Five names hardly anyone has picked
The Premier League is back on Friday, and with it comes Fantasy Premier League. Opta has pored over the numbers to find five players owned by fewer than 10% of managers ahead of Gameweek 1.
In goal, Matz Sels (5.0m) is in just 1.6% of squads. Nottingham Forest have brought in Oliver Glasner, who arrived from Crystal Palace. The Austrian leaves behind a defence that allowed just 51.9 expected goals last season, a total bettered by only six sides, even though Palace finished 15th. Forest were 16th in the same ranking with 57.3.
Sels knows his trade. In 2024-25, the Belgian racked up 13 clean sheets, level with David Raya, and piled up 150 points. Only Jordan Pickford did better among goalkeepers.
Try it for $0.99.
Ballard and Dewsbury-Hall for output
Dan Ballard (5.0m, 4.7%) gets a kind run. Sunderland head to Ipswich before hosting Fulham. The defender averaged 11 defensive contributions per 90 minutes last season and cleared double figures in 58.3% of his appearances. Only four Premier League defenders did better. He chips in at the other end too: two goals and 25 shots from inside the box, a Sunderland record among defenders.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (6.5m, 3.5%) ticks the fixtures box. Everton have landed the seventh-easiest opening run across the first five gameweeks. The midfielder finished as the club’s top points scorer with 12 direct goal involvements, eight goals and four assists. James Garner is carrying a groin issue, while Jack Grealish has not made it back to the Mersey. The ball is going through him.
Stach and McBurnie, the left-field calls
Anton Stach (6.0m, 1.1%) scored 137 points last year, which works out at 4.9 per start. The German hit the defensive-contributions mark in 35.7% of his matches. He also created 63 chances, miles clear of Brenden Aaronson’s 34. Leeds open at Forest before hosting Brentford, Newcastle and Palace.
Up front, the bargains are thin on the ground. Oli McBurnie (5.5m, 1.5%) is the boldest shout of the lot. The Scot scored 18 goals and set up seven more in the Championship last season, despite missing two months, from just 13.4 expected goals. He will take Hull City’s penalties.
The opening trip to Manchester United looks grim on paper. But the Red Devils kept only eight clean sheets last season. Only the three relegated sides were worse. With Erling Haaland at 15.5m in nearly three-quarters of teams, the value opens up elsewhere.
Catch the rest of our football news on the MathODDS site and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply