Gameweek 22 Sleepers XI: Draft EPL

Our Gameweek 22 Sleepers XI article provides Draft 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 any one of these under-the-radar picks could 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 22 Sleepers XI

For this article, we use the percentage rostered calculation from Fantrax and Sleeper. Our only rule is that each player we highlight is rostered in 60% of leagues or fewer at the time of writing. Therefore, there's a good chance some of these players will be free agents in your Draft league! As always, we'll take form, fixtures, projected points, and a healthy dose of intuition into account to make our selections.

After a nice healthy break from regular league football, mainly due to the FA and EFL cup ties, we're back to yet another crack at the Sleepers XI. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, as it's time for another flashback as to what transpired in Gameweek 21. Our Sleepers XI fell just shy of the 100 mark, scoring 98.5 FPts with only 1 player not starting their game. So let's start there. Our FWDs disappointed us yet again with Zirkzee coming on as a 15 minute sub and only scoring 2 FPts, whereas Kolo Muani scored 1 FPts in 66 minutes (including a yellow card). Also, Barry scored 6.25 FPts and nearly lasted the whole game - ghost points alert! We only had 1 flop in midfield with Arias being subbed off at halftime and only getting 2.5 FPts in his cameo, whilst Joelinton scored 17.25 FPts (1 goal and 1 yellow card). Most importantly, Aaronson top scored with 29 FPts ( 2 goals). We had mixed scores in our backline too. Heaven scored -2 FPts (1 own goal and 1 goal conceded), Aina got 7.25 FPts (1 goal conceded) but on the flip side of things, Ajer got 12.5 FPts (1 clean sheet) and Hugo Bueno ghosted like crazy again to end up on 14.25 FPts (1 goal conceded). Finally, our goalkeeper. Sels regained his starting spot and ended up scoring 8.5 FPts, despite conceding 1 goal. A pretty solid score in the end. Let's see if we can maintain this momentum going into Gameweek 22.

The Sleepers XI table below includes a full team of Starters, as well as 5 Reserves - high-upside players with some question marks around whether they'll start in Gameweek 22. So, keep an eye out when lineups are announced and pick them up if you see them starting, especially if you need to fill a spot on your roster. Read below for the rationale behind each of the Starter selections.

Bart Verbruggen (G, Brighton)

Over the past 4 gameweeks, Verbruggen has been averaging 8 PPS. This is a great rate of fantasy points returns even though the Dutch shot-stopper only kept 1 clean sheet during that run, scoring 11.5 FPts against Burnley. The Seagulls face a Bournemouth team that have just lost one of the best FWD players in the league, and so the Cherries' attack might not be as potent as before, which screams the possibility of a shut-out. Believe it or not, Verbruggen actually has more points than the likes of Raya, Donnarumma and Alisson, assets who are rostered by more managers in our community. So if you're frustrated with your current goalkeeper, Verbruggen is a sensible swap.

Djed Spence (D, Tottenham)

According to our Fixture Difficulty Tracker, Spurs defenders have the 2nd best rated fixture in Gameweek 22. Although Spurs are having a very underwhelming season under Thomas Frank so far, it might surprise you to learn that they have actually kept 2 clean sheets in their last 4 games, and Spence has been one of the benefactors. The English DEF has recently become a bit of a mainstay in the Spurs' starting XI, having started 6 of their last 7 matches, and playing 90 minutes in all except one. They face West Ham next, the worst team in the league over the last 6 gameweeks. During this spell, the Hammers scored 5 goals, which is only more than the likes of Crystal Palace (2) and Sunderland (3), losing 5 and drawing 1. So there's a good chance of a clean sheet, especially with West Ham most likely missing one of their talismans in Paqueta.

Ferdi Kadioglu (D, Brighton) 

Even though Hürzeler is known for constantly chopping and changing his starting XI, somehow Ferdi Kadioglu has been a regular feature since Gameweek 5. The enticing aspect about Kadioglu as an asset is that he's been deployed in different attacking positions such as RW and LW, despite predominantly being a LB. He's also had a share of the set pieces, taking 11 of Brighton's last 18 corners, and is now their leading corner kick taker with 25. Bournemouth have just lost Semenyo after his transfer to Man City. The Ghanaian was their top goal scorer (10) and attempted the most shots (49) for the Cherries. Losing a talisman like that is surely going to impact any team's attack, which could lead to a possible clean sheet for the Seagulls. So there's opportunity to get returns in both attacking and defensive realms for the Turkish defender.

James Hill (D, Bournemouth) 

Marco Senesi has had a few partners this season in the heart of the Bournemouth defence and only one man has stood out in recent gameweeks. James Hill has started the last 3 gameweeks in a row and although he conceded at least 2 goals in each of those games, he has still put up scores of 8, 12.25 and 10 FPts. During this 3 game spell, he was 1st for aerials won (18) and clearances (29). He's basically soaking up most of the defensive ghost points on offer. His 10.0 gPPS is the 3rd best for the Cherries this season, only behind the likes of Cook and Senesi. Assuming he keeps his starting spot, he is an ideal DEF-4 for any roster and has the potential to score massively if Bournemouth ever keep a clean sheet in the near future.

Jaydee Canvot (D, Crystal Palace)

With the recent news of Marc Guehi set to move to Man City, which was also confirmed by Glasner by stating that he would not be involved in the weekend's fixture against Sunderland, means that one of Canvot or Lerma should be deployed in the Eagles' backline alongside Richards and Lacroix. Canvot hasn't had much of a look-in into their starting XI, but via his 2 starts, his 14 PPS is already the best amongst his teammates and they actually kept cleansheets in both those games. Canvot has also made appearances off the bench and it's quite promising that in addition to those appearances, he managed to rack up a gPP90 of 8.7, which is the 3rd best amongst all Crystal Palace assets. Sunderland have only scored 3 goals in their last 6 matches, blanking in their most recent game against Brentford. So there's a good possibility of a clean sheet for Glasner's guys, which makes Canvot a great DEF-3/4 option for your roster.

Lewis Miley (M, Newcastle)

One of the worst things about cup tournaments between gameweeks is the possibility of injuries to key players such as Livramento. Tino has now been ruled out of action for the next 8 weeks, meaning that Howe and his staff are down to the barebones for options in their defensive line. That means that he's either likely to roll out Miley in RB or rely upon the veteran that is Trippier. However, with the Champions League back soon, it wouldn't surprise us to see Trippier's experience be saved for more important games, instead of being deployed against the likes of Wolves this weekend. Miley has started the last 5 games for Newcastle as their starting RB and has been averaging just over 9 PPS. The best part about being an OOP asset is that he's not penalised for any of the goals that Newcastle have been conceding, while having the opportunity to rack up defensive contributions such as tackles (8), interceptions (9), clearances (18) and aerials (11). A solid MID-4/5 option if you need one.

Tomas Soucek (M, West Ham)

Rumours have started circulating about the fact that Lucas Paqueta might be leaving the Hammers during the January window to return home to Brazil. This leaves a massive gap in the Hammers' attack, especially during the most critical time of their season, as they're fighting for their Premier League safety. So there's a strong chance that Nuno will have to rely on one of the Hammers' most reliable assets in recent seasons, Soucek. The Czech midfielder started in Gameweek 21, which was his 1st start since Gameweek 14. He ended up being West Ham's top scoring asset in their loss against Nottingham Forest with 18.25 FPts, which only included an assist. He did however manage to rack up 8 aerials, which was the main source of his ghost point production. We've always seen that Soucek has an eye for goal, the only issue was his starts and minutes. His 10.8 PP90 is the best of all his teammates, so if he has finally broken into the starting XI, he'd make for a great MID-4 with definite upside.

Yeremy Pino (M, Crystal Palace)

As frustratingly inconsistent as Pino has been for managers this season, he's still been one of Palace's main attacking maestros, in spite of having fewer starts than the likes of Wharton and Mateta. The Spaniard already has the most key passes (27), successful dribbles (13) and corner kicks (28) for the Eagles. Even without attacking returns in his last 2 games, he managed to put up scores of 10.25 FPts against Newcastle and 7.75 FPts against Aston Villa, 2 teams that are usually known for their defensive prowess in the league. Crystal Palace are on a dreadful run of form, having been 19th in the form table over the last 6 gameweeks, so Glasner will be keen to rectify this as soon as possible. Although Sunderland have been one of the best team's defensively this season conceding only 22 goals, the 3rd lowest in the division behind Arsenal and Man City, the Black Cats were just thumped by Brentford. So Crystal Palace will be fancying their chances of doing the same as they really need a positive response after being dumped out of the FA cup by the likes of Macclesfield.

Kevin (F, Fulham)

Although Nigeria were not able to qualify for the AFCON final, Chukwueze is still expected to be away on international duty, which means that Kevin should still have an opportunity to get a start against Leeds this weekend. The Brazilian has not started the last 2 games for the Cottagers, but that hasn't stopped him from scoring points. He managed 8.5 FPts in 15 minutes against Liverpool (1 assist) and 6.5 FPts in 45 minutes against Chelsea (no attacking returns). In his limited starts, he still has the 3rd most shots on target (8), 2nd most accurate crosses (10) and the most successful dribbles (34) of all Fulham players. These impressive numbers have contributed to his 13.1 PP90, the 2nd best at the club, and the best gPP90 of 11.6, in only 6 starts. He really shouldn't be a free asset in your league, so find a spot to grab him, either for a start or a stash.

Tolu Arokodare (F, Wolves)

Despite the fact that Matheus Mane is stealing all the headlines and praise during this period of resurgence that Rob Edwards has concocted for Wolves, Arokodare has actually been quietly putting up points as well. He's been averaging just under 9 gPPS over the last 4 games, leading the Wolves players in key passes (6) and aerials won (23), as well as being 2nd for successful dribbles (5) and shots attempted (9). Albeit a small sample size, his 10.5 PP90 is also the 3rd best of all Wolves assets, only behind Mane (14.2) and Hugo Bueno (10.9). So if you're in desperate need of a starting FWD, Arokodare could be the solution to your problems, especially if he isn't reliant on attacking returns, something that Wolves have struggled for all season.

Valentin Castellanos (F, West Ham) 

West Ham are truly up against it for the rest of the season. They've only scored 22 goals all season, which is tied for the 3rd fewest in the league. They've lacked some serious firepower up front, so much so that Nuno had immediately recruited 2 forwards, with one being Valentin "Taty" Castellanos. The Argentine FWD started the last 2 games for the Hammers, scoring 6.75 FPts against Forest with no attacking returns, and then getting his first goal for West Ham in the FA Cup, in their 2-1 win against QPR scoring 15.5 FPts in the process. West Ham face Spurs next, in one of the lesser anticipated London derbies, where both teams have only combined for 1 win amongst their last 6 games each. West Ham desperately need the win as they're trying to claw their way out the relegation zone. So if the Hammers are to find any joy this weekend, Castellanos will need to step up. Regardless, his 6-7 gPPS is still good enough as a FWD-3 if you need one.

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