Courtesy of one of our content providers The Draft Society, here we bring to you 3 Fantrax Sleepers for this draft season! Check out our hints and tips on these under-valued players who can win you your draft late. Essential reading to avoid misfiring during your Fantrax Draft this summer.
3 EPL Sleepers to Keep an Eye on in 2024 Drafts
DEF: Wesley Fofana
Team: Chelsea
ADP: N/A
Recommended Round to Draft: 14-15
Prospects: Fofana is a forgotten man after missing the entire season with a knee injury. Under a new manager, Fofana could start to live up to all the hype he built before his move to Chelsea. In pre-season so far Fofana has seen solid minutes in his CB role. Maresca has shown he wants to build up Fofana’s fitness, hinting that he has a strong case to crack the opening-day XI. While we have no stats from last season to use for Fofana, his best season at Leicester had him at a 9.4 PPG, showing he does have fantasy potential. While he hasn’t scored many goals in his EPL career, he offers a towering presence in the box, and surely Maresca will look to utilize him in set pieces.
Chelsea will be looking to improve especially defensively, and based on raw talent Fofana has to be one of the go-to guys for Maresca. This is a very low-risk pick. If Chelsea improves defensively, and Fofana can stay healthy, you will have yourself a solid DEF2 drafted in the last few rounds of the draft. Worst case scenario, he is an easy drop if Chelsea shows they will take a while to adjust. I would not start him in the opening game vs. City, but if he is in the XI, he will be a good play in the games vs. Wolves, Palace, Bournemouth, and Saints after that.
MID: William Smallbone
Team: Southampton
ADP: 153
Recommended Round to Draft: 13-14
Prospects: Smallbone is more than worthy of a spot in this XI. While Saints will not be the most exciting team this season, Smallbone will most likely be their go-to guy on the ball. He will command a good amount of set pieces and could offer a nice floor. He will have his work cut out for him in midfield, which could see him winning a decent amount of tackles and interceptions, as well as racking up a few key passes and shots on target. All this is a recipe for a consistent MID4-5. While this doesn’t sound very exciting, this is something that you always need in your roster. Smallbone should see close to 90 minutes in most games and offers some upside given his role in the team. While he may not replicate what legend JWP did for the Saints, if we can even get JWP lite stats from him, he will be more than worth his draft pick.
Saints are in the market for more attacking options to add to their roster, which will only help Smallbone’s prospects. The better players around him, the more upside he has with those potential key passes turning into assists. He is projected to have a PPS of 7.4 this season, but I could see that creeping up to above 8. For reference, Ryan Christie averaged 8.7 PPS last season, and we saw how valuable an asset he became in Fantrax. If Smallbone can offer that kind of value, he will be a set-and-forget in most rosters.
FWD: Luis Sinisterra
Team: Bournemouth
ADP: 332
Recommended Round to Draft: 13-15
Prospects: This late in the draft you should have two to three guaranteed starting forwards in your roster. After round 11 you look to take those high-upside forwards who, if they win a spot, will offer some really good value. Sinisterra perfectly fits this description. He was recently brought in full-time after being on loan last year. He was injury-prone last year, but that didn’t stop him from showing glimpses of potential. In his 7 starts, he averaged 9.7 PPS and 8 ghost points per start. He had 2 goals and 2 assists last year, both goals came off the bench, and both assists came from starts. It is not a question of talent with Sinisterra, it is just a matter of him getting into the XI. The likes of Tavernier and Semenyo are ahead of him in the wing spot, but we could see an interesting shift with Tav moving to the 10, Kluivert dropped, and Sini starting on the left. But it is more likely than not, Sinisterra starts the season on the bench.
If you draft Tavernier, I consider Sinisterra a must-draft. Tavernier has been known to disappear at times, and if so, I see no reason why Iraola wouldn’t change things up. Also, injuries seem more common than not in this Bournemouth team, which could see Sini start more often. If Sinisterra is on your radar, try to bring him in as a FWD4. This will allow you to keep him on your bench for a few weeks without scrambling for starters. I am a huge fan of Bournemouth wingers, and taking Sinisterra with your 14th-rounder can offer incredible value.
Check out the Fantrax Fantasy EPL Draft Kit! And make sure you also check out the 24/25 Draft Kit from our official EPL content partners The Draft Society for Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Draft Strategy, Transfer Analysis, 24/25 Season Projections, and so much more!