Our Gameweek 26 Chaps Choices article provides Fantrax managers with a Fantasy EPL Sleepers XI. Our starting eleven of Premier League differential picks will help you find a golden ticket to a big score this weekend! These hints and tips will give you a better chance of picking up an all-important victory, as one of our Fantasy EPL sleeper picks could easily make the difference in a Head-to-Head game!
We’ll be focusing on players that will bring us not only attacking returns or clean sheets, but also those players that score “ghost points” on the sophisticated and statistics based Togga scoring model!
*For this article, we use the ownership statistics from Fantrax. Our only rule is that each player we highlight is required to have ownership of 60% or below at the time of writing. This way there’s a good chance these players will be free agents in your Fantrax Draft League!
Fantasy EPL Gameweek 26 Sleepers XI
**60% ownership or below**
GK: Mat Ryan
Team: Brighton
Opponent: Watford (Home)
Ownership: 56%
Form Last 30 Days: 2.94 PPG
Prospects: Ryan is currently ranked 5th overall in our Saves Minus Goals Against rankings, and we think he’ll score pretty well this weekend against Watford. A Brighton clean sheet is probably out of the question, but the Australian goalkeeper should rack up a fair few saves against a Watford side on the up. Ryan is a good option for a streaming goalkeeper this weekend, despite scoring fairly poorly in recent weeks.
GW26 Points Scored: 0
DEF: Shkodran Mustafi
Team: Arsenal
Opponent: Newcastle (Home)
Ownership: 23%
Form Last 30 Days: 14.5 PPG
Prospects: Now here we are with a classic example of a poor footballer who actually scores well in Fantrax! Mustafi is a bit of a liability and has never really established himself as a defender worthy of starting for a Premier League side. However, he usually scores well in the Togga Scoring format, so if he’s starting for Arsenal, he’s always worth a punt!! Mustafi has double-figure scores in each of his last three starts for The Gunners and looks set for another at home to Newcastle this weekend. The German center back is a sleeper worth gambling on ahead of Gameweek 26!
Alternative Choice: Arsenal teammate Bellerin (55% ownership) has gained double-digit returns in his last two games, and could easily gain another this weekend. Worth a shot if he’s a free agent in your Draft League.
GW26 Points Scored: 15.25
DEF: Jan Bednarek
Team: Southampton
Opponent: Burnley (Home)
Ownership: 14%
Form Last 30 Days: 5.17 PPG
Prospects: Southampton are embarking on a great fixture schedule, and we would highly recommend bringing in some of their assets if you can! The Saints were on great form before their 4-0 humbling by champions-elect Liverpool in Gameweek 25. All of the Southampton backline should be considered for your Fantasy EPL side, but we’re backing Bednarek for the game against Burnley. The Polish defender has been scoring fairly well in recent weeks, and we think he’ll earn some good defensive statistics coming up against Chris Wood this weekend.
Alternative Choice: New signing Walker-Peters (25% ownership) should go straight into the Southampton side for Gameweek 26 after Ward-Prowse filled in at right-back last time around. The youngster should be pretty productive between now and the end of the season.
GW26 Points Scored: 0
DEF: Adam Masina
Team: Watford
Opponent: Brighton (Away)
Ownership: 21%
Form Last 30 Days: 13.69 PPG
Prospects: We’ve featured Masina a lot in recent weeks, as he’s appeared in our Sleepers XI as well as in our Hot or Cold Player Rankings. This has been fully justified though, as the little-known Italian left-back is slowly becoming an extremely reliable Fantrax asset. With four double-digit scores in a row, Masina is currently the 7th highest scoring defender over the last 30 days. Unbelievable numbers from a player with 21% ownership (this was as low as 3% around 10 days ago). This weekend Watford faces a trip to Brighton, which should deliver a decent points score for Masina once again. The Hornets defender is one of the marque attractions of our Gameweek 26 Sleepers XI!
Alternative Choice: If you’re looking for alternatives, Taylor (23% ownership) or Mina (59% ownership) are good options. Taylor has been excelling for Burnley in recent weeks, and Mina should score well this weekend as he’ll face lots of aerial duels against Benteke of Crystal Palace.
GW26 Points Scored: 5.5
MID: Giovanni Lo Celso
Team: Tottenham
Opponent: Aston Villa (Away)
Ownership: 60%
Form Last 30 Days: 5.88 PPG
Prospects: Lo Celso is finally finding his feet at Tottenham, and now is the time to pounce on him if you still can. The Argentinean is playing in a standard central midfield role, but he is controlling a lot of Tottenham’s play from this deep-lying position. Don’t let it put you off bringing him in despite his more withdrawn position. Lo Celso gained 14 points during the Gameweek 24 victory over Norwich, which shows his potential. He contributed four key passes during this game! This weekend Tottenham face a trip to struggling Aston Villa, and confidence will be high after their win over Manchester City last time around!
GW26 Points Scored: 6.5
MID: Nabil Bentaleb
Team: Newcastle
Opponent: Arsenal (Away)
Ownership: 19%
Form Last 30 Days: 12.5 PPG
Prospects: Bentaleb had a great debut performance for Newcastle, as he gained 12 points during the 0-0 draw with Norwich. The Algerian performed very well for ghost points, in particular, key passes. The match was against bottom of the league Norwich, but we’re confident Bentaleb will be able to keep up this solid scoring form! This weekend Newcastle face a trip to Arsenal, which will provide Bentaleb with the chance to rack up some defensive points. Check out our January Transfer Analysis for more details on Bentaleb!
Alternative Choice: If you’re in the market for a consistent ghost points scoring midfielder, then look no further than Fred (57% ownership). We’ve featured the Manchester United midfielder a lot in recent weeks, but his ownership is still below 60%. He’s a highly recommended signing.
GW26 Points Scored: 5
MID: Sander Berge
Team: Sheffield United
Opponent: Bournemouth (Home)
Ownership: 14%
Form Last 30 Days: 7 PPG
Prospects: Sheffield United’s record signing made his debut in Gameweek 25, ousting Lundstram from the side. Berge put in an encouraging performance, as he gained seven points during a 68-minute appearance. The Norwegian youngster looks like he’s going to have a good points floor, so will be an ideal MID4 or MID5 ahead of the season conclusion. Berge is a January Transfer that you’re going to want to bring into your squad if you’re in a 10 or 12 team league. This weekend The Blades face Bournemouth, and we’re expecting Berge to start once again, and score fairly well.
Alternative Choice: Similar to Berge, Soucek (10% ownership) went straight into the West Ham side for Gameweek 25, and gained a solid 10.5 points. The Hammers have a tough upcoming fixture schedule, but we would still recommend bringing Soucek into your squad if you can.
GW26 Points Scored: 6
MID: Solly March
Team: Brighton
Opponent: Watford (Home)
Ownership: 25%
Form Last 30 Days: 4.75 PPG
Prospects: Now here’s the time for a punt! Solly March is usually a really good Togga Scoring player, but it’s just not happened for him this season after a strong start. Injuries have been his downfall, but after a good performance from the bench in Gameweek 25, we’re backing March to start in our Gameweek 26 Sleepers XI! The Englishman gained 7.5 points last time around, in just 18 minutes of action! This weekend Brighton faces Watford, and we’re expecting an open and exciting game, which should lead to some decent Fantrax points scores!
Alternative Choice: Another player to show good potential from the bench in Gameweek 25 was Podence (7% ownership). The new Wolves signing played 14 minutes and gained a solid five points. If Podence starts this weekend, he’s an essential pick-up. His statistics look very good!
GW26 Points Scored: 8
FWD: Christian Benteke
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Everton (Away)
Ownership: 16%
Form Last 30 Days: 10.5 PPG
Prospects: We backed Benteke last week and he returned his standard double-digit score without an attacking return. With Tosun injured (and ineligible), Benteke will start for Crystal Palace in Gameweek 26, and therefore he’s a great Sleeper pick!! The big Belgian will face lots of aerial duels with Yerry Mina and is likely to come away with another double-digit score. We don’t think Benteke will score, but he should do well for Fantrax points! Sign him up if you still can.
GW26 Points Scored: 21.5
FWD: Shane Long
Team: Southampton
Opponent: Burnley (Home)
Ownership: 17%
Form Last 30 Days: 11.2 PPG
Prospects: Shane Long is surprisingly turning into a consistent asset in Fantasy EPL. The Irishman is starting most games for Southampton and usually scores upwards of eight points. The fact that Long managed nine points during the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool last time around, shows that he has potential. Southampton is embarking on a really nice fixture schedule, so we would highly recommend signing him if you can. Long won’t be a sleeper for much longer after Gameweek 26!! The Southampton man has been in our Hot List for quite a while, but his ownership remains low.
GW26 Points Scored: 5.5
FWD: Theo Walcott
Team: Everton
Opponent: Crystal Palace (Home)
Ownership: 16%
Form Last 30 Days: 7.5 PPG
Prospects: Walcott scored his first goal of the season in Gameweek 25, as he earned his side all three points at the death against Watford. The English veteran has now gained double-figure returns in each of his last two games, which is pretty encouraging. The fact that Walcott has played 88 minutes and 90 minutes during these two games is also a massive plus. If Walcott can establish himself on the right wing under Ancelotti, he could be a good asset between now and the end of the season. This weekend Everton faces Crystal Palace in the opening fixture of Gameweek 26. This means that if Walcott doesn’t start, you can easily drop him from your side for an alternative.
Alternative Choice: Samatta (33% ownership) scored on his Premier League debut for Aston Villa, and gained a huge 18 points to go with it! The Tanzania striker looks to be a solid option from the January Transfers – sign him up as your third or fourth forward if you can.
GW26 Points Scored: 10
Gameweek 26 Sleepers XI
Team Points – Gameweek 26: 83.25
Team Average Score – Gameweek 26: 7.6 points per player
Average Ownership – Gameweek 26: 25% Fantrax ownership
Previous Sleepers XI Editions: Gameweek 18 | Gameweek 19 | Gameweek 20 | Gameweek 21 | Gameweek 22 | Gameweek 23 | Gameweek 24 | Gameweek 25 |
Navigating Blank Gameweek 28 is essential for all Fantasy EPL managers! With two games postponed, you need to make a plan!!
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