Fantasy Premier League Focus

Our weekly look at the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game is rolled out once again this afternoon. As usual, we take a look at the top of the Scout League, while glancing at the busy transfer market ahead of a double Gameweek 16 for Sunderland and Reading:

Scout League Standings

Once again, Iyad Zahlan sits atop the Scout League after a 56 point haul last weekend. Michu was his main protagonist last weekend with 16 points, while Jose Enrique, Leighton Baines and Asmir Begovic all produced the goods at the back. Luis Suarez returned a two points captaincy haul, though Robin Van Persie notched in United’s 4-3 win at Reading. Iyad is on 953 points, 11 off the overall summit.

In second place is El Tri, after he picked up 48 points last time out. Stoke pair Begovic and Ryan Shawcross produced 17 points between them, while Demba Ba and Carlos Tervez were the only others to register more than a couple of points, combining for a19 point haul up top. With 941 points so far, El Tri is eighth in the overall rankings.

T.I. sits still in third, though he’ll be disappointed by last week’s events. His team produced 37 points – all but Begovic and captain Van Persie failed to fire as he moved to 929 points, or 17th overall.

David Jones is another non-mover on fourth. His side managed 49 points inn Gameweek 15, with Enrique, Tevez, Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney his main men – he’ll be ruing his decision to bench Michu after the Spaniard’s Emirates haul. David is 26th overall, with 925 points accrued so far.

Finally, Paul Godson is a new entry to the top five. His score of 50 last week was mainly down to Baines, Enrique, Fellaini and captain Van Persie as he moved to 922 points, or 32nd in the overall standings.

Our top five keep Fantasy Football Scout top of the Best Leagues, though our lead has been cut – we are now just 14.4 points ahead of our nearest challenger. For contributors, Facer remains at the top. Juan Mata, Fellaini, Enrique and Van Persie helped him to 41 points in Gameweek 15.

Market Trends

Michu leads the way for transfers in, with almost 160,000 Fantasy managers jumping aboard the Spaniard’s bandwagon after his brace at the Emirates took him to the top of the midfield rankings. Jermain Defoe has collected an extra 132,000 new owners on the back of his double at Fulham, while Marouane Fellaini has been snapped up by over 98,000 after producing returns for the sixth appearance in succession at City last weekend.

Stoke duo Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross have received a combined 86,000 transfers in after the Potters registered their seventh clean sheet of the campaign at West Brom last Saturday, while a raft of forwards have all picked up in ownership. Carlos Tevez, Demba Ba, Rickie Lambert, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie have persuaded 20,000+ to invest, while Steven Fletcher and Adam Le Fondre have received 65,000 trades in between them ahead of their respective double Gameweeks. Elsewhere for Sunderland and Reading, Stephane Sessegnon (35,000), Nicky Shorey (20,000), Hal Robson-Kanu (17,000), Sean Morrison (15,000) and Jobi McAnuff (13,000) have also proved popular picks.

For transfers out, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale lead the way. The Liverpool man has been sold on by over 147,000 Fantasy managers in light of his upcoming one-match ban, though a strong schedule suggests he’ll be drafted in by many more next week. Bale’s hamstring injury, which is now likely to see him miss the next two, has persuaded over 104,000 to part company with the Spurs winger.

Eden Hazard is next in line for the chop. With attacking returns in one of his last six, the Chelsea midfielder has picked up 61,000 sales, with United’s Rafael (39,000) next in line after he was subbed off on the half-hour mark at Reading last Saturday evening. Yaya Toure, James Morrison and Santi Cazorla have all been subject to 25,000+ transfers out as midfields are restructured, while up top, the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Peter Crouch, Lukas Podolski, Demba Ba and Steven Fletcher have seen significant sales, with all but the Fulham man currently a doubt heading into the weekend’s schedule.