Fantasy Premier League 2025/26: GW27 Watchlist – Five must own  assets including two hidden differentials under 1% owned

Welcome to the calm before the storm in Fantasy Premier League 2025/26. Hopefully Gameweek 26 treated you kindly, because the next month is where things really start to twist. Enjoy Gameweeks 27-30, because from 31 onwards we’re dealing with blanks, doubles and pure chaos. Arsenal and Wolves will both sit out Gameweek 31, and Manchester City and Crystal Palace are highly likely to join them if results go as expected. The smart play now is to lean into form and fixtures, but slowly start trimming those future blankers before resetting with a Wildcard around Gameweek 32. To help you make a late surge in your mini‑leagues, this list includes two differentials under 1% owned who can genuinely move the needle.

Igor Thiago (7.0m)

Thiago is one of those picks where fixtures and numbers finally line up. Over the next four games he faces Brighton, Burnley, Bournemouth and Wolves, then the schedule stays kind all the way to around Gameweek 36 – exactly what you want from a forward you can just drop in and leave. His output under the hood has been strong for a while: 17 shots in his last six matches, with 16 of those efforts coming inside the penalty area, is elite volume for any striker. Earlier in the season he was posting this level of threat in tougher games against the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa; now the opposition softens and he keeps penalties. Everything points to a very profitable spell.

Hugo Ekitike (8.9m)

João Pedro’s grabbed most of the recent hype in terms of mid-priced forwards, but Ekitike quietly looks just as exciting – and arguably more explosive. Watch his games and the numbers match the eye test: he’s constantly finding dangerous pockets, racking up non‑penalty xG and getting multiple efforts away inside the box. It genuinely feels like he should have scored more over the last few weeks. Nottingham Forest, then West Ham, Wolves and a home game against a vulnerable Spurs side is a really appealing run for a Liverpool attack that’s still chasing Champions League football. If you’re brave enough to look beyond the template, Ekitike is exactly the kind of forward who can catch fire and swing a mini‑league in your favour with huge haul potential.

Florian Wirtz (8.4m)

If you can’t stretch the budget to Ekitike but still want a slice of Liverpool’s attack, Wirtz is a brilliant mid‑priced alternative. He’s nailed for minutes, pulling the strings as their creative hub, and his underlying numbers back up the eye test: strong non‑penalty xG and xA, plus over two key passes per 90 in the league this season. Wirtz already has four goals and two assists in the current campaign and sits near the top of Liverpool’s charts for expected involvement. With a kind run of fixtures ahead, he has the profile of a classic high‑ceiling midfielder – the type who quietly hits double‑digit hauls and suddenly becomes “essential” two weeks too late. Get ahead of that curve.

Dango Ouattara (5.8m)

Differential of the week: Dango Ouattara, and he’s great fun. While most eyes will gravitate to Igor Thiago in that Brentford side, Ouattara is the one doing so much of the dirty (and lucrative) work – he’s already won more penalties than any other player this season and has become a genuine nuisance for opposition full‑backs. At just 0.7% ownership, you’re getting a winger with double‑digit haul potential, a history of drawing fouls in the box, and attacking fixtures to exploit as Brentford chase a late European push. If you want something slightly safer, Kevin Schade at 6.9m is also viable – but for pure upside and differential power, Ouattara is your man.

Rayan (5.5m)

Our second ultra‑differential is Bournemouth’s new Brazilian starlet, 0.9% Rayan. The 19-year-old has exploded onto the Premier League scene with returns in all three of his first appearances: two goals and one assist for 19 FPL points in just 198 minutes. That’s a ridiculous 6.3 points per game from a budget‑friendly price tag, and while he’s not completely nailed yet, his form is making him very hard to bench. Bournemouth are an attacking side by nature, and with West Ham, Sunderland and Burnley in the next four, there will be chances. At under 1% ownership, Rayan is exactly the kind of high‑impact punt that can transform a steady green arrow into a massive one if he keeps this run going.