As the great Cave of Wonders in Aladdin once said: "Find me the diamond in the rough". Well, I am here to give you just that. There are a few players worth monitoring over the summer ahead of the next Fantrax EPL campaign for various reasons. Either they could be set for a bigger role, a move to a club where they will see more time, or currently at a club that will surely improve in the upcoming season. This brightens their prospects coming into the next draft; it's worth keeping an eye out to see how they progress in preseason. These players could provide great value next season. Click here for details on how you can access our 23/24 Draft Kit.
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!
Fantrax Diamonds in the Rough
Check out Genie's early look into some under the radar Fantrax EPL gems ahead of the 23/24 season! Without further adieu, read below for our Fantrax Diamonds in the Rough.
Tyrick Mitchell
Team: Crystal Palace
Position: Defender
Prospects: Mitchell has shown flashes of his potential this season, and the same can be said for Palace as a whole after a topsy-turvy start under former manager Patrick Vieira last season. Based on the results at the end of the campaign, the team seems to be headed in the right direction. While it remains to be seen if Hodgson stays at the helm next year, I would expect this team to improve regardless. I think Palace are just a few pieces shy of becoming the "mid-table" team to push for a Europe spot in 2023/2024 - similar to the step up Brighton, Newcastle, and Aston Villa took this season. With such a young core, they can only improve. I expect Zaha to leave, but for Palace to make a few big name signings with a new attacker, defender, and another solid midfielder. They have done well with recent signings Eze and Olise becoming unplayable at times. Meanwhile, Mitchell will only grow into that LB role as he gets more experience, and with a very good season under his belt, I can see his attacking game improving as well, especially if Palace sign a prolific forward.
Fantasy-wise, Mitchell needs to add some more consistent attacking stats to his game in order to make that jump from streamer to solid DEF2-DEF3. Mitchell has only racked up 15 key passes in his 34 starts this season, which is quite underwhelming. On top of that, he only has produced 6 shots (a measly 1 on target). Wan-Bissaka comes to mind here as a potential role model. Ten Hag has slowly helped AWB build his offensive game and it has resulted in a big boost to his fantasy output and ghost points. If Hodgson does stay at the helm, it remains to be seen the license Mitchell will be given to go forward as Uncle Roy can be more of a pragmatist. To emphasize that point further, Mitchell hasn't had a Key Pass in his last 4 games despite them being against easy opposition in Fulham, Bournemouth, Spurs and West Ham. While his attacking prowess has been limited, defensively Mitchell fills out the stat sheet nicely. He's currently third among defenders for tackles won with 49, and among the top 15 defenders in interceptions (42) and dribbles won (17). The discrepency between his defensive and attacking stats really shows in his average ghost points. Mitchell only averages 5.8 ghost points per start this season; if you add in a clean sheet, that's a ceiling of under 12.
With all of these caveats, you may be wondering: why Mitchell? Well, it is simply that I have faith in the young player to improve his attacking output and thus his fantasy points. When preseason comes around, I'll be looking closely at how Hodgson or the new manager plans to use the fullbacks for the upcoming campaign. We already see Joel Ward growing more into an attacking role and I am hoping it is simply a lack of experience holding Mitchell back right now.
He's one to watch this summer especially to see how Palace start to piece together. You should easily be able to pick him up in the last 3 rounds of any draft next season and he is one that is worth a gamble.
James Garner
Team: Everton
Position: Midfielder
Prospects: Garner has recently started to find his footing at Everton. The Manchester United academy prodigy was lured away on a permanent deal back in September in a shocking move. Garner wanted playing time more than anything, but didn't find it at Everton either - until Dyche took the reigns. While Garner has shown he can ghost and be involved in the attack, he has struggled to show some consistency. In his six starts this season, Garner's scores have ranged from 2.5 to16.5, with just 1 assist.
This is a small sample size, however, in what is his first taste in the EPL on a team that has really struggled. Garner has managed 5 ghost points in all but one of his starts showing there is hope there. Dyche seems to prefer Doucoure as his free roaming attacking mid, with Garner shifting in just behind him in the midfield. I personally see Garner being used as a mix of an 8 and a 6, which could help his overall fantasy numbers as he grows in confidence. Seven key passes and three shots on target in 7 starts shows potential, especially for a team that relies heavily on McNeil as their chief creator. According to The Draft Society set piece taker tracker, Garner has taken about 11% of the set pieces when he was on the pitch, with an average of 3.1 set pieces/90. With McNeil taking the majority, it still shows that Dyche trusts Garner's creative ability to allow him to take a slice of the action. As his deliveries and the attacking talent around him improves, the hope is that he can add in a few more KPs, and assists from these set pieces.
He's not lighting up the ghost points like fellow teammates Iwobi and McNeil, but he is someone who has potential and will go seriously under the radar. A full preseason with Everton and a consistent starting role could see a sneaky upside MID4 fall to you in the latter rounds of the draft.
Lewis Hall
Team: Chelsea
Position: Midfielder (For now)
Prospects: Lewis Hall has put Chilwell to shame in recent weeks. Chilwell has had a poor season with many fans calling for him to be dropped and just shipped out of the club entirely. Hall has taken with the both hands the chance provided by Chillwell's injury absence. With Pochettino coming in, it remains to be seen if he will be able to be the out and out first choice LB. We have seen what Poch can do to make average full-backs look world class (see Danny Rose and Kyle Walker). If he believes in Hall as much as the Chelsea fan base, then he could be a set and forget fantasy player next year that you get in the double-digit draft rounds. For reference, when Danny Rose was under Pochettino between 2013-2017, he boasted PPMs of: 10.2, 11.3, 12.4, and 13.3, with at least 22 starts in each of those seasons. Poch has shown he loves to work with full backs and ones with serious talent can do damage in fantasy under him.
Hall's best two performances in fantasy have come under Lampard this year, with 11 and 13 ghost points, respectively, vs. Newcastle United and Manchester City. He fills up the stat sheet nicely, including on the attacking end with 5 key passes and 2 shots on target in just these two games alone. He also was classified as a Midfielder instead of a Defender, so he wasn't dinged for goals conceded. There is a chance Hall's position is changed to Defender based on where he lined up this season, which is something to monitor when Fantrax relaunches closer to August.
One big question remains here. Will he stay at Chelsea if there is no guaranteed gametime? If he heads to another EPL team and gets consistent minutes, he provides similar value. Look for his minutes in preseason and whether he's in the "A" or "B" lineups. This will be a good indication of his prospects for Chelsea. If he isn't getting the minutes, he is definitely still worth a draft as he may get a late window move. Hall has shown he can ghost with the best of them - he also has minimal EPL experience so the hope is that he will only get better. If he gets minutes, look out.
Noni Madueke
Team: Chelsea
Position: Forward
Prospects: Madueke has shown he can play in the Premier League. He hasn't really been given a run of games to put together some form, but the hope here is that Pochettino sees his potential. Pochettino has previously had a really positive effect on his main attackers in Kane, Son, Dele, and Eriksen. Madueke needs freedom due to his dribbling prowess and pace to help both create and score for his team. While Madueke has 1 goal in his 6 starts this season, he has managed at least 3 dribbles in each of those starts. His most recent start in gameweek 38 vs. Newcastle was very productive. He managed 15 ghost points from 3 key passes, 1 shot on target, and 5 dribbles showing his attacking fluidity. Chelsea as a whole have been nothing short of horrible this season but Madueke has been somewhat of a bright spot. Anytime he is on the pitch he is one of the few players that can truly hold their head high. He gives it his all for the team and the fans and seems to be "auditioning" for a role next season.
He has done a job off the bench. In his five substitute appearances, he has managed scores of: 6.5, 8, 5, 1, and 3, and none of these include attacking returns. I am almost certain Chelsea buy a new striker next season with Kai rumoured to be off to Arsenal, but what remains to be seen is if they buy a new winger. Currently the likes of: Mudryk, Madueke, Sterling, Pulisic, Felix, and Kai if he stays are all competing for just 2 wing spots. I expect some of these names to leave, but if a big name winger signs for Chelsea I would expect Madueke's prospects to dampen. That is the main thing I am monitoring this summer - will Madueke face even more competition? He is someone who will slip to the late rounds unless he has a stellar preseason - in which case he is worth a draft since he has proven he can perform off the bench too.
David Brooks
Team: Bournemouth
Position: Midfielder
Prospects: It is a heart warming story. David Brooks has battled back from cancer and started to get consistent minutes for Bournemouth again. Many may have forgotten how talented this young player is, and he will surely be one of their focal points next season playing on their right wing. Hamed has gotten a lot of the plaudits for his short spell as the playmaker in both a winger and central role, but he has already shown how injury prone he is. My assumption is Hamed will get majority of his minutes in a more central role with Brooks off to his right and potentially a new signing or one of Christie or Ouattara on his left.
In 2018-2019, Brooks made 29 starts in the EPL for Bournemouth with 7 goals and 5 assists. Fantasy-wise, he had a strong PPM of 9.03 to go along with 30 key passes and 20 shots on target. Brooks tends to add some other counting stats as well, with 20+ dribbles, tackles and interceptions that season as well. In his most recent start vs. Manchester United he split set-piece duty with Christie, which is a good indication going forward. Bournemouth will surely strengthen some of the pieces around Brooks, but I am not worried about his position in the team next year. He is very highly rated by the club, fans, and current manager O'Neil and should be a near lock in the XI when fit.
Brooks is someone who can offer consistent MID3-4 value, especially if they buy some stronger pieces around him to push for a top10 finish. Brooks is a tricky one to value in a draft as there may always be one manager who rates him so highly to draft him in rounds 5-6, but at the same time he could fall to round 10-12. It is worth monitoring his playtime in preseason and overall health, as well as any chatter in your league to see how late you can get this talented player.
Honourable Mentions:
Michael Keane (EVE) - DEF
Prospects: An aerial king, and if Everton avoid relegation has serious DEF1 potential just off headers. But will Dyche start him consistently next season?
Kevin Schade (BRE) - MID
Prospects: Showed he can ball out vs. the best this year, just needs more consistent minutes and attacking returns to be a serious fantasy asset. Ivan Toney's long suspension surely opens the way for Schade to become a focal point in the attack.
Danilo (NOT) - MID
Prospects: A very boom or bust player but can rack up the ghosties. A better option next year than your classic "CDMs" given his upside.
Wesley Fofana (CHE) - DEF
Prospects: Can Pochettino get the best out of this Chelsea back line? If so Fofana has shown he contribute all over the pitch with ghost points and being a threat from set plays. One to look for in the later rounds with his DEF1 upside. **Monitor any preseason injuries given his current record.
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more. Dominate your draft!
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