Weekly Differentials 2019/20: FPL Gameweek 29
Ahead of each round of Premier League games The Hype Train analyses the best left-field player options for your Fantasy Premier League teams. Historically, weekly FPL Dream Team’s comprise of mostly differential players whose selection falls with a low selection percentage of overall players, to which there is no doubt that their influence cannot be ignored. With such an abundance of points coming from the FPL’s hidden gems The Hype Train selects one player from each Premier League match in the upcoming Gameweek to decide who could be the differential that sets your team apart. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 29 Deadline
For the 2019/20 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. Our website provides a real-world countdown timer for the the upcoming Gameweek, whilst you can read our latest Fantasy articles from the season on our 2019/20 FPL weekly hype sub-section.
Weekly Differentials (GW29)
So, GW28 was extremely miss, no hit. The last weekend was arguably one of the most defining of the season with the league rocked by Watford beating Champions elect Liverpool, and they deserved that win, with the differential trio of Deeney, Doucouré, and Sarr spearheading the historic win for the Hornets. The fixture list has clear up for some clubs, but there are still some doubts and even more questions for the upcoming weekend games.
Will Danny Ings start against Newcastle? Will Traore be fit for Wolves? Will Jamie Vardy be resurrected in time for the Villa game? Will the FA Cup force some rotation? This might be the time to bank on a differential, and that is why we are here to once again offer the best differential from every match this weekends fixtures.
GW29: Differential Highlights
Nicolas Pépé (ARSENAL vs. West Ham):
We can’t believe it, for the first time this season the Ivorian attacker has earned back-to-back fantasy returns. Nicolas Pépé is an attractive option for the next five games with a more manageable fixture list for the Gunners, and with Pépé in the best form of his Premier League career so far, he is the one to watch in a home fixture against West Ham. This London Derby s the battle of who has the worst defence in the capital, which should suit Pépé just fine... It also doesn't hurt that there's a second bite of the cherry away at Man City next Wednesday.
Romain Saïss (WOLVES vs. Brighton):
We briefly covered Saïss last week, the Moroccan has had a long run in the team since Ryan Bennett moved to Leicester, and in the recent Spurs game the defender obtained 1pt which can be excused due to the away fixture. Wolves have a highly winnable fixture at home against Norwich, and Saïss is still hot on our radar as his form and points potential has been excellent of late.
Steven Bergwijn (Burnley vs. SPURS):
This pick won’t take long; out of any Spurs player right now, it is the Dutchman who is the most likely to due anything. He is a much-needed addition to this Spurs team who are without Son and Kane, and even more worrying that they already need him to be a reliable player from the start of his career in England. Either way, a great pick against Burnley.
Gameweek 29: Differentials
LIV/BOU: Joe Gomez (LIV, DEF, £5.3mil, 5.4% ownership)
ARS/WHU: Nicolas Pépé (ARS, MID, £9.2mil, 3.7% ownership)
CRY/WAT: Ismaïla Sarr (WAT, MID, £6.3mil, 1.4% ownership)
SHU/NOR: Oliver McBurnie (SHU, FWD, £5.7mil, 0.2% ownership)
SOU/NEW: Alex McCarthy (SOU, GK, £4.5mil, 4.5% ownership)
WOL/BHA: Romain Saïss (WOL, DEF, £4.5mil, 2.7% ownership)
BUR/TOT: Steven Bergwijn (TOT, MID, £7.5mil, 2.1% ownership)
CHE/EVE: Marcos Alonso (CHE, DEF, £6.0mil, 3.0% ownership)
MUN/MCI: Riyad Mahrez (MCI, MID, £8.4mil, 7.1% ownership)
LEI/AVL: Harvey Barnes (LEI, MID, £6.1mil, 3.5% ownership)
MCI/ARS: Riyad Mahrez (MCI, MID, £8.4mil, 7.1% ownership)
Key Differential: Marcos Alonso (CHE)
Fantasy managers know who Marcos Alonso, he has been around for the last half decade as a constant threat in the opposition half, and before Trent Alexander-Arnold kicked a ball was regularly the highest scoring defender in the FPL. Under Antonio Conte the Spaniard was untouchable, and Alonso became a deserved elite defender who could justify a £7.0mil price-tag. If you didn’t have Alonso in 2016/17 season you hadn’t a chance at competing in the game at all, he was the definition of essential.
This week, Chelsea host Everton, and the topic of how the game has priced defenders this season has been formed around Everton and the £6.0mil price slapped onto Lucas Digne. Chelsea vs. Everton is the battle of an elite defender who has made a stunning return to his team, and a player who occasionally picks up points and the community clutch at straws to justify as a valid option.
Marcos Alonso is plain and simple a points magnet. There have only been two occasions this season that the Spaniard has not provided a fantasy return. The first was in GW3 where Alonso played one whole minute, and then in GW7 when Chelsea lost to a rampant Liverpool. Both games where acceptable for Alonso to not secure a return, and look at the other games that Alonso has been involved in this season:
Marcos Alonso's Season in FPL
GW3: 1pt (1 minute played) vs. Norwich (A)
GW5: 4pts (1 assist) vs. Wolves (A)
GW6: 1pt vs. Liverpool (H)
GW7: 5pts (1 clean sheet) vs. Brighton (H)
GW8: 5pts (1 assist) vs. Southampton (A)
GW9: 14pts (1 goal, 1 clean sheet, 3 bonus) vs. Newcastle (H)
GW10: 6pts (1 assist) vs. Burnley (A)
GW18: 11pts (1 assist, 1 clean sheet, 2 bonus) vs. Spurs (A)
GW27: 8pts (1 goal) vs. Spurs (H)
GW28: 16pts (2 goals, 3 bonus) vs. Bournemouth (A)
Eight returns from ten games, and he didn’t even start all of them. Alonso in every letter of the word is clinical and has set pieces on his side too. To show you the levels between Alonso and Digne, we illustrate it with three key stats from this season.
Lucas Digne’s last five appearances: 24pts
Marcos Alonso’s last two appearances: 24pts
Lucas Digne Points Total: 83pts
Marcos Alonso Points Total: 71pts
Lucas Digne appearances: 25 / 28
Marcos Alonso appearances: 10 / 28
The Spaniard is only a differential by his ownership, but the underlying stats and performances still show that Marcos Alonso is a premium defender, and he has made a return under Lampard’s reign. After scoring three goals in two games, there is no chance that Alonso is dropped. Marcos Alonso is only a differential by ownership thresholds of fantasy managers this year, and he is the only real option to put the armband on this Gameweek as he seeks to close down the gap between himself and Frenchman, Digne.
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The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.
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All aboard.
