Gameweek 29 Sleepers XI: Draft EPL

Our Gameweek 29 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 29 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.

Gameweek 28 didn't go great. We ended up with 63.5 FPts with a third of our score coming from 1 player, Diego Gomez (21.5 FPts, 1 goal). Our only other double digit score came from Jacob Ramsey (10.5 FPts), who also scored a goal but was subbed off at halftime. We had 2 players, Joachim Andersen and Mings, that were no-shows, whilst the others were either subs or just terrible performances. So let's break it down. In net, Verbruggen scored 6 FPts (1 goal conceded). In defence, Maguire scored 7.25 FPts (84 mins, 1 goal conceded) and Trippier only managed 1.75 FPts (74 mins, 2 goals conceded). In midfield, Smith Rowe got 4 FPts in 71 mins, while James Ward-Prowse scored 6 FPts in 74 mins. Lastly, both our forwards were subbed on but still managed to get points, with Arokodare getting 2.25 FPts in 8 mins and Rio getting 4.25 FPts in 13 mins. Pretty dire stuff. We might need to go a bit safer with our picks for Gameweek 29, especially given the quick turn around. So stay tuned to see what we do!

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 29. 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.

Senne Lammens (G, Man Utd)

Since Carrick has taken over the managerial job at Manchester United, Lammens has seen a serious uptick in form. He's gone from averaging just over 5 PPS under Amorim to just under 9 PPS with Carrick. During his resurgence, he's kept 3 clean sheets, which is the same number as the likes of Donnarumma and Raya, goalkeepers from 2 of the best defences in the league. Believe it or not, Manchester United haven't lost a game during that run either, a feat that's only been matched by Petrovic of Bournemouth. So if you're looking to swap goalkeepers at the moment, I'd really consider Lammens, as Man Utd will seek to continue their amazing momentum and hope to seal a Champions League spot come the end of the season.

Alex Jimenez (D, Bournemouth) 

With attacking players returning to fitness for Iraola, Alex Jimenez has now reverted back to his more accustomed defensive role at right-back, but thankfully the points haven't dried up. In his last 3 games, he's put up scores of 8.5 (1 yellow card, 1 goal conceded), 10.25 (clean sheet) and 8.75 FPts (1 goal conceded). These are fairly reliable numbers if you need a DEF-4/5 option for your roster. It's also really attractive that his points have been coming from almost every category. His most recent score included at least 2 of each of the following categories: key passes, tackles won, interceptions and clearances. What's even better is the fact that he's playing nearly the full match in each of his appearances. A decent back-up option for a gameweek where studs could be rotated.

Jaydee Canvot (D, Crystal Palace) 

I still can't believe that Lacroix was sent off for touching Cunha on his shoulder in Gameweek 28, but now given the Frenchman's absence for Gameweek 29, this opens up the opportunity for Canvot to get yet another start. Canvot has had a mixed start to his career at Crystal Palace, but after his start against Man Utd, it marked the first time he started back-to-back games in the league. Although his score of 10.5 FPts, with a clean sheet and yellow card, against Wolves, isn't very glamorous, it was his 6.5 FPts against Man Utd that gave us some hope of being a viable DEF-4/5 pick. In his previous starts, he's also registered scores of 15 and 13 FPts. Up next the Eagles visit Spurs, arguably the worst team in the league despite what the league table says. Spurs have also had the worst home form over the last 4 home games of all teams in the league. So this could be an easy clean sheet opportunity.

Pascal Struijk (D, Leeds)

Ever since switching to 5-at-the-back system against Man City in November, Farke's defenders have offered a lot of value as a DEF-4/5 pick for managers. The main beneficiary of this tactical tweak has been Pascal Struijk. Since that game, he's actually been averaging just over 10 PPS and has scored more fantrax points than the likes of Neco Williams, Lewis Hall and even Jurrien Timber. His 8.6 gPPS is the 4th best amongst all Leeds outfielders and despite not keeping a clean sheet in his last 5 appearances, he's still managed scores of 11, 8.25, 11, 5.5 and 8 FPts. It should be noted that he even played the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man City during this run. It's criminal that his roster percentage is this low. So snap him up before it's too late!

Sepp van den Berg (D, Brentford)

There was much deliberation about which Brentford asset, outside of Kayode, we should be rostering for Brentford's favourable fixture run. Sepp van den Berg might have finally put that debate to rest with his most recent score of 18 FPts against Burnley. Yes, there's an assist in his score, but he also conceded 3 goals. He also now has 2 assists in his last 3 games. His ghost point reliance was also highlighted in their 0-2 loss against Brighton, where the Dutch defender still put up 12.25 FPts. Since his return to the Bees' starting XI, he's been averaging just under 12 PPS. He's managed this by being 1st for interceptions (8), clearances (29) and aerials (22). He's basically turned into Ethan Pinnock, one of the most reliable defensive assets in seasons past. So even though we're not expecting a clean sheet against Bournemouth, I'd still risk starting him as my DEF-3/4.

Vitalii Mykolenko (M, Everton)

It was really devastating news for many Fantrax managers when we had gotten confirmation that Grealish was ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury, but when one door closes, another one opens. That silver lining was Mykolenko's fantasy output. There was some suspicion that Grealish's presence was affecting Mykolenko's viability as being a nailed option in your roster this season, as the Ukrainian had only been averaging just over 7 PPS this season, as opposed to his 9.0 PPS from last season. While Grealish was fit, despite registering double digit scores 6 times (13.5, 10, 11.25, 16.75, 11.75 &12.5), Mykolenko's scores were actually all fuelled by clean sheets. In fact, since Grealish's absence, Mykolenko has put up scores of 10.25, 6.25 (yellow card), 8.5 and 8 FPts, having conceded at least 1 goal in each of those games. So despite keeping fewer clean sheets in recent games, he's actually been back to some of his best ghosting output. So if you need a DEF-4/5 this week, I'd deffo roll him out. He's even arguably a DEF-3 given he's facing Burnley this week.

Alex Scott (M, Bournemouth)

After putting up only 3 double digit scores in the first 23 gameweeks of the season, Alex Scott now has 3 in his last 6 gameweeks (20.5, 10 and 13 FPts). What's even more impressive is the fact that only 1 of those last 3 double digit scores was with an attacking return (1 goal in Gameweek 24 vs Wolves). He's actually been averaging just over 9 gPPS over the last 6 games. So where has this uptick in ghost point production come from? Well over this spell, Scott has been 2nd for shots attempted (10 with 5 on target), blocked shots (3) and successful dribbles (6), as well as being 1st for interceptions (13) amongst his teammates. So it's clear that he's really adapted to Iraola's philosophy and seems to be one of the first names on the team sheet. If he can improve his consistency of attacking returns, then he could be a real gem of a MID-3 pick, but for now he makes a reliable MID-4/5.

Dwight McNeil (M, Everton)

You'd think that after Grealish got injured that McNeil would have been an immediate shoe-in, but Gameweek 28 was McNeil's first appearance and start since Gameweek 23, where he was subbed off at halftime. It's not surprising given McNeil is an option as a Sleeper pick these days, especially when you consider his 5.9 PPS this season. But let's be honest, when you've got Burnley as a fixture, form kind of goes out the window. The Clarets seem to have changed their style of play recently as well, with the belief that they could pull off a miracle and survive relegation, Scott Parker and his men seem to be going for the win in every game, seemingly unconcerned of how many they could concede. This screams points potential for McNeil. Burnley have conceded 14 goals in the last 6 games in the league, only 1 fewer than Newcastle. It should also be noted that McNeil attempted 4 shots (2 on target) against Newcastle, which was how he got his assist for Beto's goal. So maybe he gets on the scoresheet himself against one of his old employers. A great MID-4 punt.

Mathias Jensen (F, Brentford)

If you're in need of a reliable MID-4/5 pick then look no further. Since Gameweek 20, Jensen has been a regular starter for the Bees. There was a lot of focus on Janelt since then, and rightly so given the regular attacking returns, but now that Janelt has been ruled out of action for the foreseeable future, Jensen is probably your easiest entry point into a Brentford attack with a tasty fixture run until the end of April. Over the last 4 gameweeks, Jensen has been averaging just over 10 PPS, getting 2 assists along the way. During this period, he's been 2nd for key passes (6), shots (7 with 3 on target) and 1st for accurate crosses (4). The only concern with him as a pick is the return of Damsgaard, which may force Jensen into a more defensive role. That being said, he still has a monopoly on corners, having taken 6 of their 8 against Burnley. He even scored 7.25 FPts, despite not playing a direct role in any of the 4 goals they scored. He's a great glue guy for any roster.

Mateus Mane (F, Wolves)

Many managers have been considering dropping Mateus Mane this gameweek and it feels quite reactionary. Sure he's had scores of 2.75 and 0.5 FPts in his last 3 gameweeks, but that was against Aston Villa and Arsenal respectively. These are 2 of top 4 clubs in the league at the moment! If you take those bad scores away, we're ignoring the fact that he's still managed returns of 8.25, 8, 7.5, 10.25 and 10.5 FPts, with the most glaring bit being that these were all ghost points! He still has a share of corners with Hugo Bueno as well, so his ceiling is still fairly healthy (14.8 FPts). So if you're like me and badly need a dependable forward who plays 90 minutes and starts every game, you could do a lot worse that an asset with a PPS of 8.0 and PP90 of 10.0.

Samuel Chukwueze (F, Fulham) 

According to our Fixture Difficulty Tracker, Fulham FWDs have the 2nd best rated fixture for Gameweek 29. With Kevin having undergone surgery and most likely being out for the rest of the season, we should see an increase in minutes and starts for Chuk. The Nigerian FWD's 17.1 PP90 is still the best amongst his teammates, and we were reminded of how good he still is given he scored 6.25 FPts in only 17 minutes in his sub appearance against Spurs. He managed to register 2 key passes, 1 accurate cross, 3 clearances and an aerial in his short cameo. West Ham just conceded 5 goals to Liverpool, so there's a chance Fulham could find some joy against the Hammers. Harry Wilson is also a doubt for Gameweek 29, which should mean Chuk gets a start. Not only is he a good option for this gameweek, but also a great option for the first blank gameweek in the season in Gameweek 31, when Fulham host Burnley.

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