With Gameweek four behind us we once again delve into the Sky Sports game, reviewing the Man of the Match (MoTM) awards, the bonus point beneficiaries and the latest transfer market trends. As always, we also look ahead to the forthcoming Gameweek, with a couple of suggested captain options.
Gameweek 4 Man of the Match Awards
Listed below is a match-by-match breakdown of the players who won the plaudits from the Sky Sports reporters last time out, earning five additional points for the Man-of-the-Match award.
| Fixture | MoTM |
| Man United vs Crystal Palace | Wayne Rooney |
| Aston Villa vs Newcastle | Hatem Ben Arfa |
| Fulham vs West Brom | Morgan Amilfitano |
| Hull City vs Cardiff | Joe Lewis |
| Stoke City vs Man City | Charlie Adam |
| Sunderland vs Arsenal | Mesut Ozil |
| Tottenham vs Norwich | Gylfi Sigurdsson |
| Everton vs Chelsea | Gareth Barry |
| Southampton vs West Ham | Jussi Jaaskelainen |
| Swansea vs Liverpool | Daniel Sturridge |
For the first time this season goalkeepers entered the thoughts of the Sky reporter with two shot stoppers – Joe Lewis and Jussi Jaaskelainen – managing to achieve the accolade. Elsewhere the awards were spread amongst six midfielders and two forwards. Charlie Adam and Hatem Ben Arfa have now received the plaudits twice in four matches and come in at a budget friendly 4.9 million and 5.9 million respectively – both also have a hand in set pieces and seem viable options to fund further big-hitting options.
Gameweek 4 Bonus Points
Six goalkeepers picked up save bonus last week. Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet was one of the beneficiaries and has now picked up bonus points in two of his four fixtures – he has also been credited with 19 saves overall, the highest of any stopper.
In defence, a total of 12 players fetched bonus, six for tackles and six for passes completed. No one managed to achieve both, although Swansea’s young full-back Ben Davies came closest with 62 completed passes and 2 tackles, a couple of challenges short.
In midfield, 19 players picked up bonus – eight for tackling and 13 for passes, which was the highest amount of any Gameweek so far. Jon Obi-Mikel and Aaron Ramsey were the two men to gain bonus for both – Ramsey’s all round game has helped him pick up passing and tackling bonus three times each in his four games so far, earning an additional 12 points.
In the forward positions, somewhat surprisingly, two players gained tackling bonus. Steven Naismith and Bryan Ruiz were the men defending from the front – although both found themselves in slightly deeper or wider roles than their classification as a frontman suggests.
A reminder that Fantasy Football Scout members can access all the data regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.
The Transfer Trends
Top Transfers Out
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Silva | Man City | 8.4 | 4.70% |
| Cole | West Ham | 4.7 | 2.82% |
| Coleman | Everton | 6.5 | 2.33% |
| Sturridge | Liverpool | 9.2 | 1.92% |
| Cazorla | Arsenal | 8.7 | 1.89% |
Injury seems to have forced the hand of Fantasy managers in most of the names above, however the removal of the in-form Seamus Coleman (2.33%) and Daniel Sturridge (1.92%) seems a little hasty. We can only assume these sales were in order to fund other big hitting options elsewhere.
Top Transfers In
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Ozil | Arsenal | 8.8 | 6.63% |
| Ramsey | Arsenal | 5.8 | 4.81% |
| Ben Arfa | Newcastle | 5.9 | 3.62% |
| Sturridge | Liverpool | 9.2 | 3.36% |
| Rose | Tottenham | 4.7 | 3.35% |
Arsenal players continue to dominate the transfers in with Mesut Ozil (6.63%) and Aaron Ramsey (4.81%) picking up yet more suitors. Hatem Ben Arfa’s last two games have been eye-catching with 3.62% of Fantasy managers acquiring the Frenchman on the back of two goals and MoTM awards in his last couple of fixtures. Daniel Sturridge (3.36%) and Danny Rose (3.35%) feature again this week, though the latter was subbed off in Tottenham’s Europa League win over Tromso last night and looks a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Cardiff.
Gameweek 5 Proposed Captain Strategy
Looking ahead to the armband options for Gameweek 5, we can again highlight two alternatives, one using a captain change during the Gameweek and one using a transfer.
Captain Option 1
You have a captain playing in Saturday’s fixtures and use a captain change to a player set to feature in Sunday’s fixtures. If you used option one from last week you should be coming into the Gameweek with Daniel Sturridge holding the armband.
Our Strategy:
Daniel Sturridge → Robin Van Persie
Although Robin Van Persie’s trip to the Etihad on Sunday is hardly ideal, this tactic would enable you to enter Gameweek 6 without making a captain change, with the armband on the Dutchman for the following Saturday’s home fixture against West Brom.
Captain Option 2
You have a captain playing Saturday and use a transfer to a player featuring in Sunday’s matches.
Our Strategy:
Daniel Sturridge → Oliver Giroud
Using this method you would have the armband on the Arsenal forward at home to Stoke on Sunday and then later in the Gameweek you could use your captain change to a player involved the following Saturday – or simply keep it on Giroud, who rolls up to the Liberty in the teatime kick-off.
The Fantasy Football Scout League
Our own Fantasy Football Scout League is currently riding high on top of the Private League rankings. With a £1,000 prize to the winner, you’d be mad not to get involved. To join, visit Sky Sports Fantasy Football and key in League Name: FFScout, League Code: 8000112.
The Fantasy Football Club
If you missed Thursday’s show, you can still catch Fenners and Merse this evening at 18:30 Skysports One HD where they will be discussing the previous week’s Fantasy Football events, chatting to Rob Green and quizzing Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi for his #One2Eleven.
