Getting your team selection correct in Draft Premier League is just as essential as your pre-season draft or your weekly waiver wire claims. And that’s exactly why we’re here to help with our Gameweek 36 Start and Sit article! We’re here to help you with some of the big Fantasy EPL decisions you may need to make for the upcoming fixtures.
Gameweek 36 Start and Sit
Whether you’re an obsessed EPL fan like our FantraxHQ team, or a casual player new to the world of Fantasy EPL, you know to start your attacking players against relegation-threatened sides. We’re not going to waste your time dealing with the obvious! The goal of this article is to delve into notable players across each Fantrax position and let you know if you should be starting or sitting those players.
Our format is as follows: We will be choosing 2 different teams. One will be our starts of the week, made up of non-obvious, low-rostered players. The other will be our sits of the week, made up of highly rostered, normally started players.
Starts of the Week XI
| Player | Pos. | Team | Opponent | % Rostered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepa Arrizabalaga | G | CHE | NOT | 56% |
| Benoit Badiashile | D | CHE | NOT | 36% |
| Tosin Aradabioyo | D | FUL | @SOU | 13% |
| Michael Keane | D | EVE | MCI | 29% |
| Joel Ward | D | CRY | BOU | 8% |
| Jeffrey Schlupp | M | CRY | BOU | 29% |
| Curtis Jones | M | LIV | @LEI | 29% |
| Danilo | M | AVL | @CHE | 5% |
| Hakim Ziyech | M | EVE | NOT | 18% |
| Wilfried Gnonto | F | LEE | NEW | 31% |
| Matheus Cunha | F | WOL | @MUN | 11% |
Average % Rostered: 24%
This week we’re going back to the Kepa Arrizabalaga well. The Chelsea GK had several decent GWs before going off the boil. He has had a mini rebirth and has a nice matchup against Nottingham Forest at home. Kepa also has the benefit of a Double Gameweek next time out.
The backline consists of Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Aradabioyo, Michael Keane, & Joel Ward. Badiashile scored a goal last GW and has that same advantageous matchup as Kepa – Forest at home. Tosin has been a ghost point machine this season; a trip to already-relegated Southampton awaits. Keane is a controversial pick this week. Draft EPL 101 dictates that you sit your defenders against Manchester City. While he was dropped for Yerry Mina last GW, he likely comes back in against City and he’ll have enough to do to compensate for any goals conceded. Yes, it’s a risk. But live a little; stand for something. Finally, Joel Ward has been scoring double-digit ghosts for the past few weeks and has a nice matchup against Bournemouth at home.
In the middle of the park, we’re going with Jeffrey Schlupp, Curtis Jones, Danilo, & Hakim Ziyech. Schlupp has had his ups and downs but can do a job, especially against the Cherries at home. Jones is the poster boy of inconsistency but Leicester shipped 5 goals last week and he can get a piece. Danilo has been scoring goals for fun of late and the Chelsea defense does not instill any fear in the opposition. Ziyech has been out in the cold but had a great cameo last GW – coming on to provide a nice assist. If he gets the nod (it’s an early game on Saturday), his upside is worth the punt.
Up front, we have Wilfried Gnonto & Matheus Cunha. Forward streamers are hard to come by these days. Gnonto is a livewire and Newcastle hasn’t kept a clean sheet in a long time. In a must-win for Leeds, he’ll be dangerous. Cunha has not yet been the answer to Wolves’ goal drought – although he did score one recently – but he is coming off a double-digit outing and Manchester United’s backline is shaky these days.
Sits of the Week XI
| Player | Pos. | Team | Opponent | % Rostered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ederson | G | MCI | @EVE | 85% |
| Ruben Dias | D | MCI | @EVE | 86% |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | D | ARS | BRI | 96% |
| Lewis Dunk | D | BRI | @ARS/@NEW | 64% |
| Alex Moreno | D | AVL | TOT | 69% |
| Douglas Luiz | M | AVL | TOT | 76% |
| Phillip Billing | M | BOU | @CRY | 76% |
| John McGinn | M | AVL | TOT | 72% |
| Mykhailo Mudryk | M | CHE | NOT | 53% |
| Danny Welbeck | F | BRI | @ARS/@NEW | 75% |
| Che Adams | F | SOU | FUL | 68% |
Average % Rostered: 75%
Rinse and repeat – Ederson is continuously on our sit list. The Manchester City GK doesn’t get many saves or cleansheets, which is a horrible combination for a fantasy GK. A tricky trip to Goodison Park, coming right after a tough fixture at Real Madrid mid-week, does not bode well for a renaissance.
Our unfancied back 4 consists of Ruben Dias, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Lewis Dunk, & Alex Moreno. The rationale for benching Dias is the same as Ederson – he doesn’t score enough to counterbalance the likely lack of a clean sheet. Zinchenko has been boom or bust and the chance of keeping a clean sheet against Brighton (the last time these two met was a goal fest) is slim. Dunk has a DGW but it’s a trap – they have horrible matchups at Arsenal & at Newcastle, and he doesn’t ghost enough to make it worthwhile. Moreno might be a surprising pick but he has been fairly dependent on clean sheets and Villa has finally come back down to earth. Spurs likely score at least one at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, the midfield features Douglas Luiz, Phillip Billing, John McGinn, & Mykhailo Mudryk. Luiz’s great run is over – he has failed to hit double digits in a few weeks. Billing is coming off a poor performance and has Palace away. McGinn, like other Villa assets, has been underwhelming lately and it’s hard to see him turning it around. Mudryk against Forest at home might sound tasty on paper but he put up a goose egg last week and he just can’t be trusted.
Danny Welbeck & Che Adams are leading the line. Welbeck technically has two bites of the apple this GW but it’s hard to imagine him starting both and/or putting up a good score against these very difficult opponents. He only mustered 0.5 pts last GW and Evan Ferguson is back healthy. Adams had an even worse GW35 than Welbeck, somehow dropping a -1.5 point performance against Forest. It’s hard to see him putting in a shift this weekend.
Make sure you also check out our official EPL content partner, The Draft Society, for all the latest! Check out their Fantrax Weekly Player Projections page for more player evaluations for the upcoming week!