Our Gameweek 25 Sleepers XI article provides Draft 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 any one of these under-the-radar picks could 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 25 Sleepers XI
For this article, we use the percentage rostered calculation from Fantrax and Sleeper. Our only rule is that each player we highlight is rostered in 60% of leagues or fewer at the time of writing. Therefore, there's a good chance some of these players will be free agents in your Draft league! As always, we'll take form, fixtures, projected points, and a healthy dose of intuition into account to make our selections.
After what felt like eons, GW24 eventually came to an end and we were finally able to celebrate our successful selections with a score of 107.5 FPts, despite only having 10 starters. Unfortunately our goalkeeper Walton picked up a groin injury, which seemed to go massively under the radar. Now the Ipswich Town shot-stopper is set to be out of action for around 8 weeks. What rotten luck! Don't worry though, things got better. As part of our backline, we went with three defenders. Obviously we picked one with a double gameweek. Branthwaite managed to score 14 FPts with a clean sheet in his first game (vs. Leicester) and 17.25 FPts with an assist in his second game (vs. Liverpool), which combined for 31.25 FPts. Although our other two defenders didn't keep a clean sheet or get any attacking returns, Maguire's 10.25 FPts with a yellow card and O'Shea's 8.25 FPts were still very welcomed considering both players conceded 2 goals each. In midfield we also had another double gameweek pick, James Garner. However he had polarising scores of 19.75 FPts (vs. Leicester) and 0.25 FPts (vs. Liverpool), with the former including an assist. Still, 20 FPts in total was a great tally, especially after just returning from injury. Our other three midfielders all had a single fixture during the gameweek but one was subbed during halftime. Jacob Ramsey was 1 of 4 substitutions that Emery made, which left the English MID on 1.5 FPts. Our remaining two MIDs, Enciso and Schade, both scored 10 FPts and 9.75 FPts respectively, which was pretty admirable given they had no attacking returns either. Finally, our front 3 in Marmoush, Traore and Hee-Chan all had similar scores of 4.5 to 6 FPts, in spite of Hee-Chan being the only FWD to register an attacking return as well as being a substitute. Alas, we walk into another double gameweek and despite missing a surprising 3-0 Brighton win over Chelsea in the Friday night fixture, there are still 10 more games to choose assets from so follow along as we aim for another century score.
The Sleepers XI table below includes a full team of Starters, as well as 5 Reserves - high-upside players with some question marks around whether or not they'll start in Gameweek 25. So keep an eye out when lineups are announced and pick them up if you see them starting, especially if you need to fill a spot on your roster. Read below for the rationale behind each of the Starter selections.
Kepa (G, Bournemouth)
Given how our last goalkeeper pick went, we thought it might be best to consider a team who have only really rotated due to their main option being restricted by loan rules instead of inconsistent performances. Of all goalkeepers with at least 10 starts, Kepa has the 4th best PPS of 9.07 FPts and seems to have quietly gone under the radar as a reliable option. Kepa's 74.7% save ratio is also one of the best in the league this season. With 5 clean sheets to his name, there's an opportunity for his 6th as the Cherries take on the Saints in a south-coast clash. Southampton are still rock bottom of the league with the fewest goals scored (18) and despite winning against Ipswich in GW24, we quite fancy Bournemouth to keep out Juric and his team. This belief is fuelled by the fact that Iraola and his team have conceded the fewest goals (7) in the last 8 games amongst all teams, which is similar to the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.
Chris Richards (D, Crystal Palace)
According to our fixture difficulty tracker, Crystal Palace defenders have the best rated fixture of all defenders with a single game during the double gameweek. Even if that wasn't the case, we'd still be suggesting Richards as a possible starter for any team at the moment, especially when you consider how the American has thrived as a fantasy asset after Chalobah's departure from the Eagles. Since the new year, Richards has started every gameweek and ended up averaging 12.6 PPS, which includes 3 clean sheets with no attacking returns. Although Everton seems to be experiencing some form of "new manager bounce" with Moyes at the helm, Richards' 9.4 gPPS is still good enough of a shield to warrant starting him, even if Crystal Palace were to concede a couple of goals.
Illia Zabarnyi (D, Bournemouth)
For the same reasons as Kepa, starting a defender against the worst team in the league seems to be a safe enough approach as a punt during any gameweek. Although Huijsen seems to be one of the most popular picks these days, Zabarnyi has quietly kept up with his centerback partner. Despite having only scored 7 fewer FPts over the last 5 games, Zabarnyi has still been averaging 9.25 PPS and 8.05 gPPS. Southampton don't score often so at most we're expecting an in-form Bournemouth team to only concede once, which is perfect for Zabarnyi to be considered as a DEF-2/3 for your matchup this week.
Sepp van den Berg (D, Brentford)
Although Sepp van den Berg has only been averaging just under 7 PPG for the season, the Dutch defender seems to have benefitted from Pinnock's absence in the team after finally being deployed as one of the two CBs in their back-four system. Since the start of the new year, van den Berg's 9.33 PPS has been the best of all the Bees defenders. What makes it even better is the fact that Brentford have only kept the one clean sheet during this 6 game period, meaning that van den Berg was also scoring 8.83 gPPS, which is quite dependable as a DEF-3/4 option. The only cause for concern is that Pinnock is fit again. So be cautious when rolling out Sepp if he's being deployed as a fullback, as the flurry of points might slow down.
Boubacar Kamara (M, Aston Villa)
Aston Villa are one of the two teams with two fixtures in GW25, so we obviously had to try and suggest a few options that could help us achieve a good score again. We have already seen in the past that not all our picks start every single game for their clubs, so sometimes it helps to go the safer route with steady-eddy options that tend to play 90 minutes while starting almost every game. Although Kamara started the season with an injury and missed a significant number of gameweeks, since returning to fitness, he has started the last 12 games in a row for the Villans. This season, Kamara has been averaging just under 6 PPS which means that across the two fixtures, we're expecting a 10-12 FPts return, which is exactly what you'd want from your MID-4/5 in any given gameweek.
David Brooks (M, Bournemouth)
Many Fantrax managers who have been playing this game for a few seasons now, must be very pleased to see David Brooks being able to play his football again, especially being uninterrupted by injuries. This is the first time since the 2019/20 season that Brooks has managed to play over 500 minutes for the Cherries. So after 4 starts in a row, Brooks might have finally put those injury woes to bed. Although Brooks' 8.2 PPS is one of the lower scoring rates amongst all Bournemouth MIDs, his 8.4 gPPS is only bettered by the likes of Tyler Adams. Bournemouth's rich vein of form coinciding with Brooks' return to action should mean that his place is safe in coming weeks, especially given their current injury crisis. Brooks is playing the worst team in the league after all, so you'd expect some form of attacking returns versus the Saints, a team that has conceded the most goals (54) in the season so far.
Julio Enciso (M, Ipswich)
We were really expecting some massive hauls from Enciso and his teammates in GW24 against Southampton, but the Tractor Boys ended up losing one of the most important games of their season. Quite a blow in their attempt to retain Premier League status for the next season. Nevertheless, 10 ghost points was still a great score in the Paraguayan's debut for his temporary but new club. One of the biggest things that stood out during his time at Ipswich Town so far, was that he immediately took responsibility for the corner kicks. Even so, most of his points came from 6 successful dribbles and 2 of his 6 shots being on target. It's clear that Enciso is grabbing his opportunity by the scruff of its neck, so if Ipswich manage to cause an upset this gameweek, managers could be rewarded with a big score.
Kevin Schade (M, Brentford)
Every time Schade has started a game for the Bees this season, they've played a four-at-the-back system. So given they are playing West Ham in GW25, we're fully expecting Thomas Frank and his team to attack this fixture without fear. In spite of the fact that the German MID has only started 12 games this season, his 11.6 PPS is only bettered by Brentford-talisman Mbeumo. It might surprise you to know that Schade already has 10 attacking returns for the season so far and oddly enough he's been scoring ghost points at a much better rate than we're accustomed to. 10 gPP90 is no joke and almost makes him an instant start in almost every game he starts for Brentford. Easy MID-3 option for any roster.
Leon Bailey (M, Aston Villa)
Bailey has been one of the most frustrating assets to draft, own and start this season, mainly after he was highly touted to repeat his heroics of last season. However, the Jamaican midfielder has really struggled to maintain his fitness this season and has only started 13 games this season. Last season Bailey had 21 attacking returns whereas he only has 3 this season. Bailey has admitted that he might be finally getting back to his best form after such a long time and given his 12.9 PPS over his last 3 starts, he might be right. Aston Villa have really struggled to cope with the additional European fixtures this season and Emery has been forced to use as many players as he could. This means that with 5 games over the next 2 weeks, there's a good chance Bailey should start at least 1 of the next 2 games. This means that he could be a great gamble as a MID-4/5 asset, mostly if you're worried about starting one of your other midfielders such as an Iwobi who is facing a stingy Nottingham Forest team.
Paul Onuachu (F, Southampton)
Tall Paul is back in our thoughts after scoring his second goal of the campaign, but his first goal after starting a game for Southampton. Onuachu might have fallen back into Juric's good books after the Nigerian FWD played 90 minutes in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Not only did GW24 see the Southampton striker register his highest score of the season (20.25 FPts), he also scored his highest number of aerials (16) that he's had in a single game. Look, Bournemouth are a very tough team to face at the moment, so there's a chance Onuachu might not even score a goal. But if he's racking up aerials for fun, his 7-8 gPP90 is a great backup option as your FWD-2/3, especially if you just lost the likes of an underperforming Nico Jackson from your team.
Marco Asensio (F, Aston Villa)
The three-time Champions League winner has somehow found himself in the Premier League and is now playing for Aston Villa. Although Asensio has not played in the Premier League yet, the Spanish MID made his club debut as a substitute in the 2-1 FA cup win against Spurs and had a memorable appearance. In 24 minutes, Asensio completed 1 successful dribble, 1 key pass, 1 interception and 1 tackle. You'd think that over the next few games for Aston Villa, Asensio should start at least 1 fixture. So if you're a manager with an appetite for risk, you could potentially roll him out as a FWD-3 and gamble the possibility that he gets an attacking return over 2 games, even if he doesn't start the easier fixture against Ipswich Town.
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