By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-10-15 08:24:36 | Updated at 2026-10-18 04:52:09
2 days ago
Looking for an under-the-radar pick in Fantasy Premier League? The 10% Club has you covered for FPL Gameweek 7.
Tempted by a triple Chelsea attack; considering moving away from double Arsenal defence; or still expecting Brighton’s run of form to end?
Those may be just a few of many questions floating through the minds of Fantasy Premier League managers as Gameweek 7 approaches. But, as always, we’re to help.
Using Opta data, we’ve picked out five under-the-radar stars – all owned by fewer than 10% of managers – to help go against the FPL template this weekend.
DEF – Jan Paul van Hecke | 4.9m | 6.3% Ownership
Tottenham may be winless this campaign, but an improved performance in their draw away to Manchester United may give Roberto De Zerbi hope.
Coventry are their next visitors, and although Frank Lampard’s side backed up their first win over Nottingham Forest with a 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United, De Zerbi will clearly see this as a good opportunity to get Spurs on track.
A lack of attacking options, with Spurs scoring just three goals so far, pushes us towards looking at their defence, where Jan Paul van Hecke continues to shine.
The Dutch defender’s 27 points are the most of any Tottenham player. He’s registered DEFCON returns twice in 2026-27 and also scored in his last home outing in GW5.
Van Hecke also seems to be Spurs’ set-piece target. His 1.1 expected goal involvements are only bettered by Dominic Solanke (1.3) and Sávio (1.5) among all of De Zerbi’s squad in the competition.
Although Van Hecke travels to free-scoring Chelsea next weekend, a favourable run then sees Spurs face Palace, Ipswich Town and Fulham in their next three home games.
Not many sides have a better upcoming swing of fixtures before the November international break, and if De Zerbi can get Spurs firing, Van Hecke’s 6.3% ownership will only soar.
DEF – Luka Vuskovic | 5.0m | 4.5% Ownership
Brighton duo Pascal Groẞ and Maxim De Cuyper continue to lead the way, with their 53 points each the most of any player this season.
Bart Verbruggen is another to impress, with the third-most points of all goalkeepers (32). But the Brighton trio are all in more than 10% of squads ahead their home fixture with Crystal Palace.
However, Luka Vuskovic continues to go under the radar. His 40 points put him fifth on the list of all defenders, and three of the four above him (Joško Gvardiol, James Tarkowski and De Cuyper) are all owned by a significant proportion of managers.
The Croatian defender has hit the threshold for defensive contributions in 50% of his matches. However, those DEFCON returns could easily have increased if Coventry City and Aston Villa hadn’t received red cards to dampen their attacking threat.
Vuskovic has also picked up a clean sheet in four of six league outings, while he scored against Leeds United for a mega 12-point haul on GW3.
His attacking threat, largely from set-pieces, shouldn’t be a surprise. Only Alejandro Grimaldo, who scored eight times as Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking full-back, could better Vuskovic’s six Bundesliga goals among all defenders last season.
Despite tough upcoming trips to Liverpool and Manchester City, those visits only heighten Vuskovic’s DEFCON appeal. Plus, a clean sheet isn’t completely off the cards considering Brighton’s 3-0 dismantling of Arsenal on GW5.
MID – Johan Manzambi | 5.9m | 0.9% Ownership
Despite waiting until GW5 for his first start, only Emiliano Buendía (25) and John McGinn (27) have more points than Johan Manzambi’s 19 for Aston Villa.
The Switzerland international has two assists and one goal in his first two Premier League starts, racking up 13 points against Tottenham before adding five more against Brentford with his assist for McGinn.
In fact, over those last two rounds of fixtures, no Premier League player has had as many as Manzambi’s 11 shots, while no Villa teammate can better his five chances created from open play (Buendía, also five).
Villa’s next opponents should excite prospective Manzambi buyers, too. Newcastle’s 13 goals conceded are the most of any side in the division so far, level with Chelsea and Bournemouth.
Given Manzambi has only two starts, it’s difficult to compare his early-season data with other potential options. However, his 6.3 points per match puts him eighth among all midfielders.
On that list, three of those above him (Cody Gakpo, Kevin Schade and Jack Hinshelwood) have injury concerns, while another two are heavily owned (Groẞ and Rayan Cherki).
Plus, Manzambi is a great longer-term pick. Although Villa face Man City (H) and Man Utd (H) on GW8 and GW10 respectively, there are also inviting fixtures against Fulham (H), Sunderland (H) and Ipswich (A) to follow.
MID – Matheus Cunha | 7.9m | 6.3% Ownership
Although the pressure may be rising on Michael Carrick with Manchester United, Matheus Cunha is quietly going under the radar as a reliable FPL option.
The Brazilian has registered back-to-back 10-point hauls, scoring against Fulham on GW5 before assisting against Tottenham and hitting the DEFCON threshold of 12 for midfielders.
An upturn of form, at least in FPL terms, has helped Cunha to 36 points in total. Just five midfielders have recorded more, and Mohamed Belloumi – who we selected last week – is the only one of those owned by fewer than 10% of managers.
Cunha also sits top of United’s points-scoring chart. He has three more than Bryan Mbeumo and is four ahead of Bruno Fernandes. Both of those United stars are in over a fifth of FPL squads as template picks, showing the value again of going down a differential route.
A trip next to rivals Leeds may prove challenging, but Cunha scored in this exact fixture last season when he equalised at Elland Road back in January. Another return here would have managers taking note.
FWD – Evanilson | 6.0m | 3.5% Ownership
With Alex Scott out injured and Marcus Tavernier creeping towards the 10% ownership cut-off, we’re backing Evanilson to deliver for Bournemouth at home to Sunderland.
The Brazilian snatched his first league goal of the campaign last week in the hammering by Chelsea. That strike did come fortuitously after Moisés Caicedo slammed his clearance against him from point-blank range.
His 25 points are the third-most of any Bournemouth player, behind the injured Scott (30) and Tavernier (32), but we’re expecting another return when Sunderland visit.
Régis Le Bris’ side have conceded eight goals on the road in this season’s competition, with only Bournemouth themselves (9) allowing more in away games.
But Evanilson doesn’t need to score to haul. His three fantasy assists are the most of any Bournemouth player, while no FPL forward can beat that tally.
His relatively cheap price point makes more room for more premium options, too. Only Thierno Barry (26), Emersonn (28) and Charalampos Kostoulas (29) have more points than Evanilson among all forwards at his price or below.
Two of those – Barry and Kostoulas – have been covered previously by The 10% Club, while Emersonn doesn’t seem a sensible pick ahead of Ipswich’s visit to Man City. That leaves us with faith in Evanilson at the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
*FPL player values and ownership data accurate as of 14 October 2026
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