May EPL Fixtures – Fantasy EPL Draft

We are in the final month of the season, and the May EPL fixture list gives us a few treats with a double week, a title race, and a relegation battle. Gameweek 36 is a confirmed double gameweek for both Man City and Crystal Palace. City face Brentford and Crystal Palace, while Palace face Everton and Man City. On top of that, Arsenal and City are locked in a genuine title race that shows no signs of slowing down. Tottenham and West Ham are both staring down the threat of relegation, although Nottingham Forest and Leeds are not officially out of the woods yet. Rather than rehashing the obvious names, this week we will focus on the players sitting on lower roster percentages, who are under the radar, or available after a blank week, who could make a real difference in your lineup over the final stretch.

Fantasy EPL Draft – May EPL Fixtures

The Double Gameweek: Man City & Crystal Palace

The headline news of May fixtures is the confirmed double gameweek 36 for both Man City and Crystal Palace. City play Brentford and Crystal Palace, while Palace play Everton and Man City — with the head-to-head between the two clubs serving as one of the two EPL fixtures for each side. City’s extra game stems from their two cup runs, forcing rescheduled matches into the remaining schedule. The key distinction between the two clubs is risk: City assets are mostly snagged, but there could be a few available after the blank game week in 34 and a few to keep an eye on in case of a Pep rotation. Palace assets carry the added uncertainty of European rotation under Oliver Glasner.

Manchester City

The obvious City names are already locked into most rosters. The opportunity is in the players who may have been dropped during last week’s blank, or could Pep make a rotation or two with a congested schedule? Check your waiver wire for Abudokdir Khusanov, who has a low roster percentage and has become a sure thing in Pep’s backline. He has four double-digit performances in a row and is a must-add if he is available. Also keep an eye on Gianluigi Donnarumma, City’s goalkeeper. He may have been shed during the blank week and is worth a pickup given the DGW clean sheet potential. This last group has had few starts, and I would not be holding, but if they happen to start, snap them up: Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Savio, or Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Abudukodir Khusanov, 48% rostered,  6.54 FP/G

Gianluigi Donnarumma, 82% rostered, 8.04 FP/G

Crystal Palace

Palace’s double is harder to target with confidence. Glasner’s European commitments have created a rotation headache all season, and with Palace still in contention on that front, expect lineup uncertainty to continue. Their GW36 EPL fixtures are Everton and Man City.  The Everton game is the more targetable of the two, given the rotation risk that comes with the City fixture. The safest approach is targeting defensive assets who tend to hold their spots regardless of the competition, and only one available is Jaydee Canvot. Since February, he has put in super consistent points without clean sheets and has become a consistent starter in their backline. I would refrain from many free agent midfield options or attacking options (Hughes, Kamada, Pino, etc) with the uncertainty in their lineup and constant rotation. As Admiral Akbar would like to say, “It’s a trap” and don’t recommend the risk.

Jaydee Canvot, 20% rostered, 6.53 FP/G

The Title Race: Arsenal vs. Man City

Similar to Man City, almost every quality Arsenal asset is already spoken for — their top names are locked into rosters, and there is very little left on the wire. But if there is one area worth checking, it is their backline. Arsenal’s attackers have been largely quiet in front of goal despite the title push, making their forwards a frustrating hold for many managers. The defenders, on the other hand, have been consistently involved and are the smarter targets if any are available. Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, and Piero Hincapie are all sitting at lowerish roster percentiles, if any of them are on your waiver wire, they are the priority adds from this Arsenal squad.

Riccardo Calafiori, 72% rostered, 9.02 FP/G

Ben White, 60% rostered, 8.47 FP/G

Piero Hincapie, 61% rostered,  7.95 FP/G

The Relegation Race: Desperation Breeds Production

Nothing focuses a player’s mind like staring down a relegation battle in the final weeks of the season. Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds are all fighting to varying degrees. That desperation creates genuine fantasy value, particularly for players who have been dropped or overlooked during the middle of the season.

Tottenham

Spurs are in genuine trouble and their players know it. Injuries have reshaped their attack and midfield and that actually opens doors for some under-owned assets. With Solanke out, Richarlison steps into the leading striker role and becomes a genuine option for a team in desperation. He knows what it means to fight until the last day, having lived it at Everton. Conor Gallagher may slot in as the ten due to injury and has been putting up solid numbers and may add some attacking points in the role. Mathys Tel is another injury beneficiary with a clear path to minutes. He has shown he can produce fantasy points when given the chance and may even pick up some corner duties.

Richarlison, 73% rostered, 8.13 FP/G

Conor Gallagher, 44% rostered, 6.21 FP/G

Mathys Tel, 42% rostered, 5.21 FP/G

West Ham

West Ham are fighting for their top-flight lives and need goals to survive. Their EPL fixture list in May has some winnable games and two players stand out. Tomas Soucek loves popping up for a big goal and is involved in all aspects of the game, defensively, in the attack, and especially on set pieces. At 44% rostered, he is sitting on waiver wires in most leagues. Valentin Castellanos is a bit goal reliant. The Hammers will need goals to stay up, and he has been a threat up top.

Tomas Soucek, 44% rostered, 6.19 FP/G

Valentin Castellanos, 54% rostered, 7.54 FP/G

Nottingham Forest

Forest is not quite safe yet and is also juggling European commitments, which introduces rotation risk across the squad. That said, their attack has found serious form — putting five past Sunderland was a statement. Chris Wood is back from injury, back on penalties, and back on the scoresheet in GW34. This makes him the focal point of this attack. Igor Jesus is playing alongside him up front, and the two may be forming a dynamic strike partnership. If it continues to click, both become dynamic additions to your team in these final weeks.

Chris Wood, 63% rostered, 6.16 FP/G

Igor Jesus, 48% rostered, 5.91 FP/G

Leeds

Leeds is close to safety but not mathematically there yet. Game week 35 gives them one of the best possible EPL fixtures to put it to bed — Burnley at home. Both targets below are defensive options who have been putting up points consistently, even without clean sheets. They are reliable holds regardless of the result. James Justin and Joe Rodon are especially valuable this week, given that fixture. They are available in the vast majority of leagues.

James Justin, 32% rostered, 7.07 FP/G

Joe Rodon, 22% rostered, 6.76 FP/G