FPL Gameweek 7: four low-owned picks worth a look, from Van Hecke to Cunha
Opta data highlights four Fantasy Premier League assets owned by under 10% of managers heading into Gameweek 7, led by Brighton's Luka Vuskovic and Manchester United's Matheus Cunha.
Fantasy Premier League managers chasing differentials ahead of Gameweek 7 have several low-owned options to consider, according to Opta data compiled by The Analyst.
The picks span defence and midfield, and all are owned by fewer than 10% of FPL squads despite productive underlying numbers.
Spurs' defensive route to points
Tottenham remain winless this season but showed signs of improvement in their draw at Manchester United, The Analyst notes.
Jan Paul van Hecke, at 4.9m and owned by 6.3% of managers, has outscored every other Spurs player with 27 points.
The Dutch defender has registered DEFCON returns twice this season and scored in Spurs' last home game in Gameweek 5.
His 1.1 expected goal involvements this season are bettered only by Dominic Solanke (1.3) and Sávio (1.5) among Roberto De Zerbi's squad, suggesting he is a genuine set-piece threat rather than a bonus addition to the backline.
Van Hecke faces a tough trip to Chelsea next, but Spurs then host Palace, Ipswich and Fulham in a run The Analyst describes as one of the better upcoming fixture swings in the league before the November international break.
Brighton's hidden defender behind the headline names
Brighton's Pascal Groẞ and Maxim De Cuyper each sit on 53 points this season, the most of any player, while goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has the third-most points among all keepers with 32.
All three are owned by more than 10% of managers ahead of Brighton's home game with Crystal Palace.
Luka Vuskovic, at 5.0m and 4.5% ownership, is overlooked by comparison despite ranking fifth among all defenders with 40 points.
Three of the four players above him on that list — Joško Gvardiol, James Tarkowski and De Cuyper — are widely owned.
The Croatian has hit the defensive contribution threshold in half of his matches this season, a figure Opta data suggests could have been higher but for red cards received by Coventry City and Aston Villa that reduced the attacking threat Brighton had to defend against.
Vuskovic has kept a clean sheet in four of six league games and scored against Leeds in Gameweek 3 for a 12-point haul.
His goal threat from set-pieces has precedent: only Alejandro Grimaldo, who scored eight times as Bayer Leverkusen's attacking full-back, managed more than Vuskovic's six Bundesliga goals among defenders last season.
Trips to Liverpool and Manchester City lie ahead, but Brighton's 3-0 win over Arsenal in Gameweek 5 shows a clean sheet is not out of the question even in tough away fixtures.
Villa's teenager and United's in-form forward
Johan Manzambi did not start a match until Gameweek 5, yet only Emiliano Buendía (25) and John McGinn (27) have outscored his 19 points for Aston Villa.
The Switzerland international has one goal and two assists from his two Premier League starts, with 13 points against Tottenham followed by five more against Brentford, where he assisted McGinn.
Across those two matches, no Premier League player managed more than Manzambi's 11 shots, and only Buendía matched his five chances created from open play among Villa teammates.
Newcastle, Villa's next opponents, have conceded 13 league goals this season, level with Chelsea and Bournemouth for the most in the division.
Manzambi's 6.3 points per match ranks eighth among midfielders despite his limited sample size, with three names above him carrying injury concerns and two more already heavily owned.
The Analyst also points to a favourable medium-term run for Villa, with home games against Fulham, Sunderland and Ipswich sitting either side of tougher fixtures against Manchester City and Manchester United.
Matheus Cunha, priced at 7.9m and owned by 6.3% of managers, has delivered back-to-back 10-point hauls for Manchester United despite mounting pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
He scored against Fulham in Gameweek 5 and then assisted against Tottenham while also reaching the Gameweek defensive contribution threshold for midfielders.
His total of 36 points this season is bettered by only five midfielders, and The Analyst notes that Mohamed Belloumi, highlighted in a previous selection, is the only one of those five owned by fewer than 10% of managers.
Cunha also leads Manchester United's scoring charts this season, three points clear of Bryan Mbeumo.