Fantasy Premier League Focus

Once again, we roll out our weekly look at the top performers in the Fantasy Football Scout league, while taking a look at the increasingly volatile transfer market ahead of next Saturday’s deadline:

There’s no change at the top, where Iyad Zahlan holds firm at the top of the Scout League. Racking up 65 points last weekend, his front three of Robin Van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Suarez produced 35 points between them, with the Dutchman taking the armband. Juan Mata chipped in with an assist, while Kaspars Gorkss and Asmir Begovic both returned clean sheets at the back. With 746 points accrued, Iyad also holds onto his top spot in the overall rankings; he has a 15-point lead over the side in second spot.

In second place, we have a newcomer to the Scout League. Brad Conlin produced 75 points last weekend, without the services of Van Persie or Berbatov in his side. Captain Luis Suarez, Kevin Nolan and Marouane Fellaini produced 42 points between them, while Begovic, Gorkss and Ryan Shawcross racked up the points at the back. Brad is on 726 points, third in the overall rankings.

Jaydeep Karale moves up into third, with his team “Rising Stars” scoring 69 points in Gameweek 11. Similar to Brad, he doubled up on Begovic and Shawcross at the back, while Mata, Fellaini and Nolan chipped in with attacking returns from midfield. Up top, Van Persie produced a 10 point captaincy return, with Nikica Jelavic grabbing seven points in Everton’s win over Sunderland. Jaydeep has picked up 718 points so far – enough to earn him ninth spot overall.

James Fitzgerald slips to fourth, despite a solid 62 points last time out. Berbatov, captain Van Persie, Nolan and Mata all produced, though he managed just a single clean sheet thanks to Stoke’s Geoff Cameron. Unlike the top three, James still has his wildcard available, though he’s made two transfers already this Gameweek. He has 718 points and sits in tenth overall.

T.I. drops to fifth after registering 52 points last weekend. Only three of his side – Berbatov, Jelavic and Yaya Toure – produced attacking returns, with Carlos Tevez a captaincy let-down. Begovic bagged a clean sheet at the back, with Leighton Baines also chipping in with four points. T.I. is 24th overall on 708 points, and, like James, he also has a wildcard available.

With four of the overall top 10 in the Scout League top five positions, we remain at the summit of Best Leagues. An average of 723.2 points means we have a lead of 15.6 points over our nearest challengers.

In the contributor’s league, Facer moved back to top spot. Van Persie, Berbatov, Fellaini, Gorkss and Begovic were his main protagonists.

Market Trends

It’s no real surprise to see Marouane Fellaini is this week’s most-wanted player so far. A 13-point haul against Sunderland means he has averaged 11 points per game since returning from injury in Gameweek 9. Fellaini has been picked up by over 134,000 Fantasy managers and, having moved to 7.6, has now risen by 0.6 over the last fortnight. With a trip to Reading up next, the appeal is obvious.

Dimitar Berbatov is hot on Fellaini’s heels, however, ahead of a home clash with Sunderland. The Fulham forward has been acquired by over 133,000 after his brace and assist at the Emirates last Saturday – Berbatov has returned 50 points in just six starts, over eight points per first XI appearance, and has moved up to 7.4 from 7.2 so far.

Next up is Luis Suarez, who has made his way into over 76,000 new teams. A run of form which has harvested 53 points over the last six Gameweeks has taken him to 69 points, second only to Robin Van Persie in the overall rankings. With three strong home fixtures in the next six (WIG, SOU, AVL) the investment looks set to pick up pace.

Kevin Nolan’s winner against former club Newcastle has earned the West Ham skipper over 42,000 new suitors. Like Fellaini, his role behind a lone striker continues to help him rack up the returns – Nolan is fourth top scoring midfielder with 63 points, thanks to five goals, two assists and seven bonus points. Juan Mata has also received significant investment in midfield. His assist against Chelsea continued his superb consistent displays of late – he has now scored or assisted in his last six, and has been transferred in by over 35,000 Fantasy managers.

Up front, United pair Javier Hernandez and Robin Van Persie have been acquired by a combined 55,000 ahead of United’s strong run of fixtures. Demba Ba continues to attract investment – over 11,000 have snapped up the Newcastle forward ahead of some strong short-term fixtures, while Bryan Ruiz’s form and 5.8 price tag have seen him transferred in by over 14,000.

At the back, faith in West Ham and Stoke continues to flourish, with both clubs recording their fifth clean sheet of the campaign last weekend. Over 77,000 have snapped up Hammers trio Jussi Jaaskelainen, Winston Reid and Joey O’Brien, while a combined 66,000 have invested in Asmir Begovic, Ryan Shawcross and Geoff Cameron for Tony Pulis’ side. Rafael’s attacking threat at the back for United has earned him 27,000 new owners, while Kaspars Gorkss’ cut-price appeal and strong recent form for Reading has seen him snapped up by 16,000+.

In terms of trades out, a recent lack of goals has seen Jermain Defoe (one in six), Carlos Tevez (one strike in the last eight Gameweeks), Steven Fletcher (none since Gameweek 6) and Demba Ba (one in five) shipped out by the bucketload. Defoe has been sold by 54,000, Tevez has departed from over 49,000 sides, while Fletcher and Ba have been sent packing by 40,000 and 41,000 respectively.

In midfield, Michu is the most unpopular. Over 36,000 have moved on the Spaniard in spite of his recent move up front – the goals are starting to dry up a little for Swansea, particularly on the road, with just one strike in their last four away fixtures. Big hitters such as Eden Hazard (26,000), Yaya Toure, Santi Cazorla (both 22,000) and Gareth Bale (19,000) have also been shifted, as our five-man midfields get refreshed; a swap to Fellaini seems the obvious move.

At the back, Ashley Cole’s hamstring worry has led to over 35,000 sales, while the return of Bacary Sagna has seen Carl Jenkinson make his way from 32,000 sides. Chris Baird’s one-match suspension has led to 17,000 sales of Fulham’s out-of-position defender, while groin injuries to both Michel Vorm and Ben Foster have harvested significant sales.