The Perfect XI format of Fantasy EPL on Fantrax is going to take the community by storm. Fact. Our good friends at DPLCommLeague have brought the concept over to Fantrax, and it is sensational. We're here to provide Draft Premier League managers with our very own Perfect XI tips for each gameweek. Details of the concept and rules can be found here!
Check out DPLCommLeague for further information on the format, regular updates on the latest standings, as well as information on how you can enter.
Fantasy EPL Gameweek 16 Perfect XI
So, what is Perfect XI? Similar to Official Fantasy Premier League game, all managers have full access to the entire player pool each week, meaning multiple teams within the league could be completely identical. The main departures from OFPL are the Fantrax Default Scoring, unlimited transfers each week, no budget/salary cap, and live lineup changes available. This means that each week you can select a dream team of Fantrax assets who you think will score the most points on a given gameweek, and have the added bonus of being able to see the real life lineups before your players lock in. Magic.
Check out our Perfect XI tips below. These are our recommendations for the best eleven players this weekend! Picks are now accompanied by our weekly projections, which our Inner Circle members can exclusively access. Due to the tight scheduling, these will be a bit abridged for a couple weeks.
GK: Ederson
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Wolves (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: ~8 (GK projections to come)
Ederson has a 65% chance of keeping a clean sheet vs Wolves, who have had plenty of troubles finishing chances all season.
Pivot: Ramsdale
DEF: Trent Alexander Arnold
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Aston Villa (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 15.5
Once again, the best scoring fantasy defender in the game, averaging an impressive 19 points a game, don't overthink this one. This week, vs Villa, Trent has a 50% chance of keeping a clean sheet, 38% chance of assisting, and 15% chance of scoring .
Pivot: Konstantinos Tsimikas/Andy Robertson
DEF: Joao Cancelo
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Wolves (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 13.5
Like the aforementioned Liverpool RB, it's hard to bench Cancelo. He scores phenomenally well offensively, has the 2nd most points of any Fantrax defender, and has a 65% chance of keeping a clean sheet, 22% chance of assisting and 14% chance of scoring. If he doesn't start I'd likely go straight to Zinchenko or a second Liverpool fullback.
Pivot: Oleksandr Zinchenko
DEF: Reece James
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 14.5
Once again we're back to the basics: Trent, Cancelo, and at least one Chelsea WB for our Perfect XI defenders. If James is out wide (as Tuchel suggested he would be) I love him (more than Cancelo) this week against a beat-up Leeds side. This week he has a 55% chance of a clean sheet, 27% of an assist, and 17% of a goal.
Pivot: Vladimir Coufal
DEF: Marcos Alonso
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 13.7
It's a 4 defender week for us here, and the fellow Chelsea wing back makes the squad. Rested during the midweek, Alonso looks a good bet to bounce back vs Leeds. This week he has a 55% chance of a clean sheet, 18% of an assist, and 21% of a goal.
Pivot: Azpi/Chelsea MID
MID: Kevin De Bruyne/Ilkay Gundogan
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Wolves (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 16.8/13.2
Likely 1 of these guys will start. Both take set pieces and both should be heavily involved in the attack against the Wolves at home. De Bruyne has odds of 37% to score and 42% to assist, and Gundogan has 35% and 20%. You can make a similar case for Foden and Grealish and I don't hate taking multiple of them.
Pivot: Jack Grealish/Phil Foden
MID: Mason Mount
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 15.6
Similarly to the logic for James and Alonso, I like the Chelsea attackers versus Leeds this week. If he manages a start I like Mount the most as his goal and assist upside, combined with his ghost point floor is often the safest with plenty of chance to explode. He has a 34% chance of scoring and 34% chance of assisting. He should get some corners as well. If he doesn't play, I'd pivot right to another Chelsea attacker, particularly the wingers, but the striker if you're feeling daring.
Pivot: Hakim Ziyech/Callum Hudson-Odoi
MID: Bruno Fernandes
Team: Manchester United
Opponent: Norwich (Away)
Projected Fantasy Points: 16.0
Bruno's back scoring and we're back to picking him again. This week he's got a great matchup against Norwich, and a reinvigorated United side under Rangnick should allow him to feast. He's also back on some corners which helps his floor. He has 37% chance of scoring and a 31% chance of assisting.
Pivot: Jadon Sancho (is it finally his time?)
FWD: Mohamed Salah
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Aston Villa (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 18.5
Salah is the best player in the Premier League right now, the highest scoring player in Fantrax, and has a 63% chance of scoring (highest of the week) and a 31% chance of assisting. Just do it.
Pivot: Dioga Jota/Sadio Mane
FWD: Riyad Mahrez/Gabriel Jesus/Sterling
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Wolves (Home)
Projected Fantasy Points: 15.2/14.8/13.3
Another week to pound City attackers with multiple return upside. Whoever starts of these 3 I like them plenty, in the order above. I like to shy away from the striker (lower floor) and towards the wingers, when possible. They all roughly have 40% chances of scoring and 30% of assisting. Mahrez will likely have a piece of sets, Jesus has produced all season, and Sterling has been hot as of late
Pivot: Each other
FWD: Cristiano Ronaldo
Team: Manchester United
Opponent: Norwich (Away)
Projected Fantasy Points: 14.2
Forwards against Norwich are often the way to go, and Ronaldo is the ultimate upside play here. Last week, his first under Rangnick he even managed a decent ghost point tally (predominantly from shots) so the floor is somewhat existent these days. But that's not what we're picking him for, we're picking him for the 56% goal odds and 20% assist odds. I'd bet plenty that he's getting at least 5 shots as well.
Pivot: Romelu Lukaku
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