We look to the waiver wire and free agent pool each week to highlight some under-the-radar players who could be a short-term or even long-term solution for your Fantrax EPL fantasy teams. Our Sleepers XI provides fantasy managers with a full squad of differential picks, and some high upside options to plug in if they are in the starting lineup. Don't sleep on these underappreciated gems as you put together your roster for Gameweek 36!
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 36 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 "Big 3" -- the twenty 12-team divisions that comprise the ultra-competitive DraftPL Community League and International Genie League, as well as the eight equally competitive 10-team divisions in the Discord Super 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.
Last week was a bit underwhelming for a double gameweek as the final target of 75 points per week was barely reached as the finally tally was 76.5 with Petrovic (19.75), Lemina (14), Caicedo (10) and Ben Brereton Diaz (11) the only players who managed double digit returns. The rolling average now stands at 71.35 (total: 2497.75). Onwards and upwards! With Gavin galavanting in Scotland in a whisky fuelled haze, I, Totti, had to dust off my writing boots after nearly a season off writing duty to try to follow in a giant's footsteps.
GW36 features the final single gameweek before a double in GW37 and the final day extravaganza of GW38. All eyes will be fixed on the teams with something to play for as nail-biting final battles are forming all over the table. City play Wolves, Arsenal play Bournemouth. Villa travel to Brighton while Spurs travel to Liverpool. At the bottom end of the table Luton play Everton, Forest play Sheffield United and Burnley travel to Newcastle.
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 35. Keep an eye out when lineups drop and pick them up if you see them starting and need to fill a spot on your roster. Read on below for the rationale behind each of the Starter selections.
Martin Dubravka (G, Newcastle @ Burnley)
Newcastle have a new found spring to their step lately, but it their potent attack has not been coupled with a solid back line as they have only kept 3 clean sheets this calendar year. Dubravka however has been scoring decently despite the lack of clean sheets, as he has made 3 or more saves on all but 3 occasions this year. The additional upside (despite Nick Pope rumoured to be close to full fitness) is that Dubravka has a decent double GW coming up in GW37 and could stay between your fantasy posts for the remaining matches. Burnley have scored the third least goals this season, so even a rare CS could be on the cards.
Ashley Young (D, Everton @ Luton)
Young continues to roll back the years as he strings together a run of games in the starting lineup that coincides with Everton's uptick in form. Despite facing Luton in the early game on Friday, who absolutely need to win to keep up their hopes of Premier League survival, all signs point to Everton continuing their impressive late season form against Luton, who have fallen away a bit after decent performances during the winter. Despite what his "out of position" potential suggests, Young accumulates his ghost points through defensive actions almost exclusively ha has 4 KPs and only 1 ACNC in the last 10 games.
Daniel Munoz (D, Crystal Palace vs Man United)
Munoz has been a revelation since he arrived in the league in the Winter Transfer Window as he took to Glasner's style like an Eagle to ... the Sky? (this got away from me fast). With a scoring profile much more attacking than that of Young, he regularly features in attacking sequences for a Palace team full of confidence right now. 11 KPs in 13 starts compliment his great defensive ghost points to give him a great floor.
Marc Cucurella (D, Chelsea vs West Ham)
Potentially one of the worst signings of the Todd Era, the former Brighton man has been a very serviceable fantasy asset in the second part of the season. He especially excels in getting those elusive ghost points (he has no other choice as Chelsea rarely keep a clean sheet), getting a big fat ZERO for his 2 goals conceded, own goal combo against Villa is a testament to how well he ghosts. If he avoids a yellow and scoring another own goal he might even reach double digits even if West Ham score.
Willy Boly (D, Nott Forest @ Sheffield United)
The return of the big man couldn't have come at a better time, both for fantasy and real life as everyone will be hoping he rolls back the years and relives his Wolves days, dominating aerials like its nobody's business. He is more than capable of getting 4-5 aerials in a game which, coupled with some clearances and tackles gives him elite ghosting status. You did well to stash him last week against City to avoid the FAB wars this waiver period.
Adam Wharton (M, Crystal Palace vs Man United)
If you listened to this week's KPC live feed you saw us reminisce about Conor Gallagher's productive Palace spell only to be put in our place by a listener stating: "We don't need Connor, we have Adam Wharton." That may be a bit of an overreaction, but it is no surprise as the young mid has managed to fly under the radar but establish himself as one of the first names on the Palace team sheet while offering solid streamer level potentials in fantasy. While he is not gonna set the world on fire, but when you analyse the opponent, you quickly realise that United allow record level shots from the opposition and with Eze healthy again and Olise hitting form, you just know there will be shots. You can just picture Wharton pinging passes around in midfield, and the 2 attacking maestros dribbling around Casemiro, who has a the turning circle of the Maersk Alabama, to shoot to provide some garbage KPs to all the squad. We Wharton rosterers will take those KPs gladly.
Jacob Murphy (M, Newcastle @ Burnley)
Murphy has been a more than capable deputy for the missing attacking widemen for the Magpies and Burnley offer another chance for him to get amongst the attacking returns. He will need them as he does not do a whole lot of ghosting. Projected to score 10 points plus, he is one of those punts who you don't pick up for ghosting, you pick him up for the chance of a 15-20+ double attacking return type game that could help you get the win this weekend.
Mikkel Damsgaard (M, Brentford vs Fulham)
We have been burned many times by the Dane, but in the last few weeks, he has actually showed some glimpses of the potential we expected when he first signed. and 8, an 11 and another 8 in the last 4 games bodes well for his sleeper potential and when analysing Fulham, you never know which side of the team is coming to play, the good or the bad one.
Ben Brereton (F, Sheffield United vs Nottingham Forest)
The Chilean did enough in last week's XI to continue his role as one of the forwards as he managed 11 points without an attacking return in a drubbing by Newcastle. That is the kind of point scoring ability we like when looking for Sleepers, get those points from a place nobody expects them to come from. Diaz has been somewhat of a revelation since his transfer this winter and has every chance of continuing to be an EPL player when August rolls around despite the Blades already mathematically relegated. Forest have been horrid defensively, especially away from home, so Sheffield United should be able to generate some attacking momentum to go down swinging.
Noni Madueke (F, Chelsea vs West Ham)
Finally, my early season love of Madueke comes good. The young winger received high praise from Poch after his recent exploits vs Spurs and he is no established in the Chelsea team as a starter, who regularly contributes to his team's effort with attacking returns. He should do well against West Ham as Chelsea chase an unlikely European spot on the final days of the season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (F, Nott Forest @ Sheffield United)
From a current Chelsea youngster to a former Cobham wunderkind, CHO looks like is again playing for his career after a distinctly "meh.." season at Forest with 5G/1A in 17 starts. This inclusion can be categorised firmly in the start your attackers against the worst team in the league type punt, but it is not every week that you get to do that, so when you do, you have to take it.
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