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 34 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 your lineup. Magic.
Check out our Gameweek 34 Perfect XI tips below. These are our recommendations for the best eleven players this weekend!
The Foreword from Murph:
The Perfect XI from Gameweek 33
GK: Ederson, 17
DEF: Serge Aurier, 34.75
DEF: Dan Burn, 24
DEF: Benjamin Mendy, 21
MID: Gareth Bale, 41
MID: Michail Antonio, 31
MID: Kai Havertz, 27
MID: Pascal Gross 21.5
FWD: Son Heung-Min, 33.5
FWD: Danny Welbeck, 24
FWD: Ferran Torres, 22.5
The highlight of Gameweek 33 has to be Burnley dropping 4 goals on Wolverhampton - just when the community was leaning into the peripheral players like Willian Jose, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Roman Saiss as value plays. It's been mentioned on a few times in this article series: Burnley are scoring goals. I'll be the first to admit that studying video tape of Burnley games is low on my to-do list, but clearly Dyche has his team clicking on the offensive side of the ball. Ashley Westwood, Matthew Lowton, and Charlie Taylor would make the Perfect Team for GW33 if there was a five-man bench.
Looking forward to Gameweek 34, we return to a full slate of matchups - no blanks, no doubles. With the exception of Manchester United vs Liverpool on the Sunday slate, I can see arguments to champion players from any matchup. My prediction is that the field should be fairly wide open then; as there really isn't any one direction managers have to go this week.
Per @xGPhilosophy on Twitter, Manchester City, followed by Chelsea, lead the league for "expected points" which is calculated by difference in xG created in attack and conceded in defense. As such, they've featured heavily in this article series since its inception this season. With Manchester City playing Crystal Palace and Chelsea playing Fulham, I won't buck the trend. The main caveat is that both have played midweek Champions League games, so some rotation is to be expected.
The other matchup where many managers will stack heavily is surely Tottenham at home versus relegated Sheffield United. The pressure valve on Tottenham has been released with the sacking of Jose Mourinho. Since then, we've seen Ryan Mason interim coach two games for Spurs opting for a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 shape. Sheffield United should have little to play for outside of pride as they are already relegated. It's the kind of game where if Spurs go up early, the flood gates could really open up.
GK: Sam Johnstone
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Opponent: Wolverhampton (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 232
Points Last Gameweek: 14
Rostered: 47%
The Thought: Meslier takes home the accolades for Perfect XI in GW33, but the week was very strong for goalkeepers as 7 players earned double digit points. Johnstone was only two points shy of matching Meslier last week. Over the last 4 games, Johnstone is the top scoring GK at 57 Fpts (14.25 per game). He faces a team that couldn't find a suitable replacement for their star striker, Jimenez, and have recently lost their season MVP, Neto. Wolves generated 0.36 xG vs Burnley and that feels generous compared to what I watched.
DEF: Serge Aurier
Team: Tottenham
Opponent: Sheffield United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 164
Points Last Gameweek: 0 (Spurs Blank in GW33)
Rostered: 85%
The Thought: When Aurier is in the mood, he's a dominant fullback that has the skillset to fill up all stats columns. The role of right back continues to be Aurier's even with the coaching change. I especially like Aurier in this spot because Sheffield United often create ample opportunity for aerial duel opportunities. Kane is fit again as well, which bodes well if Aurier can drop in open play crosses into the box.
DEF: Reece James
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Fulham (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 241
Points Last Gameweek: 2.25 (Sub)
Rostered: 98%
The Thought: I will die on the hill I think... Every weekend I recommend a Chelsea wingback, they earn meager attacking returns or are benched altogether. Last week, I leave Chelsea off the recommendations list in a tough game vs West Ham, and Chilwell gets the DEF1 spot in the PerfectXI. If I was superstitious, I'd be inclined to not mention Reece James in a great matchup. But I'm not superstitious, I'm just a little stitious. Those following Tuchel's team know that Azpilicueta has started two consecutive games at RWB, pushing Reece to the bench. Reece James by all signs should start this weekend vs Fulham. Stat Time: Reece James has earned at least one key pass in 12 of 14 EPL appearances in 2021. Chelsea primarily build up the attack up the right channel of the pitch, so Reece James will see heavy touch volume, heavy progressive pass volume, and *hopefully* a boatload of key passes.
DEF: Vladimir Coufal
Team: West Ham United
Opponent: Burnley (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 263.5
Points Last Gameweek: 6.5
Rostered: 87%
The Thought: Perfect XI favorites - Luke Shaw and Trent Alexander-Arnold - square off against each other in a game that is wildly difficult to predict. If either pay off, I won't be upset to have dropped them midweek for a Czech wingback, who is quietly in the top 10 for defenders all season at 263 points. Coufal admittedly was at his peak during the Haller days where he had a massive target to cross into. However, I still favor him to be busy filling the stat sheet. Coufal and his teammate, Cresswell, are in the top 3 for defender assists - a stat I've cherry picked to demonstrate West Ham's capacity to score goals from set pieces and headers.
MID: Jesse Lingard
Team: West Ham United
Opponent: Burnley (Away)
Total Fantasy Points: 174
Points Last Gameweek: 6
Rostered: 88%
The Thought: Lingard is 7th overall for goals scored at the Midfielder position in Fantrax despite playing just 969 minutes (less than half of most of his competitors). Although he was held in check last weekend, he is the cornerstone of the West Ham attack and always looks the most likely to score. Given that Lingard is actuality playing as a roaming striker, the out-of-position classification is value add to any Perfect XI team.
MID: Matheus Pereira
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Opponent: Wolverhampton (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 336
Points Last Gameweek: 24
Rostered: 99%
The Thought: On the brink of relegation, Pereira is doing everything possible to keep the Baggies up for next season. Equal measures goal-threat and assist-creator, Pereira has found returns against Chelsea, Southampton, and Aston Villa recently - all of whom are stronger teams than Wolves at the moment. I wouldn't expect Wolves to concede another four goals, but Pereira will likely see significant representation in the DPL and other Perfect XI leagues this weekend given the narrative.
MID: Mason Mount
Team: Chelsea
Opponent: Fulham (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 406.75
Points Last Gameweek: 15.75
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: With a 15.75 Fpts performance against West Ham last weekend, Mount passes Jack Grealish to 3rd overall scoring for Fantrax Midfielders. Taken off at 60 minutes midweek versus Real Madrid, it would be surprising for Tuchel to leave out the most important part of the Chelsea attack at the moment with the Top 4 race in the balance. On a different day, Mount could've converted the 3 shots on target (out of 6) and 3 key passes into a haul of assists and goals. Be sure to check lineups to confirm he's playing in the front 3; I would not play him if Tuchel starts him in the Double 6 pivot.
MID: Allan Saint-Maximin
Team: Newcastle
Opponent: Arsenal (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 198.25
Points Last Gameweek: 9
Rostered: 94%
The Thought: When Saint-Maximin is fit, he's one of the most electric players to watch in the Premier League. He's recently worked back into the team after injury and has delivered a massive 25 pts per 90 minutes. Against Arsenal, I expect Saint-Maximin to be high up the pitch looking to pickpocket the Arsenal backline as they look to pass out from the back. Even in limited possession, he puts up a massive volume of dribble attempts so his floor is stable enough to warrant the MID4 selection here.
FWD: Harry Kane
Team: Tottenham
Opponent: Sheffield United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 512
Points Last Gameweek: 27.5
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: Heavy lies the crown. Far and away the most productive Forward in Fantrax, it would be bordering on madness to not start Harry Kane at home versus Sheffield United. A choice that needs no lengthy justification, Kane has 21 goals in 30 games. The only tiny voice speaking out against the selection is saying "we haven't seen Kane do it under Interim Coach Ryan Mason yet." Go away tiny voice.
FWD: Kelechi Iheanacho
Team: Leicester City
Opponent: Sheffield United (Home)
Total Fantasy Points: 185.5
Points Last Gameweek: 26.5
Rostered: 82%
The Thought: Managers sitting near the top of the table for their Perfect XI leagues know who this player is. Because well... they've started him for several weeks now. The goal scoring continues for Kelechi after notching another against Crystal Palace. With Maddison back in the fold, the team is even more dangerous. Fade Kelechi at your own risk. I'm no longer surprised when I see a twitter notification alerting me that's he scored.
FWD: Raheem Sterling
Team: Manchester City
Opponent: Crystal Palace
Total Fantasy Points: 291
Points Last Gameweek: 3.5
Rostered: 100%
The Thought: The starlight has waned a bit for Raheem Sterling. His teammate, Riyad Mahrez, has 20 more points scored overall in 381 fewer minutes played. It's the lowest Fantrax output Sterling has had since 2015-2016 when he ended the season with 269 points. All of this is mostly overshadowed by the overall dominance of Manchester City and the emergence of another English star in Phil Foden.
With all that said, this week alone has several signals that support Sterling. For one, he didn't play a single minute versus PSG midweek. Second, the matchup is Crystal Palace. Third, Manchester City should feature a heavily rotated side to face Palace. As such, much of the creative responsibility will likely fall to Sterling. It's important to know when a half-strength team is a good thing for fantasy or a bad thing. In the case of Wolves for example, not having Neto or Jimenez available is simply bad for Wolves players. In the case of Man City, rest for Foden, KDB, and Cancelo could have a funneling affect to Sterling. That's what I'm banking on.
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