FPL Gameweek 9: Four low-owned picks worth a punt
Opta data points to Aston Villa's Zion Suzuki, Bournemouth's António Silva, Brentford's Kristoffer Ajer and Tottenham's Mohammed Kudus as differentials under 10% ownership for Fantasy Premier League managers.
Fantasy Premier League managers searching for an edge in Gameweek 9 have four low-ownership options worth considering, according to The Analyst (Opta), after João Pedro's injury and Cole Palmer's red card disrupted many squads last weekend.
All four picks sit below 10% ownership worldwide, spanning goalkeeper, defence and midfield positions.
Why Suzuki offers an alternative to Raya
David Raya remains the most expensive, most owned and highest-scoring goalkeeper in the game, but Arsenal face a difficult trip to Anfield this weekend, The Analyst notes.
Aston Villa, by contrast, have a kinder run: Fulham at home, then Manchester United away, Sunderland at home, Ipswich away and Everton at home.
Zion Suzuki ranks only eighth among goalkeepers for points this season with 30, but he has picked up bonus points in both of Villa's clean sheets so far — three against Hull City and two against Newcastle United.
He is also averaging 3.6 saves per 90 minutes, which matters because FPL awards goalkeepers an extra point for reaching three saves in a match.
At 5.0m and owned by just 2.6% of squads, Suzuki is the third Villa pick to feature in this column after Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson both delivered in recent gameweeks.
Defensive contributions power Silva and Ajer
Marco Rose's Bournemouth have shown signs of life after a difficult start, beating Sunderland 2-0 and then thrashing Manchester United 3-0 in consecutive league outings, alongside a 3-0 Europa League win over Milan.
António Silva has picked up the bonus points FPL awards for defensive contributions — tackles, interceptions and blocks combined into a single defensive-output metric — in six of his eight appearances this season.
His 75% hit rate on that threshold is the best of any defender in the data, and he costs 0.5m less than teammate James Hill for a similar points return.
Leeds United's visit will test Silva against Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but a kinder run follows against Ipswich away, Nottingham Forest at home and Fulham away.
Brighton pair Luka Vuskovic and Maxim De Cuyper sit in a similar price bracket with more points to their name, but their trip to Manchester City makes Silva the preferred defensive pick this week.
Kristoffer Ajer has reached the defensive-contribution threshold in three of his eight matches, though he fell just one short in three further games against Bournemouth, Chelsea and Villa.
He also scored his first goal of the season in the draw with Villa and remains a regular threat from corners and throw-ins given Brentford's set-piece proficiency.
Only Kevin Schade (42 points) and Keane Lewis-Potter (35) have outscored Ajer's 32 points among Brentford players, yet he is owned by just 4.2% of squads.
Nottingham Forest, joint-lowest scorers in the league alongside Sunderland and Coventry City on six goals, visit this weekend, improving Ajer's clean-sheet prospects.
The Analyst flags this as a short-term pick given Brentford's tougher run that follows, away to Brighton and Manchester United, then home to Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Kudus benefits from Tottenham's injury list and home form
Crystal Palace conceded five in their last league away game, at Brighton, and Tottenham's recent home form suggests they could exploit that defence.
Spurs scored three goals at home for the first time since Gameweek 1 last season when they beat Coventry 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Mohammed Kudus has recorded a fantasy assist in each of his last two home matches, against Coventry and Villa, with Tottenham's attacking options thinned by injuries to James Maddison and Sávio.
Among Spurs players, only Sávio creates more chances per 90 minutes than Kudus's 1.5, and the Ghanaian also averages 4.2 completed dribbles per 90 this season.
That dribbling output carries extra value now that FPL has scrapped the bonus-point penalty for unsuccessful take-ons, removing a deduction that previously worked against high-volume dribblers.