Our Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI article provides Fantrax managers with a lineup of Fantasy EPL hidden gems. Our starting eleven of Draft 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 Fantrax Scoring System!
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Fantasy EPL Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI
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. Therefore there’s a good chance these players will be free agents in your Fantrax Draft League!
GK: Sam Johnstone
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Opponent: Burnley (Home)
Ownership: 10%
Points Last Gameweek: 8.25
Prospects: Backing one of the West Bromwich Albion backline. Yes, I am going there. This weekend the Baggies face a Burnley side who have scored just three goals so far, which should mean a decent score for their goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. The Englishman is averaging nearly five saves per game so far this season, which has gained him two really decent scores in a row. If Johnstone can maintain the number of saves he’s making per game, and reduce the number of goals being shipped, he has the potential to turn into a solid goalkeeper option! Remember, a good Fantrax goalkeeper needs to have a good ratio between saves made (high) and goals against (low).
DEF: Arthur Masuaku
Team: West Ham United
Opponent: Tottenham (Away)
Ownership: 51%
Points Last Gameweek: 10.25
Prospects: All aboard the West Ham train! With another impressive win in Gameweek 4, this time a 3-0 thrashing of Leicester City, I’m all in on David Moyes’ men. In their last two games the Hammers have scored seven and conceded zero. And these games were against European football chasing sides Wolves and Leicester. Something is going on at West Ham, and I want a piece of it. Arthur Masuaku gets the nod in my Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI while his ownership is still below 60%. Don’t expect it to stay that low for much longer! This weekend Masuaku faces a tough game away to Tottenham, but lets be honest the fixtures are so unpredictable at the moment they can largely be ignored.
DEF: John Egan
Team: Sheffield United
Opponent: Fulham (Home)
Ownership: 42%
Points Last Gameweek: -0.25
Prospects: Recommending a player who’s gained a negative score in every game so far this season? You bet. John Egan has had a really poor campaign so far (much like most of the Sheffield United side), but I’m going for a tactic mentioned in my Gameweek 4 Sleepers XI article: backing a low ownership defender who is good in the air and playing against a team who attack with long balls. Egan falls into this bracket as he is pretty good in the air, and Fulham will play long balls up to their target man Mitrovic. If any of the Blades backline have been dropped by a fellow manager, they are well worth a punt for the Gameweek 5 match against Fulham.
DEF: Joe Bryan
Team: Fulham
Opponent: Sheffield United (Away)
Ownership: 39%
Points Last Gameweek: 6.5
Prospects: And speaking of Fulham, I’m also taking a punt on one of their defenders in my Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI! Joe Bryan has been scoring fairly well despite the fact that Fulham are shipping a huge number of goals. He scored 7.5 points in Gameweek 2 when he conceded four goals, 5.25 points in Gameweek 3 when he conceded three, and 6.5 points in Gameweek 4 when he conceded one. These points scores show that Bryan does have some potential in Fantrax if Fulham can tighten things up at the back. This weekend they face a rather goal-shy Sheffield United side, which means that Bryan shouldn’t gain too many negative points for goals against!
DEF: Phil Bardsley
Team: Burnley
Opponent: West Bromwich Albion (Away)
Ownership: 3%
Points Last Gameweek: -0.75
Prospects: The Burnley defense has been pretty poor so far this season. Certainly not what we were getting used to towards the end of last season! However, they have been missing talismanic defenders James Tarkowski and Ben Mee. Tarkowski returned to the side in Gameweek 4, and I’m hoping that Mee returns this weekend. This would be a huge boost for the Clarets and is the reason I’m backing Phil Bardsley. Once Burnley have their first choice backline on the field, the prospects of all of their defenders will increase. Bardsley usually produces some decent attacking statistics, and is a good option if Dyche’s men can re-find their defensive stability!
MID: Grady Diangana
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Opponent: Burnley (Home)
Ownership: 58%
Points Last Gameweek: 4
Prospects: Grady Diangana is a really talented footballer, but it remains to be seen if he can become a Fantrax asset that can be trusted. I’m giving him a place in my Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI as the Baggies face Burnley in a game they could win, but I’m not 100% sure it’s a good idea! So far this season Diangana has gained three scores of 5 or below, as well as a huge 17.5 point haul against Everton.
In order to be a reliable Fantasy EPL asset, the youngster needs to be producing scores in the region of 7-9 points when he doesn’t gain attacking returns. He’s not doing that at the moment, but hopefully, he’ll start growing into the season as the weeks go by! A fixture at The Hawthorns against Burnley is a great opportunity for Diangana to produce the goods.
MID: Tanguy Ndombele
Team: Tottenham
Opponent: West Ham United (Home)
Ownership: 31%
Points Last Gameweek: 18.5
Prospects: Like most, I’m desperate for Tanguy Ndombele to turn into the Fantrax asset we all hoped he could be. After his goal scoring appearance during the 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United last time around, now is the time to back him! Ndombele will surely keep his place in the side this weekend. The Frenchman produced a great haul of 18.5 points, with some solid statistics for tackles, interceptions, and dribbles to go alongside his goal.
Ndombele is only 23 years old and it’s completely understandable that he would need time to adjust to a new country and a new league. Let’s hope this isn’t another false dawn on his Fantrax career. He’s worth a punt this weekend and fully justifies a place in my Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI. Ndombele was also included in the Fantrax HQ Waiver Targets for Gameweek 5.
MID: James McArthur
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Brighton (Home)
Ownership: 30%
Points Last Gameweek: 7.5
Prospects: James McArthur is a hugely underrated Fantrax asset. The Crystal Palace man is an ideal midfielder to own in larger leagues, as you can slot him into your starting eleven when needed. McArthur will gain you a solid score of around 6-8 points, which could easily be the steady stream of points needed to defeat your Gameweek opponent. This weekend the Eagles face Brighton in the M23 Derby, which should be a game that sees plenty of battles in the midfield. This will provide McArthur plenty of opportunities to pick up points for successful tackles and interceptions!
FWD: Rhian Brewster
Team: Sheffield United
Opponent: Fulham (Home)
Ownership: 50%
Points Last Gameweek: N/A
Prospects: Rhian Brewster made his long-awaiting move away from Liverpool towards the end of the transfer window, and I’m hoping he becomes a decent Fantrax asset at his new club Sheffield United. The English youngster is obviously a very talented player and he’s well regarded within the football community. He’s played zero games at this level but commanded a Sheffield United club-record fee of £23.5 million.
Brewster will hopefully establish himself in the side and form a “little and large” relationship with McBurnie. Think Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn from the late 90s – they formed a terrific partnership playing in very similar club colors. This would bring back a whole lot of value to McBurnie, as well as making Brewster a decent FWD3. The combination of McGoldrick and Burke hasn’t really been working for Wilder. The Blades face a leaky Fulham defense this weekend; the perfect opportunity for Brewster to make his mark for his new club, and my Gamweeek 5 Sleepers XI!
FWD: Michy Batshuayi
Team: Crystal Palace
Opponent: Brighton (Home)
Ownership: 19%
Points Last Gameweek: N/A
Prospects: This is a punt that could really pay off. Michy Batshuayi could be a great striker at a mid-table Premier League club if given the chance. The Belgian proved this a couple of years ago during a brief loan spell at Selhurst Park, scoring six goals in 13 appearances. Batshuayi is back at Crystal Palace and despite a slow start, I’m convinced his time is about to come. The Eagles have lost their last two games, and despite Hodgson’s admiration for Jordan Ayew, I can see him being dropped for a fresh approach. Batshuayi should be the man to come in.
I drafted him towards the end of both of my Fantrax 12 team leagues (when he was still rostered to Chelsea), and I’ve held onto him in both leagues. Batshuayi has the potential to be a FWD2, and the home fixture against heated rivals Brighton is where his season starts!
FWD: Ademola Lookman
Team: Fulham
Opponent: Sheffield United (Away)
Ownership: 16%
Points Last Gameweek: 7
Prospects: Ademola Lookman is back in the Premier League, after joining Fulham on loan from RB Leipzig. The English winger made his debut in Gameweek 4 during a 23-minute cameo appearance. If those 23 minutes are anything to go by, Lookman is in for an exciting season! With four successful dribbles, a key pass, and a tackle won, the youngster gained an impressive 7 points in an extremely small amount of time.
I’ve currently got Lookman ranked as the 34th best forward for the rest of the season (updated rankings being published on Fantrax HQ soon!). Fulham are a very unpredictable side and are likely to be relegated, but Lookman is a rapid winger who looks like he could flourish in the sophisticated Fantrax Scoring System. In my article last week I recommended picking him up… if you still can then be sure to go and do that! Lookman is a great addition to my Gameweek 5 Sleepers XI as the Cottagers face a trip to Sheffield United.
Average Ownership – Gameweek 5: 31% Fantrax ownership
Gameweek 5 Reserve XI
Our Reserve XI features even more low ownership Fantasy EPL Gameweek 5 Sleepers!
- Mat Ryan | Brighton | 20% ownership
- Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa | 52% ownership
- Kenny Tete | Fulham | 14% ownership
- Adam Webster | Brighton | 13% ownership
- Ryan Ait-Nouri | Wolves | 8% ownership
- Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa | Fulham | 56% ownership
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek | Fulham | 42% ownership
- Theo Walcott | Southampton | 20% ownership
- Yves Bissouma | Brighton | 13% ownership
- Steven Alzate | Brighton | 19% ownership
- Callum Hudson-Odoi | Chelsea | 14% ownership
Previous Editions: Gameweek 2 | Gameweek 3 | Gameweek 4 |
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