The Perfect XI format of Fantasy EPL on Fantrax is going to take the community by storm. Fact. Our good friends at DPLCommLeague have brought the concept over to Fantrax, and it is sensational. We're here to provide Draft Premier League managers with our very own Perfect XI tips for each gameweek. Details of the concept and rules can be found here!
Check out DPLCommLeague for further information on the format, regular updates on the latest standings, as well as information on how you can enter.
Fantasy EPL Gameweek 17 Perfect XI
So, what is Perfect XI? Similar to Official Fantasy Premier League game, all managers have full access to the entire player pool each week, meaning multiple teams within the league could be completely identical. The main departures from OFPL are the Fantrax Default Scoring, unlimited transfers each week, no budget/salary cap, and live lineup changes available. This means that each week you can select a dream team of Fantrax assets who you think will score the most points on a given gameweek, and have the added bonus of being able to see the real life lineups before your players lock in. Magic.
Check out our Perfect XI tips below. These are our recommendations for the best eleven players this weekend! Picks are now accompanied by our weekly projections, which our Inner Circle members can exclusively access. Due to the tight scheduling, these will be a bit abridged for a couple weeks.
GK: Alisson
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: ~8 (GK projections to come)
Alisson has a 60% chance of keeping a clean sheet vs Newcastle. Couple long range shots from Shelvey, and all of a sudden Ali has some saves too.
Pivot: Ederson
DEF: Trent Alexander Arnold
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 18.9
Once again, the best scoring fantasy defender in the game, averaging an impressive 19 points a game, don't overthink this one. This week, Trent has a 60% chance of keeping a clean sheet, 43% chance of assisting, and 17% chance of scoring .
Pivot: Oleksandr Zinchenko
DEF: Andrew Robertson
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 14.8
It's been a while since we've selected the other Liverpool full back, but he's been in good form as of late, and a stack against Newcastle in a home matchup sounds lovely. Like his teammates, Robbo has a 60% chance of keeping a clean sheet, but also has a 39% chance of getting an assist and 13% chance of scoring a goal. If Tsimikas rotates in, I like him even more than Robbo, so it's an easy swap.
Pivot: Konstantinos Tsimikas
DEF: Reece James
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Everton (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 14.1
Reece vs Alonso is really a tossup here for me, and I think including both is certainly viable. James has cooled down significantly as of late, but at the same time Everton has been dreadful and may have the worst form of any side in the Prem. 60% chance of a clean sheet, 27% chance of assisting, and 17% chance of scoring, those are Trent-esque numbers. I like James a bit more than Alonso cause he's less of a sub risk and more likely to take more set pieces, so has a more solid floor.
Pivot: Marcos Alonso
MID: Kevin De Bruyne
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 18.1
Today seems like a likely start for KDB in a smash spot at home against Leeds. Pep talked up Gundo's back ailing him after last game, so the door is even more open for a return to the lineup. As always, KDB is one of the best midfielders in the world, and his odds reflect that against a shaky Leeds side: 41% chance of scoring, 47% chance of assisting
Pivot: Ilkay Gundogan
MID: Phil Foden
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 16.7
Like KDB, Foden will likely be part of a City attack playing at home to Leeds. They're always liable to score multiple goals, and Foden is likely to be involved. 47% likely to score, and 31% likely to assist. If Foden is benched, I'd go straight to Grealish. (And you can play them both if they both start but I tend to think they do not).
Pivot: Jack Grealish
MID: Mason Mount
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Everton (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 15.0
Chelsea may not be in amazing form, but Mount sure is. After being involved in multiple goals in his last couple games, Mount is 34% likely to get a goal or assist today. He's also back on a lot of corners for Chelsea, and is generally their dominant creativity source. If he's rested I like both Ziyech and CHO in a very friendly matchup.
Pivot: Hakim Ziyech/Callum Hudson-Odoi
MID: Emi Buendia
Team: Aston Villa
Opponent: Nowrich (Away)
Projected Fantasy Points: 12.4
A homecoming for Norwich's record sale and prodigal son, Buendia should be a fun one. Norwich are quite poor defensively, although somewhat better with Dean Smith and at home. I still expect Villa to score, and I expect Buendia to be quite lively against his former side. He only has a 23% chance to score and a 22% chance to assist, but I'm mostly looking for a very nice floor of Key Passes. We've admittedly not seen a lot from the Argentinian this year, but my hope is that this matchup brings the best out of him. Maybe it's somewhat of a heart pick and not a brain pick, but this is definitely the week to try it.
Pivot: Dwight McNeil
FWD: Mohamed Salah
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 20.3
Salah is the best player in the Premier League right now, the highest scoring player in Fantrax, and has a 68% chance of scoring (highest of the week) and a 34% chance of assisting. Just do it.
Pivot: Sadio Mane
FWD: Raheem Sterling
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 16.9
Another week to roster City attackers with multiple return upside. If Sterling starts, I like him the most, predominantly because he's been the hottest lately. Mahrez is usually my go to pick when he starts, but Sterling likely has higher goal upside this week: 48% chance of scoring, 29% chance of assisting.
Pivot: Mahrez/Jesus
FWD: Diogo Jota
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 16.1
This 3rd forward spot you can take a lot of ways this week. Another City forward or another Liverpool forward will likely be the most common lineup. If you want to be a bit bolder, you can take Lukaku (if he starts). I'm opting for Jota here, as I'm already using plenty of City players elsewhere. I slightly prefer Jota to Mane (who's been a bit cold) but really its a tossup you might be sad about at the end of the day. He has 55% goal odds and 27% assist odds.
Pivot: Romelu Lukaku
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