The first Gameweek of the New Year was full of hope, in particular for the group of 34 veteran Fantasy Premier League managers included in this analysis. This group of hardened Fantasy Football stalwarts needed a good weekend of points to keep momentum going. Sadly though Gameweek 20 proved a cruel mistress and our veterans were left just as disappointed as those who are currently riding high in FPL. To show what a poor week it was for many top managers the overall average of 40 was higher than the 37 average recorded by the Top 10,000. This is the first time this has happened since I started this series. We shall see below that for our veterans, who are made up of FFScout moderators and contributors, former winners and Hall of Fame leaders, the week was even more disastrous.
A key factor was that the Gameweek saw the trusted template team, that had performed so admirably in December, break apart. Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez failed to deliver, with the latter rubbing salt into the gaping wounds of the template by missing a penalty. Watford’s Odion Ighalo, Spurs striker Harry Kane, Arsenal’s rampaging central midfielder Aaron Ramsey and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne also blanked. Mesut Ozil, who was the FFScout captain poll leader was another to disappoint, marking the first failure for the poll since Gameweek 11.
TRANSFERS
In this Gameweek, many veteran players decided to play “silent” moves. Nothing big, nothing extraordinary. They made an average of 0,79 transfers this week and, again, played no chips. Goalkeeper changes were actually more popular than forward moves.
Transfers by positions (% of all transfers in bracket)
– Goalkeepers: (14.81%)
– Defenders: (25.93%)
– Midfielders: (48.15%)
– Forwards: (11.11%)
A key position is the fourth midfielder spot. With Mesut Ozil, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez cemented in the veterans’ teams the fourth starting midfield slot is the key position up for grabs. There is little appetite for change up front, with Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane, Odion Ighalo, James Vardy and Sergio Aguero all staying put in the main.
Transfers In:
– Marko Arnautović (STO): 14.81%
– Wayne Hennessey (CPL): 11.11%
– Theo Walcott (ARS): 11.11%
Transfers Out:
Variety was the keyword this week with 19 different players shipped out amongst the 27 transfers made.
CAPTAINS
– Mesut Ozil (ARS): 76.47%
– Riyad Mahrez (LEI): 11.76%
– Theo Walcott (ARS): 8.82%
With a keen Arsenal fixture against Newcastle and strong form Mesut Ozil was the obvious choice for veterans. However, he and their two other captain choices failed to deliver. Ozil was also the most popular captain overall (just 21%) and top choice among the top 10,000 (54%).
MOST POPULAR PLAYERS
Top Starting Goalkeepers
– Jack Butland (64.71%)
– David de Gea (17.65%)
– Wayne Hennessey (5.89%)
Top Starting Defenders
– Alberto Moreno (64.71%)
– Hector Bellerin (55.88%)
– Craig Dawson (29.41%)
– Aleksandar Kolarov (26.47%)
– Danny Simpson (20.59%)
Top Starting Midfielders
– Riyad Mahrez (97.06%)
– Kevin de Bruyne (94.12%)
– Mesut Ozil (91.18%)
– Aaron Ramsey (41.18%)
– Ross Barkley (23-53%)
– Theo Walcott (20.59%)
Top Starting Forwards
– Romelu Lukaku (97.06%)
– Harry Kane (94.18%)
– Jamie Vardy (58.82%)
– Sergio Aguero (23.53%)
– Odion Ighalo (8.82%)
The Spurs Benching Conundrum
In Gameweek 20, 38.24% of veterans had Dele Alli, but of those a massive 76.23% decided to bench him. Due to a lack of rotation that is where he stayed for all those who benched him.
It is worth noting that in Gameweek 19 35.29% of veterans had Dele Alli in their squads. Of those 41.67% decided to bench him that week, while 58.33% of them decided to give him a chance. Perhaps given his strong away display in Gameweek 20 we can expect to see more veterans not only draft Alli in but ensure he is in the starting XI for the foreseeable future.
There was a similar benching turmoil amongst veterans with Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld. A huge 35.29% of veterans have him in their squads. But again, 75% of these veteran owners decided to bench him, where he stayed for all those who denied him a starting berth.
While Alli’s benching did not cause much damage to overall rank, leaving Alderweireld out of the starting XI proved costly. The Spurs defender was the top starting defender overall in terms of ownership (29.6%) and among Top 10,000 managers he was played by 40.8%.
OVERALL RANKINGS
The average veterans score this Gameweek was a lowly 35 points, lower than the overall average and top 10,000 average. Amongst veterans 20.59% got a green arrow, while 79.41% saw red. After progressing in last couple of Gameweeks, the veterans saw a slide thanks to their benching decisions in part. The average overall position of all 34 veteran teams is now 166,716 – 12,798 places worst than after Gameweek 20.
