Fantasy Premier League Focus

The midweek fixture schedule means we take a somewhat belated look at the goings-on at the top of the Scout League, where a new leader sits at the summit. As always, we cast an eye over the transfer market, with Rafa Benitez’s forward rotation having a significant impact:

Scout League Standings

Kelvin Travers moves back to the top of the Scout League after a 63 point return in Gameweek 24. Leighton Baines and Juan Mata were his chief protagonists, racking up 31 points between them, while Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale also produced the goods as Kelvin moved to 1584 points – he is also the new world number one after last night’s matches.

Site regular T.I. is down to second, then, after a 53 point return. He also has Baines, Walcott and Bale in his first XI, while Dimitar Berbatov chipped in with a goal in Fulham’s 3-1 win over West Ham – T.I. sits in second in the overall rankings on 1575 points and still has a wildcard in hand.

Marcus Blomlof is a new name in the top five. He sits in third after racking up 77 points in Gameweek 24 – Baines, Bale, Walcott and Mata were joined by Ben Davies and Wayne Rooney in picking up the points as Marcus climbed to 12th in the overall standings on 1555 points.

Sitting in fourth spot is Eddie McGeever. He picked up 49 points last time round, with Mata and Walcott’s returns also helped by Ryan Shawcross and Luis Suarez – despite a fall, Eddie still remains inside the overall top 20 on 1545 points.

Our top five is completed by Dan Jones, who registered 48 midweek points. Frank Lampard chipped in along with Baines and Walcott to help Dan to 20th spot in the overall rankings; like the rest of our top five, he suffered the frustration of a four point armband haul from Robin Van Persie.

Thanks to the performances of our featured managers, Fantasy Football Scout remains at the top of the best leagues. We have a 6.6 point advantage over our nearest rival, which, once again, is the Scout Members league – T.I. leads the way in that one, with a five point lead on second placed Julian Zipparo.

In the contributors league, Mark continues to lead the way. He picked up 54 points in Gameweek 24, courtesy of Baines, Mata and Walcott. Also, congratulations must go to Andy – his side finished in the top 10 for the month of January. Look out for more on Andy’s team in tonight’s revamped ScoutCast.

Market Trends

The budget appeal of Ben Davies has earned the Swansea left-back more than 25,000 transfers in – making him the most popular player in the Gameweek so far. Simon Mignolet has earned 12,000+ new investors after climbing to the top of the keeper standings, while Pablo Zabaleta’s fourth straight clean sheet for City has persuaded 17,000 to draft in the right-back. No surprise to see Leighton Baines on Fantasy radars after his brace against West Brom on Wednesday evening – 15,000 Fantasy managers have scrambled aboard that bandwagon.

In midfield, Theo Walcott has almost double the number of transfers of any other option. The Arsenal winger has over 20,000 new owners after scoring for the third consecutive Gameweek, while Juan Mata (10,000+) and Marouane Fellaini (9,000+) lead the chasing pack. Up top, Olivier Giroud’s recent upturn in form have persuaded over 20,000 to snap up the Gunners’ frontman – Reading’s Adam Le Fondre has been acquired by a similar amount after scoring five times in his last three appearances off the bench. Luis Suarez and Steven Fletcher, with 13,000 and 11,000 transfers in respectively, are receiving plenty new interest, with the upcoming double Gameweek sure to see the Uruguayan rise further in ownership.

In terms of transfers out, Demba Ba’s owners have clearly had enough of Rafa Benitez’s rotation policy. The Senegalese striker has been sold on by more than 45,000 managers – almost four times any other forward – after playing a mere 11 minutes in Chelsea’s last two league games. Significantly, City pair Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez are the next most unpopular, with Roberto Mancini’s rotation also coming into play here, while Jermain Defoe’s one goal in nine has persuaded over 7,500 to sell the Spurs man.

At the back, Asmir Begovic has been shipped out by 10,000 after failing to register a clean sheet in six, while injuries to Kieran Gibbs and David Luiz have earned the pair plenty sales. Rafael’s omission from the United starting XI has kick-started the transfers out, with uncertainty returning over his guaranteed game time. The suspended Eden Hazard continues to accumulate plenty transfers out (15,000) and Santi Cazorla has also been traded out in significant numbers, with Walcott’s stunning consistency keeping the Spaniard firmly in the shade.