Our Fantasy EPL 21/22 Draft Kit promises to be the most comprehensive set of pre-season Draft Premier League articles ever produced! A key component of our Draft Kit will be the Team Preview articles which analyze key assets to sit alongside our all-important Draft Rankings. This article highlights three potential Fantrax Fantasy EPL Sleepers from Leeds United!
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Leeds United Sleepers
As noted above, these are potential Fantrax Sleepers from Leeds United. These Fantasy EPL players are likely to be drafted in the later rounds. Read below for three under the radar players who could provide excellent value in your pre-season draft.
Rodrigo
Position: Forward
20/21 Points: 208 (105th overall)
20/21 Points Per Start: 9.8
Recommended Draft Pick: 73 to 84 (12 Team League: Round 7)
Overview: Struggled in his first EPL season, showed decent potential when he did play, should become a good Fantasy EPL asset.
Rodrigo had a fairly disappointing first season with Leeds after a big money move from Valencia. I was fully expecting the Spain international to displace Bamford as the central striker, but due to the form of Bamford and niggling injuries throughout the season, it never really happened for Rodrigo. The Spaniard did manage to finish the season with an amazing 14.9 Points Per 90 average though. 67.5 points from the final four games of the season proved that he can perform well when given the chance!
Ultimately, most Fantrax users will remember Rodrigo for being a bit-part player for Leeds last season. A player who was the 105th highest scoring player. I remember him differently. A highly talented forward who had a tough time with injuries whilst trying to settle into a new team, but showed good potential when he was fully fit. This season I think Rodrigo will provide excellent value as a mid-round draft pick. He's got potential to be a Top 50 player if he can nail down a regular starting spot.
Liam Cooper
Position: Defender
20/21 Points: 186.25 (131st overall)
20/21 Points Per Start: 8.9
Recommended Draft Pick: 97 to 108 (12 Team League: Round 9)
Overview: Really solid defender who scores incredibly well for Ghost Points, wasn't amazing last year but is a perfectly serviceable Fantasy EPL asset.
Liam Cooper had a good first EPL season. The Scottish international centre-back only started 25 games due to injury issues, but he showed during this time that he has potential to be a pretty good Fantrax asset. Cooper was the 41st best defender during the 20/21 season, but he was ranked 4th for Interceptions, 5th for Tackles Won, and 13th for Aerials Won amongst the defenders. Considering he missed 1/3 of the season, those stats are pretty good! The Leeds captain scores incredibly well for ghost points, which was proven by the fact that he had the 23rd best Ghost Points Per 90 score for the whole league last season.
I would happily draft Cooper during the middle of the draft this year. Round 9 in a 12 team league is where I would aim for. The Leeds CB should provide good value throughout the season, and his excellent Ghost Point capabilities mean that you won't need to rely on clean sheets for a decent score. The addition of the Blocked Shots scoring category will also increase his prospects. He averaged just over 1 Blocked Shot per game last year, which means he should gain an additional 35 to 40 points during the 21/22 campaign.
Illan Meslier
Position: Goalkeeper
20/21 Points: 299.25 (45th overall)
20/21 Points Per Start: 9.1
Recommended Draft Pick: 73 to 96 (12 Team League: Round 7 to 8)
Overview: Second best GK in Fantrax last season, has increased prospects due to updated scoring system, should be drafted in the mid-rounds as an elite GK,
Last season Illan Meslier was a great GK to own. He was second only to Martinez for his position, and generally performed really well in real life and on Fantrax. The young Frenchman quickly established himself as one of the best GKs for the 20/21 season, and I believe this season will be the same, especially as goalkeepers will score better this season after the recent additions of High Claims and Smothers to Fantrax Default Scoring! Last season Meslier was the 45th best overall scorer with 299.25 points. Using the updated scoring system, he would have been the 33rd best overall scorer with 327.25 points! Therefore, Meslier deserved your attention as a mid-round draft pick. The likes of Meslier, Martinez and Pope will be good value around the 6th/7th/8th round in a 12 team league. Try and judge your league mates as to how early you would need to go in for the elite goalkeepers!
Honourable Mention:
Junior Firpo also deserves a mention here. The new Leeds left-back will go straight into the side after Alioski's departure, and coming from Barcelona I expect decent performances from the Spaniard. A late round punt on Firpo could serve you well. He's an attacking full-back and I would expect him to suit Bielsa's system well.
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