Feature – Playing the Field
Filed under: Feature - Posted by: Chris Glover
Cast your mind back to August, a time when Fernando Torres was still a vastly relevant Fantasy asset and Swansea were set become the next piñata, ready for weekly abuse from the Premier League elite.
As we selected our initial squads we put less emphasis on the difficulty presented by the fixture list. With no form guide available, our selections were likely to be based on price and pedigree with a few hunches thrown in. It’s unlikely that long-term rotation strategies or planned Gameweek transfers were at play.
Jump to mid-March and the situation has changed considerably. Torres is the 44th ranked forward for the season to date with the same number of league goals (2) as Gary Caldwell, while Swansea have transformed into an outstanding budget bracket defence, catapulting Michel Vorm and company into the Fantasy spotlight.
This marks a period in our Fantasy season where planning becomes key. A player’s performance to date and long term prospects start to take a backseat as we assess the fixture list more closely, with the aim to shuffle and rotate our squads in order to squeeze every last point out of the diminishing Fantasy season.
While we’re likely to go into the run-in with a band of favoured players locked into our squads – Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale, Jonny Evans, perhaps Clint Dempsey – around these ‘fixed’ assets, we should look to plan our rotation options to maximise favourable fixtures.
In this article we’ll discuss some of the available strategies to achieve this:
- Find mid-priced assets whose fixtures gel well together, thus forming a rotation pair who can exploit a favourable run-in.
- Highlight the best ‘runs’ of fixtures for the elite players to identify potential transfers and when they should be made.
- Identify ‘super subs’ whose fixtures match favourably with the elite ‘fixed’ assets’ tougher games, therefore providing value off the bench.
Squad Rotation
This strategy looks to identify teams that “marry up” and work well as a combination – ideally offering a straight run of favourable fixtures from now, right to Gameweek 38. By fetching assets from these teams, we’re setting up rotation opions in our squads to cover the gaps around our fixed heavy-hitting players.
Aston Villa and Sunderland Defenders
These two units have been useful but unspectacular all season, generally struggling to find the kind of consistency to make them weekly starters, while still showing enough promise to keep them relevant. Together though, they might finally become the reliable (and reasonably priced) options we hoped for.
Playing the fixtures would see this pair enjoy home games against Bolton twice, QPR, Stoke and Wolves, with the only difficult fixtures being Chelsea at home (Gameweek 31) and a trip to Liverpool in Gameweek 32. Playing the optimal fixture from Gameweek 30 to Gameweek 36 will see you face opponents who average just 1.03 goals per game and given Villa’s, and particularly Sunderland’s home form, that should be a recipe for defensive success in the final stages of the season.
The FA Cup throws up a potential issue for this pair as Sunderland could be otherwise engaged at Wembley in Gameweek 34, while Villa face the unenviable task of a trip to Old Trafford. Given the strength of their other fixtures, this shouldn’t be a deal breaker, especially with budget teams like Swansea, West Brom and Stoke facing strong fixtures in Gameweek 34 and thus serving as reliable one week options as backup.
With Wes Brown and Titus Bramble currently sidelined, Michael Turner (4.2) looks like a sneakily cheap and undervalued option here. Phil Bardsley (4.8) is safer and comes with some offensive potential while you would probably give the edge to Alan Hutton (4.9) at Villa, who has shown more offensive potential of late than equally priced teammate Stephen Warnock. Carlos Cuellar (4.9) has proven to be an able deputy for Richard Dunne at the heart of defence, averaging 8 points per game over the last three Gameweeks, and could prove to be another option, though the Irishman is expected to return from a collarbone injury at some point next month.
Fulham and Sunderland Midfielders/Forwards
When we consider rotating players, it is generally in defence, and perhaps between the sticks, where it’s practiced. Rotating your attacking options can be just as valuable, however, and they needn’t even play the same position, as long as you have sufficient flexibility in your squad.
Fulham and Sunderland present an example of how this can work. Using these two teams in such a system appears to have little downside, as you take advantage of a fixture list which would include five games against teams in the bottom five, a trio of mid table sides (Norwich, Everton and Sunderland) and just a single match in Gameweek 38 against one of the current top four. Again, Sunderland’s potential off-week in Gameweek 34 is a concern, though Fulham’s trip to Liverpool wouldn’t be the worst fixture in the world to play. Alternatively, you could surely find some value on your bench with favourable fixtures for Swansea and West Brom.
Both Fulham and Sunderland offer good options for any budget. You could pair Clint Dempsey (9.4) with James McClean (4.9), thus protecting yourself against Dempsey’s struggles on the road. The other intriguing combination would involve a shuffle of formation to incorporate the recently impressive Pavel Pogrebnyak (6.4), teaming him up with Stephane Sessegnon who returns from his ban this weekend. This pairing would afford solid attacking coverage in the mid-price, freeing up cash for investment elsewhere.
Playing the fixtures with either of those two pairings would mean you would face an opponent who, on average, has conceded around 1.7 goals per game, equivalent to playing QPR every week. Maximising home fixtures is particularly important for Fulham – the Cottagers have managed over two goals per game at Craven Cottage but just 0.6 a game on their travels.
Stoke and Newcastle Midfielders/Defenders/Goalkeepers
Like Fulham, the Potters are another side how can offer strong potential in home matches but stutter on their travels. Tony Pulis’ side do benefit from a favourable run of opponents at the Britannia but Fantasy managers will rightly be concerned on the consistency of options like Jon Walters and the injury prone Matt Etherington. A combination with Newcastle might offer a solution. From now until the end of the season you can ensure a run of nine home matches with a Stoke/Newcastle combination. That would allow you to consider Walters working in tandem with Hatem Ben Arfa, for example, in the mid-price bracket. Defensively, the Danny Simpson/Andy Wilkinson rotation also looks to have good potential, with Tim Krul and Asmir Begovic rotating effectively in goal.
Liverpool and Tottenham – Defenders/Midfielders/Forwards
These two sides boast mid-price Fantasy assets that rotate home matches perfectly until the end of the season. As a result, we can create pairings all over our squads – Jose Enrique or Martin Skrtel combine with Benoit Assou-Ekotto or Younas Kaboul, equally Steven Gerrard and Gareth Bale gel, while Emmanuel Adebayor and Luis Suarez offer a rotating strike pairing. With Bale offering potential home and away, and Suarez and Adebayor leaving no room for a Van Persie/Rooney combination, it’s likely that this marriage is best used at the back, offering a run of straight home matches right to the season climax. Tha major issue here, of course, is form. Neither Liverpool nor Spurs are displaying any confidence right now – we’d need this to return before considering setting up such a rotation.
Planned Transfers
With only a handful of games to play, we can start to identify ‘runs’ of fixtures to exploit, even if it costs a transfer or two to harvest the potential value. Here’s just a couple of examples of teams and player combinations that look worthy of investigation:
Juan Mata and Theo Walcott
While Fantasy managers clamour for Antonio Valencia, the qualities offered by both Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Chelsea’s Juan Mata shouldn’t be ignored. Chelsea seem revived under Roberto Di Matteo and Mata has been handed the role tucked in behind a lone striker in recent matches. Walcott has shown signs of a new level of consistency and will be looking to end the season with a flourish to book his starting role in the England 2012 squad. Both combine perfectly as assets throughout the last nine Gameweeks, making it possible to have one of them at home from now until the end of the season. You’ll need to absorb any price rises and reserve your free transfer regularly for the swap but, if you can manage it, this pairing could blend beautifully with 7% and 6% ownership handing a strong differential.
Man United and Man City
Not surprisingly, United and City swap home matches right to the end of the season and this is something we can look to exploit. If we accept Wayne Rooney as a fixed asset, the potential for rotation seems to lie amongst the fringe players on offer. While Antonio Valencia is rightly a popular target following his haul at Molineux, he could yet be prone to rotation with Ashley Young, Nani and Danny Welbeck. The possibility of rotating Valencia with City’s Yaya Toure in our squads – ensuring that you have one of them at home across all nine Gameweeks, looks an option, then. Similarly, we could apply the same principle for the third striker role. If you’ve got a United slot spare, Javier Hernandez in rotation with Mario Balotelli or even Carlos Tevez, would give you a proven goalscorer at home over the nine Gameweeks. That’s as long as Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini play ball with their team selection.
Super Subs
Sometimes we don’t want to setup a ‘rotation’ strategy but rather carry a budget asset to slot in for just one or two weeks. The below listing highlights which cut-price players could be targeted to back-up the elite options during their rare off-weeks:
Arsenal
For Midfield/Attack….Hardest games: 32(MCI), 35 (CHE), 36 (sto)
Super sub: Fulham (bol, WIG, eve) or Swansea (NEW, bol, WOL)
Fulham and Swansea present good value across the board and look particularly useful alternatives. Robin Van Persie is, of course, rotation proof, but the likes of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain perhaps need some backup. The consistent pair of spot-kick takers Danny Murphy and Scott Sinclair would appear to be nice fits here if your budget can stretch that far, though it’s more likely that Gylfi Sigurdsson fits with your budget constraints.
Chelsea
For Defence…..Tough Gameweeks: 30 (TOT), 33 (ful) 35 (ars)
Super sub: Newcastle (wba, BOL, STO)
It’s arguable whether or not Chelsea are indeed an elite defence these days. Gary Cahill has picked up some interest of late and, if he can cement a starting role, he presents value at 5.4. The Newcastle defence work well in tandem here, with a couple of great looking home fixtures and reasonable trip to West Brom, making Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson the perfect backup for the Blues backline.
For Midfield/ Attack……Hardest games: 35 (ars), 37 (liv)
Super sub: Blackburn (NOR, WIG)
Blackburn haven’t given us much to get excited about this season but for these two games they look as good as anyone. Their 22 home goals are actually as good as Newcastle, suggesting 14 goal Yakubu may be worth a punt, with spot-kicks also in the bag. and Junior Hoilett is another to consider, with three goals since a move to “the hole” behind the Nigerian in the last couple of matches indicative of his upturn in form.
Liverpool
For Defence….Hardest games: 31 (new), 33 (bla), 36 (nor), 38 (swa)
Super sub: Everton (WBA, SUN, FUL, NEW)
Trips to Newcastle, Norwich and Blackburn appear to offer the biggest threat to the Reds’ chances of collecting clean sheets, with a visit to Swansea also set to rigorously test the rearguard. You don’t have to look too far to find the best complement, with David Moyes’ Everton looking a strong alternative. Until last week’s Merseyside derby, the Toffees had produced three clean sheets and shipped just four goals in the previous seven games. Tony Hibbert is the first name to highlight, given his price tag, but he does come with some risk, having dropped in and out of the side over the past couple of months. This leaves Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin as your best options- both have recovered from recent injuries and look likely starters from here on in.
Man City
Hardest games: 32 (ars), 36 (MUN), 37 (new)
Super sub: West Brom (BLA, AVL, bol)
With five home clean sheets already in the bag – including Chelsea and City – the Baggies have been fairly resilient at the Hawthorns. Blackburn and Aston Villa, meanwhile, have struggled to average barely over a goal a game on their travels, thus giving Roy Hodgson’s side a great couple of chances to add to their clean sheet haul. Their cheapest regular is Gareth McAuley, who also happens to be one of their most consistent, making him a perfect choice to back-up the likes of Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards.
From a more attacking perspective, we’re excluding Peter Odemwingie here, as, with a price tag of 7.3, he is obviously too pricey to be a mere bench player. Instead we’ve opted for James Morrison. Over the last six gameweeks, the Scot ranks amongst the top five in our ICT Index among midfielders- with a price of 5.3 and a more advanced role in the first-team of late, he’s a strong mid-price alternative.
Man United
Hardest games: 36 (mci), 38 (sun)
Super sub: Swansea (WOL, LIV) or Wigan (NEW, WOL)
United’s exceptional run in means you’re unlikely to be rotating any of them too often but a trip to the Etihad may prove tricky, while Sunderland have been particularly strong at home in the second half of the season.
Swansea are, of course, a good enough unit to warrant owning by their own right, but they present added value for anyone needing backup for their United assets. The Swans’ opponents in the highlighted games have averaged just a touch over a goal per game, and, considering his price tag, Steven Caulker makes the most sense for a spot at the back, while Scott Sinclair and Gylfi Sigurdsson offer alternatives should you consider benching midfield options.
For Wigan, a couple of home games against some shaky away defences leads us back to the old Fantasy kryptonite: Victor Moses. The much-maligned Latics wide man still leads all outfielders in points scored in the 5.0 or less bracket, with a total of 96, and is almost guaranteed to have something to play for come the end of the season.
Tottenham
For Defence… Hardest games: 30 (che), 34 (no game at present)
Super sub: Sunderland (QPR, WOL)
Again, Sunderland’s defensive assets have sufficient value of their own under Martin O’Neill, so consider this another string to their bow. Tottenham have one of the biggest home/away defensive splits in the league (0.9 goals per game conceded at home, 1.5 away from home) so avoiding a trip to Chelsea, in addition to a possible blank Gameweek, is a big plus to your team’s fortunes. Michael Turner looks like a great value pickup at just 4.2, while playing it safer would lead one to Phil Bardsley, who also brings some decent offensive potential.
For Midfield/Forwards… Hardest games: 30 (che), 32 (sun), 34 (no game at present)
Super subs: Swansea (EVE, NEW, BLA) or West Brom (NEW, BLA, QPR)
Tottenham’s home games are sufficiently strong to warrant owning their players despite the couple of tricky away games, but their form away from White Hart Lane suggests some cover should be considered. The same options apply here as mentioned above, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and James Morrison standing out as candidates.
About The Author
“Creator of the plfantasy blog, providing a stats focused approach to fantasy football. Exiled to Canada but still prefer my sports played on grass rather than ice.”
Chris Glover @plfantasy
Commenting is now closed for this post.
Recent Comments
-
Mata is not required.. defs is where it's at with Mourinho... little rotation and great def record » -
Redknapps price cut from 25s to 7/4 overnight fot Everton job. Who reckons he is heading there? » -
Never paid a blind bit of attention to those records they are only there to be broken. » -
http://vine.co/v/bFxqqVmzqD9 » -
Especially when we consider what Andy Carroll went for. ;) » -
A combination probably, but signing a new deal when the only thing that has really changed is Mancini out, suggests that… »
-
my signature move is a 'draw double' ;) last time it was southampton+wigan's match. » -
:roll: never understood the idea of hating another nation. »
-
he did verbally ask for one » -
Fair enough. Enjoy the break »
“I love to attack and I love to go up front...It is a little more difficult than when you are playing centre-back. If you play the way that I want to play, I think my influence is better as a left-back. For the team, it is best that I play as a centre-back. I like to bring the ball out. You need to move the game quickly, and that is one of my qualities as well.”
Jan Vertonghen outlines what he feels is his best position for Andre Villas-Boas
-
Mark @FFScout_Mark
-
Paul @ffscout_paul
-
greek fan @FFScout_Greekf
-
Andy @ffscout_andy
-
G-G-Granville @FFScout_Granny
-
Akers @FFScout_Akers
-
Big Dunc @FFScout_Dunc
March 22 at 9:20 pm
Rui says:
Evening. Team is
Vorm Schwarzer
Kompany Enrique JEvans Caulker Simpson
Silva Dempsey Bale Moses Miyaichi
Rooney RVP Ba
(1.1mill. 1 FT)
Who should I ditch for Valencia? And would it be worth doing Moses (poor fixtures) –> Sigg for a 4pt hit?
Thanks!
March 22 at 9:22 pm
ldyzmymp says:
dempsey imo…forget norwich his away form is poop and you’ll be able to do 4 3-3 and have a great team this gw
March 22 at 9:24 pm
ricdan says:
Dempsey for Valencia
March 22 at 9:28 pm
Rui says:
Cheers
March 22 at 9:30 pm
jordanc90 says:
I’d sell Silva. Dempsey is more likely to explode, in home games anyway. I had Silva from pretty much GW1…got rid of him this week for Valencia.
March 22 at 9:43 pm
Rui says:
Eeek, I already did Dempsey –> Valencia. I was all set on getting rid of Silva after last night but something didn’t feel right when I hovered over the transfer button!
I could do Ba –> Pog next week for Fulham cover.
March 25 at 2:21 pm
JPCrofton says:
Silva is crocked.
He’s got a long term ankle injury he’s been complaining about recently and have you noticed how he’s been subbed off early recently.
Just look at his recent games and remember all the running he did before christmas.
March 22 at 9:21 pm
ricdan says:
Think I would play Krul.
Having said that I always make the wrong choice with my keepre
March 22 at 9:22 pm
ricdan says:
oops reply fail
March 22 at 9:21 pm
PlayPercentage says:
Time to dump Walters?
Stoke have a few decent fixtures coming up, but Walters isn’t chalking up the points anymore.
March 22 at 9:22 pm
Giggity Giggity says:
I got rid, he had easy fixtures prev norwich and swansea home and didn’t do anything/
March 22 at 9:23 pm
ldyzmymp says:
walters is no longer oop and therefore poop
March 22 at 9:23 pm
Cruizer says:
do it a.s.a.p
March 25 at 2:26 pm
JPCrofton says:
Actually he was back behind the striker yesterday.
Good fixures coming up and Stoke looking like their playing with more confident he could be a really really good alternative.
March 22 at 9:21 pm
andres says:
Want valencia in!
Should i sell:
A silva
B dempsey
March 22 at 9:22 pm
Manani says:
A
keep dempsey for NOR match, and possibly bol, although he don’t do much away
March 22 at 9:24 pm
ldyzmymp says:
b, silva is mr. consistent just exp slight dip in form imo…he will come back esp as city need to duke it out every game + he is a big game man
March 22 at 9:27 pm
super zlatan says:
Sell silva.
March 22 at 9:27 pm
Manani says:
have waited mr consistent to be consistent again for the last 10GWs, didn’t happen. time to let go IMO.
March 22 at 9:27 pm
the late frankie fryer says:
Slight?
March 25 at 2:28 pm
JPCrofton says:
Bite the silva bullet.
March 22 at 9:22 pm
jordanc90 says:
Sorry bout the repost, lost on the bottom of the last page. Really don’t like the look of my team this week. Already used my FT getting Valencia in a few days ago so any further transfers would be for a hit. Have 3.2m in the bank. Any help would be much appreciated!!
Mignolet
Simpson, Evans J, Skrtel, Richards
Miyaichi, Bale, Sigurdsson, Valencia
Rooney (c), Van Persie
Krul, Dempsey, Pogrebnyak, Kelly
Cheers.
March 22 at 9:24 pm
super zlatan says:
Leave it. Don’t take a hit. Good team
March 22 at 9:26 pm
jordanc90 says:
You think Simpson over Dempsey is right? I’m 50/50…
March 22 at 9:32 pm
Rui says:
Assuming you will play J.Evans then you don’t want Fulham to score, so I would play Simpson and hope for a Newcastle CS.
March 23 at 9:26 am
ali-bayor says:
On the other hand….if Fulham do score, Dempsey quite likely to have played some part in it….thus softening the blow of losing Evans CS
March 22 at 9:24 pm
ldyzmymp says:
no hit just leave it
March 22 at 9:25 pm
Rui says:
I replied to your post the previous page but you’ve got a very strong team for this week… nothing is worth a hit.
March 22 at 9:25 pm
Cruizer says:
play pog and bench simpson
March 22 at 9:23 pm
blind faith says:
Firstly, what a brilliant article! Top marks for the time and effort gone into this!
Secondly, thinkin for the future maybe shippin mclean out for morrison or somethin?
I’ve got 2.3 in the bank.
And thirdly, thank in advance for advice!
March 22 at 9:24 pm
super zlatan says:
McLean to sess?
March 22 at 9:27 pm
Cruizer says:
keeps mclean as he plays better with sess in the team
March 22 at 9:27 pm
blind faith says:
thinkin he’ll get back to scoring ways now he’s back? was he meant to be back for the blackburn game or was he stil suspended?
March 22 at 9:35 pm
Cruizer says:
i will wait as this weekend they are against qpr at home.planning to do mclean -> to siggy afterwards
March 22 at 9:26 pm
cr4zym4n says:
Yes McClean for Morrison or Siggy IMO. Or Moses? The premium is small and the form of the later two is much much better.
Wouldn’t do it for a hit though.
March 22 at 9:28 pm
blind faith says:
already got siggy. mclean just the one in my team i was lookin unsure of at the mo.
March 22 at 9:24 pm
Cock Soccer says:
I see many people saying Rooney is essential. Rooney is not essential. As a matter of fact, I think he’s bad value. You can have him. I’ll take Vermaelen & Baines instead with the money.
March 22 at 9:25 pm
ldyzmymp says:
well ull be pooping your pants each week that they don’t concede whilst we’ll reap rooney’s easy fixtures and great form
March 22 at 9:29 pm
Cock Soccer says:
Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. You could be getting 1s and 2s with your cheapie defenders while my goal scorer defenders reap double figures every week. Meanwhile Rooney is a waste of 12 mil and Ba finds the net again.
March 22 at 9:25 pm
super zlatan says:
Can’t say I agree with you. Utd fixtures are delicious and they will be out to win the league.
Goals goals goals.
March 22 at 9:27 pm
Rui says:
Nailed on and incredibly good fixtures. Not to mention he is on pens, corners and free kicks.
March 22 at 9:27 pm
cr4zym4n says:
Verm & Baines makes me lol
March 22 at 9:27 pm
Mark says:
Effectively it’s whether you think covering United’s attack is essential. You can look at Valencia, Young, Hernandez or Welbeck but it’s only really Rooney who looks certain to play week in, week out.
The other factor is the captain. In the right week, if you captain Rooney, you could score very big. You’re not going to captain Vermaelen or Baines – at least I don’t think you are. Fine if you’re happy to rely on RVP every week though – as we’ve seen, that tends to work out rather well. Rooney does give you the option though – that could prove valuable.
March 22 at 9:29 pm
Declan says:
You can also look at Nani
March 22 at 9:29 pm
Cruizer says:
how many goals verm n baines have scored this season compared to rooney?
March 22 at 9:30 pm
brianutd says:
Stop teasing where is it?
March 22 at 9:31 pm
ssssshhh says:
Agree with this, essential at the moment. Although if Hernandez was to nail down his place I’d be tempted to switch and Valencia looks set to become essential.
March 22 at 9:32 pm
Cock Soccer says:
RVP is my captain every week and Valencia is all united attack I want, I think he’ll play (almost) every game from now on. I don’t trust Rooney in the near future even if he’s had great 4-5 weeks now.
March 22 at 9:34 pm
MFaulkner says:
In general, Rooney goes a few months of scoring in nearly every game, then does fack all for a few months. Might as well catch him while he’s scoring.
March 22 at 9:42 pm
Cock Soccer says:
You either have him while he’s scoring or you don’t. You can’t get him, because for all we know his scoring streak might be already over. I didn’t have him during first 5 GWs, at that time you’d have called me crazy but I didn’t get him even after GW5. Stubbornest kept him for 10 GWs for nothing.
This is only a hunch, I admit. But im not gonna get him and I suggest you all to spend your money more wisely
March 22 at 9:37 pm
Mull- Looks forward to Euro 2012 fantasy says:
If you don’t get Rooney and Valencia is all the United attack you want then double on the defence at least.
March 22 at 9:30 pm
AP says:
Bad value? luls. 25 goals in 27 games isn’t it?
March 22 at 9:33 pm
Cock Soccer says:
Compare to Ba or Ade and you see what I mean.
March 22 at 9:37 pm
AP says:
Compare what? Is RvP also bad value then? He’s 1 million more. (the answer is no).
Overall points wins the game. Not points per million.
March 22 at 9:44 pm
Cock Soccer says:
No =D
RVP is better value than Ade and MUCH better than Rooney!
March 22 at 9:50 pm
AP says:
Ohhhhhhhh dear.
March 22 at 9:55 pm
Cock Soccer says:
I agree
March 22 at 9:24 pm
Bad Pen says:
Wow, Valencia on 198%
March 22 at 9:26 pm
ldyzmymp says:
yeh…he is superb value atm even if he rises a bit…
March 22 at 9:30 pm
ILF St. Petersburg. The Zenit of European Football says:
Does that mean he will rise tonight and tomorrow night?
March 22 at 9:33 pm
Bad Pen says:
I have no idea, this is my first season on FPL.
March 22 at 9:37 pm
ldyzmymp says:
he will rise before the sun
March 22 at 9:26 pm
ssssshhh says:
Should I save my FT this week and give Young another shot? Current line up:
Mignolet (Schwarzer)
Sagna Enrique Evans (McAuley Caulker)
Walcott Young Bale McClean Miyaichi
RVP Rooney (Pog)
March 22 at 9:28 pm
super zlatan says:
I would leave it. Young should start. Could be a nice differential.
March 22 at 9:28 pm
ldyzmymp says:
yeh give him a shot…he’ll be a diff to the valencia zombie move…(which i took admittedly)
March 22 at 9:29 pm
ssssshhh says:
Yeah was thinking he’s likely to start. Always nice to have 2 freebies.
March 22 at 9:27 pm
Mr_T says:
anyone considering vdv? decent fixtures + greedy + pens = win?
March 22 at 9:28 pm
ldyzmymp says:
no…ade’s rot threat on him is imminent
March 22 at 9:29 pm
Mac says:
-pens
March 22 at 9:29 pm
super zlatan says:
Ade on pens?
March 22 at 9:31 pm
Cruizer says:
having bale is enough for spurs coverage
March 23 at 9:42 am
RAFAAA says:
yep great call mate! vdv would be a terrific differential!! ignore all the sheep on here who will say ” bring in valencia” or ” don’t sell dempsey”! they are wrong half the time so go with your gut! i’ve gone walcott over valencia this week and i’m feeling confident! i’m also considering selling bale for vdv this week and i’m coming in top 2k
March 22 at 9:30 pm
remenos says:
Ok, which one is better for this GW?
1) Kelly -> Enrique
2) McClean -> Valencia
I’m planning to bring them both in the future.
March 22 at 9:33 pm
ldyzmymp says:
2 to catch the rise
1 to prevent kicking urself if mcclean has a gr8 week and enrique who will undoubtedly keep a cleanie
i’d go 1
March 22 at 9:37 pm
remenos says:
thinking the same atm..
I can afford Valencia next but the question is who has better chances this week McClean+Enrique or Valencia+Simpson (BAE)? probably the first…
March 22 at 9:33 pm
ssssshhh says:
Neither is crucial this week unless you have 2 FTs but I’d go with 2. Keep an eye on Liverpools form before going for Enrique.
March 22 at 9:33 pm
Rui says:
2, by a mile.
March 22 at 9:31 pm
the late frankie fryer says:
John bishop is a beast on sport relief prog
March 22 at 9:31 pm
seanie3 says:
Vorm (Krul)
Skrtel, Evans, Caulker (bae, santon)
bale, valencia, dempsey, mclean (miyachi)
rvp, rooney, ba
2.3m in the bank with no transfers
a) swap bae for Vermaelen (-4 hit)
b) swap skretel for Vermaelen (-4 hit)
c) swap mclean for siggy (-4 hit)
d) swap dempsey for walcott (-4 hit)
e) do nothing and do one of the above next week
March 22 at 9:32 pm
super zlatan says:
E)
March 22 at 9:35 pm
Rui says:
D looks tempting and might be worth it if you’re trying to catch a big lead. Otherwise play it sensible and go for E.
March 22 at 9:35 pm
ssssshhh says:
E – both similar chances of a clean sheet and Verm wont score every week.
March 22 at 9:37 pm
ssssshhh says:
Referring to options A and B.
D is the only one that has a reasonable chance of paying off. Assuming you’d bench Demps, who would start instead?
March 23 at 9:46 am
RAFAAA says:
do nothing and start miyachi over dempsey!!! problem solved! miyaichi is as dangerous as siggy or wallcott this week
March 22 at 9:31 pm
super zlatan says:
1ft. 2.5 in bank. Should I save it?
Ming
Skertel. Enrique. Evans
Bale. Siggy. Valancia. McCLean
Rvp. Rooney. Suarez
Subs. Schwarzer. Caulk. Demps. Simp.
March 22 at 9:34 pm
ldyzmymp says:
no doubt man the team is sexcellent
March 22 at 9:35 pm
ldyzmymp says:
though i’d be very tempted to play caulks ahead of mcclean
March 22 at 9:36 pm
super zlatan says:
Was gona upgrade Enrique to verm?
March 22 at 9:36 pm
ldyzmymp says:
not this gw
March 22 at 9:38 pm
super zlatan says:
Ok cheers
March 22 at 9:32 pm
NED KELLY says:
I wish i had suarez just for this GW
March 22 at 9:34 pm
ldyzmymp says:
hmmm i don’t
March 22 at 9:35 pm
Giggity Giggity says:
why?
March 22 at 9:36 pm
ldyzmymp says:
i just don’t find unlucky racist donkeys appealing atm…
March 22 at 9:38 pm
ILF St. Petersburg. The Zenit of European Football says:
Just fat cheating junkies?
March 22 at 9:41 pm
NED KELLY says:
Any forward looks appealing at home to wigan.
If he could stop hitting the post an start hitting the back of the net
March 22 at 9:34 pm
brianutd says:
New post
March 22 at 9:34 pm
marko_v_111 says:
What to do with this team:
Mig (Sorensen)
Evans,Cauker,BAE,Enique,Lescott,
Bale,Siggy,Valencia,Sess,Demspey
Suerez,RVP,Rooney
My only worry is my 3 strikers are always away same time
March 22 at 9:36 pm
ldyzmymp says:
do nothing
March 23 at 6:17 am
tommo727 says:
Get rid of Suarez for Adebayor/Ballo/Prog/Yak etc
March 22 at 9:38 pm
Syd says:
Into the top 5K
March 22 at 9:39 pm
ricdan says:
Play Mclean or Miyachi this week?
March 22 at 9:41 pm
Reedy says:
Ryo
March 22 at 9:40 pm
div says:
Mignolet/Vorm
Rangel, Enrique, Evans
Silva, Valencia, Bale, Siggy
RVP(c), Rooney(vc), Ba
McClean, Raylor, Senderos
Mignolet or Vorm & am I playing too many from Man U & Swansea?
March 22 at 10:16 pm
Kit Walker says:
I think your OK with 3 Man Utd & Swansea players. Man Utd want to win the title and Swansea just want to win everthing, so both teams have a lot to play for.
March 23 at 6:15 am
tommo727 says:
Same starting XI and captain as me this week except I have Skrtel instead of Rangel and Turner instead of Bale ( Bale on bench)
March 23 at 9:47 am
RAFAAA says:
pur rooney captain
March 22 at 9:43 pm
Tanglebrain says:
Who thinks Gerrard is worth a punt this week?
March 22 at 9:45 pm
NED KELLY says:
At home to wigan he could score very big.. but its liverpool small club big problem
March 22 at 9:56 pm
McTheKnife says:
it’s a dilemna….gerrard or walcott
i’m keen to take a punt on gerrard but liverpool are so bad at the moment, it’s hard to know how they’ll play in the next few weeks
March 22 at 10:02 pm
Dickie says:
Guys should I do Mclean > Siggy this week or do Dempsey > Siggy this week and then Mclean back to Dempsey next week for Norwich?
Would drop 0.3 as a result but 2nd place in mini league 43 points behind me & just activated wild card so can’t risk a poor week.
Help
March 23 at 6:12 am
tommo727 says:
Dempsey > Siggy But no need to get Dempsey back IMHO
March 23 at 10:24 am
leeroyB says:
Bench Dempsey this week and keep for NOR next week…..then get rid
March 23 at 6:07 am
tommo727 says:
How does my team look for this week?
Vorm (Howard)
Turner Skrtel Jose Enrique Evans J (Simpson)
Sigurdsson Valencia Silva (Bale, Drenthe)
RVP (C) Rooney (VC) Ba
Bale on bench a risk??
March 23 at 8:50 am
pgr says:
No spurs coverage atm. Who should I bring in? Bale, VDV or Ade?
March 23 at 9:01 am
HYENA says:
Just read this thread – the Verm/Baines comment has made my Friday – Thanks!
March 23 at 10:15 am
Mota says:
Hey Suerez owners, do you captain him for Wigan at home or prefer RvP or Rooney?
Can Liverpool fans verify my thinking that angry Liverpool will try hard (and are able) to score big against Wigan?
March 23 at 10:21 am
E says:
I have RVP, Rooney and Suarez. I’m going for Rooney (C) and RVP (VC). Suarez might do well this weekend, but chances are RVP and Roo Roo will do better. RVP is probably the safest bet for C, but Rooney versus FUL at home is also a solid choice andI’m going for him.
March 23 at 10:24 am
Mota says:
Thanks! Will repost it under the latest one as well…
March 23 at 10:36 am
pjomara says:
The article seemed OK until it said to rotate Valencia. It lost all credibility after that. If you went with the idea of dropping Valencia for away games you’d have lost out on 13 pts v Arsenal plus many other decent hauls as well. Wolves (a) is as good if not better than a home game so I’m assuming they weren’t suggesting dropping him for games like that.
March 23 at 10:45 am
pjomara says:
Edit: OK, I see they suggest only dropping Valencia for Man CIty (a) and Sunderland (a). I disagree I think you should play him every game regardless of difficulty of fixture.
March 23 at 12:49 pm
Super-Ballotelli-is-fantastic-Heskey-is-atrocious says:
Worth a hit to do McLean to Siggy? Already done Silva to Tony V!
March 23 at 1:16 pm
Marleysoldman says:
Every now and again an article is posted on this site that annoys me. Annoying because it gives away a little secret that I’ve been employing myself and in the selfish world of FF you don’t want any other bugger using it.
This is one such article.
March 23 at 10:10 pm
Dirtman says:
Tough week to pick a captain for me this week with rvp,rooney,valencia and sigy all with home ties is tough to pick as every one you could make a case for ! so far ive pencilled in rooney but after last weeks defensive midfielder role it leaving me doubting whether to give him the cap role..for some reason i feel rvp will have a quieter than normal weekend this weekend so maybe a gamble on valencia as im thinking he will be playing a role more attacking than rooney??
Any views?