Getting your team selection correct in Draft Premier League is just as essential as your pre-season draft or your weekly waiver wire claims. And this is why we’re here to help with our Gameweek 35 Start and Sit article! We're here to talk you through some of the big Fantasy EPL decisions you may need to make for the upcoming fixtures.
This article dovetails particularly well with the Fantrax Weekly Rankings submitted on Fantrax HQ every week! Go check it out, we're the Official Content Providers for Fantrax HQ!
Gameweek 35 Start and Sit
Whether you’re an obsessed EPL fan like our Draft Society team, or a casual player new to the world of Fantasy EPL, you know to start your attacking players against relegation threatened sides. We’re not going to waste your time dealing with the obvious! The goal of this article is to delve into notable players across each Fantrax position and let you know if you should be starting or sitting those particular players.
For our Gameweek 35 Start and Sit candidates, we’re going to highlight one player in detail for each section, as well as suggesting another alternate. Let us get to it!
Defender Starts
Michael Keane vs WHU, AVL
Keane should come back into an Everton side that lost last gameweek. This season Keane has struggled for consistent fantasy output but offers solid DEF2 value over the double gameweek. He will be up against the big men of Watkins and Antonio in what should be some tough aerial battles. There is some potential for a clean sheet in at least one of the two games, giving Keane DEF1 upside.
Alternate:
Reece James vs MCI, ARS
Serge Aurier vs LEE
Ozan Kabak vs. SOU, MUN
Defender Sits
Any Man City defender (Cancelo excluded) vs. CHE
Manchester City come up against an in-form Chelsea side, and will probably play their best XI in this one. I do think Chelsea score In this one, but see a lot less of the ball making City defenders a risk for negative scores. Cancelo is the one City defender I am happy to start, but without a clean sheet I don’t see many positive scores for that backline.
Alternate:
Walker-Peters vs LIV, CRY
Konsa/Mings vs MUN, EVE
Luke Thomas vs. NEW, MUN
Midfielder Starts
Allan Saint-Maximin vs. LEI
Blinded by the double gameweek, many managers may be tempted to bench ASM in a tougher matchup. This would be the wrong move. Saint-Maximin should see plenty of the ball and rack up a double digit score, with the potential of an attacking return against a Leicester City team that are inconsistent at the back. If you are debating starting a low upside player like Douglas Luiz or Allan over ASM, this could be the move to cost you your matchup.
Alternates:
Ross Barkley vs. MUN, EVE
Gareth Bale vs. LEE
Scott McTominay vs. AVL, LEI, LIV
Midfielder Sits
Jesse Lingard vs. EVE
For the first time this season Lingard has gone back to back games without an attacking return. Unfortunately this streak may continue vs. Everton. With Moyes playing more attacking players in his XI, Lingard is no longer the only go-to guy. He is now sharing attacking stats with the likes of Antonio, Fornals, Benrahma, and even Lanzini. There is every chance Lingard gets you around 8-10 points this week, but I would consider sitting him if you have better options.
Alternate:
Dwight McNeil vs FUL
Theo Walcott vs LIV, CRY
Bernardo Silva vs. CHE
Forward Starts
Mason Greenwood vs. AVL, LEI, LIV
With a triple gameweek, there are certain players you must be okay starting from the bench if they don’t start in the first game. Greenwood is one of them. His off the bench performance vs. Spurs shows exactly why, and I do expect him to play over 100 minutes in this triple gameweek. If he manages to get three starts we could be looking at a 30+ haul for the United youngster. After playing in the Europa tie, it seems more likely Greenwood will start from the bench vs. AVL, but is still a must start for me.
Alternates
Diogo Jota vs SOU, MUN
Christian Benteke vs SHU, SOU
Forward Sits
Timo Werner vs. MCI, ARS
Werner has been in decent form in recent weeks, so this might be considered a bold claim. I don’t think Timo sees consecutive starts over the double gameweek, and could accumulate less than 80 minutes across the two games. His ghost points will be very poor in these two tougher matchups, and he will need a goal or assist to crack double digits. While you may not have the luxury to bench Werner, maybe you could look to trade him out!
Alternate:
Patrick Bamford vs. TOT
Jesus/Aguero vs CHE
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