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 31 Perfect XI
So, what is Perfect XI? Similar to Official Fantasy Premier League game, all managers have full access 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 your lineup. Magic.
Check out our Gameweek 31 Perfect XI tips below. These are our recommendations for the best eleven players this weekend!
The Foreword from Murph:
Last gameweek, you had the Perfect XI if you rostered for a whopping 306.75 points..
GK: Sam Johnstone - 16.5
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 28.5
DEF: Seamus Coleman - 24.5
DEF: Benjamin Mendy - 23
MID: Matheus Pereira - 47
MID: Nathan Redmond - 30.5
MID: Jack Harrison - 24.25
MID: Bruno Fernandes - 23.5
FWD: Callum Robinson - 31.5
FWD: Danny Ings - 29.5
FWD: Harry Kane - 28
Anyone? Anyone?! Three WBA players make the Perfect XI, and the egg is squarely on my face after recommending Chelsea's GK, DEF, and MID (although Mount performed well in 45 minutes). Matheus Pereira likely made plenty of standard draft league managers happy, but for Perfect XI he was largely un-owned in the DPL Community League (much to my relief). Fantasy football is a game of prediction. So if you predicted Chelsea to mirror their early season failures against WBA by getting an early red and conceding a boatload of goals, go out and buy some lottery tickets during your hot streak. Meanwhile, I'll lick my wounds as the in-house Perfect XI writer and Chelsea stan, and look towards the upcoming Gameweek 31.
GK: Ederson
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 208
Points Last Gameweek: 9
Rostered: 96%
The Thought: In 30 EPL games, Leeds United average 14.2 shots, 5.3 on target. Manchester City, meanwhile, have conceded only 3 goals in the last 6 games (all competitions). Two of those three goals coming in garbage time against Southampton when the game was all but over. These two stats give me confidence that Ederson has the right mix of save opportunities combined with a clean sheet at home to propel him to the best GK for the weekend. Another small perk to tip the balance is that Jack Harrison cannot play against his parent club. There are plenty of other good matchups for GKs this week as well; and given the variance at the position, I will not knock you for looking at Leno, Patricio, or Pope.
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Aston Villa (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 250.25
Points Last Gameweek: 28.5
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: Last weekend was an abnormal blip in the amount of goals conceded compared to the Gameweek average, which made Trent Alexander-Arnold's clean sheet and assist versus Arsenal easily good enough to break into the Perfect XI. He has a another favorable matchup at home, and I'm starting to run out of stamina to keep the "Jack Grealish is healthy" train moving forward. If Jack doesn't start, Villa may be muted again in the attack. Ignore the Twitter highlight videos of his defensive ineptitude and ongoing discussion about his place in the England National squad, his attacking potential eclipses the risks.
DEF: Reece James
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Crystal Palace (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 220
Points Last Gameweek: 7.5
Rostered: 99%
The Thought: "Murph stop trying to make Chelsea defenders happen." Maybe I burned you once before, but the stats don't lie. Reece James put up 7.5 points in a game where Chelsea conceded 5 goals - indicating 17.5 points of only ghost points! How did he do it? With Mount left out, Reece James took all corners and indirect free kicks in the WBA game leading to 4 key passes and 2 shots on target. And then the plot thickened in midweek; with both Reece and Mount playing vs Porto, Reece continued to own dead ball duties on both sides of the goal.
DEF: Joao Cancelo
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 306.25
Points Last Gameweek: 0
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: Left out versus Leicester City, Cancelo returned to the midweek UCL lineup. No one knows what Pep will decide on, but luckily Manchester City play the 2nd game of the weekend (7:30 AM EST) if you need to replace Cancelo. The freedom he is given in the attacking third has no comparison in the league. In his last 10 starts, he has delivered 19+ points 4 times. In both Perfect XI and standard leagues, I'm not hesitant to lean into an attacking or defense stack.
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (Alternate: Phil Foden)
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 387
Points Last Gameweek: 13.5
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: With a fresh contract extension in hand, Kevin De Bruyne should feel a little lighter, mentally. Although, the issue looks to not have affected him at all as De Bruyne has averaged 17.68 points in the last four starts. Even if he doesn't set the world alight, he is heavily started in Perfect XI, and could set you back if you miss out on a haul. I specifically list Foden as the direct alternative here because both De Bruyne and Phil Foden played midweek in the combative UCL fixture versus Dortmund. I don't personally expect both to start, so this is a placeholder for whomever between the two is given the nod. Furthermore, there are so many other premium players in other matchups that I actually don't like starting both. Cancelo and KDB should give effective coverage without needing a rout to come good.
MID: Mason Mount (Alternate: Hakim Ziyech)
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Crystal Palace (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 367
Points Last Gameweek: 0
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: The latest evolution of Mason Mount involves him delivering in the one area he is most criticized: goal scoring. He scored for England over the International Break. He scored as a halftime sub chasing the WBA game last weekend. Now, he's scored his first Champion's League goal midweek. Playing as a floating 10 in Tuchel's 3-4-3, Mount should have plenty of real estate between Palace's lines to generate attacking points. He appears to have lost some production floor through corners to Reece James, but the eye test shows he's often the short pass option on corners or is roaming the edge of the box for second balls. Hakim Ziyech was pulled early from the WBA game as a response to Silva's red card, and he didn't play midweek. I would replace Mount for Ziyech as the like-for-like alternate if Mount isn't given the start.
MID: Jesse Lingard
Team: West Ham United
Opponent: Leicester City (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 131.5
Points Last Gameweek: 20
Rostered: 87%
The Thought: Jesse Lingard's current run goes against everything I thought about his loan transfer from Manchester United. If you've watched him for any period of time since the move, you'll see straight away that he's immediately developed a strong chemistry with Antonio, leading to a prolific counterattack. Functionally, he is replicating what Bowen delivered in that position the season prior. To add, Lingard is now contributing at the penalty spot and in set pieces.
MID: Nathan Redmond
Team: Southampton
Opponent: West Bromwich Albion (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 121.75
Points Last Gameweek: 30.5
Rostered: 54%
The Thought: The second highest scoring midfielder in Gameweek 30, I may be chasing the points a bit. There is some supporting evidence that this production will continue into the upcoming weekend. First, Redmond had actually produced a big haul in the start prior to the Burnley game. He scored two goals in the FA Cup game versus Bournemouth the previous weekend. So in fact, we find Nathan on a bit of a run here. With WBA being a fixture to target for midfielders and forwards according to Drafterthought's fixture difficulty tool, Redmond is an OOP midfielder operating up top alongside a healthy Ings.
FWD: Gabriel Jesus
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Leeds United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 212
Points Last Gameweek: 21
Rostered: 99%
The Thought: It's been a tough season for the central striker due to injury and COVID. Much like his counterpart Aguero, Jesus has been somewhat of an afterthought given the prolific career season Ilkay has had. Additionally, Foden's rise had made the False 9 set up more viable meaning fewer starts for Jesus in 2021. That was until the return of alternative competitions like UCL and the FA Cup. Jesus has quietly bagged four goals in four EPL consecutive starts and his ghost points have also increased through March. With Brazil not playing any games during the IB, Jesus should have the legs to continue to lead the line in EPL games.
FWD: Diogo Jota
Team: Liverpool
Opponent: Aston Villa (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 131
Rostered: 98%
The Thought: Many in the community are not surprised to see Jota back on the scoresheets after being out with injury through the winter months. Jota looked vital for Liverpool in the early season, and his substitution late into the Arsenal game clinched the win for the Reds. Similar to the Jesus pick over other viable forwards like Sterling and Mane, Jota is my favorite to get goals versus Villa compared to Mane and Salah. While wingers generally have a higher floor than central strikers, we are chasing the goal upside.
FWD: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Team: Arsenal
Opponent: Sheffield United (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 192.5
Points Last Gameweek: 7
Rostered: 99%
The Thought: This spot was going to be Jamie Vardy's; however, Aubameyang's recent benching midweek for Europa League play cements him into starting versus Sheffield United. The Arsenal captain has had an all-time low season under Arteta. He's not favored for critical Europa games that may result in future qualification into Champions League. He looks terrible in many games. For all these reasons, he's a prime candidate to pick up huge points with little representation in Perfect XI leagues. It's a risky play, but if it pays off, it should propel you up the standings provided you deliver comparably in the other positions.
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