FPL WEEKLY WILDCARDS 2017/18: End of Season Review
Ahead of each round of Premier League games The Hype Train analysed the best wildcard 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 selected one player from each Premier League match from the 2017/18 Premier Leagur to decide who could be the differential that sets your team apart. Now it's time to look at how we got on with our differentials picks this season, which includes its own Team of the Season. All aboard.
WILDCARDS: WHAT IS A DIFFERENTIAL PLAYER?
The rules for the 2015/16 season were easy enough to follow. The only rule was that a player had be to selected by less than 5% of the FPL's populace. With 2016/17's price changes, and player selection trends, we were been forced to revise our rules on what constitutes a differential. Now in the 2017/18 season, after testing the waters with selection, there are just not enough differentials with the classification in each position from years past, so we have introduced position specific rules regarding what is and isn't a wildcard/differential player in the FPL that we believe is representative to the game this season.
Goalkeepers
- Any shot stopper outside of the top 8 selected. A differential Goalkeeper is now considered outside of the top bracket due to the overwhelming ownership selection % of the top 8 GK's for any one Gameweek.
- A GK's ownership must not exceed 10%
Defenders
- A Defender's ownership must fall below 8%, with the top 20 owned defenders all harbouring 8% ownership or more.
- The Outsider Rule: This new rule applies to defenders who are the last defensive option in a team who we provide an exception to as the 4th of 5th most owned defender from one team if they offer a different value. For Example, if Chelsea or Spurs have three defenders with 10% plus ownership, and their 4th defender choice has downwards of 10% ownership, we will include them as a differential, as they are outside of the common conversation when picking defenders, even from within their own squad. This rule will mostly be used when adding defenders from top half clubs, who lack proper differential status for their defensive options.
Midfielders
- Any Midfielder under 8% ownership is classified as a differential.
- Our percentage criteria of 8% is due to a greater wealth of premium midfielders. There is a monopoly of top midfielders for most Premier League clubs, leaving only a handful of Midfielders that provide differential options on a weekly basis.
Forwards
- The top 10 most owned Forwards in the FPL at any given time can not be touched as a differential.
- Any Forward outside of the 10% ownership range, who is not in the top 10 owned forwards.
DIFFERENTIALS: GAMEWEEK PERFORMANCE (GW38)
Our scoring procedure is exactly the same as the FPL's, and each week a good barometer of success is whether or not our weekly selections outscore the average points for a Gameweek. Each week the results vary due to rotation, and unpredictable scorelines, which applies more so to differential players. We have an invested interest each and every week at finding the different players to make a difference, especially since it is easy to say Aguero or Kane will get on the score sheet.
See below for how our wildcard selections got on this past Gameweek.
Gameweek 38 Average Points: 49 points Gameweek 38 Wildcard Points: 39 points
DIFFERENTIALS: 2017/18 SEASON PERFORMANCE
To help track our progress throughout the 2016/17 season, below you can check how our wildcard selections have done by week to week in the Fantasy Premier League
Best Wildcard Week: GW12 - 67pts, 7 player returns
Worst Wildcard Week: GW28 - 17pts, 1 player return
Average Points: 58 (1), 44 (2), 43 (3), 44 (4), 58 (5), 60 (6), 51 (7), 41 (8), 50 (9), 46 (10), 44 (11), 56 (12), 43 (13), 47 (14), 44 (15), 43 (16), 48 (17), 52 (18), 60 (19), 62 (20), 45 (21), 45 (22), 58 (23), 50 (24), 47 (25), 43 (26), 61 (27), 49 (28), 46 (29), 41 (30), 46 (31), 48 (32), 32 (33), 64 (34), 30 (35), 44 (36), 67 (37), 49 (38) = 1,859pts
Wildcard Points: 36 (1), 40 (2), 48 (3), 21 (4), 44 (5), 37 (6), 41 (7), 43 (8), 34 (9), 38 (10), 45 (11), 67 (12), 29 (13), 35 (14), 41 (15), 38 (16), 53 (17), 34 (18), 35 (19), 44 (20), 48 (21), 48 (22), 33 (23), 54 (24), 32 (25), 21 (26), 28 (27), 17 (28), 49 (29), 26 (30), 37 (31), 53 (32), 22 (33), 45 (34), 31 (35), 53 (36), 53 (37), 39 (38) = 1,473pts
Best Gamweek Wildcard Player(s)
GW1: Steve Mounie (Crystal Palace vs. Huddersfield) - 12pts
GW2: Jack Butland (Stoke vs. Arsenal) - 11pts
GW3: Alvaro Morata (Chelsea vs. Everton) - 12pts
GW4: Stephen Ward (Burnley vs. Crystal Palace) - 8pts
GW5: Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle vs. Stoke) - 8pts
GW6: Philippe Coutinho (Leicester vs. Liverpool) - 13pts
GW7: Philippe Coutinho (Newcastle vs. Liverpool) - 10pts
GW8: Raheem Sterling (Man City vs. Stoke) - 15pts
GW9: Virgil van Dijk (Southampton vs. West Brom) - 9pts
GW10: Eden Hazard (Bournemouth vs. Chelsea) - 11pts
GW11: Jan Vertonghen (Spurs vs. Crystal Palace) - 9pts
GW12: Eden Hazard (West Brom vs. Chelsea) - 18pts
GW13: Will Hughes (Newcastle vs. Watford) - 8pts
GW14: Sadio Mane (Stoke vs. Liverpool) - 13pts
GW15: Philippe Coutinho (Brighton vs. Liverpool) - 18pts
GW16: Riyad Mahrez (Newcastle vs. Leicester) - 9pts
Wilfried Bony (Swansea vs. West Brom) - 9pts
GW17: Nick Pope (Burnley vs. Stoke) - 11pts
GW18: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton vs. Swansea) - 9pts
GW19: Charlie Austin (Southampton vs. Huddersfield) - 8pts
GW20: Marko Arnautovic (Bournemouth vs. West Ham) - 15pts
GW21: Ederson (Crystal Palace vs. Man City) - 14pts
GW22: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester vs. Huddersfield) - 14pts
GW23: Marko Arnautovic (Huddersfield vs. West Ham) - 16pts
GW24: Eden Hazard (Brighton vs. Chelsea) - 16pts
GW25: Christian Benteke (West Ham vs. Crystal Palace) - 8pts
GW26: Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle) - 5pts
Alexis Sanchez (Man United vs. Huddersfield) - 5pts
GW27: Alfie Mawson (Swansea vs. Burnley) - 7pts
GW28: Sadio Mane (Liverpool vs. West Ham) - 7pts
GW29: Troy Deeney (Watford vs. West Brom) - 9pts
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Brighton vs. Arsenal) - 9pts
GW30: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal vs. Watford) - 9pts
GW31: Cenk Tosun (Stoke vs. Everton) - 13pts
GW32: Alexis Sanchez (Man United vs. Swansea) - 14pts
GW33: Virgil van Dijk (Everton vs. Liverpool) - 6pts
GW34: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace vs. Brighton) - 14pts
GW35: Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal vs. West Ham) - 13pts
GW36: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace vs. Leicester) - 14pts
GW37: Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal vs. Burnley) - 10pts
GW38: Mamadou Sakho (Crystal Palace vs. West Brom) - 8pts
FPL Wildcards 2017/18: Our Top Points Returns
1 - Eden Hazard (CHE): 18pts (GW12)
1 - Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 18pts (GW15)
3 - Marko Arnautovic (WHU): 16pts (GW23)
3 - Eden Hazard (CHE): 16pts (GW24)
5 - Raheem Sterling (MCI): 15pts (GW8)
5 - Marko Arnautovic (WHU): 15pts (GW20)
Gameweek History: Differential Picks
GW1: 36 points, 3 player returns
Holding (1), Alexander-Arnold (0), Mounie (12), Josh King (2), Sane (1), Klaassen (1), Yoshida (6), Batshuayi (1), Ritchie (1), Mkhitaryan (11)
GW2: 40 points, 4 player returns
Phil Jones (6), Josh King (2), Stephen Ward (2), Fuchs (6), Wijnaldum (3), Yoshida (5), Butland (11), Mounie (1), Ben Davies (2), Ederson (2)
GW3: 48 points, 5 returns
Danilo (5), Benteke (1), Lossl (6), Antonio (2), Richarlison (3), Blind (6), Morata (12), Nyom (8), Wijnaldum (3), Trippier (2)
GW4: 21 points, 1 return
Emre Can (1), Moses (2), Sigurdsson (2), Phil Jones (1), Alexis Sanchez (1), Yoshida (0), Knockaert (2), Stephen Ward (8), Abraham (2), Mounie (2)
GW5: 44 points, 6 returns
Gross (7), Forster (7), Mahrez (2), Emre Can (4), Lascelles (8), Mendy (6), Nyom (1), Trippier (6), Hazard (1), Rashford (2)
GW6: 37 points, 3 returns
Davinson Sanchez (1), Wood (2), Defoe (2), Mendy (0), Phil Jones (9), Cahill (1), Fabianski (1), Coutinho (13), Ritchie (2), Ramsey (6)
GW7: 41 points, 4 returns
Davinson Sanchez (6), Josh King (2), Rashford (9), Butland (2), Femenia (1), Naughton (2), Pedro (1), Alexis Sanchez (6), Niasse (2), Coutinho (10)
GW8: 43 points, 4 returns
Emre Can (3), Wood (7), Cahill (1), Sterling (15), Davinson Sanchez (6), Naughton (6), Alexis Sanchez (0), Sigurdsson (2), van Dijk (1), Schmeichel (2)
GW9: 34 points, 4 returns
Cresswell (0), Hazard (5), Rashford (7), Stones (6), Joselu (1), Butland (1), Abraham (2), van Dijk (9), Pickford (3), Joe Gomez (0)
GW10: 38 points, 4 returns
Trippier (0), Alexis Sanchez (2), Wilfried Zaha (7), Joe Gomez (6), Kiko Femenia (1), Ederson (1), Hazard (11), van Dijk (2), Mahrez (6), Ritchie (2)
GW11: 45 points, 5 returns
Mahrez (7), Lossl (8), Yedlin (2), Pope (8), F. Fernandez (1), Sturridge (0), Vertonghen (9), Ederson (2), Hazard (3), Andre Gray (5)
GW12: 67 points, 7 returns
Alexis Sanchez (7), Zaha (7), Hazard (18), Pope (8), Coutinho (13), Mahrez (2), Hadergjonaj (-1), Smalling (7), Gray (5), Murray (1)
GW13: 29 points, 2 returns
Mahrez (2), Zaha (2), Smalling (6), Will Hughes (8), Davinson Sanchez (2), Callum Wilson (2), Coutinho (2), Baines (1), Pope (2), Kompany (2)
GW14: 35 points, 3 returns
Murray (2), Davinson Sanchez (1), Zeegelaar (0), Rondon (2), Alexis Sanchez (8), Pope (2), Hazard (1), Sigurdsson (5), Kompany (1), Mane (13)
GW15: 41 points, 4 returns
Christensen (2), Coutinho (18), Niasse (0), Mahrez (6), Shaqiri (8), Davinson Sánchez (-2), Mamadou Sakho (8), Alexis Sanchez (1), Kompany (0)
GW16: 38 points, 4 returns
Christensen (2), Pope (6), Sakho (1), Murray (2), Trippier (2), Bony (9), Mahrez (9), Sanchez (5), Coutinho (1), Kompany (1)
GW17: 53 points, 6 returns
Pope (11), Mignolet (0), Ederson (7), Christensen (6), Martial (3), Mahrez (8), A. Sanchez (3), Son (8), Zaha (5), Gayle (2)
GW18: 34 points, 3 returns
Pope (6), Butland (2), Ederson (2), Christensen (8), Kabasele (0), Smalling (2), Mahrez (2), Sanchez (3), Mane (0), Sigurdsson (9)
GW19: 35 points, 3 returns
Mane (2), Pedro (3), Andre Gray (2), Ederson (6), Austin (8), Butland (4), Zaha (1), Cresswell (1), Son (3), Mahrez (5)
GW20: 44 points, 4 returns
Ederson (6), Christensen (0), D. Sanchez (1), Robertson (6), Arnautovic (15), Mata (2), Mahrez (8), Sigurdsson (3), Ozil (2), Depoitre (1)
GW21: 48 points, 6 returns
Ederson (14), Pope (6), Moses (1), Wagué (6), Lascelles (6), Sigurdsson (2), Mane (6), Lingard (2), Sanchez (5)
GW22: 48 points, 4 returns (from 11 matches)
Matt Ryan (3), Mane (8), Mahrez (14), Crouch (2), Rashford (1), Zaha (2), Davinson Sanchez (0), Arnautovic (5), Ederson (3), Christensen (1), Son (9)
GW23: 33 points, 2 returns
Gomes (1), Ryan (1), Christensen (1), Lascelles (2), Shaw (6), van Dijk (0), Mustafi (1), Tosun (2), Zaha (3), Arnautovic (16)
GW24: 54 points, 4 returns
Butland (9), Dragovic (6), Stones (2), Aurier (2), Hazard (16), Zaha (2), Martial (10), Lanzini (3), Mane (2), Tosun (2)
GW25: 32 points, 3 returns
Mkhitaryan (1), Benteke (8), Mane (6), Hazard (2), Dragovic (1), Jacob Murphy (1), Soares (2), Ederson (6), Alexis Sanchez (2), Shaqiri (3)
GW26: 21 points, 2 returns
Laporte (0), Wilson (2), Ryan (2), Dragovic (2), A. Sanchez (5), Sturridge (2), Walcott (2), Benteke (5), Mane (3), Rudiger (0)
GW27: 28 points, 2 returns
Butland (3), Mawson (7), Walcott (1), Deulofeu (2), Bernardo Silva (2), Ibe (1), Mane (3), Alexis Sanchez (2), Aubameyang (2), Giroud (5)
GW28: 17 points, 1 return
Federico Fernandez (0), Zanka (2), Trippier (0), Christensen (1), Mahrez (2), Stanislas (2), Gudmundsson (2), Mane (7), Niasse (1), Aubameyang (0)
GW29: 49 points, 5 returns
Schmeichel (1), Davinson Sánchez (6), Robertson (6), Arnautovic (1), Sane (3), Alexis Sanchez (5), Barnes (7), Guido Carrillo (2), Deeney (9), Aubameyang (9)
GW30: 26 points, 2 returns
van Dijk (1), Morgan (2), Moses (0), Davinson Sánchez (2), Izquierdo (2), Andre Ayew (2), Antonio (2), Bernardo Silva (1), Gayle (5), Aubameyang (9)
GW31: 37 points, 3 returns (from 4 matches)
Stanislas (10), Zaha, (3), Tosun (13), Robertson (11)
GW32: 53 points, 5 returns
Robertson (8), Cedric Soares (1), Alexis Sanchez (14), Kenedy (6), Stanislas (1), Ozil (7), Hazard (2), Glenn Murray (0), Barnes (6), Jesus (8)
GW33: 22 points, 2 returns
van Dijk (6), Chilwell (1), D. Sanchez (2), A. Ayew (2), Ramsey (0), Hazard (2), King (5), Murray (2), Barnes (2), Jesus (0)
GW34: 45 points, 4 returns (from 14 matches)
Hazard (7, 1), Barnes (1), Zaha (14), Pereyra (1), Mawson (2), Milner (1), Kompany (6), Mustafi (1), Alexis Sanchez (2, 0), Arnautovic (2), Davinson Sanchez (0), Chilwell (7)
GW35: 31 points, 3 returns (from 6 matches)
Ederson (6), van Dijk (1), Zaha (2), Lacazette (13), Barnes (7), Ayoze (2)
GW36: 53 points, 6 returns
Dubravka (2), van Dijk (5), Bednarek (1), Kompany (0), Trippier (12), Zaha (14), Walcott (6), Sanchez (5), Hazard (6), Barnes (2)
GW37: 53 points, 5 returns (from 16 matches)
Ederson (6, 2), Karnezis (2), Davinson Sánchez (2, 8), Mavropanos (6), Alexis Sanchez (0, 3), Zaha (5), Demarai Gray (1), Hazard (3, 1), Josh King (1), Austin (1), Jordan Ayew (2), Lacazette (10)
GW38: 39 points, 5 returns
Romero (7), Mamadou Sakho (8), van Dijk (6), Mendy (0), Connor Roberts (0), Mkhitaryan (3), João Mário (2), Vokes (1), Gayle (6), Iheanacho (6)
Weekly Differentials: Overall Players Totals
We picked 1 player per game this season, with 380 differential picks across the season. In order of position, from Goalkeeper to Forward, here's how our picks got on, and then at the bottom of the article we round up the top picks for our Differential Team of the Season.
Goalkeeper Totals
Ederson (MCI): 13 appearances, 63 points
Nick Pope (BUR): 8 appearances, 49 points
Jack Butland (STK): 7 appearances, 32 points
Jonas Lossl (HUD): 2 appearances, 14 points
Fraser Forster (SOU): 1 appearance, 7 points
Sergio Romero (MUN): 1 appearance, 7 points
Matt Ryan (BHA): 3 appearances, 6 points
Jordan Pickford (EVE): 1 appearance, 3 points
Kasper Schmeichel (LEI): 2 appearances, 3 points
Martin Dubravka (NEW): 1 appearance, 2 points
Orestis Karnezis (WAT): 1 appearance, 2 points
Lukasz Fabianski (SWA): 1 appearance, 1 point
Simon Mignolet (LIV): 1 appearance, 1 point
Heurelho Gomes (WAT): 1 appearance, 1 point
Defender Totals
Davinson Sanchez (TOT): 14 appearances, 35 points
Andrew Robertson (LIV): 4 appearances, 31 points
Virgil van Dijk (SOU/LIV): 9 appearances, 31 points
Kieran Trippier (TOT): 6 appearances, 22 points
Andreas Christensen (CHE): 8 appearances, 21 points
Mamadou Sakho (CRY): 3 appearances, 17 points
Jamaal Lascelles (NEW): 3 appearances, 16 points
Phil Jones (MUN): 3 appearances, 16 points
Chris Smalling (MUN): 3 appearances, 15 points
Maya Yoshida (SOU): 3 appearances, 11 points
Stephen Ward (BUR): 2 appearances, 10 points
Vincent Kompany (MCI): 6 appearances, 10 points
Jan Vertonghen (TOT): 1 appearance, 9 points
Allan Nyom (WBA): 2 appearances, 9 points
Aleksandar Dragović (LEI): 3 appearances, 9 points
Alfie Mawson (SWA): 2 appearances, 8 points
John Stones (MCI): 2 appearances, 8 points
Ben Chilwell (LEI): 2 appearances, 8 points
Kyle Naughton (SWA): 2 appearances, 7 points
Christian Fuchs (LEI): 1 appearance, 6 points
Daley Blind (MUN): 1 appearance, 6 points
Joe Gomez (LIV): 2 appearances, 6 points
Benjamin Mendy (MCI): 3 appearances, 6 points
Molla Wagué (WAT): 1 appearance, 6 points
Luke Shaw (MUN): 1 appearance, 6 points
Konstantinos Mavropanos (ARS): 1 appearance, 6 points
Danilo (MCI): 1 appearance, 5 points
Victor Moses (CHE): 3 appearances, 3 points
Ben Davies (TOT): 1 appearance, 2 points
DeAndre Yedlin (NEW): 1 appearance, 2 points
Serge Aurier (TOT): 1 appearance, 2 points
Zanka (HUD): 1 appearance, 2 points
Wes Morgan (LEI): 1 appearance, 2 points
Gary Cahill (CHE): 2 appearances, 2 points
Kiko Femenia (WAT): 2 appearances, 2 points
Shkodran Mustafi (ARS): 2 appearances, 2 points
Rob Holding (ARS): 1 appearance, 1 point
Leighton Baines (EVE): 1 appearance, 1 point
Jan Bednarek (SOU): 1 appearance, 1 point
James Milner (LIV): 1 appearance, 1 point
Federico Fernandez (SWA): 2 appearances, 1 point
Aaron Cresswell (WHU): 2 appearances, 1 point
Cedric Soares (SOU): 2 appearances, 1 point
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV): 1 appearance, 0 points
Marvin Zeegelaar (WAT): 1 appearance, 0 points
Christian Kabasele (WAT): 1 appearance, 0 points
Aymeric Laporte (MCI): 1 appearance, 0 points
Antonio Rüdiger (CHE): 1 appearance, 0 points
Connor Roberts (SWA): 1 appearance, 0 points
Florent Hadergjonaj (HUD): 1 appearance, -1 point
Midfielder Totals
Eden Hazard (CHE): 15 appearances, 79 points
Alexis Sanchez (ARS/MUN): 21 appearances, 79 points
Riyad Mahrez (LEI): 13 appearances, 73 points
Wilfried Zaha (CRY): 13 appearances, 67 points
Philippe Coutinho (LIV): 6 appearances, 57 points
Sadio Mane (LIV): 10 appearances, 50 points
Marko Arnautovic (WHU): 5 appearances, 39 points
Gylfi Sigurdsson (EVE): 6 appearances, 23 points
Son Heung-min (TOT): 3 appearances, 20 points
Raheem Sterling (MCI): 1 appearance, 15 points
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (MUN/ARS): 3 appearances, 15 points
Junior Stanislas (BOU): 3 appearances, 13 points
Xherdan Shaqiri (STK): 2 appearances, 11 points
Anthony Martial (MUN): 2 appearances, 11 points
Mesut Ozil (ARS): 2 appearances, 9 points
Theo Walcott (ARS/EVE): 3 appearances, 9 points
Will Hughes (WAT): 1 appearance, 8 points
Emre Can (LIV): 3 appearances, 8 points
Pascal Gross (BHA): 1 appearance, 7 points
Kenedy (NEW): 1 appearance, 6 points
Aaron Ramsey (ARS): 2 appearances, 6 points
Gini Wijnaldum (LIV): 2 appearances, 6 points
Matt Ritchie (NEW): 3 appearances, 5 points
Leroy Sane (MCI): 2 appearances, 4 points
Michail Antonio (WHU): 2 appearances, 4 points
Pedro (CHE), 2 appearances, 4 points
Andre Ayew (SWA): 2 appearances, 4 points
Manuel Lanzini (WHU): 1 appearance, 3 points
Richarlison (WAT): 1 appearance, 3 points
Bernardo Silva (MCI): 2 appearances, 3 points
Gerard Deulofeu (WAT): 1 appearance, 2 points
Anthony Knockaert (BHA): 1 appearance, 2 points
Juan Mata (MUN): 1 appearance, 2 points
Jesse Lingard (MUN): 1 appearance, 2 points
Johann Berg Gudmundsson (BUR): 1 appearance, 2 points
Guido Carrillo (WAT): 1 appearance, 2 points
Jose Izquierdo (BHA): 1 appearance, 2 points
João Mário (WHU): 1 appearance, 2 points
Davy Klaassen (EVE): 1 appearance, 1 point
Jacob Murphy (NEW): 1 appearance, 1 point
Jordon Ibe (BOU): 1 appearance, 1 point
Roberto Pereyra (WAT): 1 appearance, 1 point
Demarai Gray (LEI): 1 appearance, 1 point
Forward Totals
Ashley Barnes (BUR): 6 appearances, 25 points
Alexandre Lacazette (ARS): 2 appearances, 23 points
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS): 3 appearances, 20 points
Marcus Rashford (MUN): 4 appearances, 19 points
Cenk Tosun (EVE): 3 appearances, 17 points
Christian Benteke (CRY): 3 appearances, 14 points
Andre Gray (WAT): 3 appearances, 14 points
Steve Mounie (HUD): 2 appearances, 13 points
Dwight Gayle (NEW): 3 appearances, 13 points
Alvaro Morata (CHE): 1 appearance, 12 points
Josh King (BOU): 5 appearances, 12 points
Troy Deeney (WAT): 1 appearance, 9 points
Wilfried Bony (SWA): 1 appearance, 9 points
Chris Wood (BUR): 2 appearances, 9 points
Charlie Austin (SOU): 2 appearances, 9 points
Gabriel Jesus (MCI): 2 appearances, 8 points
Glenn Murray (BHA): 5 appearances, 7 points
Kelechi Iheanacho (LEI): 1 appearance, 6 points Olivier Giroud (CHE): 1 appearance, 5 points
Callum Wilson (BHA): 2 appearances, 4 points
Oumar Niasse (EVE): 3 appearances, 3 points
Jermain Defoe (BOU): 1 appearance, 2 points
Tammy Abraham (SWA): 1 appearance, 2 points
Peter Crouch (STK): 1 appearance, 2 points
Ayoze Perez (NEW): 1 appearance, 2 points
Jordan Ayew (SWA): 1 appearance, 2 points
Daniel Sturridge (LIV/WBA): 2 appearances, 2 points
Joselu (NEW): 1 appearance, 1 point
Laurent Depoitre (HUD): 1 appearance, 1 point
Salomon Rondon (WBA): 1 appearance, 1 point
Sam Vokes (BUR): 1 appearance, 1 point
Michy Batshuayi (CHE): 1 appearance, 1 point
WILDCARDS: HALL OF FAME
To honour the exceptional diamonds in the rough, below is a a Hall of Fame highlighting the top performing differentials in our Weekly Wildcards series, now into its third season.
2015/16: Top 5 Wildcards 1 - Troy Deeney (WAT): 15 appearances, 77 points 2 - Christian Fuchs (LEI): 10 appearances, 48 points 3 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (SWA): 6 appearances, 43 points 4 - Nicolas Otamendi (MCI): 9 appearances, 39 points 5 - Daniel Sturridge (LIV): 5 appearances, 38 points
2016/17: Top 5 Wildcards 1 - Marcos Alonso (CHE): 9 appearances, 70 points 2 - Gylfi Sigurdsson (SWA): 8 appearances, 62 points 3 - Patrick van Aanholt (SUN & CRY): 6 appearances, 55 points 4 - Troy Deeney (WAT): 13 appearances, 47 points 5 - Gini Wijnaldum (LIV): 10 appearances, 45 points
2017/18: Top 5 Wildcards
1 - Eden Hazard (CHE): 15 appearances, 79 points 2 - Alexis Sanchez (ARS & MUN): 21 appearances, 79 points 3 - Riyad Mahrez (LEI): 13 appearances, 73 points 4 - Wilfried Zaha (CRY): 13 appearances, 67 points
5 - Ederson (MCI): 13 appearances, 63 points
FPL DREAM TEAM: 2017/18 ANALYSIS
Each week we assess the FPL's overall Dream Team, pinpointing who were classified as differentials or non-differentials, and which category of player is appearing more for each Gameweek.
2017/18 Gameweek Dream Team's
GW1: 131pts (8/11 differentials)
GW2: 136pts (7/11 differentials)
GW3: 121pts (8/11 differentials)
GW4: 146pts (7/11 differentials)
GW5: 133pts (6/11 differentials)
GW6: 137pts (6/11 differentials)
GW7: 138pts (6/11 differentials)
GW8: 119pts (9/11 differentials)
GW9: 130pts (8/11 differentials)
GW10: 122pts (8/11 differentials)
GW11: 127pts (9/11 differentials)
GW12: 145pts (7/11 differentials)
GW13: 120pts (9/11 differentials)
GW14: 148pts (9/11 differentials)
GW15: 131pts (8/11 differentials)
GW16: 125pts (9/11 differentials)
GW17: 129pts (9/11 differentials)
GW18: 141pts (7/11 differentials)
GW19: 135pts (7/11 differentials)
GW20: 152pts (6/11 differentials)
GW21: 128pts (8/11 differentials)
GW22: 122pts (7/11 differentials)
GW23: 151pts (8/11 differentials)
GW24: 144pts (10/11 differentials)
GW25: 137pts (9/11 differentials)
GW26: 128pts (8/11 differentials)
GW27: 146pts (7/11 differentials)
GW28: 125pts (8/11 differentials)
GW29: 115pts (9/11 differentials)
GW30: 150pts (9/11 differentials)
GW31: 127pts (9/11 differentials)
GW32: 133pts (8/11 differentials)
GW33: 125pts (6/11 differentials)
GW34: 142pts (10/11 differentials)
GW35: 112pts (8/11 differentials)
GW36: 131pts (9/11 differentials)
GW37: 166pts (7/11 differentials)
GW38: 152pts (7/11 differentials)
Totals: 4,944pts (300/418 differentials)
Gameweek 38: Dream Team
Wildcards: Robertson, van Aanholt, Lovren, Lamela, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Perez
Non Wildcards: Fabianski, Mahrez, Vardy, Kane
Points achieved by Wildcards: 105pts
Points achieved by Non-Wildcards: 47pts
FPL 2017/18: Dream Team
Total Points: 2,203 points
Top Player: Mohamed Salah, 303pts
Weekly Differentials: Team of the Season
Ederson: 13 appearances, 63 points
Virgil van Dijk: 9 appearances, 31 points
Davinson Sanchez: 14 appearances, 35 points
Andrew Robertson: 4 appearances, 31 points
Philippe Coutinho: 6 appearances, 57 points
Wilfried Zaha: 13 appearances, 67 points
Riyad Mahrez: 13 appearances, 73 points
Alexis Sanchez: 21 appearances, 79 points
Eden Hazard: 15 appearances, 79 points Ashley Barnes: 6 appearances, 25 points
Alexandre Lacazette: 2 appearances, 23 points
Differential XI: Thoughts and Analysis
Looking into the major points of the differentials this season there are some alarming patterns, but we have listed them here for your convenience:
Wayward Defenders:
Picking a defender was tough, mostly because clean sheets were at a premium, and harder to pinpoint. Robertson and van Dijk became reliable options because Anfield was a fortress for Liverpool, and there were only a few no-brainers when it came to clean sheet potential. Man United at home, Man City at home, Burnley at home, and at a stretch Spurs. Chelsea were redundant this year, Arsenal continued their slump, and then every club beneath the top seven were a carnival of inconsistency.
Midfield Dominance:
Four out of five of the top players were midfielders, with lots of high priced options filling the ranks this year. Hazard, Sanchez, Mahrez, Coutinho, and to a lesser extend Zaha provided managers with alternatives to Eriksen and Salah. Most teams could only field two expensive midfielders which is why so many top midfielders ended up in the low brackets of player ownership. The real successes of the season came in the form of Zaha, Mahrez, and Coutinho.
Amazingly the Brazilian picked up the majority of his fifty-seven points in four games as there was two games that Klopp rotated him out. Coutinho was the most efficient differential this season, and it makes us wonder what it could have been if he’d stuck about until the summer.
Redundant Forwards:
Strikers went missing this year in the differentials, both Barnes and Lacazette made the final eleven from a combined eight appearances, and six of those belonged to Barnes when he went on that scoring run. Forwards tended to have solitary purple patches, such as Ayoze Perez at the end of the season, but these spells were always hard to pick up on and trust. Vardy, Kane, and Firmino were popular because they were consistent options for your fantasy team. Glenn Murray is a fitting example, from five appearances in our differentials he picked up a meagre seven points. When there are better midfield options to select in the differentials it can easily justify ignoring forwards.
Davinson Sanchez:
The Colombian did not justify his place in the differential eleven, and we won’t be considering him next season if he is once again a differential, the same goes for Andreas Christensen. Sanchez had repeated two-point gameweeks, and thirty-five points from fourteen appearances is just not good enough. There was good reason why Jan Vertonghen was a more appealing option for Spurs.
More Undeserving Inclusions:
Alexis Sanchez, and Eden Hazard have not justified their place in the differential eleven. We selected the Chilean and Belgian midfielders because they were always a differential, and in most matches, the only choice. The huge price tags and the forms of other players meant that they were always on the fringes of fantasy managers thinking, and with the talent they have they have both had disappointing seasons.
We selected Hazard and Sanchez more times than any other player since we started experimenting with differentials, and their games-to-points ratio is poor. When we selected Troy Deeney and he won the differential top honour he did it in less than ten games. Sanchez and Hazard had lots of two-point games, and generally low returns. Essentially, they made the teams because they accumulated lots of appearance points, and on the rare occasion picked up a goal or assist. Simply not good enough.
Set Piece Taker Woes:
One of the main themes of the season has been the change in officiating of Premier League games. Referees make no hard calls anymore, there were less penalties and key set piece positions than the last five years. Referees would rather not have a wrong decision go against them, so instead of giving a penalty they would not give it and not be scrutinised if they got it wrong. Match of the Day in 2016/17 was just full of referee blunders and debate about ‘wrong decisions’ so the officiating has changed to give referees more breathing room.
This has affected the differentials because we no longer look at set piece takers or penalty takers (Deeney, anyone) and assume they have value anymore. Goals and assists were a crazy wild west which are harder to predict, and all you must examine is how Eden Hazard has had a lacklustre year without more penalties buffering his goal tally.
Repetition:
Next season we are going to re-examine what constitutes a differential, it was too easy to rely on very few options. Rotation cursed the FPL this season which made it understandable why we kept faith with the likes of Hazard and Sanchez. There was no competition in forward or defender positions for regular places in our differentials, making it harder to logically pick a player (just as anyone would any player in their own team). This also underlines our desires to see a revamp of the points system for next season, opening the potential for all players to have an impact in the FPL, and not just a select few.
Differential XI: The Substitutes
Nick Pope: 8 appearances, 49 points Kieran Trippier: 6 appearances, 22 points Andreas Christensen: 8 appearances, 21 points Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 3 appearances, 20 points
Arnautovic and Mane would have been the midfielders to make up seven midfielders in our differential starting eleven, but we were limited to five midfielders overall. Trippier was effective but was a constant rotation risk, Aubameyang was a short-lived differential, Christensen barely returns, and then there was Nick Pope. The Burnley goalkeeper was a differential for about three quarters of the season which was a huge surprise considering how many points the Englishman was racking up.
The only reason that Pope wasn’t the top differential was just the consistency and impact of Ederson who was solid all season for Man City, and the only thing separating either players was Ederson’s loftier price.
Differential of the Season: Riyad Mahrez
The best differential throughout the whole of the season was by far Riyad Mahrez. Leicester’s resident Algerian played thirty-six league games, the only two he missed were when Man City came in for him during the January transfer window. Nineteen returns during the season gave him over a fifty percent return rate, also regularly picking up bonus points when he performed. There were some long quiet stretches from the Algerian during the season, GW32 to GW36 immediately spring to mind, during a comfortable run of fixtures for the Foxes.
Mahrez lived life as a differential, turning up when he wanted, and making you guess if he was going to be up for a game, but over the course of the whole season he was a much more reliable player than Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez who are both disappointing two-point accumulators. Coutinho would have been a strong contender if he didn’t make a dramatic move to Barcelona, and Wilfried Zaha’s season was a roller-coaster of returning from injuries. Mahrez was a constant throughout the season and fifty percent of the time was good for points, and for that he is named our differential of the season.
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