Fantasy Premier League Focus

Our regular look at the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game analyses the goings-on on at the top of the Scout league and also casts an eye on the FFS Members league, which has now moved up to second spot in the Mini-League rankings. As always, we also check out the transfer market ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, with plenty double Gameweek players earning new owners.

T.I. remains a non-mover at the top of the Scout League after registering 88 points in the Gameweek gone by. He loaded up on five double Gameweek players – captain Juan Mata, Demba Ba, David Luiz, Jason Puncheon and Luke Shaw, while Marouane Fellaini, Leighton Baines and Robin Van Persie all chipped in with points as T.I. moved to second in the overall rankings on 1436 points.

Kelvin Travers keeps his second place spot after a 92 point haul last time round. He also had captain Mata, Luiz and Shaw for the double and opted for Eden Hazard and Rickie Lambert, while Van Persie also helped him move to fourth overall on 1422 points.

M.P. climbs to third in the Scout League thanks to a 90 point haul in Gameweek 22. He handed Ba the armband, while Mata, Puncheon, Luiz and Lambert delivered thanks to a pair of fixtures apiece. Van Persie and Mark Bunn also produced the goods and took MP to twelfth spot in the overall standings, with 1409 points to his name so far.

Former world number one Iyad Zahlan slips to fourth in the Scout League despite racking up 83 points. Captain Ba, Mata, Puncheon, Shaw and Luiz were his double Gameweek options, while Fellaini, Bunn and Van Persie boosted his overall haul to 1407 points, which sees his sit thirteenth in the world.

Eddie McGeever is the final member of our top five thanks to a 85 point return in Gameweek 22. He also captained Mata and drafted in Ba, but chose to select Branislav Ivanovic, Gaston Ramirez and Nathaniel Clyne for the double – Van Persie and Bunn helped him to eighteenth in the overall standings, on 1404 points.

Thanks to the contributions of our featured five, Fantasy Football Scout remains top of the league rankings. We now have a 15.6 point advantage over our nearest rival, which just happens to be our FFS Members league – holding top spot there is world number one Julian Zipparo and with T.I. sitting in second, the Members league has the current top two players leading the way.

For the contributors, Mark remains on top. He picked up 81 points last week thanks to the likes of captain Mata, Luiz, Ba, Fellaini, Van Persie and Bunn, while Leighton Baines and Edin Dzeko also produced as Mark move up to 2166th position overall, with 1301 points on the board.

Market Trends

The upcoming double Gameweek has played a significant part in the transfers activity, with Theo Walcott proving the most popular ahead of Arsenal’s pair of fixtures. Over 74,000 Fantasy managers have snapped up Walcott, though Santi Cazorla has been acquired by just over half that number – 38,000 have transferred in the Spaniard, making him third most popular midfielder this week, behind Marouane Fellaini (54,000). Kevin Nolan has been drafted in by 26,000+ for the Hammers’ double, while Jack Wilshere is also picking up plenty interest, with over 21,000 taking a punt on the Gunners midfielder.

Kieran Gibbs has earned over 39,000 new owners – more than any other defender, though Manchester duo Patrice Evra and Pablo Zabaleta have seen 30,000 transfers in apiece. West Ham pair Guy Demel (25,000) and Winston Reid (20,000) have proven popular ahead of the double.

Up top, the mid-price appeal of Romelu Lukaku (44,000) and Rickie Lambert (40,000) leads the way. Lukas Podolski has earned 40,000 new owners for the double, while Demba Ba and Luis Suarez have both been snapped up by over 36,000. Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez have acquired plenty new owners ahead of City’s game with Fulham, though Sergio Aguero has been passed fit and could well derail those particular bandwagons.

For trades out, Asmir Begovic (15,000) and Ryan Shawcross (26,000) lead the way for keepers and defenders respectively after Stoke shipped 10 goals in their last three league matches. As many as 14 defenders have been sold on by 10,000+ Fantasy managers as backlines are rapidly restructured – Chelsea trio Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill have all been sold in significant numbers after their double. Joey O’Brien has also been sold by plenty teams but has now been passed fit for tomorrow’s game with QPR.

Yaya Toure’s African Cup of Nations duties have seen 79,000 move the Ivorian on, though Cazorla’s departure from over 21,000 squads is a real surprise, given his impending double. Gareth Bale and Raheem Sterling have both been sold by over 28,000, while Eden Hazard has quickly departed 21,000+ squads in spite of his double Gameweek endeavours.

Rafa Benitez’s tinkering has persuaded plenty to part with Fernando Torres and Demba Ba; the Chelsea pair have earned 49,000 and 42,000 sales respectively – only the out of sorts Jermain Defoe (58,000) has been offloaded from more sides. Almost 40,000 have shifted Dimitar Berbatov from their squads as a result of Fulham’s poor form.