Draft Premier League Gameweek 31: Hot or Cold Player Rankings -

Hot or Cold Player Rankings are back! And, for at least the near future, I’ll be chipping in with the writing of it. These rankings are here to outline the current prospects of key Fantasy EPL players. The ‘Hot’ or ‘Cold’ status will help take away your emotional attachment to certain Draft Premier League players and help you identify the players that you need to help you dominate your Fantrax Draft League! (When you see scores mentioned, know that we focus particularly on the Togga scoring format.)

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🔥🔥 Gameweek 31 Player Rankings: Hot List 🔥🔥

I’m going to try to limit this list to players you might be able to bring in off of waivers or players you could trade-in. However, I will also focus on players with higher ownership who have shown a noticeable rise or dip in form (and, subsequently, their value).

Raheem Sterling

Position: Forward

Team: Manchester City

Ownership: 100%

Points This Gameweek:

Next 5 Fixtures: che (A), LIV (H), sou (A), NEW (H), BRI (A)

What’s Changed?: So, there’s no way that you can go out and add this bloke as a free agent. I get that. And for many of you, mentioning Sterling on the hot list is like saying, “did you know that chocolate and caramel go quite well together?” Obviously. However, many are still under the impression that Sterling is in the midst of an abysmal season, marked with miscues and poor performances. I’m touting him to be a top 10 player rest-of-season, and if you can trade a round 2 player or package a couple of players to get him, DO IT! *Mentally insert Shia LaBeouf gif here*

James Justin

Position: Defender

Team: Leicester City

Ownership: 22%

Points This Gameweek: 11.75

Next 5 Fixtures: BRI (H), eve (A), PAL (H), ars (A), bou (A)

What’s Changed?: I would like to formally introduce you to James Justin. He’s Leicester City’s fill-in right back since Pereira’s season-ending injury. As you can see, he scored a cool 11.75 in GW 30 with no clean sheet and no direct attacking returns. That means that this youngster got himself quietly involved in the match and racked up some ghost points for his fantasy owners. This is a great sign going forward, as this is a team that will keep some clean sheets to further bolster Justin’s returns. I see him as a top 24 defender rest-of-season.

Stuart Armstrong

Position: Midfielder

Team: Southampton

Ownership: 21%

Points This Gameweek: 27

Next 5 Fixtures: ARS (H), wat (A), MCI (H), eve (A), mu (A)

What’s Changed?: Armstrong is slightly goal/assist dependent. It’s a fair criticism that any Fantrax manager could make, but certainly not enough to justify his 21% ownership! In 10 games since Boxing Day, Big Stu has score 7+ points in 6 of those 10 matches, which is fair. However, more importantly, he’s scored 15+ in 4 of those aforementioned games. The man is involved in this offense and, if you watched SOU’s match, that offense is clicking. Don’t drop a consistent points-scorer for him, but I love him as a weekly boom or bust option. Granted, the fixture list is rough, so bear that in mind.

Gameweek 31 Player Rankings: More Hot Players!

Fantasy EPL Defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold (100%, Liverpool) – Always produces, even when LFC doesn’t excite on the field.
Matt Doherty (99%, Wolves) – Absolute powerhouse. Combine him with Adama and it’s like Voltron. Pure energy.
Cesar Azpilicueta (99%, Chelsea) – Continues to perform to a very high level.
Marcos Alonso (96%, Chelsea) – CHE win when he plays. It’s a statistical fact.
Willy Boly (94%, Wolves) – A ghost point monster. Even when they concede, he scores well.
Patrick Van Aanholt (86%, Southampton) – Look at his form over the last 4 matches. I dare you.
Adam Masina (20%, Watford) – How many times do we have to tell you about this man on the pod & the site? Add him.
Kortney Hause (5%, Aston Villa) – The appeal for this guy is the fact that he seems to be on the end of EVERY set piece.

Fantasy EPL Midfielders

Kevin De Bruyne (100%, Manchester City) – Heard of him? He’s a professional footballer.
James Ward-Prowse (98%, Southampton) – Just… trade for him if he’s not in your squad. There is basically no player with a better points floor.
Diogo Jota (97%, Wolves) – Tough first match back, but he was on fire before the break.
Bruno Fernandes (88%, Manchester United) – If you’re in the 12% of leagues where he’s not owned… shame. Also, are there any spots in your league next year? Asking for a friend.
Nathan Redmond (80%, Southampton) – Stop reading this and add this man if he’s available in your league.
Miguel Almiron (67%, Newcastle) – It really seems like Almiron’s time has finally come. And their fixtures are a dream.
James McArthur (67%, Crystal Palace) – Has been reliable for fantasy owners since the beginning of February!
Matt Ritchie (57%, Newcastle) – Huge week. Screamer of a goal. And he’s playing in midfield. I’m all in.
David Brooks (50%, Bournemouth) – Are you in the 1/2 of leagues where people forgot that this lad existed because of his injury? Well, he’s back and looks to be the only bright spark on BOU. Snag him now.

Fantasy EPL Forwards

Sadio Mane (100%, Liverpool) – 9.5 in a game when LIV struggled to do anything constructive? I’ll take that every day.
Raul Jiminez (100%, Wolves) – He can’t help but score. The other day in the market, he slipped on a banana peel… and scored a goal.
Danny Ings (98%, Southampton) – Brits love to put a “y” on the end of names. And what can I say? Ingsy is back with a bang.
Jordan Ayew (75%, Crystal Palace) – Another game, another goal. What more does this man have to prove to you?
Allan Saint-Maximin (71%, Newcastle) – Gimme an “E”… E! Gimme an “L”… L! Yeah, we’re not going to spell out “electric” in its entirety. But he’s it.
Neal Maupay (49%, Brighton) – Will his form continue? Well, their schedule is BRUTAL. But you can’t thumb your nose at a striker who has averaged 8.5 over his last 7 matches.
Olivier Giroud (49%, Chelsea) – To be clear, this Chelsea rotation is going to be an absolute nightmare. But you should start Giroud when he starts the match.
Bukayo Saka (43%, Arsenal) – Let me tell you a strange story about a “forward” who plays at left back and has scored 10+ in 4 out of his last 5 matches. That’s it. That’s the whole story.
Christian Benteke (39%, Crystal Palace) – He did NOTHING in this match! (And still scored 7 points.)
Jarrod Bowen (39%, West Ham) – Hear me out… 7 points in a game in which WHU scored no goals and were played off the pitch.
Oliver McBurnie (33%, Sheffield United) – Now nailed in the side, and scoring really good ghost points.

❄️❄️ Gameweek 31 Player Rankings: Cold List ❄️❄️

These are Fantasy EPL players that have fallen in our rankings. This may be due to poor form, they have been dropped from the best 11, they have suffered an injury, or received a suspension. It’s time to consider dropping these players from your squads!

Alexander Lacazette

Position: Forward

Team: Arsenal

Ownership: 97%

Points This Gameweek: -1.5 (in 101 minutes over 2 matches)

Next 5 Fixtures:

What’s Changed?: To be fair to Lacazette, he played 78 minutes against absolute powerhouse Brighton and Hove Albion, so… *puts hand to ear* What’s that? Oh, I’m receiving word from the control room that BHA are actually terrible and may get relegated. I guess there’s no excuse for Alex then, huh? Exactly. There’s no excuse. He’s likely to leave after this season. He’s done with this team. He looks rusty. And he’s always going to be subbed either off or on. And every game he plays, he makes his exit more inevitable.

Recommendation: This man is 97% owned. That won’t last long. Send out trade offers now. Package him to make it look like the other manager is getting value!

Jordan Henderson

Position: Midfielder

Team: Liverpool

Ownership: 87%

Points This Gameweek: 3 PPG

Next 5 Fixtures: CRY (H), mci (A), AVL (H), bri (A), BUR (H)

What’s Changed?: There was a lot of conversation about the Liverpool skipper coming into the restart. Many (myself included) looked at his form since January and argued he could be a top 24 midfielder. And now, as I stare off into the distance, I wonder how it’s all gone so wrong. But seriously, this was a concerning match for Hendo. We’re going to monitor him going forward, but this was a rough one. Granted, Everton’s defense is better than most have realized.

Recommendation: Hold Henderson. With Palace in gameweek 31, Villa in 33, and Brighton in 34, you can’t afford not to.

Teemu Pukki

Position: Forward

Team: Norwich City

Ownership: 94%

Points This Gameweek: 3

Next 5 Fixtures: EVE (H), ars (A), BRI (H), wat (A), WHU (H)

What’s Changed?: Welp, I think it’s officially time to stop hoping for great things from Pukki. At this point, there have been more bad games than successful ones for the beautiful, bearded fellow. I’m sure he’s a great human being, and he definitely seems it. But Pukki’s not doing your fantasy team any good. I would rather (and this is not easy to say) start Joelinton rest-of-season.

Recommendation: Package him and trade him as soon as you can. Their fixture list is something from a campfire horror story or an H.P. Lovecraft tale… except in this case, the monsters are real and they’re legitimately good Premier League defenders (except for West Ham).

Gameweek 31 Player Rankings: More Cold Players!

Fantasy EPL Defenders

Jonny Evans (88%, Leicester City) – Basically, if they don’t keep a clean sheet, you’ll regret starting this man.
Joe Gomez (86%, Liverpool) – Matip started over him, but even after he came on, his score was negligible.
Toby Alderweireld (69%, Tottenham) – Didn’t play a single minute. Nope… before you ask… no. Not even one. None.
Reece James (66%, Chelsea) – Didn’t start the match. Again, Chelsea will be an absolute rotation nightmare. Trade Chelsea players where you’re able.
Hector Bellerin (54%, Arsenal) – The entire Draft Premier League Twitter community has been telling you to steer clear. I hope you listened.
David Luiz (54%, Arsenal) – LOL. I had to include him. What’s colder than cold? That’s Luiz.
Victor Lindelof (49%, Manchester United) – Needs a clean sheet to score well.

Fantasy EPL Midfielders

João Moutinho (99%, Wolves) – I don’t think this is the new norm for him, but it was a bad match.
Youri Tielemans (96%, Leicester City) – Picking up where he left off… being all but anonymous on the pitch.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (94%, Everton) – He didn’t start the derby and did little once he subbed on.
Felipe Anderson (94%, West Ham) – Ho.Lee.Crap. 67 minutes. ZERO points. He looked lost all match.
Abdoulaye Doucoure (91%, Watford) – Ouch. On the plus side, none of WAT’s attackers did well last gameweek.
Harvey Barnes (88%, Leicester City) – Zero. Count them: zed, nil, zilch, cero points in 65 mins. on the pitch.
Daniel James (84%, Manchester United) – This man played his heart out for 62 minutes and got you -2 points.
Michael Antonio (82%, West Ham) – The Antonio/Anderson strike force was an epic failure. Moyes needs to figure this out, and quickly.
Mesut Ozil (80%, Arsenal) – It’s hard to express what a bust he’s been since the restart with nary a minute in 2 matches.
Giovanni Lo Celso (42%, Tottenham) – Has a very concerning early-adolescence beard now. Also, he didn’t play that well and didn’t start.
Bernard (38%, Everton) – One of my favorite players. But if he’s not in the starting XI, he shouldn’t be in yours either.

Fantasy EPL Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (100%, Arsenal) – Did you watch Arsenal last week? He played 180 mins and scored 8… total.
Jamie Vardy (100%, Leicester City) – The problem with this speed demon is that he does very little if he doesn’t score.
Tammy Abraham (97%, Chelsea) – A shock no-start vs AVL on Sunday, Tammy seems to be well and truly in a rotation nightmare.
Ayoze Perez (96%, Leicester) – Albrighton usurped Ayoze in the starting XI after the break. Not great.
Teemu Pukki (94%, Norwich) – His struggles continue. Someone tell me why this man is 94% owned, please.
Billy Sharp (9%, Sheffield United) – Not even a streaming option at this point despite playing considerable minutes.

Wondering who the best current Draft Premier League players are to target? Look no further than our Top 150 Player Rankings!

Follow J. Will on Twitter @JWillDraft for all the latest!

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EPL Player Rankings