2 of the best drafts

Many Fantasy managers have already used their second Wildcard but for those who haven’t, Double Gameweek 36 is probably the optimal time to do so.

Below, we outline a couple of potential Gameweek 36 Wildcard drafts for your perusal, with one designed for a Bench Boost in Gameweek 37.

Enjoy!

DRAFT 1: NO BENCH BOOST REMAINING

GOALKEEPERS + DEFENDERS

David Raya (£6.1m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.2m) have three appealing matches – the easiest trio of fixtures remaining, per our Fixture Ticker – to end the season. All three games are in London, beginning with a trip to relegation-threatened West Ham. The Gunners then host down-and-out Burnley and finally visit Crystal Palace, who may have the distraction of a Europa Conference League final days later, on the last day of 2025/26.

We’ve opted for Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m) as our chosen Palace defender for the Eagles’ Gameweek 36 double-header against Everton and Manchester City. Budget mostly dictates this but the centre-back is very competitive when it comes to defensive contribution points (DefCon). The ever-attack-minded Nico O’Reilly (£5.2m) is our representative from City’s backline.

Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.6m) completes the four-man starting defence, and should bounce back at home to bottom side Wolves after last weekend’s disappointment at Newcastle. Fellow regular DefCon earner Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) of Fulham then faces the Old Gold, the division’s lowest scorers, next week.

MIDFIELDERS + FORWARDS

Into midfield, Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m) picks himself as he continues his hunt for the all-time Premier League assists record. He now has 21 assists in FPL, after his latest last weekend, but 19 in the official stats books put him one shy of equalling said record.

So too, arguably, does Rayan Cherki (£6.6m). The Frenchman trails only Bruno for chances created over his last four matches (14) and also ranks top for shots (17) in that time alongside his City teammate Erling Haaland (£14.6m). The Norwegian, the runaway Gameweek 36 captain poll leader, is another sure-fire pick for his home double against Brentford and Palace.

Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) delivered a double-digit FPL points haul in just a single half of football last time out, and the fixtures are certainly there for him to build on that with a strong end to the season. A goal in midweek only strengthens his appeal, despite the obvious concern over minutes.

Meanwhile, Fulham talisman Harry Wilson (£5.9m) could lead the Cottagers to a top-half finish and potentially European football of some kind. The Welshman has gone four games without a return, but he delivered two goals and two assists in five matches just before that and boasts 10 goals and eight assists overall this term.

Rounding out the starting XI of this first draft is Danny Welbeck (£6.3m), who has 13 Premier League goals to his name for Brighton this season and scored against two of his three remaining opponents in the reverse fixtures. The veteran striker blanked against Wolves, but it’s hard to see Rob Edwards’ relegated side putting up much of a fight against the Seagulls, who are still vying for a spot in Europe.

On the bench, Igor Thiago (£7.4m) sits three behind Haaland in the Golden Boot race with a game less to play. Owners can wheel him back out for Palace at home in Gameweek 37. The Brazilian, like Welbeck, Haaland and Fernandes, takes penalties, which is always a plus in FPL.

Completing the squad are the cheap but cheerful pair of Leeds goalie Karl Darlow (£4.0m) and Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha (£4.2m), who we shouldn’t have to use in the run-in.

DRAFT 2: GAMEWEEK 37 BENCH BOOST

If Gameweek 37 Bench Boosters desire a stronger bench, then we’ll have to free up some cash to upgrade Darlow/Ngumoha.

So, in this draft, we’ve made the uneasy choice of swapping Saka for Eberechi Eze (£7.3m). Declan Rice (£7.2m) is another alternative with fewer concerns over minutes.

Doing so, perhaps if you’re worried about Saka’s gametime as he continues to build up match fitness, allows for a bench of Michael Keane (£4.5m), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.2m) and Bernd Leno (£4.9m) instead of Andersen, Ngumoha and Darlow.

DRAFT 2 IN A GAMEWEEK 37 BENCH BOOST

While you may not play any of that new latter trio immediately in Gameweek 36, they do arguably create a better-looking Gameweek 37 Bench Boost.

For instance, Fulham ‘keeper Leno has returned at least a save point and/or clean sheet in each of his last seven appearances. He would come up against Wolves instead of Darlow facing Brighton.

Meanwhile, Everton No10 Dewsbury-Hall had registered three attacking runs in as many games prior to a blank against City last time out. That was a game in which defensive teammate Keane notched DefCon points for the third time in his past four starts. The Toffees host Sunderland in Gameweek 37.

As with the first draft, the Bench Boost could be further improved by swapping out Canvot after Double Gameweek 36 is over. Fulham centre-back Andersen could return at that point, if desired.

ANY ALTERNATIVES?

Maxence Lacroix (£5.2m) or Daniel Munoz (£5.9m) present alternatives to Canvot, for those of you sitting on spare cash and – especially in the case of Munoz – not put off by the threat of Conference League-focused rotation. They each carry a bit more goal threat than their cheaper teammate, though it could be argued that neither man is really worth the extra outlay on a Wildcard at this stage if the main focus with Palace players is just Double Gameweek 36.

Or, if you’re swerving Palace entirely, Bournemouth’s DefCon-munching teammates Marcos Senesi (£5.2m) and James Hill (£4.2m) are fine alternatives and represent a Cherries group that is unbeaten in 15 matches. If you have no Bench Boost remaining, you don’t have to worry about the Gameweek 37 clash with Man City.

At Brighton, Jack Hinshelwood (£5.1m) has scored in successive games and continues to pose a great threat from open play since switching to a No 10 role. He has the best rate of expected goal involvement (xGI, 4.42) in the Seagulls’ squad over the last six matches, though Welbeck does, of course, hold the advantage of spot-kick duties.

For anyone backing Man Utd to keep the pedal to the metal against Sunderland (A), Forest (H) and Brighton (A) despite having already secured Champions League football, the relatively budget-friendly Casemiro (£5.8m) has quietly become FPL’s fifth-highest scoring midfielder at this point in the campaign. The Brazilian has smashed the DefCon threshold in three successive games, and has scored four goals (of his nine total in the Premier League this term) in his last seven matches.

Everton’s James Garner (£5.2m), meanwhile, offers both DefCon and assist potential, with seven of the latter to his name. Across Merseyside, Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) has just one blank in his last eight.

If you’re looking for some frontline alternatives to Welbeck or indeed Thiago, Richarlison (£6.3m) has just registered attacking returns in successive games and should continue leading the line for a Tottenham side who might finally have remembered how to play good football. They could have something to play for right to the end of Gameweek 38, and between home games against Leeds and Everton, they face a Chelsea side in shocking form.

Another forward who will have to keep battling until the final whistle of the season is West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m), who is on a brilliant run when it comes to assists, with nine in his last 10 league matches. He has two decent fixtures against Newcastle and Leeds once the imminent Arsenal game is out of the way.

In terms of title-chasing City, Antoine Semenyo’s (£8.1m) popularity is waning for the run-in after a series of blanks and successive early withdrawals. So, Gameweek 35 star Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) is arguably a more fitting differential rival to Cherki’s place in these drafts at present.

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