The Community Round Up

Despite having a double Gameweek looming, the community was more preoccupied with the fitness of our players on international duty and replacements for some notable long-term injury victims in goal. The failure of some top stars to live up to their lofty valuations was another concern as was the effect of player price in our managerial decisions. In our Members Tables section, we take a closer look at the double Gameweek options for those willing to take a punt. As ever we also catch up on the latest ups and downs in our community tournaments, including the launch of an exciting team-based competition.

The Community Articles

Our community article section was dominated this week with the announcement from the FFS UEFA group of their latest team based tournament for the community. Check in on the latest updates from those looking to recruit members to this competition, which is themed around the Cricket World Cup.

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.

The Hottest Topics

Double Gameweek has not gripped the community this week, with slender pickings among the ranks of relegation-threatened QPR and Aston Villa. In our discussion on Gameweek 31, Ruth NZ revealed he is to go commando and avoid all players with two matches that week.

Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke is one of the better options for the forthcoming double Gameweek but the community is divided as to whether even he is worth shipping in. Barryyuen thinks he could be a good differential for those without QPR’s Charlie Austin, while Somalion believes Villa are going to let people down in Gameweek 31.

For many, though, there are more pressing concerns in goal, with popular picks Fraser Forster and Ben Foster ruled out for the season. In our discussion on goalkeeper options Doolittle recommends West Brom’s cut-price reserve keeper Boaz Myhill, while La Roja is looking to draft in Southampton reserve keeper Kelvin Davis.

Another priority is checking on the fitness and air miles of our players on international duty. Fortunately Zasa was on hand with this guide to the most-owned players’ itinerary.

Many are also looking to shake up their midfield, with previous favourites such as Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Raheem Sterling failing to deliver in recent weeks. In Saniul’s discussion on whether Juan Mata is viable option, Walsh was among those to sing the praises of the Manchester United midfielder.

A key factor in so many managers’ decision to ditch Alexis Sanchez is the fear of benching a player with a premium price tag. This was a theme Sheikh Holmes #GWSDoos picked up on in his discussion on how much price effects our management decisions.

Despite his budget price tag, Harry Kane continues to remain a strong captaincy favourite and seemingly unbenchable. It was no surprise to see him mentioned frequently in Jay1042’s discussion on the first players on our team sheet next season. There were further options for next season discussed in D1sable‘s look ahead to the summer.

A key change this season in posts has been around the bonus point system, with far less criticism of the FPL’s allocation during 2014/15. The system’s successes this year as well as proposals for further tweaks next term were the focus of this hot topic.

Finally, Beric popped by with a latest update on the health of community veteran Doosra, who is showing signs of recovery. To pay tribute to our missing community member Innsie unveiled his Doosra poem.

The Members Tables

For those looking to take advantage of QPR and Aston Villa’s double Gameweek I’ve constructed a pair of tables looking at their best assets. These have a global filter and are sorted by shots in the box, a key indicator of goal scoring promise. My QPR table can be found here, while the Aston Villa table can be accessed here.

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

In the FFS Old Farts Club league Dan Clark continues to lead, while Ross Gillard retains top spot in the Top 1,000 Any Season league. Greenwindmill continues at the summit of the FFScout Moderators and Contributors league and has also taken the lead in the main league of the Long and Winding Road competition.