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 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: Jordan Pickford
I'll always back a DGW keeper when the situation allows and when they don't have to face any of the top 3 in either game. Well, Nick Pope has a DGW but has to face City in his first game, without first choice CB Ben Mee, or second choice Nathan Collins. I don't like that multiple goals conceded downside, so I'm opting for Pickford instead, who has West Ham and Burnley away from home. Neither are particularly great matchups, and Pickford has a n18% and 29% chance of keeping a clean sheet in them, respectively. Still, that's a 42% chance of keeping a clean sheet in at least 1 game, and 2 games worth of saves and other ghost points to accrue.
Pivot: Nick Pope
DEF: Andrew Robertson, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane
This week we're almost definitely without Trent Alexander-Arnold, who's out with an injury, and misses a wonderful home matchup vs Watford. Instead of our most common defensive pick, we'll pivot to his teammate on the other side of the pitch, Andrew Robertson. Robertson has the highest clean sheet odds of the weekend with 58% as well as the 3rd highest assist odds of 36% (only below KDB and Salah). With Trent out, Robbo might even get more set pieces too. Next to him we have the 2 best center backs from the 2 DGW teams, Tarkowski and Keane. Tarks is generally the more reliable of the 2 in terms of ghost points and starts, but Keane has the better matchups as previously mentioned with his keeper. Both have the many goals conceded downside risk due to their teams' general quality, but across 2, almost guaranteed, starts they should score enough ghost points to exceed the good single game week options. Speaking of, if Tsimikas starts, he's an easy swap for Robbo. Cancelo, Alonso, and Reece James are our other usual picks that are all very viable this week, but we think the DGW guys have slightly better expected values across 2 starts.
Pivots: Joao Cancelo, Marcos Alonso, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Reece James
MID: Dwight McNeil, Kevin De Bruyne, Mason Mount, Josh Brownhill
Midfield feels a bit trickier than usual this week. Everton (1 of 2 DGW teams) doesn't really have any studs, or even quality mids to justify taking. Burnley gives us Dwight McNeil, who may be the best pick of the week, assuming he starts 2 games (which is likely). Kevin De Bruyne looks like the best SGW option in what should be a demolition job of Burnley. He has the best assists odds (38%) and good goal odds (25%) as well. Outside of those 2 mids though, there's not a lot of players you can feel great about. Mason Mount has a good matchup vs Brentford but has been a bit inconsistent as of late, particularly with the formation/position changes. However, he does have a fun patter at the moment of being great every other start, so we're taking him for his "on" week. The other City mids in Grealish, Foden, and Bernardo Silva are always viable, but don't particularly stand out relative to the rest of the options this week. Bruno vs Leicester is in the same boat. All 4 are very good options this week, but its hard to really give the edge to any 1. Instead we're opting for Mr. DGW himself, Josh Brownhill. After his heroics last DGW, putting up 40+ points, we're backing the steady, if usually not particularly impressive, to do enough this week to beat out the traditionally good SGW options. Don't expect 40, but be happy with 16+ (slightly higher than Bruno and the City mids expected values).
Pivots: Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bruno Fernandes
FWD: Mohamed Salah, Demarai Gray, Sadio Mane
Liverpool get Watford at home, so this week is a question of just how many Liverpool attackers you want in my eyes. Salah and Mane are both coming off a dramatic 120' minute World Cup qualifier so they may be a bit weary, but Liverpool are still chasing a title, so I expect at least 1 of them to get the nod. Salah is the highest projected player of the weekend (22.5), has the highest goal odds (64%), and has the highest assist odds (38%, tied with KDB). Fade him at your own risk. Mane is of course in a very similar boat, as are the other Liverpool attackers, Jota and Diaz (both of whom the projections do not like nearly as much). Burnley attackers have been incredibly poor as of late, Richarlison isn't quite good enough to trust, and DCL is unlikely to start 2 games. That leaves Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray from Everton. Gordon is the one more likely to start 2 games, but I'm opting for Gray instead, as I still think he will start 2, and projections like him by 1.5 points more. The 2 players are fairly similar in nature but Gray takes more set pieces, has higher goal odds (24% to 20%) and assist odds (31% to 29%). If you want more safety though, go Gordon. Mahrez and other City attackers, are also viable with multiple return upside vs the banged-up Burnley defense, as is Harry Kane, who's been red hot.
Pivots: Anthony Gordon, Riyad Mahrez, Harry Kane, Dioga Jota
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