Gameweek 4 Sleepers XI: Draft EPL

Bantah Boyz
Sep 12
8 min read

Our Gameweek 4 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!

Michail Antonio shooting the ball for West Ham

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 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.

I knew I was getting over-confident after the first two gameweeks! Good thing there was an international break for hiding from our GW3 score of 51.75 FPts. So, what went wrong? For starters, and no pun intended, Emiliano Martinez didn't feature at all in GW3. We also only had 3 outfielders score in double digits: Chris Richards who got 13 with his clean sheet, as well as Anton Stach's 11.25 and David Brooks' 12.5 scores, both without any attacking returns. So, what about the rest of the stragglers? Starting with DEFs, Alderete got 6.75 FPts (all ghosts), Matty Cash with 1.25 FPts (2 goals conceded with 1 yellow card), Kayode's underwhelming 1.75 Fpts (2 goals conceded) and our punt of the week, Jackson Tchatchoua got -1.75 FPts after conceding 3 goals. In midfield, we had Mason Mount who only scored 4 FPts in 45 minutes (off injured) whereas in attack we got 1 FPt from new boy Guessand (45 minutes and yanked) and Osula's 2 FPts in 90 minutes of play. It was a very grim gameweek and lessons were learned. The only way is up now for Gameweek 4.

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 4. 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.

Bernd Leno (G, Fulham)

Although it's a really small sample size, Leno is currently tied 3rd for most saves in the league. This is likely because he faced the 3 teams in the league (Chelsea, Man United and Brighton) who have racked up the most xG of the season so far. During this period, Leno has been averaging just under 9 gPPS. However, Fulham host Leeds in GW4, the team with the 2nd lowest npxG (non-penalty xG) in the league. Leeds have only scored 1 goal for the season and that was from a penalty! So there's a really good chance of a shut out here. A great option for any Trafford owners that may have missed out on getting Donnarumma.

Chris Richards (D, Crystal Palace)

It should come as no surprise that our Fixture Difficulty Tracker has Crystal Palace DEFs as the best rated fixture for all defenders in GW4 as they host Sunderland. Honestly it is crazy that Richards is still an option for our Sleepers XI article. After Guehi's failed transfer to Liverpool, everyone should have been clamoring for a Crystal Palace DEF, as they're arguably one of the best in the league. The American CB is currently scoring just under 8 gPPS and has shown in the past that he can nick the odd attacking return as well. Richards might be a Sleeper here, but he should be a permanent part of any roster in any league.

Kenny Tete (D, Fulham)

If you think Bernd Leno is a reliable option, then doubling down on the Leeds fixture seems like a really safe play here, especially if you're scrambling for a DEF-3/4 in your roster this week. The International Break has not been kind when it comes to knocks and injuries, so Tete could be a good backup option for GW5 as well, in case one of your studs like Ait-Nouri is still missing in action. Tete is currently averaging around 7 gPPS and although most of his points have come from tackles won and aerials, he does have the ability to put up attacking numbers as well. He's played 90 minutes in all 3 games for Fulham so far, so he's as reliable as they come, especially when you're pitting him against a promoted team in a home fixture.

Marcos Senesi (D, Bournemouth)

Despite losing a huge chunk of their backline, under the tutelage of Iraola the Cherries seem to have managed quite well during the start of their 25/26 Premier League campaign. Even after conceding 4 goals to Liverpool in the opening weekend of the season, Bournemouth currently sit 7th in the league after back-to-back wins and clean sheets against Wolves and more impressively, Spurs. Senesi's time at Bournemouth looked to be in real jeopardy last season after wonderkid Huijsen stole his starting spot. Lest we forget though that Senesi was also a really solid pick 2 seasons ago, averaging just under 9 PPS during the 23/24 season. Luckily, he might be a good pick again. He seems to be nailed at the moment and although his points are inflated with clean sheets and the assist for Evanilson's goal in Gameweek 3, he's still averaging just over 9 gPPS, which is great as a DEF-3. Although Brighton are smashing the xG charts, this could indicate that Senesi will be kept very busy, which could mean lots of defensive ghost points.

Nordi Mukiele (D, Sunderland)

In the presser updates this week, we were told that Ballard is probably going to be back in contention in a couple of games, but until he is actually ready to start games again, then Mukiele is the perfect stop-gap as a DEF-3/4 option. Crystal Palace are missing a few key cogs in their setup, like Sarr and Wharton, so there is a genuine chance of a rare clean sheet for Sunderland this weekend. However, even if they don't keep one, I'd still be tempted to play Mukiele. Albeit a tiny sample size, he's pretty much matched Ballard for gPPS, scoring just under 11. Majority of his haul against Brentford came via tackles won, clearances and aerials and I don't see that changing when he comes up against the likes of Mateta in GW4. A solid play while he's still an option in the league.

Tosin Adarabioyo (D, Chelsea)

Even though Chalobah is the top scoring asset in the game, his partner-in-crime, has somewhat gone under the radar as a DEF-2/3 pick. Chelsea are 1 of 4 teams to have only conceded 1 goal this season, the lowest in the league, and the Blues also boast one of the lowest xGC too (expected goals conceded). Even though Tosin has played 1 game fewer than Chalobah, his 9.5 gPPS is actually better than his teammate's. Chelsea seem like they could keep a good amount of clean sheets this season and so he could be a great starter for any manager's roster throughout the season. Although Brentford have been a bit of a bogey team in recent history for Chelsea, all the changes for the Bees in both their squad and coaching staff could negatively affect their chances this season. I'm backing the Blues for their 3rd clean sheet in 4 games.

Brajan Gruda (M, Brighton)

With Matt O'Riley having left for pastures anew, lots of managers are salivating at the prospect of Gruda being the new No. 10 for the Seagulls. Now there's always the chance that Hürzeler rotates his squad and plays Rutter there instead (with Welbeck up top), but if Gruda does get the nod, you'll definitely want to roll him out against Bournemouth this weekend. After such a slow start to the season for the German mid, he reminded us of his potential as a dependable fantasy asset after a stellar performance off the bench to help Brighton get their first win of the season against Man City, helping to overturn a 1 goal deficit and eventually scoring the winner. During those 28 minutes, Gruda attempted 3 shots (2 on target), had 1 KP and 2 successful dribbles. He's usually at the heart of most attacks when he plays and is typically on most set pieces as well. This could genuinely be a streaming pick that turns into a season long hold. An easy start or stash.

David Brooks (M, Bournemouth)

It's great to see Brooks playing football again. If him getting the captaincy armband in Gameweek 3 wasn't enough evidence that he's an integral part to the Bournemouth team, well now he's signed a contract extension to keep him at the club till 2029. The only downside to Brooks so far has been the number of minutes he's played per game. It would be great if he was playing at least 80 minutes, but the back-to-back 60+ minute appearances is definitely a cause for concern (as is Amine Adli's signing and Justin Kluivert's regained fitness). Maybe he's still building his fitness up, but until then he's an easy start in any roster as a MID-3/4. He's currently averaging just under 12 gPP90, which is the highest of all Bournemouth players. Brooks already has 1 attacking return in 3 games and is showing no signs of slowing down, mainly after his near 12 ghost point game in their 1-0 win against Spurs.

Mateus Fernandes (M, West Ham)

New boy Mateus Fernandes is back in the league with the big boys and he's shown again why he was one of the best picks from Southampton last season. The industrious Portuguese MID managed 6.5 ghost points in 81 minutes, with a couple of key passes, tackles won and a single interception. It's clear that the Hammers signed him for his energy in midfield, something they have been seriously lacking for some time, but there's a chance that Mateus might be on more set pieces in the future. Ward-Prowse currently has a monopoly on the sets but there is a world where he's no longer a starter for West Ham, which could be music to Mateus' owners (he did take the 1 corner when JWP left the pitch in GW4). Fernandes offers both defensive and attacking ghost points with the chance of a possible attacking return as he was a major component in the bounce back result for Potter and his new 4-at-the-back system.

Beto (F, Everton)

There's been a lot concern about who might actually be the starting striker at Everton after they invested in a new young striker named Thierno Barry. However he's not really matched expectations yet and it doesn't help his case that Beto has finally notched his 1st goal of the season, right after scoring in the league cup as well. There's no guarantee that Beto has penalty duty, despite taking one during the Toffees' preseason, but how can you not bet on a guy that has a midfield with a rejuvenated Jack Grealish! Beto has also been scoring just over 6 gPPS, which is a decent floor as a FWD-2/3. If he's somehow free in your league, then I'd definitely roll him out against an out-of-sorts Aston Villa team, which also have European commitments to plan for as well.

Callum Wilson (F, West Ham)

Niclas Fullkrug seems to have picked up a calf injury during the International Break and there's no confirmation on whether or not it's the same injury that affected him last season. As it stands, the German FWD is supposed to be out for at least the next few weeks. This really should pave the way for Callum Wilson to get his first start of the season, especially after such a good sub appearance against Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 3. Wilson scored 19 FPts in 25 minutes which included a goal, 4 shots (4 on target) as well as 2 successful dribbles. There's always a chance that this veteran doesn't last the full 90 minutes, but he still worth a punt if you need a FWD-3 this gameweek. Also lads, it's Tottenham.