The Community Round Up

Some early Christmas shopping took place this week as the community’s articles and hot topics prepared for the congested festive fixture schedule. We also discover why Diego Costa will be hoping opposition defenders hold back on their Christmas feasting and take an in-depth look at the different types of front men currently plying their trade in the top-flight. There’s also time to catch up on the latest statistics in our members tables and recall one of the week’s most heart-warming posts about a young lad’s first ever football match.

The Community Articles

From the shot shy to the trigger happy, and the most accurate to those whose shots end up in row Z, Owd Big Ed’s epic piece of research took a look at the different types of strikers from a Fantasy point of view.

Forwards, specifically those with a kind price tag, were also the focus of AZ’s latest article, while Buffrey has taken a look at scoring from a defensive perspective to see which type of player is more likely to breach Premier League teams’ backlines. The Puntmaster will be hoping his trio of latest differential punts manage to do just this as will Arvin-ation with his pair of attacking punts.

Looking ahead, Dat Guy has been studying the Christmas fixture schedule to see if he can predict where the most likely rotation hot spots will be. Christina has also been looking at festive fixtures and the added value a good fifth midfielder is set to provide. Meanwhile,  The Sarjeant has been looking into the recent past for his up-to-date Premier League form gauge to help with this weekend’s decisions.

On paper, some fixtures seem to be easy to predict. A top of the table team will surely beat a relegation threatened minnow? This week The Puntmaster has been turning such preconceptions on their head to delve deep into the statistics to find the real tough and easy games and uncover some flat track bullies and Davids versus Goliaths on the way.

Elsewhere, Maillot Jaune won this week’s Community Champion vote and this weekend will take on Mark, Paul and myself in the Gameweek 12 Scout Picks.

Finally, for those wildcarding soon, Kalix has produced this must-read guide to getting the best value out of your newly constructed team.

Don’t forget, if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article. We also offer £25 to the writer of the most popular article each month.

The Hottest Topics

Among the toughest strategies this week is how to deal with the fall out from an injury-plagued international week, where popular picks such as Leighton Baines emerged as doubts for Gameweek 12. In our discussion on how to cope with injuries Hagop favours patience and waiting right up until all press conferences are finished. Tony Hibbert, meanwhile, is taking no chances and has used his wildcard already this week.

Another tough choice this week is where to place the captain’s armband. Coutinho’s Brain has been looking at this week’s standout pair, Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa.

For Pringle, this week’s toughest choice has been which Chelsea defender to invest in to take advantage of their kind run of matches. Ryan, meanwhile, has been left exasperated by the lack of reliable budget defenders.

Bsloebadger made an interesting discovery for those considering Costa as an armband candidate this week and beyond. It appears that the Chelsea striker struggles against more portly centre-backs and excels against skinnier ones.

Rickardinho followed this up with a current weight check on the centre-backs Costa will face in the coming weeks. Sunderland and Hull could prove a happy hunting ground for the Chelsea man, according to his research.

Costa will no doubt be hoping that opposition defenders resist the temptation to over eat this Christmas. Among other wishes in our festive planning discussion were a fully playing bench, something that MJ6987 among others is hoping for.

Looking even further ahead, Dusan Citizen has provided this handy list of Premier League players set to depart the UK to participate in January’s African Cup of Nations.

Fusen popped by with his version of the Gargatron, which delves deep into your Fantasy Premier League team’s performance and was conceived by community regular Gargamel. We also introduced a new game to the community, Fantasy Football Exchange. Harri from FFE has been on hand this week  to help answer your questions about the game.

Finally, we end our hot topic round up with a truly heartwarming post from RoysCallersAnne who recounts his seven year old son’s trip this week to his first ever football match, Ireland’s exciting 4-1 drubbing of the USA.

The Members Tables

Aerial threat was the focus of a pair of tables from Dzeko…the original Lewandowski. Here’s his look at those players with the greatest threat from on high as well as those who struggle to deal with these lofty titans.

If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.

The Community Leagues

This weekend sees the grand final of FFS UEFA’s Hockey World Cup competition, where Argentina go up against New Zealand. For all the latest on this competition click here.