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 37 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 37 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.
We’re down to the penultimate week of the Premier League season, and it’s a big double gameweek for Brighton, Chelsea, Man City and Man United. As is typically the case, it’s a good idea to load up on guaranteed starters from these clubs if you can, with particular emphasis placed on players from the Manchester clubs as they have the best fixtures. You may want to avoid Chelsea defenders, though, as they have to take on both Manchester sides this time around.
Starts of the Week XI
| Player | Pos. | Team | Opponent | % Rostered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lukasz Fabianski | G | WHU | LEE | 46% |
| Craig Dawson | D | WOL | EVE | 14% |
| Tyrick Mitchell | D | CRY | @FUL | 38% |
| Yerry Mina | D | EVE | @WOL | 2% |
| Mikkel Damsgaard | M | BRF | @TOT | 3% |
| Abdoulaye Doucoure | M | EVE | @WOL | 26% |
| Jordan Henderson | M | LIV | AVL | 33% |
| Jefferson Lerma | M | BOU | MUN | 33% |
| Harry Wilson | M | FUL | CRY | 51% |
| Diego Costa | F | WOL | EVE | 6% |
| Wilfried Gnonto | F | LEE | @WHU | 27% |
Average % Rostered: 25%
In goal, Lukasz Fabianski has been flying under the radar, but putting up solid points the past few weeks for a West Ham team that has finished the season well. Joining him in the backline are his former Hammers teammate Craig Dawson, Tyrick Mitchell and Yerry Mina. Each of the three defenders has a solid chance of a clean sheet given their opposition this weekend and both Dawson and Mina are threats from set pieces. Mitchell rarely offers much in attack but is a very solid defender and usually gets his points from tackles and interceptions, which he can get plenty of against an attack-minded Fulham team.
In midfield, I’ve got my eyes on Mikkel Damsgaard, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Jordan Henderson, Jefferson Lerma and Harry Wilson. Damsgaard has been a disappointment for most of the season, but turned in one of his better performances in GW36 and I think he’ll finish the season strong. Doucoure has been a ghost point king since Sean Dyche restored him to the starting lineup and he’s also shown he can get on the scoresheet. Like last week’s selection of Curtis Jones, Henderson is another Liverpool midfielder benefitting from the change in formation, with the captain putting up a double digit score last week despite not scoring or assisting. Aside from the one match where he scored a brace, Lerma has been a Steady Eddie for Bournemouth and is a good option if you’re looking for a solid 6-8 points. Wilson has been in great form since breaking back into the Fulham starting lineup and now has Aleksandar Mitrovic to deliver crosses to. That’s a recipe for success in my book.
Up top, I’m rolling back the years with a Diego Costa shout. The Wolves striker has been a regular starter for Julen Lopetegui despite struggling to find the net, but I like his chances against an Everton side that is missing some of its key players in defense. Wilfried Gnonto keeps his place from last week, mostly due to the lack of other available options at the forward position. The youngster is capable of scores at either extreme…he could get you 0, but you could just as easily find yourself with a double-digit return. Not a bad option if you’re aware of the risk.
Sits of the Week XI
| Player | Pos. | Team | Opponent | % Rostered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emi Martinez | G | AVL | @LIV | 66% |
| Timothy Castagne | D | LEI | @NEW | 74% |
| Alex Moreno | D | AVL | @LIV | 66% |
| Cristian Romero | D | TOT | BRF | 73% |
| Said Benrahma | M | WHU | LEE | 89% |
| Emi Buendia | M | AVL | @LIV | 83% |
| Enzo Fernandez | M | CHE | @MCI/@MUN | 68% |
| Jack Harrison | M | LEE | @WHU | 96% |
| Richarlison | F | TOT | BRF | 72% |
| Raheem Sterling | F | CHE | @MCI/@MUN | 88% |
| Dominic Solanke | F | BOU | MUN | 84% |
Average % Rostered: 78%
Look away Argentina fans, I’m going in on the World Cup champs this week, starting with Emi Martinez. Aston Villa has been excellent under Unai Emery, but has faded a bit in recent weeks. They’re set to come up against an in-form Liverpool side pushing for a Champions League spot. Among the high-rostered keepers, Emi is the natural choice to bench this week.
A couple of Emi’s teammates, Alex Moreno (for Villa) and Cristian Romero (for Argentina), should also ride the pine this week. Moreno falls into the same matchup conundrum as above, while Romero is super inconsistent like the rest of his Spurs teammates not named Harry Kane. Someone needs to help me understand why Timothy Castagne is still 74% rostered. Anyone? Didn’t think so.
Hey look, more Argentines! Emi Buendia hasn’t hit the fantasy heights we were expecting when he joined Villa from Norwich and his rostership is still as high as it is due to his past performance than any real merit this campaign. Enzo Fernandez is an excellent player and even has a double gameweek, but I can’t look past those two away matches in Manchester. I like West Ham’s match up on paper, but with their Europa Conference League hopes on the line, it’s very possible we see David Moyes rotate to the detriment of fantasy managers who roster Said Benrahma. Jack Harrison is perhaps a little unlucky to be here, particularly when you consider that I’ve recommended you to start his teammate Gnonto, but the winger has gone off the boil in recent weeks and has lost set-piece duty to the likes of Sam Greenwood. If you have other, more in-form options, you should feel comfortable leaving him on the sidelines.
In attack, I have to call out Richarlison for shame after his 0-point display in 61 minutes last gameweek. The Brazilian is infamous for only scoring one Premier League goal this season, but you’d figure he could at least contribute something if he’s not going to get on the scoresheet. On the opposite end of the score spectrum, Raheem Sterling just dropped a 30-spot, but I’m still recommending you bench him for the difficult double. Even if he does start twice, I can’t see him coming anywhere close to last week’s aberration. Check his scores across the rest of the season for a better representation of what you can and should expect. Finally, Dominic Solanke has been hit-or-miss this season with his 6 goals a far cry from the nearly 30 he scored in the Championship last year. I would be surprised to see him add to his goal tally against United.
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!