Gameweek 27 Sleepers XI: Draft EPL

Our Gameweek 27 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 27 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.

Normally we'd celebrate a score of 100+ points in any gameweek but given the fact that it was a double gameweek, 103 FPts doesn't feel as good as it should. Nevertheless, let's see who sucked and who smashed. In net, Hermansen managed 6.25 FPts, despite conceding 1 goal. In defence, high-flying James Justin had an underwhelming 4.75 FPts (2 goals conceded, 1 yellow card) while the ever-reliable Maguire scored 5.5 FPts (1 goal conceded). Alas, new-flavour-of-the-calendar-year James Hill smashed out 25.25 FPts (1 goal conceded, 1 assist) with Ian Maatsen also managing a whopping 19.75 FPts (1 clean sheet). Our final defender pick, Yerson Mosquera, played both of his double gameweek matches and racked up a cool 16.5 FPts (1 clean sheet, 2 goals conceded). In midfield, although Lewis Cook only featured as a 9-minute sub registering 0.25 FPts, it wasn't as bad as Mainoo's 1.5 FPts in 90 minutes or Martinelli's disappointing 9.75 FPts across 2 games (98 minutes). Finally, up-top we had the Wolves boys, who also had a double gameweek. Adam Armstrong played both games in their entirety and accumulated 6.75 FPts, whilst Tolu Arokodare started 1 and subbed on early in the second game to combine for the exact same score as his aforementioned teammate. We'll still take the win, but let's see if we can maintain similar success for Gameweek 27.

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 27. 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.

Djordje Petrovic (G, Bournemouth)

In the first three months of the season, Petrovic was a fairly reliable pick for most rosters, averaging just over 9 PPS. Then the ex-Chelsea shot-stopper went through a serious dip in form, where his PPS was nearly half of what it was, rewarding overly-patient managers with a return of just over 4 PPS. We highly doubt it was the departure of Semenyo or the introduction of Hill that has seen the Serbian return to some good form in recent weeks, but since the start of the year, he's been averaging just under 11 PPS! These past 5 games have also included a season-high score of 21.25 FPts, which was his 1st double digit score in nearly 2 months. Now we're not expecting West Ham to have loads of shots on target, but a rare clean sheet does seem a real possibility. So if you're looking to switch things up in your GK spot, I'd gamble on Petrovic.

Alex Jimenez (D, Bournemouth) 

According to our Fixture Difficulty Tracker, the Bournemouth defenders have the 4th best rated fixture of all teams this weekend. Since Gameweek 14, Jimenez has been a mainstay in the Cherries' XI and it's probably thanks to his flexibility in being able to play multiple positions in their systems i.e RW, RM and RB. It's easy to guess that his most productive position has been in midfield, averaging just over 12.5 PPS and 8.25 gPPS, but even as a defender, he's been scoring just under 6 PPS and 7.5 gPPS over the same period, which is decent enough as a DEF-4 for your roster. Even though West Ham have turned a bit of a corner over their last 5 games (3W-1D-1L), Bournemouth have also done the same, being the 2nd best team in the league over the last 6 games (4W-2D), and not having lost any of their last 4 away games while only conceding 4 goals. This is only more than Everton (2) and Arsenal (3). A defensive punt with upside worth taking!

Piero Hincapie (D, Arsenal) 

If you were to tell me Hincapie would be the top scoring asset of double Gameweek 26, I'd have called you crazy. Although there were doubts about the possibility of Calafiori starting at least 1 game, we didn't think Hincapie would have started both, let alone get an attacking return in each of the games (assist vs. Brentford & goal vs. Wolves). Yet here we are, now thinking that maybe Calafiori, the first-choice LB for the Gunners, might actually be at risk of losing his starting spot. This is not only due to form but also to the quick turnaround and the possibility of being re-injured, just like his teammates Odegaard and Havertz. Up next is the North London Derby and who knows what we can expect from Tudor and his Spurs squad. So let's assume there is a bedding-in period for Spurs and that Arsenal, the best defence in the league, should keep yet another clean against one of the worst form teams in the league (20th over the last 8 games).

Sepp van den Berg (D, Brentford)

After being a regular starter for the first 17 gameweeks of the season, Sepp eventually lost his starting role for a while due to injury and other players performing well. But now that Collins has been absent due to his own "injury" issue, Sepp has been partnering Ajer for the past 3 games, helping the Bees to break their poor mini-run of back-to-back losses. Since Sepp's return to the starting lineup, he's put up scores of 12.25 (clean sheet), 1.5 (2 goals conceded) and 14.75 FPts (1 assist). They aren't fantastic viewing but the Bees are hosting the Seagulls this weekend, a team that has been on a horrid run of form themselves. Brighton have only won once in their last 13 games and have also only scored 4 goals in their last 6 games, which is 1 more than Wolves. It hasn't helped that their talisman Minteh has been MIA for the longest while either. So all the signs are pointing towards Brentford getting their 7th clean sheet of the season this weekend.

Wesley Fofana (D, Chelsea)

It should come as no surprise that we're suggesting a Chelsea defender this weekend as the Blues are hosting Burnley. Burnley are currently sat 19th in the league and have only scored 28 goals this season, which is the 4th lowest total in the league, only more than Sunderland, Forest and Wolves. Despite their impressive comeback-win against the Eagles in Gameweek 26, they actually didn't score a goal in the 2 league games before that. You might be skeptical of Chelsea's defence given their recent results, and mainly due to the lack of clean sheets during this favourable fixture run they've had, but the Blues have been unbeaten in the league since Rosenior's appointment. In fact, Chelsea have been the 2nd best team in the league over the last 4 games, scoring the most goal. Although they've not been solid defensively, that shouldn't matter to Fofana if he starts. The French DEF has got one of the best gPP90 at the club, which evidenced by his recent scores, even if they've mostly been as a sub: 3.5 FPts (31 mins), 5 FPts (16 mins), 13 FPts (45 minutes, 1 assist), 6.25 FPts (90 mins) and 4.25 FPts (10 mins). An DEF-2/3 pick if he starts.

Alex Scott (M, Bournemouth)

I've never been a fan of Alex Scott, as every time I've punted on the "Guernsey Grealish", he's massively disappointed me. Maybe you'll have better luck though. So if you need someone to cover that MID-4/5 spot in your roster, we'd normally suggest someone like Cook from Bournemouth, but given his stinker last gameweek, it felt like maybe we should focus on the more nailed and consistent Cherries asset this season. It's fair to say that Scott must have been a very frustrating asset to roll out in the first 14 gameweeks of the season, given the fact that he was constantly being subbed off early, sometimes at half-time, while only playing 90 minutes once during that run. However since Gameweek 18, he's only failed to play the full match twice, while averaging just under 8.5 PPS, scoring a goal and an assist and being 2nd for key passes (8) and successful dribbles (5) amongst all Bournemouth outfield players. A great back-up option if one of your studs is absent.

Jadon Sancho (M, Aston Villa)

You know pickings are slim when we're suggesting Sancho as a possible option to help you win your gameweek. But it's hard to ignore the fact that the English MID has actually been putting up a decent set of scores over the last few games for the Villans. In their past 3 games, Sancho has been a regular starter and been averaging just over 9.5 PPS. During these games, he's been 2nd for key passes (7) and 1st for successful dribbles (4) of all Aston Villa players. The only frustration is that he's played a maximum of 76 mins in all of these appearances. You'd still take scores of 8.5, 14 (1 assist) and 6.5 FPts from your MID-4/5 in most weeks though. Even though Leeds have been putting together a string of impressive results lately, the Yorkshire team have also conceded the 2nd most goals (12) in the last 6 games, a stat that shouldn't be ignored. Fortune favours the bold with this punt.

Mathias Jensen (M, Brentford)

Over the past couple of months, everyone has been raving about Janelt as the best hidden gem in the free agency pool, but Jensen has quietly been going under the radar himself. Over the past 5 games, Jensen has been 1st for corner kicks attempted (12), key passes (10), accurate crosses (5), while also being 2nd for shots attempted (8), tackles won (5) and successful dribbles (4). So it's fair to say he's been heavily involved in almost anything creative that Brentford have been attempting in recent games, which is further evidenced by his 2 assists and 10.3 PPS during that same spell. A solid MID-3/4 for any roster, and possibly a hold for the foreseeable future, especially considering their tasty fixture run for the next 9 gameweeks.

Anthony Elanga (F, Newcastle)

Most of us fantasy managers were licking our lips at the prospect of Elanga linking up with his national teammate Isak at the start of the season, especially since Newcastle finally signed a designated right-winger, a profile they've been missing for the longest while. However, it's been a terrible season for Elanga. The Swedish FWD has only started 9 games so far, and put up one double digit score all season (13 FPts, 1 assist). After 2 very productive seasons at Forest, where he got 14 and 17 attacking returns, averaging just under 9 PPG in most recent season, it's crazy to think he's been averaging under 3 PPG this season. So it's no surprise why he's eligible as a Sleeper pick. Mind you, it's quite concerning he got no goals or assists in their 6-goal smashing of Qarabag in the Champions League, but he was subbed early, which could mean he's due a start this weekend against Man City. His last 2 games have also been promising for the Magpies as he's put up scores of 8 and 7.5 FPts, with the former coming as a sub, and both scores being all ghosts, mainly comprising of key passes. This pick is a true shot in the dark.

Evann Guessand (F, Crystal Palace)

After a fairly unsuccessful first-half of a season with Aston Villa, the Ivory Coast FWD has now moved to the Eagles, hoping for more minutes and a more productive time in the league. That being said, things haven't massively improved. Maybe we're being harsh though, as it has only been 2 games that he's featured in so far. In his 1st appearance, he was a sub off the bench and got the assist for the winning goal against Brighton, scoring 10.5 FPts. Then again, in their shock defeat to Burnley, he only lasted 57 minutes and scored a measly 2 FPts. So why are we suggesting him this weekend? Well it's because Palace are playing Wolves, the worst team in the league. So if there's ever a chance for Guessand to finally make his mark in the league, it's this weekend.

Kevin (F, Fulham) 

After the press conference update from Marco Silva earlier today about Chukwueze being ruled out of this weekend's match against Sunderland, our focus immediately switched to Kevin. The Brazilian has had a tough time adapting to the league, despite showing loads of potential across all competitions for the Cottagers. In spite of only starting 7 games, Kevin still has the most successful dribbles (35 - which nearly double any of his teammates), not to mention he's also been 1st for accurate crosses (11) and 3rd for shots on target (9). He's only started once in the last 7 games for Fulham, only scoring 5 FPts in 58 minutes, but off the bench he's still put up scores of 8.5 (assist), 6.5, 11.25 (goal) and most recently 5 FPts. So the potential to score well is definitely there! Sunderland are usually very strong at home, but after losing their undefeated record to Liverpool last gameweek, Fulham will be hoping to add further insult to injury.

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