Gameweek 3 Sleepers XI: Draft EPL

Our Gameweek 3 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 3 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 smashing GW1, we've gone and done it again with a score of 104 FPts in GW2! So let's break it down. In net we went with Petrovic, who managed managed to score 10.5 FPts with a clean sheet. In our 3-man defence, we had the likes of Chalobah, Hartman and Keane. Keane's (10.75 FPts) and Hartman's (9.75 FPts) scores aren't fantastic viewing, especially as they both got shut outs in their respective fixtures but the stand out was definitely Chalobah's 17.75 FPts which included a goal with 7.75 ghost points. In our 5-man midfield we got a haul from Cullen (22 FPts) via his goal and assist, whereas the likes of Munetsi (3.75 FPts), O'Riley (7.5 FPts), Wharton (5 FPts) and Xhaka (4.75 FPts) all scored under 10 fantasy points, despite playing between 80-90 minutes in their games. Finally, our 2-man attack had Lyle Foster's 2 Fpts in 85 minutes, which is disappointing given Ballard's early injury, as well as Richarlison's 10.25 FPts which included an assist and a yellow card. Not great but not terrible either. We would have liked to have the points spread across the roster a bit more but hopefully we can achieve that and more as we try to smash Gameweek 3!

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 or not they'll start in Gameweek 3. 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.

Emiliano Martinez (G, Aston Villa)

Depending on where you get your clean sheet odds numbers, chances are Aston Villa are still high up the table and look good for a possible shut out against Crystal Palace, especially after the departure of their talisman Eberechi Eze. It's not great viewing that I'm suggesting a goalkeeper that only managed 3 FPts in Gameweek 2 but the fact is that the Argentine shot-stopper only made 1 save from 2 shots that Brentford made on target. Emery and his Villans badly need a result this weekend with no wins or goals to their name so let's hope that Martinez can help them get their first win as well. Who knows, with Onana and Kamara missing in midfield, they might let in a few more shots than usual.

Chris Richards (D, Crystal Palace)

Chris Richards should really be rostered in every league. The American was averaging just over 8 gPPS last season and has already started this season in similar fashion. In Gameweek 3, the Eagles face an Aston Villa team who has yet to score this season, so the possibility of a clean sheet looks really good this weekend. That being said, we are slightly concerned about Richards' output with the possibly exit of his teammate Guehi. Richards does also have some goal threat from set pieces. In fact, his only assist from the 24/25 campaign in fact came against Aston Villa! So if you're a bit superstitious, let's hope for another attacking return in Gameweek 3. Regardless, he's a great DEF-3/4 for any roster.

Jackson Tchatchoua (D, Wolves)

Wolves are still trying to find their feet in the league after the departures of big names like Cunha and Ait-Nouri. Even the likes of the underrated Nelson Semedo has yet to be properly replaced in their starting XI. In spite of that, there is some hope on the horizon. Vitor might have found his answer in Tchatchoua. The Belgian defender came off the bench against Bournemouth in Gameweek 2 and scored a very impressive 7.5 ghost points in 54 minutes. This score included 1 KP, 1 ACNC, 2 interceptions and a couple of aerials as well. He then backed up this performance with another great appearance off the bench in the EFL cup against West Ham having gotten the assist for Strand Larsen's winning goal in the dying minutes of the game. If Tchatchoua can nail a starting spot in the Wolves setup, we're looking at a really solid DEF-3 with upside.

Matty Cash (D, Aston Villa)

I could not believe my eyes when I saw that Matty Cash took 7 of the 9 corners that Aston Villa had in Gameweek 2, despite not taking any during the opening weekend of the league. Although it's a very small sample size, Cash has actually improved slightly in his ghost points per start, now surpassing the 8 gPPS threshold. Maybe the added set piece duty helps his cause but we've seen the Polish defender also have some goals to his game. If Aston Villa and Emery continue to play without actual wingers, then there's a chance that Cash could be relied upon to provide that creativity and threat from out wide. I don't usually trust Aston Villa defenders for points but this could be a great streaming option if you need a DEF-3/4.

Michael Kayode (D, Brentford) 

How have managers already lost patience with "The Coyote". Sure, his GW1 score wasn't fantastic, only getting 3.75 FPts versus Nottingham Forest but he conceded 3 goals in that game! So in reality he scored 7.75 ghost points that game, which was similar to his tally against Aston Villa in Gameweek 2. Kayode is a great option as a DEF-2/3 and not for his ghosts or the rare clean sheet, but because he has the attacking upside. He's shown he can get key passes and successful dribbles and the stats won't show how good of a long throw that he has, which could fluke your way into fantasy points when you least expect it! The Bees visit Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, which is a fantastic fixture on paper. So if Kayode is free in your league, go pick him up.

Omar Alderete (D, Sunderland) 

It's a shame that Ballard is out injured as an option from the Sunderland defence, but when one door closes, another one opens. That door is Omar Alderete. After 2 games in the league, Alderete already boasts a 10.6 gPP90 from the Black Cats defence, the best of all players available to choose from. The Paraguayan defender also already has an assist to his name from the 3-0 thrashing of the Hammers in Gameweek 1. It's also pretty interesting to see that he has an accurate cross in both of his appearances, despite playing as a CB. However you're playing him for his defensive contributions and without Ballard in the backline, here's hoping that Alderete can hoover up all the points on offer against the Bees this weekend.

Anton Stach (M, Leeds)

It's crazy to think that Stach is still under 60% rostered in leagues. After his hot start to the campaign, the German midfielder still managed to score 6.25 ghost points despite the 5-0 battering him and his team received from the Gunners in Gameweek 2. This score also included 3 key passes and both corners that Leeds were awarded. The only concern about Stach is that his midfield partners Ampadu and Tanaka are now injured so there is slight concern if there is some kind of knock-on effect on his contributions in the Leeds midfield. Let's be real though, you're stashing him for the possible upside and plethora of key passes that he seems to be racking up. So grab the German while you con!

David Brooks (M, Bournemouth)

There's a chance that Brooks could eventually be replaced by new boy Amine Adli but given the fact that the latter started in the midweek cup fixture and didn't have the best of performances, Brooks might be safe for yet another gameweek. Brooks is currently averaging 10 gPP90 and he's already gotten an assist to his name in the opening weekend of the season. Spurs seem to be quietly going about their transfer business and look solid even without their new shiny toys like Xavi Simons. Despite the back-to-back clean sheets for Spurs this season, they still conceded over 1 xG in both their games which gives Bournemouth attackers hope for some goals and hopefully some assists. So if you need a MID-4 this weekend, Brooks could be your guy.

Mason Mount (M, Man Utd)

According to our Fixture Difficulty Tracker, it should come as no surprise that Manchester United midfielders have the best rated fixture in Gameweek 3. As a Chelsea fan, it irks me a bit that Mount is finding his feet again as a Manchester United player but as a football fan, I'm buzzing to see the lad fit and playing football again. Despite the horrible results for the Red Devils in recent games, yes I'm throwing the Grimsby result in there, Mount seems to be scoring fantasy points at a decent rate. Mount has been scoring just over 7 gPP90 which is a great floor for a fixture against the Clarets. It should be noted that Mount took all 4 corners against Grimsby in the midweek cup game and got the assist for Maguire's equalizing goal as well. So there's potential for the ex-Chelsea midfielder to go big this weekend.

Evann Guessand (F, Aston Villa)

It's crazy to me that Emery played 5 central midfielders behind Ollie Watkins in Gameweek 2. No wonder they're struggling to score goals! Now even the likes of Kamara has picked up a hamstring injury so here's hoping that Unai is forced into making some smart changes and adding some much needed width to his play. So enter new boy Evann Guessand. Loads of managers in our community have either been holding him patiently but if you're in a league where he's free, I'd definitely consider stashing him. The only risk is that Aston play in the final game of the gameweek so you'll need a back-up plan if he doesn't get a start. Guessand is currently predicted to score around 9.5 FPts, despite facing a sturdy Crystal Palace defence. That being said, they might be without the likes of their captain Guehi given the speculation that Liverpool might be signing the Eagles' captain very soon.

William Osula (F, Newcastle) 

Newcastle were extremely unlucky not to get any points from the Monday night fixture against Liverpool. Even when down to 10-men, Newcastle looked the team more likely to score goals. However with no Isak and now no Gordon - thanks to a very silly challenge on Virgil - a spot has opened up for Osula to show what he can offer. Osula came off the bench on Monday evening and scored the equalizer for the Magpies and took his goal well. It's hard to judge him off only 13 minutes of action but with Leeds up next and the possible return to play for Tonali and Schar, Newcastle look to be in good shape for their game against the newly promoted lads. If there was ever a time to punt on Osula, it's now.

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