Community Submissions

The Dead Team Challenge – 2015/16

I would like to invite everyone to take part in the second coming of the Dead Team Challenge, whereby Fantasy managers pick a Fantasy Premier League team and stick with it without making any changes all season. In short its the ultimate Fantasy game for lazy people.

LAST SEASON’S RESULTS

Last season’s competition went right down to the wire with four teams in the running on the final day of the season. In the end Athletico Timbo wound up as the winner with a highly respectable 1912 points, just beating out Mull (1910), Kroos Control (1909) and Il Burrito (1905). The full results can be seen on this spreadsheet if you would like to see how you or anyone else went.

HOW IT WORKS

The idea is simple, your aim is to build the highest scoring team for the whole season with the initial 100m budget at your disposal. It involves absolutely no effort after that. There are no transfers or captain changes at all throughout the season (i.e, it’s an actual dead team). You’ll want to make sure that you pick nailed on players only, and perhaps a consistent points scorer for captain, but I’m sure everyone will have their own strategies.

The maverick in you, however, might see this as the perfect opportunity to take some punts. Feel free to do that but be aware of the risks.

Unfortunately, if someone gets injured or dropped for any period of time during the season, then that’s it, you just have to hope that your bench is strong enough to cope with the loss.

Sound like fun?

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Decide on your team, based on the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) pricing meaning you have exactly 100m to spend, so it is a legitimate start-of-the-season FPL team (you don’t have to spend it all, but you cannot exceed 100m). Pick your preferred formation (any legal FPL formation is acceptable).

Once you have decided on your squad, how do you go about entering it?

That is as simple as submitting this form. If you wish to change your team then you can simply resubmit the form (I will take the latest submission from each person, providing it’s before the deadline).

WHEN YOU NEED TO DO IT

The deadline is set @ Midnight BST Friday night (Aug 7) so please submit your team before then.

SOME TECHNICAL STUFF

I have greatly improved the efficiency of the spreadsheet used last season (weekly updates will take ~30 seconds instead of the ~30 mins that it took last season), so updates should be much more frequent. As with last season it will automatically calculate captain points and auto subs etc., upon the manual entry of players’ weekly scores.

As a result, you DO NOT need to enter this team into an actual FPL account, filling out the form will suffice.

THE LEAGUE

As mentioned above I will keep an updated league table on my spreadsheet so anyone who wants to check on their progress.

I am considering emailing out updates as I complete them each week, so if you would like to receive these then simply leave your email address where marked in the form.

IMPROVEMENTS

If anyone has any additional features you would like to see included in the competition then feel free to let me know with a post below.

I’m hoping that some of you pick an absolute gem of a team and finish inside the Top 10k or something, which would be a remarkable achievement for a dead team. Thanks and good luck.

121 Comments Post a Comment
  1. J0E
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Team submitted. Thanks for organising again.

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      RIP pun in the title 🙁

    2. ⚽ Template
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Shame it'll be disqualified £7.0m over budget.

  2. Eden Hazardous
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Good stuff!

  3. @BigChrisso
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Love this Billy, great stuff on the improvements.

    I think I just submitted a team worth more than 100 mil in error? Will the form allow you to submit a team that is over 100m?

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      It will, but it will flag on my end when I compile them. I don't see a way of self checking beyond the confirmation page on the spreadsheet that appears to have shat itself.

      1. GreenWindmill
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        It really does 😆

        1. Billy Gilmore
          • 11 Years
          8 years, 9 months ago

          I'll fix it after dinner. Only problem is it's been so long since I made that sheet that I have no idea what the #REFs in the formulas are meant to refer too 😆

          1. GreenWindmill
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 12 Years
            8 years, 9 months ago

            Ha, classic situation 🙂

            I'm happy my team was submitted correctly after looking at one of the locked tabs. Jonty's team looks too good to be true - think he could be onto a good thing there!

            1. tambourineman
              • 9 Years
              8 years, 9 months ago

              It's 107m which always helps

              1. GreenWindmill
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 12 Years
                8 years, 9 months ago

                Ha! Guess that explains why it looked too good to be true then!

      2. @BigChrisso
        • 12 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        cheers, i'll resubmit a team that definitely is less or equal to 100m team tomorrow

  4. Geordienufc1
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Thanks for organising, good fun last year watching my team slowly unravel 😛

  5. GreenWindmill
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Ugh, I'm scarred from last season's disaster where amongst other duds I went for the security of starts afforded by Felipe Luis, Kyle Naughton, Calum Chambers, Edin Dzeko, etc.

    Think I may need a rethink in terms of tactics this year!

    1. Doosra - ☭DeclanMyGenius…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Luis was never ever gonna be a starter, but?

      1. GreenWindmill
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Took a few risks and realistically there were no guarantees over any Chelsea defenders this time last year. I went for Terry in my FPL team proper though - that worked nicely 🙂

    2. Bedknobs and Boomsticks
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Luis and double Newcastle defence for me.

  6. Antonj1987
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    RMT please, I'm new to the site!

    Mignolet Schmeichel
    Richards Huth Oshea Martin Targett
    Hazard Silva Walcott Henderson Schneiderlin
    Pelle Lukaku Benteke

    Leaves me with £1m to transfer out Lukaku & Pelle after 1st game week for Rooney & Sakho.

    1. philc
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Not sure Schneilderlein is worth having? Probably worth taking a £4.5m mid and using funds to beef up defence?

      1. Antonj1987
        • 8 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        I need a decent midfield who will have the chance of a clean sheet, to give me cover for when west ham have hard games wk 4/6 and scores the odd goal or assist. He scored 4 and 2 assist in 2186 last year. Can always transfer out for Ki Sung and like you said can transfer him out to bulk up the defence. All my defence are playing and I expect value to rise on a the majority of the team early on. Will look at strength ing up defence around wk 7/8 when using wild card I think.

      2. Antonj1987
        • 8 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Have also thought about dropping 1 the main 3 midfielders for Mane to strengthen up the back...

  7. steveyeu
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Bradley Johnson missing from form. Only Johnson's on there are Adam and Daniel. I'd make the assumption that as Preston are not in the BPL Daniel should infact be Bradley?

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Good spot, I imagine that's a relic from last season when he was listed as a Villa player. It is indeed Bradley.

      1. Al_Fresco
        • 8 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Mccarthy also not listed

        1. Billy Gilmore
          • 11 Years
          8 years, 9 months ago

          Oh yeah, I haven't checked the players recently added to FPL. Thanks

  8. Leeroy357
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    I have gone for a pretty basic side. Imagine it is close to a template team.

    Hazard (c) will be in 90%+ of teams and I went for Rooney (v)

  9. Kroos Kontrol
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    3 points! 🙁

    I will blame that ref who booked Costa in the first game. Made a possible 16 points to -1.

  10. sinik
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    any chance Aguero plays GW1?

    1. sinik
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      whoops is this the wrong thread?

      1. Jönny
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Yep, I just did that!

  11. SpaceCadet
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    No Jerome in the captaincy poll???? Crazy

  12. Jönny
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Interestingly, in only 1870 minutes last season, Herrera picked up 6 goals and 4 assists. That's either a goal or an assist every 187 minutes.

    He's priced a little high to make this VERY interesting, but makes me think it's worth monitoring the United midfield set-up, in particular how much Schneiderlin is encouraged to push on.

  13. Fiona B
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Cheers Billy, Fiona B's Corpse 11 has entered to rain down fury on the living teams!

  14. Billy Gilmore
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    I will be turning off submissions briefly while I fix the spreadsheet, so bear with me.

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      And we're back

      1. GreenWindmill
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Team value needs something fixed I think...

        1. Billy Gilmore
          • 11 Years
          8 years, 9 months ago

          Yep, that's just because I haven't updated the names (e.g. Bradley Johnson). They all just read as surnames, but they form differentiates. I can fix that while live though.

          1. GreenWindmill
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 12 Years
            8 years, 9 months ago

            Oh, I hate having to fix lookups every season based on there being multiple players called Johnson, Campbell, Davis, etc.

            1. Billy Gilmore
              • 11 Years
              8 years, 9 months ago

              I have that coded too (that's why it changed Johnson to Daniel Johnson). Unfortunately I missed that one as a change.

  15. Courtois in the Rye
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Awesome work again - really enjoyed this last year despite meandering along in mid-table.

  16. Gurra
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Pantilimon (Hennesey)

    Koscielny Francis Cedric (Bassong) (Baker)

    Hazard Ritchie Cazorla Sterling (Sinclair)

    Pelle Benteke Rooney

    Pelle,Rooney and Sterling > Deeney,Aguero and Mata (-4) !!!!

    Any Thoughts?

  17. Al_Fresco
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Forgive me whoever is running this. I was on my smartphone and team was difficult to edit.

    Please delete my first entry (currently 32 on spreadsheet)

    Great concept. Looking fwd to it.

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      No worries.

  18. steveyeu
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    I have added a new entry, please disregard previous one! Have also added in Daniel Johnson on the assumption it will actually be Bradley Johnson come kick off!

  19. steveyeu
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Billy if I were to contact you on Google, could I possibly get a copy of the spreadsheet, want to use the codings of the images and such on a document of my own I use to track some stuff.

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Yeah, no problem. Just email me (berbilly.gilmore@gmail.com)

  20. Tadic is the new Eriksen
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Done, thanks for organising 😀

  21. There's Always One!
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Who will be Liverpools regular left back this year?

  22. Shmadz - Le Saux Solid Crew
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    @Billy Gilmore (Or anyone that's played before and knows!)

    Will any automatic substitutions that change our pre-determined formation still qualify? So, if an automatic substitution changed a 3-5-2 to a 3-4-3, would the 3rd FWD score or would we effectively be restricted to a 3-4-2?

    1. GreenWindmill
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Works just like FPL so formations will change dynamically - picking a formation is just to make Billy's coding to capture your player selections easier I think.

      1. Shmadz - Le Saux Solid Crew
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Brilliant! Thanks for the quick response, GWM. Off to submit my form now!

        1. Shmadz - Le Saux Solid Crew
          • 11 Years
          8 years, 9 months ago

          I think I've entered a team, but my MacBook does not like that google.docs page one little bit! :-/

      2. Billy Gilmore
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Yeah, this. My excel spreadsheet fetches your team from the relevant columns depending on the formation.

  23. Ruth_NZ
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Thanks Billy, entered a team and I'll be interested to see how it all unfolds.

    Will you be posting updates?

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      I certainly aim to. It's much easier as it's a LOT quicker than it was last season, so it's not really a hassle to do. I might take a few weeks to do the first one as I will be trialling a new way of extracting player scores from FPL site (how The3rdTurd gets his data)

  24. HankMarvin
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Please rate my team:

    Hennessy (McCarthy) - short term
    Clyne, Mert, Darmian (Francis, Targett)
    Hazard, Depay, Cazorla, Ibe, Sterling
    Rooney, Benteke (Graham)

    Cheers

    Hank

  25. Blue Lion
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Humangus effort Billy! Keep up the good work. The Excel King strikes again.

  26. Doosra - ☭DeclanMyGenius…
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Billy? Can't get at the spreadsheet ... it keeps quitting on me.

    1. Billy Gilmore
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      That's probably because I'm installing some add-ons that will make budgets clearer. I've received your team (all 3 times)

      1. Ruth_NZ
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 9 months ago

        Wait a sec. If Doosra can have 3 teams why can't I?

  27. tm245
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Cheers for doing this again.

    Lest anyone ask "what could possibly go wrong?" in setting up a Dead Team, I humbly offer my 2014/15 Vincibles

    Krul (Elliot)
    Debuchy Fonte Caulker (Vlaar 2 Wisdom 3)
    Walcott Fábregas Young Jordi Gómez (Hoilett 1)
    van Persie (c) Sturridge Lukaku (v)

      • 10 Years
      8 years, 9 months ago

      Fabregas and Fonte did alright 😛

    • 10 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    I think I need to tear mine up at start again, It currently relies on one of Kolarov, Joe Gómez, Targett & Ibe playing every week :S

  28. Demí
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    Fantastic work. Thanks for organising

  29. Shaw must go on
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 9 months ago

    what about this people:

    Ruddy,henessey

    Coates,huth,gomez,bellerin,iva

    hazard,tadic,walcott,sterling,westwood

    benteke,wilson,rooney....

    Any suggestions??cheers