The 2024/25 Premier League season is now fast approaching and forcing Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers to hurry up with their teams. There is still some confusion among managers on which players can help set the ‘perfect team’ and help them get a blistering points return to start off the new campaign.
While the usual suspects aka £15m Erling Haaland, Mo Salah, Cole Palmer or even Alexander Isak are featured in the majority of the teams, there are some intruing prospects being ignored by many users. The ignorance could be because of a number of reasons, be it doubt over their regularly in starting matches, consistency issues or injury scares. Here we look at 15 Premier League players currently going under the radar in FPL.
Diogo Jota – Liverpool (7.5m)
The Lowdown: The Portuguese forward is a highly versatile asset for Liverpool. He can play as a no.9, in a withdrawn forward role or even in the wide areas. Jota is an unpredictable threat with his unique playing style and has that clutch nature to get into key goal-scoring areas. He scored 13 goals for the Reds last season and Slot appears to prefer him as a centre-forward, as Jota played in that role in the recent 3-0 win over Manchester United and produced an assist too.
Why Jota is Overlooked: Jota is only selected by around 3.8% of the FPL teams despite being placed as a midfielder. FPL managers are probably cautious as they fear he isn’t guaranteed a starting XI place with Darwin Nunez a key contender for the centre-forward role. Mo Salah and Luis Diaz were Liverpool’s permanent wingers last season and could keep Jota out of the squad too.
FPL Potential: Jota can be a decisive goal-scorer if given enough game-time. He had 17 goal contributions (10 goals, 7 assists) in the Premier League last season and 11 before that. Despite his size, Jota can score impressive headers and is a clinical finisher in the box. He can also link-up nicely with teammates and has that creative touch to get assists, as he proved last season.
Risk Factor: There are elements of risks in picking Jota. For one, he isn’t exactly shoed-in to start all games and only started 14 matches last season. Moreover, he is also quite injury-prone and missed 21 games for Liverpool last season due to injuries.
Marcus Rashford – Manchester United (7m)
The Lowdown: Rashford is a natural left-winger who has also occasionally slotted in the centre-forward role under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. He is a clinical goal-scoring winger who bagged 17 goals in the 2022/23 season, but just seven last season. He has played regularly in the 2024 pre-season tour so far, mostly in the left-wing role and scored one goal.
Why Rashford is Overlooked: Despite being placed as a midfielder with a 7m price, the wing-forward is chosen by just over 7% of the FPL managers. A reason for this could be his inconsistency, as Rashford only scored seven goals from 26 Premier League starts last season. But Rashford’s inconsistent nature could see him rotated in that left-wing role with Alejandro Garnacho well-suited to that position.
FPL Potential: Despite his shakiness last season, Rashford has looked razor-sharp in the Red Devils’ pre-season tour. He has a major goal threat thanks to his ability to dart past defenders inside the box and score from tricky situations. Rashford also occasionally takes penalties for United (behind Bruno Fernandes in the pecking order) and also takes direct free-kicks, making him a set-piece threat. If he can rediscover his swagger from the 2022/23 season, then Rashford could have a big points output.
Risk Factor: The biggest risk about picking Rashford is that he isn’t totally reliable. If he finds his form, he can go on a major goal contribution run across many games. But he also has major fluff periods at times, going six games without a goal in the final stretch of last season.
Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal (7m)
The Lowdown: Martinelli has mostly operated in his natural left-wing role for Arsenal as he likes bursting his way past defenders into the box. He can also play as a centre-forward if needed and has enough creative threat to trouble defenders. Martinelli also occasionally takes corners, as well as often blazing his way into the box to cause trouble. He delivered 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists) for the Gunners last season.
Why Martinelli is Overlooked: The major reason why Martinelli is selected by just 4.2% of the FPL users is because of questions around his current role in Mikel Arteta’s squad. The general feeling is that Leandro Trossard, who scored 12 goals last season, will be preferred over him at left-wing and that he might end up getting overshadowed by him again.
FPL Potential: Martinelli has featured regularly for Arsenal in their pre-season heroics. He could also benefit from the arrival of new left-back Riccardo Calafiori, whose defensive sturdiness and link-up play ability could relieve the Brazilian from tracking back all the time. Martinelli has outperformed his XG (expected goals) and XA (expected assists) in last few seasons and is a major goal threat in a side like Arsenal, who scored 91 goals last season.
Risk Factor: Martinelli isn’t exactly penciled in to start at least the majority of games of Arsenal as the likes of Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard. He might regularly rotated for Leandro Trossard, bringing limited point return. He also missed 10 games due to injury last season, with that being a lingering issue too.
Brennan Johnson – Tottenham Hotspur (6.5m)
The Lowdown:Johnson enjoyed a prolific first season at Tottenham Hotspur and mostly operated in the wide areas. But Ange Postecoglou’s system gives him a lot of freedom to often roam into the decisive central areas and stick close to the opposition box all the time to cause trouble. Johnson has that knack of darting his way into key areas in the final third and his final pass is often clinical enough to find their target, as he bagged 12 assists with his five goals last season in the Premier League.
Why Brennan Johnson is Overlooked: Johnson is picked by a shocking 1.8% of FPL managers so far. That could be because most people are investing in someone like Son Heung-min, who seems primed to begin the season as their no.9. Johnson isn’t exactly the clinical goal-machine as his captain or seen to have as much creative spark like Dejan Kulusevski.
FPL Potential: Johnson gave a return of 131 points last season in FPL and 122 the campaign before that. He is not the kind of wing-forward who keeps himself to the wide areas, but his encouraging nature of often getting into central positions and at the thick of attacking moves makes him a great buy at 6.5m. He is a starter in Ange Postecoglou’s side and given enough freedom in the system to cause chaos inside the opposition half. Now being well settled at Tottenham, Johnson has the potential of scoring even more goals and give a solid return for his price.
Risk Factor: The element which many fans might be scared of is if Johnson suffers from a case of second-season blues at Tottenham. Last season, he majorly outperformed his XA (expected assists) which was 4.30 to grab 12 assists. There is a scare that his bubble might burst and Johnson might not be so lucky with goal contributions, giving a number of low returns.
Nick Pope – Newcastle United (5m)
The Lowdown: The Newcastle United goalkeeper has almost become a forgotten figure this season. He missed a large chunk of last season due to injury, but is now fully fit and ready to be the Magpies’ no.1. Pope is an excellent shot-stopper who has plenty of Premier League experience and shielding a pretty solid Newcastle backline. He can make clutch saves and also influence his side’s style with a crisp passing ability.
Why Nick Pope is Overlooked: Pope is only selected by around 5.8% of the FPL managers before the start of the 2024/25 season. That is probably because of some fears he might not be the same player coming back from a nasty injury. There are fears he might make mistakes or not have the same influence he did before the injury.
FPL Potential: Pope might have only played 15 games for Newcastle last season, but still managed to bag six clean sheets and only conceded 16 goals in that period. He managed 14 clean sheets in the 2022/23 season and conceded 32 goals in 37 appearances. Pope knows how to churn out clean sheets regularly and give a solid points return in FPL.
Risk Factor: There are some risks that Pope might reaggravate his injury or pick up something new in the upcoming campaign. He missed 23 Premier League matches due to his problem in the last campaign and that makes him a gamble. Newcastle’s first 10 fixtures are tricky too with only two green (easy) fixtures and challenging clashes against Tottenham Hotspur (home), Fulham (away), Manchester City (home), Everton (away), Chelsea (away) and Arsenal (home) too.
Emile Smith Rowe – Fulham (5.5m)
The Lowdown:Emile Smith Rowe opted to leave his childhood club this summer and join London side Fulham. He’s done this to get regular playing time and prove just how good he can be in that no.10 role. Smith Rowe is an adventurous attacking midfielder who thrives to link-up with forwards and get into the key scoring areas in the final third. He is at his best in the no.10 role but can also play on the left-wing.
Why ESR is Overlooked: Despite his lucrative price, Smith Rowe is only selected by around 4.6% of FPL Managers. This could be because he’s playing for a side like Fulham, who mostly fight for a mid-table place. He only started three matches for Arsenal last season and most users are not sure if he can thrive as a regular starter at a new system.
FPL Potential: Smith Rowe has the potential to be a success story in the Premier League, but just didn’t get enough game-time at Arsenal. In the 2021/22 season, he showed shades of brilliance by scoring 10 goals for the Gunners. That is the biggest indication that he knows how to score goals constantly and that is huge for a midfielder in FPL. Smith Rowe can also take set-pieces like corners or free-kicks with ease and can bring extra points thanks to his creative input from those situations too.
Risk Factor: The biggest risk about picking Smith Rowe is that he can be quite injury-prone. Over the last two seasons, he missed 31 matches for Arsenal due to injury problems. In that sense, he isn’t totally reliable and might end up being a waste for his price.
Yankuba Minteh – Brighton (5.5m)
The Lowdown:Brighton’s newest signing Yankuba Minteh has been roped in after his heroics for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie last season. He can play in both the wings with ease and is a fiery winger, who loves darting past defenders and getting into key areas in the box. Minteh scored 11 goals and provided six assists for Feyenoord last season and the 20-year-old has proven himself as being electric and decisive in the final third.
Why Minteh is Overlooked: Minteh is selected by a shocking 0.8% of managers in FPL. This is probably because most users don’t even know who he is or his past achievements. There are also other prospects available at Brighton (Kaoru Mitoma in particular) and that is why the 20-year-old winger is not even chosen by 1% of the users.
FPL Potential: Minteh appears to be a great fit for Brighton under manager Fabian Hurzeler. He earned an assist (penalty win) in their recent 1-0 win over QPR and also created a number of chances. Minteh appears to be excelling at his new team in terms of getting into key areas and delivering threatening final third passes to set up chances. He also has the knack of finishing off opportunities clinically, making him a smart discreet pick in FPL.
Risk Factor: Minteh might be having fun in pre-season, but is unlikely to enjoy that much freedom in the Premier League. Brighton have a tricky start to the season, having tough games against Everton (away), Manchester United (home) and Arsenal (away) in their first three matches. Only home games against Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are relatively ‘easy’ in their first 10 games. That is why Minteh might be a risk because he might take time adapting to the Premier League’s intensity and give sloppy results early on.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – Nottingham Forest (5.5m)
The Lowdown:Callum Hudson-Odoi proved to be an exciting left-winger for Nottingham Forest last season and a key figure to their Premier League survival. He is an incisive kind of wing-forward who loves running forward with the ball, dribbling past bodies and getting into promising positions to score goals. He managed eight goals and two assists in the Premier League last season and posed impressive creative threat with his threatening delivery too.
Why CHO is Overlooked: Despite his heroics from last season, Hudson-Odoi is only picked by 5.4% users in the FPL. This could be because of fears of how Forest barely survived relegation last season and are going to suffering embarrassing results to start the season.
FPL Potential: Hudson-Odoi proved his quality scoring eight goals for a side like Forest last season, where the majority of responsibilities lie in defending. But this time he will get more freedom to dart forward into attacking areas and deliver more goal contributions. Hudson-Odoi actually has some promising fixtures in the first 10 games, with away games against Liverpool and Chelsea only being formidable ones. This gives him enough incentive to push for a strong start to the season. After scoring three goals in the final three goals last season, he’ll aim to maintain that momentum to get a solid FPL points return in the opening.
Risk Factor: Hudson-Odoi might be exciting to watch, but he’s yet to tap into his most clinical nature so far. He only scored one goal in his first 10 starts for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last season and is a slow starter. That makes him a gamble because it’s not guaranteed if he’ll begin the campaign firing on all cylinders.
Antonee Robinson – Fulham (4.5m)
The Lowdown: USMNT defender Antonee Robinson has become a mainstay in the Fulham backline over the last few seasons. He started 37 games last season and is quite the reliable full-back, who is defensive sturdy and also a menacing figure romping forward. Robinson has an impressive crossing ability in him and is THE starting left-back for the Cottagers going into the new campaign.
Why Antonee Robinson is Overlooked: There is probably a lot of fears around the Fulham fixtures in the opening part of the campaign. They face Manchester United in the opening game and most fans probably feel the Cottagers won’t get a clean sheet in their opening games.
FPL Potential: Robinson is a reliable figure because he manages to stay injury-free and a constant threat through the left. He managed six assists last season, averaging one every six games and helped Fulham keep nine clean sheets. With added experience this time, Robinson will probably get more goal contributions this time around. Moreover, Fulham actually have a favourable fixture list in the first 10 games, with games against Ipswich Town, Leicester City and West Ham United in their first five matches – raising the possibility of clean sheets.
Risk Factor: There is no guarantee that Robinson’s Fulham will be able to get a flurry of clean sheets in their early games. Moreover, the left-back isn’t someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold or Kieran Trippier to have a major chance of assisting with his delivery.
Amad Diallo – Manchester United (5m)
The Lowdown: Amad Diallo has been at Manchester United for four years now, but it now appears that the 2024/25 season will be his breakthrough year. Erik ten Hag has already hinted that this is Diallo’s year and he has impressed in pre-season, scoring two goals already. Amad is an adventurous winger who tries to replicate Arjen Robben in drifting in from the right wing to score goals or deliver assists, and he has started taking corners as of late too.
Why Amad Diallo is Overlooked: Despite his heroics in pre-season, there are still questions around whether Amad will be a regular starter for United this season. He only started three games last season and had two goal contributions, which is why he’s picked by only 2.7% users so far in the FPL.
FPL Potential: Even though he hasn’t started too many matches for Manchester United in the past, Amad’s heroics in pre-season have earned him a bigger role this time around. He looks poised to start the first few games of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Amad also has a formidable goal-scoring threat due to his impressive striking ability and tendency to get into the key goal-scoring areas. He can also create chances with his crosses and set-piece delivery.
Risk Factor: Amad can be quite injury-prone. He missed 27 matches due to injury last season and his playing style makes him prone to rash tackles that can cause major injuries. This can make him a risk even at a low price, because injuries would mean having to transfer him out again.
Oscar Bobb – Manchester City (5m)
The Lowdown: Oscar Bobb has emerged as a regular in Pep Guardiola’s senior squad this time after making his breakthrough last season. The Norwegian winger has that special dribbling ability in him and is actually quite decisive with his work in the final third. He hasn’t really made that many appearances so far, but is going to be introduced to add something new to Manchester City’s attack.
Why Oscar Bobb is Overlooked: Bobb is selected by just over 1% of the FPL managers so far. That is mostly because there are doubts over whether the Norwegian will be able to start many games due to competition for places at Manchester City. He faces competition from the likes of Phil Foden, Savio, Jeremy Doku and even Bernardo Silva in the right-wing position.
FPL Potential: There is an anticipation among many fans that Bobb is going to start the first few matches of the season for Manchester City. This is because Foden has reported late for pre-season and might be slowly phased back into the team. Bobb has also impressed in pre-season, scoring in a recent 4-2 win over Chelsea too. He has a major goal-scoring threat, making him a sneaky pick at 5m.
Risk Factor: The biggest issue about picking Bobb is the uncertainty over whether he’ll even start games. There are more experienced players than him in the position and that might keep him from getting regular starts. He only started two games last season and that is a red alert for fans.
James Maddison – Tottenham Hotspur (7.5m)
The Lowdown: James Maddison is one of the most creative players in the Premier League and had a commendable debut season with Tottenham Hotspur last season. He excels in Ange Postecoglou’s attacking system, being a major creative threat from the no.10 role. Maddison is one of the best set-piece takers in England, with his crossing and clever final third pass making him a major threat.
Why James Maddison is Overlooked: Despite achieving impressive goal numbers last season (five goals, 11 assists), Maddison remains picked by just 5.4% of the teams. That is probably because of how shaky he was in the second half of last season, only scoring one goal and grabbing two assists from the last 12 games.
FPL Potential: Maddison can be a clever pick for the first phase of the campaign due to his impressive ability to start a campaign strongly. Last season, the Englishman had two goals and four assists in the first six games. This time, Spurs have a pretty favorable early fixture list, with opening games against Everton and Leicester City and games against Newcastle United and Arsenal only being really tough ones. Maddison can boast a strong early points return with his heroics and prove to be worth the price.
Risk Factor: Maddison might be a brilliant playmaker, but is quite injury-prone. He missed 13 games due to injury last season and his form drastically got worse after his return from the issue. His tricky playstyle makes him vulnerable to nasty tackles and if he gets injured, then replacing a 7.5m player can be a tough ask.
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