Our Gameweek 8 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 8 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 GW6's shambolic score, GW7 was a slight improvement...but not by much. So let's see if a change of perspective can better our chances in GW8 as I take my first swing at a Sleepers XI (I've definitely jinxed it now!).
GW7's score saw the team register only 1 clean sheet and 3 assists. Our defence's only clean sheet came from Lewis Hall's 9.75 score, which also included a yellow card. It also probably did not help that O'Shea and his teammates shipped 4 goals to West Ham, but on a positive note he still scored positive points! The midfield (and the rest of the team) was carried by Damsgaard's massive 25.5 haul, which included 2 assists and 6 key passes. Has Damsgaard finally bloomed into the asset we've been hoping for?! Just maybe. What's shocking is Ouattara's off-the-bench score being higher than Hutchinson's, which pretty much cements the latter as an asset to possibly avoid unless it's against fellow promoted teams like Leicester or Southampton. The forward line was also fairly bleak with Evanilson's lack of ghost points (1.5) being carried by Ndiaye's reliable score of 8 FPts as well as Werner's 12.25 which included an assist.
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 8. 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 on below for the rationale behind each of the Starter selections.
Caoimhin Kelleher (G, Liverpool)
After Alisson's hamstring injury in Gameweek 7 versus Crystal Palace, the Brazilian has been ruled out for around 6 weeks and might not be back till the other side of the next international break in November. This will open up the starting spot for I-still-can't-pronounce-your-first-name Kelleher. He should be an obvious pick since Liverpool currently have the best defence in the league after only conceding 2 goals all season along with 4 clean sheets. Although the fixture in GW8 is a difficult one against Chelsea, Kelleher could prove value across the next few gameweeks or until Alisson is ready to return.
Victor Kristiansen (D, Leicester)
After Leicester earned their first win and first clean sheet of the season, they square up against their fellow promoted club, Southampton, in a must-win game for both clubs. Although Kristiansen has yet to register an attacking return for the season, the young Dane leads all Leicester outfielders with ACNCs (8) and has also scored the most ghost points (56.75). Kristiansen also takes the odd corner which further increases his ceiling since Southampton are one of 2 clubs to have conceded the most goals (6) from set pieces. A tidy DEF-4 for this gameweek.
Maxence Lacroix (D, Crystal Palace)
Since Olise's departure from Crystal Palace, the London club have really struggled to find their feet in the Premier League. The Eagles are 1 of 4 teams to have 0 wins in the league so far and now come up against a revitalised Nottingham Forest. Glasner's struggles to get a win has not been helped by the multitude of injuries that have arisen for Palace. Alas, when one door closes, another opens - and that's the case for Lacroix. After Andersen's departure, there was real concern about who would fill the gap at RCB, especially with Guehi moving central. However, Lacroix has been great! He currently has the 2nd most ghost point per start (9.4) for Palace, only behind Eze. So even though Palace might not keep a clean sheet, Lacroix offers great value as a DEF-3/4.
Nikola Milenkovic (D, Nottingham Forest)
Did you know that Milenkovic is currently the second highest FPts scorer out of all Nottingham Forest assets? Crazy right. The Serbian DEF was a new addition to the the Tricky Trees backline and has made an immense impact alongside Murillo, which is now one of the best defences in the league. Milenkovic already has 2 clean sheets to his name and got his first attacking return versus Chelsea in Gameweek 7. Our fixture difficulty tracker even has Forest with the 3rd best fixture for all defensive options in Gameweek 8. Furthermore, Crystal Palace have scored the 2nd fewest goals (5) in the league so far, tied with Manchester United and 1 more than Southampton. He's could be a great DEF-2 pick for the rest of your season. Grab him if he's free!
Ashley Young (D, Everton)
It is well known in the fantasy community that Everton have one of the best upcoming fixture runs for the season. So this pick can possibly pay off for the medium term. The only reason Young's starting spot would be under threat is that Patterson is the preferred starter when everyone is fit. However, until then, Young is a great cover for a Dyche defence. Surprisingly, Young has a better ghost points per start (6.4) than the higher-rostered Mykolenko. He is also tied for the most assists (2) for Everton, with McNeil. Ipswich Town have yet to win a game this season and if Branthwaite is fit for Everton, we quite fancy a clean sheet for Everton.
Facundo Buonanotte (M, Leicester)
Buonanotte was on the scoresheet for Leicester in Gameweek 7, as he helped the Foxes earn their first win of the season by scoring the only goal of the game. The Argentine MID currently boasts the highest PPS (13.1) of all Leicester players and is currently in red hot form with 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 5 appearances in the league. Leicester MIDs have the 3rd best fixture rating in Gameweek 8 as they take on Southampton, a team that have conceded the second-most goals (15) in the league so far. In a season where midfielders are hard to find, Buonanotte could be a great option as your MID-4/5.
Tyler Dibling (M, Southampton)
Arguably the hidden gem of the season, Tyler Dibling, has THE best fixture for MIDs in Gameweek 8 versus Leicester at home. Dibling has the 2nd highest PP90 (10.9) score of all Saints players and leads the outfielders for successful dribbles (11). After scores of 1 and 3 versus Bournemouth and Arsenal respectively, it would be no surprise if the young English MID is available in your league. He's definitely worth a start in Gameweek 8 and possibly as a MID-5/6 stash for the rest of your season. If Southampton are to score, it's more than likely Dibling will be involved.
Mateus Fernandes (M, Southampton)
In Gameweek 7, Fernandes registered his first attacking return of the season after assisting Archer's goal against Arsenal. He might be the best Fernandes around at the moment! In fact, since his 1st start back in Gameweek 4, he has registered the most key passes (5), most tackles won (5) and had the most successful dribbles (7), surpassing even Dibling. So if you can't get the more popular asset in Dibling, then Mateus could be a fantastic alternative in one of the best fixtures for midfielders in Gameweek 8.
Fabio Carvalho (M, Brentford)
There are rumours that Wissa could be fit and back for the Bees for the upcoming fixture run so Carvalho's minutes and starts in the long term could be at risk. That being said, Thomas Frank is most likely going to ease his regular striker back into the fold as well as his compatriot Schade, who was away on international duty with Germany. So we quite fancy Carvalho to start alongside Mbeumo. Carvalho currently has the 4th best PP90 (12.8) of all Brentford outfielders and has a goal and an assist in his last 3 appearances for the Bees. Although Manchester United have kept the most clean sheets (4), tied with Liverpool, the Red Devils have conceded 6 of their 8 goals at home. So Carvalho could be a great gamble.
Cameron Archer (F, Southampton)
Southampton FWDs have the best fixture rating of all teams so naturally we had to go with Archer. He isn't going to be a permanent play for the rest of the season but both teams will be aiming to win this game as they are possible relegation candidates come the end of the season, and this is one of those classic 6-pointer matches. Although Archer has been terrible from a ghost point scoring perspective, the Saints striker finally bagged his 1st goal of the campaign and against one of the best defences in the league. It should have been his 2nd goal after the English FWD missed his penalty against Manchester United earlier in the season. If he is still on penalty duty, this could be a great punt as a FWD-2/3.
Liam Delap (F, Ipswich)
After yet another goal by Delap for Ipswich Town in Gameweek 7, the ex-Cityzen now has 4 goals for the season, keeping company with the likes of Havertz, Jackson, Watkins and even Salah! Not saying that he is going to match them come the rest of the season, but it seems as though he could be the Tractor Boys talisman and if they are to have any hope of staying in the Premier League, then Delap will most likely continue to be a part of the goals tally. If one needed further evidence of this, Delap leads his teammates in terms of shots (11) and shots on target (7). Consider him a dependable FWD-3 for the rest of your campaign.
For all the latest from The Draft Society, follow @Draft_Society on Twitter!
And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.
留言