Our Gameweek 32 Sleepers XI article provides Fantrax managers with a lineup of Fantasy EPL hidden gems. Our starting eleven of Draft Premier League differential picks will help you find a golden ticket to a big score this weekend! These hints and tips will give you a better chance of picking up an all-important victory, as one of our picks could easily make the difference in a Head-to-Head game!
We'll be focusing on players that will bring us not only attacking returns or clean sheets, but also those players that score Ghost Points in the sophisticated and statistics based Fantrax Scoring System!
Fantasy EPL Gameweek 32 Sleepers XI
For this article, we use the % rostered from Fantrax. Our only rule is that each player we highlight is required to be rostered in 60% of leagues or less at the time of writing. Therefore there's a good chance some of these players will be free agents in your Fantrax Draft League! As always, we'll take form, fixtures, projected points, and a healthy dose of intuition into account to make our selections. Additionally, I've included the rostership percentage from the "Community List" -- the twenty 12-team divisions that comprise the ultra-competitive DraftPL Community League and International Genie League -- to provide some additional context for who is likely to be available and where you might want to follow the wisdom of the crowd.
As always, let's take a quick look back at the week that was in Gameweek 31: While I got the Sam Johnstone (16) call correct, the keeper was the only player to manage a double digit score in a disappointing 51 point display. It certainly didn't help that four players I was fairly confident would start (Manor Solomon, Thiago, Bertrand Traore and N'Golo Kante) didn't manage any points as a result of not playing or having very limited cameos from the bench. That meager score takes the season tally to a still respectable 2585.25 points, or roughly 86.25 per week.
With Brighton, Chelsea, Man City and Man United blanking in GW32 due to the FA Cup, competition for the players who typically qualify for Sleepers XI selection will be a bit more intense this week. I hope at least a few of the following players will be available for you to pick up to bolster your squads, but in case options are slim, I'm looking at the following fixtures & positions for potential success this week: Crystal Palace (all positions), Bournemouth (M/F), Fulham (D, F) and any surprise high-upside starters from Arsenal, Liverpool or Newcastle (i.e. Vieira, Matip, Targett). Let's get to the picks:
GK: Sam Johnstone
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Everton (home)
Rostered: 9% (Fantrax) / 66% (Community)
Points Last Gameweek: 16
Prospects: I'm rewarding Sam Johnstone with another week between the posts and may continue to do so as long as his roster percentage remains so low and Vicente Guaita remains out. With Palace performing as well as they have been, it would be a surprise to see Roy Hodgson drop Johnstone even if Guaita was fit anyway. Johnstone has recorded 11 saves across his two starts to go along with the clean sheet in GW31. Everton is in desperate need of results if they're going to survive the drop, but haven't managed to score more than twice in any match since Dyche was appointed, so even if they do score it's unlikely to result in a negative score for the keeper.
DEF: Tosin Adarabioyo
Team: Fulham
Opponent: Leeds (home)
Rostered: 4% / 23%
Points Last Gameweek: 14.25
Projected GW32 Points: 7.5
Prospects: Leeds have gone from bad to worse of late (my personal take is that it's down to Tyler Adams' injury and not Javi Gracia), and we're getting into "Who's facing ____" territory for fantasy recommendations (see: Derby County, Norwich, etc.). I'm a bit skeptical of another multi-goal defeat, but still like the prospects of Tosin Adarabioyo this week. Leeds still have the ability to cause problems in attack, but the Fulham CB has been a ghost point god recently, even earning a shout out in this week's Ghost Point Hunters article after racking up 18.25 points from counting stats in GW31.
DEF: Vladimir Coufal
Team: West Ham
Opponent: Bournemouth (away)
Rostered: 27% / 38%
Points Last Gameweek: 7.5
Projected GW32 Points: 8.3
Prospects: Another defender who has historically been capable of putting together solid ghost point scores is Vladimir Coufal. West Ham have been inconsistent at best this season, but the past two fixtures have delivered some signs of life and promise for another year in the Prem. A trip to an injury-hampered Bournemouth team could result in a third successive outing where Coufal is worthy of a spot in your lineup.
DEF: Tyrick Mitchell
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Everton (home)
Rostered: 27% / 80%
Points Last Gameweek: 13.25
Projected GW32 Points: 7.6
Prospects: You know Palace is on an exceptional run of form when multiple TDS analysts are tipping Tyrick Mitchell as a good streaming option. The fullback has always been a solid player in real life, but has rarely caught the eye of even the most desperate fantasy managers. That's all changed since Roy Hodgson was reappointed manager. The Eagles left back has scored 8.75, 7.5 and 13.25 points so far in April and faces another favorable fixture with Everton coming to Selhurst Park.
DEF: Toti
Team: Wolves
Opponent: Leicester (away)
Rostered: 5% / 61%
Points Last Gameweek: 11
Projected GW32 Points: 6.7
Prospects: I came very close to including Toti in my Sleepers XI and in one of my fantasy teams last week, but managed to talk myself out of both. I thankfully wasn't made to regret that decision too much, but it certainly would have made me look less reactionary and more predictive. Anyway, my bruised ego aside, I'm liking what I'm seeing from the Portuguese defender. Julen Lopetegui has been deploying the erstwhile center back in the left back role that had been a problem area, and he's performed the job with flying colors. Leicester under Dean Smith will likely take a defense-first approach, which could help Wolves pursue a rare clean sheet to go along with any other defensive contributions from Toti (don't expect too much in the way of attacking returns).
MID: Jordan Henderson
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Nottingham Forest (home)
Rostered: 23% / 71%
Points Last Gameweek: 19
Projected GW32 Points: 7.9
Prospects: As was discussed on the latest episode of the Key Pass Collective, the recent decision to move Trent Alexander-Arnold into more of a midfield role has had the added benefit of pushing Liverpool's other midfielders further up the pitch. Jordan Henderson was one of the key beneficiaries of this tactical switch in the 6-1 victory over Leeds last gameweek. Ryan quipped that Hendo "rolled back the years" with his 19-point performance and I agree, though I think it's more about his position on the pitch than his age, necessarily. Henderson has regularly shown he's most effective as an attack-minded 8, a role that's largely been occupied by Harvey Elliott this season with the England captain deployed as a deeper-lying midfielder. If Henderson can continue operating in this more advanced position, I believe he can be worth a long-term spot on your roster. If you don't believe this line of thinking, it's still probably worth the short-term play against a Nottingham Forest team that struggles mightily on their travels.
MID: Marc Roca
Team: Leeds
Opponent: Fulham (away)
Rostered: 24% / 76%
Points Last Gameweek: 10
Projected GW32 Points: 6.8
Prospects: Despite my previous statement(s) about how poor Leeds have been collectively, Marc Roca has been a pleasant surprise from a fantasy standpoint the past few weeks. The Spaniard has been entrusted with some of the responsibility to cover for Tyler Adams, so he's had more opportunity to add tackles and interceptions to his game. But he's also been taking his fair share of set pieces, particularly when Brenden Aaronson hasn't been on the pitch. There are some question marks over the American's starting status this weekend, so Roca could be in a good spot to add some key passes and potential assists to his floor.
MID: Marcus Tavernier
Team: Bournemouth
Opponent: West Ham (home)
Rostered: 58% / 100%
Points Last Gameweek: 7.5
Projected GW32 Points: 9.0
Prospects: With the team news coming in that Hamed Traore is set to miss out again (disregard him in the Reserves - look at Crysencio Summerville or Wilfried Gnonto instead), I like Marcus Tavernier as a high-upside pick this week. He's definitely gaining popularity again since his return to fitness and as such is unavailable in the divisions from the Community List, but if the wide man happens to be on your wire, a home match against West Ham is as good a time as any to pick him up. I mention Traore's absence due to his involvement in set pieces. Without the Ivorian in the team, Tavernier tends to command a much greater percentage of sets.
FWD: Michail Antonio
Team: West Ham
Opponent: Bournemouth (away)
Rostered: 53% / 76%
Points Last Gameweek: 7.5
Projected GW32 Points: 8.3
Prospects: One of my prompts for the KPC boys to debate during the True/False segment of this week's podcast (now with video!) was that Michail Antonio would be worth rostering for the rest of the season. That resulted in a resounding vote of no confidence, but I can't shake the feeling that the former fantasy favorite still has something to offer. With Gianluca Scamacca out (and his talent squandered by David Moyes, but that's a conversation for another time) and Danny Ings not really making much of an impression, the manager has turned back to Antonio to lead the line in the past two gameweeks. I know what you're thinking...he didn't score in either game and the higher of the two scores being 7.5 isn't worth writing home about. But Bournemouth give up 12.9 points per game to opposition forwards on average and I think the Jamaican will capitalize on their defensive frailties this week. He's one of those streaky players as well, so if he does remain the first choice starter over the coming weeks, maybe that prompt won't seem so ridiculous.
FWD: Odsonne Edouard
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Everton (home)
Rostered: 39% / 100%
Points Last Gameweek: 2.5
Projected GW32 Points: 8.9
Prospects: There's a bit of debate amongst Draft Society analysts as to whether Odsonne Edouard is worth starting this week. To be fair to his detractors, it does feel like he's extremely dependent on goal contributions for his points. His 2.5 points without a goal last gameweek is perhaps good evidence of that. However, even I was surprised to see his GACS% (points from goals, assists and clean sheets) at 38%, a relatively low mark for a striker. For comparative purposes, Marcus Rashford, Ivan Toney and Harry Kane all come in at 50%, with Erling Haaland at a staggering 69%. His teammate and ghost point magnet Jordan Ayew is on the opposite end of the spectrum with just 20% of his points coming from goal contributions. The point I'm trying to make is that, despite the fact that he isn't prolific enough to be a fantasy mainstay, he may not need to be to come through with a solid score for you this week given the respective form of Palace and Everton at the moment. Count me in.
FWD: Dango Ouattara
Team: Bournemouth
Opponent: West Ham (home)
Rostered: 45% / 85%
Points Last Gameweek: 15
Projected GW32 Points: 8.5
Prospects: I've been caught out by risky picks the past few weeks, so I want to caveat my recommendation for Dango Ouattara with a word of caution that he may not be restored to the starting lineup. Dango was unchained from the bench to score a wonderfully composed equalizer against Tottenham in gameweek 31, though, and in my opinion is a much more impactful player than Ryan Christie, who he would likely replace. A relegation "six-pointer" beckons against West Ham at the Vitality Stadium and I'm backing the Burkinabe baller to help the Cherries secure their top-flight status for another campaign.
The Reserves
If you're playing on Fantrax with Live Lineup Changes, you should keep an eye on starting lineups for the following high-upside players who have some question marks around their starting status this week. If any of these guys do get a start for their team, snap them up and plug them into your starting eleven!
Kostas Tsimikas, Defender, Liverpool. Opponent: Nottingham Forest
Maximilian Wober, Defender, Leeds. Opponent: Fulham
Hamed Traore (DISREGARD; OUT INJURED), Midfielder, Bournemouth. Opponent: West Ham
Harry Wilson, Midfielder, Fulham. Opponent: Leeds
Kelechi Iheanacho, Forward, Leicester City. Opponent: Wolves
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