Our Gameweek 33 Sleepers XI article provides Fantrax 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 one of our picks could easily 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 33 Sleepers XI
For this article, we use the % rostered from Fantrax. Our only rule is that each player we highlight is required to be rostered in 60% of leagues or less at the time of writing. Therefore there's a good chance some of these players will be free agents in your Fantrax Draft League! As always, we'll take form, fixtures, projected points, and a healthy dose of intuition into account to make our selections. Additionally, I've included the rostership percentage from the "Community List" -- the twenty 12-team divisions that comprise the ultra-competitive DraftPL Community League and International Genie League -- to provide some additional context for who is likely to be available and where you might want to follow the wisdom of the crowd.
As always, let's take a quick look back at the week that was in Gameweek 32: A drastic improvement on the past few weeks resulted in a triple-digit score, with Sam Johnstone (22.25), Vladimir Coufal (21.25), Michail Antonio (13) and Tyrick Mitchell (12.25) leading the way to 102.25 points. That brings the season tally up to 2687.5 and sees the weekly average climb up to 86.7.
It's an incredibly tight turnaround this week, with Premier League fixtures resuming Tuesday for a full set of single gameweek fixtures in week 33. That likely spells rotation for many managers. In the interest of time, I'll spare you my pontificating (or bloviating, depending on your opinion of my writing style) for another time. Let's get into a slightly abridged version of Sleepers as you plan your waiver and free agent pick-ups for midweek, highlighting players who I hope will avoid the chopping and changing that's sure to be a source of frustration for us fantasy folks:
GK: Neto
Team: Bournemouth
Opponent: Southampton (away)
Rostered: 31% (Fantrax) / 80% (Community)
Points Last Gameweek: 6
Prospects: If I felt like it was productive, I would have recommended Sam Johnstone for a third successive week, but I figure if you're a regular reader you've either picked him up already or never had the chance to. I'm opting instead to return to the Neto well again. Bournemouth have fallen apart a bit recently, especially in the weekend's 4-0 defeat to West Ham. That the Brazilian keeper still managed 6 points speaks to how much the Cherries are relying on his saves to spare them even further embarrassment. Southampton have shown signs of life (perhaps too late) and I think it will be an open game that'll lend itself to a fair few opportunities for Neto to rack up the 2-pointers.
DEF: Armel Bella Kotchap
Team: Southampton
Opponent: Bournemouth (home)
Rostered: 9% / 0%
Points Last Gameweek: 12.75
Projected GW33 Points: 7.4
Prospects: As I mentioned, Saints have finally started showing some signs of life recently with a promising display against league leaders Arsenal. Despite conceding three goals, Armel Bella Kotchap managed double-digit points against the Gunners at the weekend. A good chunk of the points he managed from an assist would have been cancelled out by the goals conceded, too, so it's a good sign of his potential to score well in the absence of a goal contribution or clean sheet.
DEF: Lewis Dunk
Team: Brighton
Opponent: Nottingham Forest (away)
Rostered: 49% / 61%
Points Last Gameweek: 2.25
Projected GW33 Points: 7.0
Prospects: I do my best to avoid situations where I'm banking on a high-scoring contribution like a clean sheet to justify a pick, but I'm having trouble finding too many reliable starting defenders that I'm a fan of this week. Enter Lewis Dunk, whose 7-point projection very likely factors in the potential clean sheet against Nottingham Forest. Dunk certainly isn't the type of player who will score you a boatload of ghost points, but he is at least a danger from set piece situations and even takes the occasional direct free kick. This pick is also made with one eye toward the future, as Dunk and other Brighton defensive assets will be more palatable when they have a double gameweek (which the Seagulls will have in weeks 34, 36 and 37).
DEF: Caglar Soyuncu
Team: Leicester City
Opponent: Leeds (away)
Rostered: 1% / 4%
Points Last Gameweek: 11.75
Projected GW33 Points: 8.2
Prospects: I've got the receipts to prove it since I know you won't believe me, but I had what I described to a couple of my TDS colleagues as an insane hunch that Caglar Soyuncu was worth a stream last week. Thankfully I was brave enough to act on it, even though I couldn't quite bring myself to recommend that other folks do the same. This week I am going to make the call that you consider the Turkish center back for your team. Dean Smith has called Soyuncu in from the night's watch Brendan Rodgers banished him to and has been duly rewarded with some excellent matches. The defender managed nearly 14 ghost points in an all-action display in the crucial victory over Wolves and should be similarly positioned to make an impact in the Foxes' survival chances against a badly faltering Leeds team on Tuesday.
MID: Carlos Alcaraz
Team: Southampton
Opponent: Bournemouth (home)
Rostered: 3% / 0%
Points Last Gameweek: 20
Projected GW33 Points: 5.4
Prospects: I understand Ruben Selles' thinking to bolster his defense with an extra body to try to see the game out against Arsenal after going 2-0 up at half, but I can't for the life of me wrap my head around why it was Carlos Alcaraz that made way. The dynamic midfielder scored and provided an assist in the opening 45 minutes and generally looked like the Saints' most likely player to contribute to any further attacking returns. I haven't seen any reports of a knock, so I'm hopeful that the second half watching brief means he'll be a prime candidate for extended minutes against Bournemouth.
MID: Abdoulaye Doucoure
Team: Everton
Opponent: Newcastle (home)
Rostered: 24% / 38%
Points Last Gameweek: N/A
Projected GW33 Points: 7.7
Prospects: It's striking to see just how much influence Abdoulaye Doucoure has over this Everton team's performances. Prior to his sending off for clawing Harry Kane's face back in Gameweek 29, the Toffees were displaying the kind of form that had them on track to survive the drop. Three matches without the influential midfielder later and it's a different story, with Everton picking up a solitary point from the nine on offer. Doucoure returns from suspension to face the terrifying prospect of a Newcastle side that just dismantled Spurs, but I think this is the type of game that he excels in, breaking up play and springing counter attacks.
MID: Jefferson Lerma
Team: Bournemouth
Opponent: Southampton (away)
Rostered: 29% / 38%
Points Last Gameweek: 7
Projected GW33 Points: 6.0
Prospects: There's perhaps an over-representation of picks from the Saints-Cherries fixture this week, but similarly to the defensive options it's a tough week to find reliable starters who aren't already highly rostered. Jefferson Lerma fits the bill, uninspiring a choice as it is. The Colombian doesn't have the highest ceiling, but has been coming through with passable to solid scores (in the 5-10 point range) in the vast majority of games since the start of 2023. His points have come from all over the place, including three shots on target in his last four EPL matches, an indication the holding midfielder is getting into more advanced positions than you might expect.
MID: Matheus Nunes
Team: Wolves
Opponent: Crystal Palace (home)
Rostered: 19% / 85%
Points Last Gameweek: 10
Projected GW33 Points: 8.5
Prospects: Wolves players have been a source of great frustration for me as a fantasy manager and analyst this season. It seems like any time I bring them into my teams or recommend them as solid fantasy picks, they conspire to make me look like a fool. The inconsistency in starting lineup from week to week has made predicting which Wolves players will even get the nod a bit of a crapshoot. Take this as a warning that Matheus Nunes may fall victim to rotation this week, but if he does get the start I actually like his chances of scoring well despite facing a revitalized Crystal Palace team. Matheus has been deployed in a more advanced attacking role in recent weeks and it's yielded some pretty impressive scores (10, 8 and 18.5 in the last three gameweeks). Let's see if the Wolves curse is real or if Nunes can break it.
FWD: Julio Enciso
Team: Brighton
Opponent: Nottingham Forest (away)
Rostered: 0% / 38%
Points Last Gameweek: N/A
Projected GW33 Points: 9.2
Prospects: I love to see the community take to a promising player ahead of the curve. The 0% Fantrax rostership for Julio Enciso probably has at least a little bit to do with the timing of his breakout scoring performance just prior Brighton's blank in GW32, but it's still encouraging to see that he's been added to about a third of teams in the competitive DPL Community League and International Genie League divisions. With injury concerns around Evan Ferguson, Danny Welbeck and Joel Veltman, Enciso should have the chance to impress from the start against Nottingham Forest this week. Even outside of the brilliant goal he scored, Enciso looked very lively in his substitute appearance against Chelsea a few weeks back. Has the Brighton scouting team done it again? I think they just may have unearthed another star player. It should be noted that Veltman made a return to the bench in the FA Cup, so he may be ready to start midweek. In that event, it may be Enciso that drops out, with Waiver Wire target Deniz Undav perhaps worth your attention instead.
FWD: Matheus Cunha
Team: Wolves
Opponent: Crystal Palace (home)
Rostered: 7% / 71%
Points Last Gameweek: 16
Projected GW33 Points: 7.6
Prospects: Given my previous Wolves grumblings, I may be setting myself up for failure a bit too much by doubling up on their players. Matheus Cunha seems to be one of the preferred attacking options for Julen Lopetegui but, like his namesake and teammate, may also be subjected to a bench role from the start this gameweek, with the likes of Hwang Hee-Chan and Diego Costa providing competition. Cunha has started each of Wolves' April fixtures and delivered his side's lone goal against Leicester last time out, which may earn him another start. To be clear, I'm a much bigger fan of the reserve forwards if either gets a start this week.
FWD: Luis Sinisterra
Team: Leeds
Opponent: Leicester City (home)
Rostered: 32% / 80%
Points Last Gameweek: 1
Projected GW33 Points: 8.8
Prospects: A knock picked up against Liverpool saw Luis Sinisterra drop to the bench for the defeat against Fulham in GW32, but the Colombian was fit enough to make a 24-minute appearance as a substitute. That gives me confidence that he'll be fit enough to start against Leicester City on Tuesday. Sinisterra remains a player to watch for next season if Leeds manage to survive the drop (or if he gets snatched up by another EPL team over the summer). Injuries have hampered his ability to get a solid run of form built up this season, but we've seen flashes of potential that make him a tempting option even when he's not quite 100%. That's likely the case this week, but the good news for him and any of his fantasy managers is that the Foxes have been one of the league's most accommodating sides when it comes to forward players (allowing 11.9 points per game to opposing forwards, on average). Whether this trend continues with the more pragmatic Dean Smith in charge remains to be seen, but if you're looking for a high-upside player to potentially deliver the goods this weekend, you could certainly do worse.
The Reserves
If you're playing on Fantrax with Live Lineup Changes, you should keep an eye on starting lineups for the following high-upside players who have some question marks around their starting status this week. If any of these guys do get a start for their team, snap them up and plug them into your starting eleven!
Liam Cooper, Defender, Leeds. Opponent: Leicester City
Kostas Tsimikas, Defender, Liverpool. Opponent: West Ham
Jacob Murphy, Midfielder, Newcastle. Opponent: Everton
Arnaut Danjuma, Forward, Tottenham. Opponent: Man United
Danny Welbeck, Forward, Brighton. Opponent: Nottingham Forest
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