Fantasy Eliteserien – International Break

With the first international break of the season now here we take stock of the key players to consider, those to avoid and find out who is riding high in the FFScout league.

FFSCOUT LEAGUE STANDINGS

After succesfully captaining Vilhjalmson, Colmans Mustard claimed the top spot in the FFSCOUT league. He’s closely chased by Prinsenkrysset and Bøllefrø. 

Dutch Warriors remains on top in the H2H league despite losing his matchup this weekend.

STOCK CHECK

RISING 

Erling Knudtzon (7.9, Lillestrøm, midfielder)

After scoring a hat-trick last week, two goals and maximum bonus points followed in his latest fixture. Having scored 35 points over the last two Gameweeks, it’s hard to ignore him, especially when he is being deployed in a forward position and faces Viking at home after the international break. He’s very likely to continue up front together with Udoji, who is another strong out of position prospect in the Lillestrøm team. Knudtzon’s ownership is rising quickly and is now 8.9%.

Eirik Ulland Andersen (7.9, Strømsgodset, midfielder)

In the last six Gameweeks Andersen has scored 47 points, blanking just once, making him another that looks impossible to ignore. His meagre ownership of just 1.7% presents Fantasy managers with an excellent differential.

Aron Sigurdarson (6.3, Tromsø, midfielder)

Sigurdarson followed up on his good performances in the previous weeks with his biggest haul of the season in his last run out. After going down 0-4, he scored and assisted a goal. He also came close to scoring another and was the standout player in the second half, despite not getting any bonus points. He has scored 40 points over the last 7 Gameweeks, which is great considering his price. He is another one with low ownership (4.7%).

Milan Jevtovic (7.9, Rosenborg, midfielder)

This centre of the park maestro was an early season bandwagon that was derailed after two concecutive blanks followed by a red card. He has now reclaimed a starting spot in the team and has scored in back to back games, as well as scoring and assisting in a recent cup run out. He is currently the most attractive attacking player from Rosenborg.

Tony Brochmann (6.9, Stabæk, midfielder)

The top scoring player in this game so far looked very dangerous at times against Lillestrøm. He scored just once in that game but could easily scored more. A tough away fixture against Brann is coming up, but he is definitely one to consider for his upcoming home fixture against Kristiansund.

Jean Alassane Mendy (5.2, Kristiansund, forward)

Mandy is a cheap striker that’s been going under the radar so far this season. But that looks set to change, after scoring in each of the last three Gameweeks. He also picked up two bonus points against Sogndal. If you’re looking at an alternative to other cheap strikers like Lindberg and Shuaibu, Mendy  should be front of the queue.

Jonatan Tollås Nation (5.7, Vålerenga, defender)

Despite getting sent of once and keeping only four clean sheets so far this season, he’s the fifth highest scoring defender in the game. He has scored three goals so far and been rewarded with 10 bonus points. While expensive for a defender from a team that doesn’t look solid at the back he’s definitely a danger from set pieces and a solid source of bonus points.

Sigurd Rosted (6.0, Sarpsborg, defender)

Sarpsborg have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last three games and Rosted is the obvious target from their defence after picking up 30 points over that time.

Thomas Grøgaard (6.2, Odd, defender)

Another defender that is hard to overlook right now is Grøgaard with Odd keeping a clean sheet in five of their last six games. With decent fixtures coming up their fine run of shut outs looks set to continue. Ruud and Semb Berge are alternatives, with the latter likely to return from injury after the international break.

Amin Nouri (5.5, Brann, defender)

As mentioned in the last article, he’s been overlooked by most due to his team-mate Rolantsson performing so well. But if you’re looking for a Brann defender, you should definitely consider Nouri, who also has strong attacking threat and bonus potential.

FALLING

Stian Gregersen (5.3, Molde, defender)

This defender was an early season bandwagon that has long since derailed after failing to keep a clean sheet in the last seven. If you still own him it’s time to move him on.

Lars-Christopher Vilsvik (5.7, Strømsgodset, defender)

Vilsvik was a popular pick in pre-season due to a history of great attacking returns but with one shut out and just two assists this campaign he has failed to live up to the hype. In his side’s last fixture he was benched to add further weight to calls to oust him from your squad.

Sander Svendsen (8.7, Molde, midfielder)

Sander Svendsen started the season well, which made him a popular early pick. However, in the last six Gameweeks he has scored just 16 points, which is far less than expected. To compound matters he hobbled off with a suspected hamstring injury in his last run out and has since withdrawn from Norway’s U21 squad.

Pål-Andre Helland (10.8, Rosenborg, midfielder)

A fourth blank in a row makes him a shadow of his former self. He might have been unlucky to not get any points in the previous Gameweeks, but he’s definitely not looking like a 10.8 midfielder. Fantasy managers are advised to put his hefty price tag to better use.

Riku Riski (7.3, Odd, midfielder)

Riski goes went into the international break on the back of a third blank in a row as  Odd continue to struggle for goals. He has decent fixtures coming up, but there are definitely better options out there right now.

Niklas Bendtner (12.2, Rosenborg, forward)

Bendtner was suspended for Rosenborg’s last fixture and in his absence Vilhjalmson scored and assisted another as well as registered a hat-trick in a cup game. Based on form the former Arsenal striker may not even get back into the team when the league resumes. The stock of the most expensive player in the game continues to plummet.

Ohi Omoijuanfo (8.0, Stabæk, forward)

Eliteserien’s top scorer failed to score in what most thought was an easy home fixture for him in Gameweek 12. He has now blanked two games in a row despite getting loads of chances. His poor recent conversion rate is a real worry.

SUSPENSIONS AND INJURIES

Ghayas Zahid (Vålerenga) and Samuel Adegbenro (Viking) put in great performances for their respective teams, but both picked up their third yellow and are now suspended for next Gameweek. They do look like great prospects for fantasy though, and both would have been included as risers if they weren’t suspended.

Luc Kassi (Stabæk) is another one who returned attacking points, but also picked up his third yellow. Robert Lundström (Vålerenga) is suspended as well.

Jonas Lindberg (Sarpsborg) had to be subbed of early with an injury, but is expected to be back very soon after the international break. Sounds like he has a chance of returning next gameweek. Sander Svendsen (Molde) and Petter Strand (Molde) also picked up injuries.

As mentioned aboved it looked like a hamstring strain for Svendsen, which meant he had to withdraw from Norway’s U21 squad. Aron Thrandarson (Aalesund), Ibrahim Shuaibu (Haugesund), Bruno Leite (Haugesund) and Tor André Aasheim (Viking) also picked up injuries

TRANSFER NEWS

Amin Askar is returning back to Norwegian football after a spell in Turkey. He has signed for Sarpsborg, where he spent a season on loan in 2015. He also spent three seasons at Brann. He’s mainly a winger, but also capable of playing as a fullback or a striker. In his prime for Brann he scored eight goals and assisted six in 2012, as well as nine goals and four assist in 29 games in 2013, to put him firmly on our radar.

Adam Larsen Kwarasey has signed for Vålerenga from Danish side Brøndby. The former Strømsgodset and Rosenborg keeper is expected to become Vålerenga’s starting goalkeeper. With 24 caps for Ghana he is a proven goalkeeper at this level.

Neither are available to play before Gameweek 17.

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

These players will be away on international duty over the next week. I’m not sure the list is 100% complete. If you notice any missing players, you’re welcome to leave a comment below. Thanks to Ramboros for the list of players.

Norway: Dyngeland (Sogndal), Reginiussen (Rosenborg), Meling (Rosenborg), Midtsjø (Rosenborg), Trondsen (Sarpsborg), Omoijuanfo (Stabæk)

Norway U21: Bråtveit (Haugesund), Ryerson (Viking), Knudsen (Haugesund), Bråtveit (Haugesund), Yttergård Jensen (Tromsø), Gundersen (Tromsø), Ingebrigtsen (Tromsø), Hanche-Olsen (Stabæk), Hoff (Aalesund), Zekhnini (Odd), Reitan (Rosenborg)

Iceland: Jónsson (Sandefjord), B. Sigurdarson (Molde), A. Sigurdarson (Tromsø)

Estonia: Jääger (Vålerenga), Mets (Viking), Teniste (Sogndal), Baranov (Kristiansund)

Faroe Islands: Rolantsson (Brann)

Finland: Riski (Odd)

Slovakia: Kiss (Haugesund)

India: Singh Sandhu (Stabæk)

Denmark U21: Rasmussen (Rosenborg)

After the internationals there are still five more Gameweeks before the summer break. I will also post another article leading up to Gameweek 13, with a short recap of international performances, injury news and differentials.