Our Gameweek 4 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 4 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! I'll be taking into consideration past performance, weekly projections and my own gut feeling to make my selections.
After back-to-back 100+ point performances to begin the season, the Sleeper squad only managed 92.5 in GW3, in large part due to Liverpool's dour performance against Man United and the subsequent pair of 4.5 scores from Gomez and Elliott. The lowest scorer was Jeffrey Schlupp, who only scored a point, but he did have a goal disallowed on a marginal offside call, so I'll take it as a good sign that my instincts were right. Still, Sleepers XI is sitting on 313 points through the opening three weeks, which is well above the average score across the DPL Community League and International Genie League divisions.
For GW4, I'm rolling out the fourth consecutive new formation with a 4-4-2. The pool of reliable starting forwards under 60% rostership is quickly evaporating, so we may not see a return to a 3-striker formation too frequently as the season goes on. Let's see if we can't get back above the 100 point threshold with this week's selections.
GK: Jordan Pickford
Team: Everton
Opponent: Brentford (Away)
Rostered: 35%
Points Last Gameweek: 15.25
Prospects: First Henderson and now Raya have eclipsed the 60% rostership threshold following their inclusion in Sleepers XI. It's bitter knowing I can no longer select them and have to make some riskier selections, but also sweet understanding it means more managers are recognizing value and setting themselves up for success. Will Pickford follow the trend? I'm hoping so for any of you who decide to add him to your roster this week. His score in GW3 is inflated due to a pinpoint assist to Demarai Gray, but even without those points, the Everton goalkeeper has been one of the better fantasy options in goal going back to the closing months of last season. The Toffees give up a fair few chances, so they rely on the England #1 to keep them in games. Sometimes, this backfires (see the -1.75 in the loss to Villa in GW2), but it's a high-risk, high-reward approach that could see a double digit score even with a goal or two conceded.
DEF: Pervis Estupiñan
Team: Brighton
Opponent: Leeds (Home)
Rostered: 16%
Points Last Gameweek: 4.75
Projected GW4 Points: 8.5
Prospects: Brighton wasted no time finding a replacement for Chelsea-bound Marc Cucurella, signing Estupiñan from Villarreal. The Ecuadorian left back earned a 25-minute cameo off the bench in GW3 and got straight to work, delivering 4.75 fantasy points. He was left out of the starting lineup for Brighton's Carabao Cup game midweek, suggesting a first Premier League start is on the cards against Leeds this weekend. Graham Potter's side have been one of the league's strongest defensive outfits to begin the campaign, but will face a high-flying Leeds side that dominated Chelsea last time out. The good news for Pervis is that early evidence shows he'll be a strong ghost point scorer to help offset any potential goals conceded. One strong score and there will be a frenzy to pick him up anywhere he's available. This is likely your last chance to be ahead of the curve on a potential set-and-forget defender.
DEF: Tyrell Malacia
Team: Manchester United
Opponent: Southampton (Away)
Rostered: 51%
Points Last Gameweek: 3.75
Projected GW4 Points: 8.2
Prospects: It pains me to say this as a Liverpool fan, but I was massively impressed by Malacia on Monday. The former Feyenoord defender (not Ajax, surprisingly) showed why Erik Ten Hag was eager to bring him in, shutting down Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold on multiple occasions in their shock victory at Old Trafford. The fantasy output didn't match the performance in GW3, but the Red Devils are up against a less imposing set of attackers on their trip to Southampton this weekend, and I think we could see an improvement in Malacia's score. The projections back me up, so let's see how the diminutive fullback gets on against the Saints.
DEF: Ben Mee
Team: Brentford
Opponent: Everton (Home)
Rostered: 46%
Points Last Gameweek: 1.25
Projected GW4 Points: 6.9
Prospects: One choice where the projections aren't in my favor is with Mee, but I'm sticking with my gut on this one and rolling out the former Burnley CB for the visit of Everton. The Bees have been inconsistent in defense so far this season, conceding 5 goals to Fulham and Leicester, but shutting out Man United. I'm backing them to shut up shop again when Frank Lampard's side come to town, but even if a clean sheet doesn't come through, I think Mee will relish the challenge of coming up against his former defensive partner James Tarkowski on set pieces on both ends of the pitch, and could repeat the 7 aerial duel wins he managed against Mitrovic in GW3.
DEF: Pascal Struijk
Team: Leeds
Opponent: Brighton (Away)
Rostered: 43%
Points Last Gameweek: 14.5
Projected GW4 Points: 8.4
Prospects: I've been reluctant to include Struijk in the Sleepers XI so far, assuming his early season performances were merely a flash in the pan. But another strong outing from the makeshift left back in GW3 means he can no longer be ignored. Perhaps it's the change in position, or perhaps it's just a solid young defender coming into his own in the Premier League, but whatever it is it's working. Struijk has delivered solid ghost points in each of his outings so far, so I like his chances of continuing his hot start this weekend.
MID: Rodrigo Bentancur
Team: Tottenham
Opponent: Nottingham Forest (Away)
Rostered: 49%
Points Last Gameweek: 7
Projected GW4 Points: 7.5
Prospects: Given the fact that Spurs have a plethora of highly sought-after fantasy assets in their squad, it's easy to overlook a player like Bentancur, but he's someone I think deserves your attention, particularly this week against a Forest side that has given away tons of chances in the first three weeks of the season. As with nearly everyone else in Antonio Conte's current starting eleven, the Uruguayan will eventually face rotation and competition with Yves Bissouma, but I think the manager will stick with a winning formula for now. Bentancur has been quietly consistent to start the season, with scores of 5, 6.5 and 7, but he has shown that he's capable of a much higher ceiling in games where he has the space to support the attack. At the tail end of last season, he posted scores of 24, 11.5, 17 and 10.5 in a five week span. I wouldn't be surprised to see him break double digits here.
MID: Alex Iwobi
Team: Everton
Opponent: Brentford (Away)
Rostered: 31%
Points Last Gameweek: 10
Projected GW4 Points: 10
Prospects: Old habits die hard, and I'm featuring Iwobi again after he was highlighted as a sleeper in my pre-season Everton preview and made an appearance in the Sleepers XI in GW2. I'm going to keep beating this drum until it breaks or enough people latch onto the fact that the Nigerian has been transformed since Lampard's arrival on Merseyside. I hinted at Iwobi's production improving with the introduction of Amadou Onana in GW2, and while we haven't seen the two of them from the start just yet, this could be the weekend both are in the lineup from the opening kick-off. I'll be curious to see whether that results in additional attacking freedom, or the new boy steals some ghosts off his midfield partner, but for now you could do much worse than trusting the former Arsenal man as a consistent source of points for your team should you find yourself in need a midfielder this week.
MID: Matheus Nunes
Team: Wolves
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Rostered: 30%
Points Last Gameweek: 5
Projected GW4 Points: 8.2
Prospects: I intentionally avoided including new signings in my GW3 article, but now that they've been in the system a week it's fair to assume a player like Nunes may still be available for you to pick up in your league. While Guedes is the flashier signing and will likely be a better fantasy asset, I think Nunes is the best signing Wolves have made this offseason. He is probably in my top 3 transfers this window, particularly given the needs of the team he's joined. Nunes breathed new life into the Wolverhampton midfield last week, linking play between defense and attack and bringing his teammates into the game. This may not always translate into fantasy points, but the Portuguese passed the proverbial eye-test in GW3, narrowly missing getting on the scoresheet with a cheeky headed effort. I'd buy in now if I could for the next couple fixtures to see whether he establishes himself as a reliable MID4 option for your team.
MID: Joe Willock
Team: Newcastle
Opponent: Wolves (Away)
Rostered: 30%
Points Last Gameweek: 7
Projected GW4 Points: 9.3
Prospects: An unfortunate hamstring injury for Jonjo Shelvey has meant Willock has gotten his chance to establish himself as a mainstay in the Newcastle midfield, and the youngster has done his chances no harm as yet, even going so far as to win a footrace against Kyle Walker in the enthralling contest against Man City last week. The attack-minded midfielder has delivered solid points so far, averaging 7 points per start so far this season, but is capable of much more. The attacking trident of ASM, Wilson and Almiron have scooped up the majority of the attacking points so far, but if Wilson is unavailable this weekend and Howe turns to Chris Wood there could be a tactical shift to push Willock higher up the pitch to get on the end of knock-downs from the central striker. This worked to good effect last season, seeing the former Arsenal youth put up quite a few double-digit returns. In any case, he looks like he'll be a consistent starter for a side with European aspirations.
FWD: Che Adams
Team: Southampton
Opponent: Manchester United (Home)
Rostered: 49%
Points Last Gameweek: 22.5
Projected GW4 Points: 9.0
Prospects: I'll come right out and admit that my Adams selection last week was a lucky one when it comes to assessing how the squad performed. The striker failed to start, but came off the bench to bag a crucial brace in the Saints' come-from-behind victory over Leicester City. Ralph Hasenhuttl has been one of the most frustrating and unpredictable managers to start the season, regularly rotating his starting lineups and making changes at half time, so this is yet again a risky play. However, Che scored a midweek brace in the Carabao Cup and earned his manager's praise for his form. I'm not saying that means he'll start again at the weekend, just that he should. If he doesn't and you're still in need of a forward, Sekou Mara could be another available striker (though it wouldn't be surprising at all to see the manager put Aribo and Armstrong up top). Proceed with caution.
FWD: Yoane Wissa
Team: Brentford
Opponent: Everton (Home)
Rostered: 17%
Points Last Gameweek: 10
Projected GW4 Points: 10.6
Prospects: I'm not in love with recommending Wissa this week, particularly after he posted a disappointing 2 points on his first Sleepers XI outing in GW1, but he did at least manage an attacking return against Fulham last time around. I still think it won't be long before we see Keane Lewis-Potter seriously challenging for the starting berth on the left wing, particularly after his first goal for the club in midweek, but a minor injury to the former Hull starlet likely means a stay of execution for Wissa in GW4. You can likely find better options in other positions, but Everton have yet to keep a clean sheet, so there is hope for another attacking return for the Congolese winger.
The Reserves
If you're playing on Fantrax with Live Lineup Changes, you should definitely 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 does get a start for their team, snap them up and plug them into your starting eleven!
Kostas Tsimikas, Defender, Liverpool. Opponent: Bournemouth
Mikkel Damsgaard, Midfielder, Brentford. Opponent: Everton
Lucas Moura, Midfielder, Tottenham. Opponent: Nottingham Forest
Anthony Elanga, Forward, Man United. Opponent: Southampton
Adama Traore, Forward, Wolves. Opponent: Newcastle
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