Differential
A differential is a player owned by only a small share of Fantasy Premier League managers, commonly under 10 percent, picked precisely because most rivals do not have him. When a differential returns, you gain on the field; when he blanks, you lose only what the field gained elsewhere.
Ownership is relative to the field you care about
The overall ownership percentage shown in the game measures the whole global player base, but the field you are actually racing is your mini-league. A player owned by 15 percent globally is a genuine differential if none of your eleven rivals has him, and no differential at all if six of them do.
Checking ownership inside your own league before the deadline is the difference between a calculated risk and a guess. It is one of the numbers FPL Butler puts in front of you every gameweek.
The risk is not symmetric
Owning a differential who blanks costs you nothing directly, it just leaves you where you were. Missing a highly owned player who hauls costs you real ground. That asymmetry is why differentials are usually the right tool when you are chasing, and the wrong one when you are protecting a lead with a few gameweeks to go.
Example
In a league of nineteen managers you are the only one who owns a 6 percent midfielder. He scores a goal and an assist for 12 points, and you move past everyone who sat just ahead of you in one gameweek.
Related terms
Related statistics
Now check your own league
Benchmarks are one thing. The Butler applies them to your own mini-league: a verdict after every gameweek, awards for the heroes and the blunders, and a season archive that never forgets. Enter your league code and see where your table really stands.
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