheapest of the five, the least owned, and the best fixtures. Rudoni is on penalties for Coventry and has two goals already, including one in Gameweek 7.

Coventry play four of their next six at home: Fulham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Ipswich. I have him as likely to score in any given game as anyone on this list except Evanilson, despite playing fewer minutes.

At under £5m, he's the easiest way to free up cash for a premium elsewhere.

The catch: he's started every game since the opener but hasn't finished one yet. He tends to come off with 15 minutes to go, and those are minutes he can't score in.

Who I left out

• Gonzalo (Fulham) and Le Fée (Sunderland): the heartbreakers. Both rate highly and both keep getting great chances, but Gonzalo has 2 points in each of his last six games and Le Fée has one goal and one assist to show for it all. They just don't pass my eye test. The numbers say it'll turn; I'd rather wait and see it first.
• Tavernier (Bournemouth): my top-rated player under 10%, but he's nearly there and climbing fast. Barely a differential anymore.
• Doku (Man City): one start all season. Pep roulette.
• Cunha (Man Utd): good numbers, but nearly £8m. Different bracket.

How to use them

Differentials are for chasing, not protecting. Swap one or two in for a popular player you're not sold on. Don't build a whole team of them.

To see how any of them would fit your squad, try Rate My Team, or check every club's run in the fixture difficulty ratings.

Projections are mine, computed 20 October 2026 for Gameweeks 8–13. Stats from the FPL API, after Gameweek 7. Prices and ownership move daily.