Transfer rumours and early scouting of the promoted sides were among the pre-season preparations underway this week.
As we published our in-depth analysis of the three new Premier League arrivals, our Hot Topic posters offered their own expert guidance on picking the top assets from those sides who have moved up from the Championship.
Elsewhere, the community’s scribes have been looking at Fantasy action taking place in Europe, while offering a post-mortem on the methods used to select a captain of the 2016/17 season, with a nod to the next campaign.
There’s further statistical analysis in our Members table round-up, which focuses on the underlying numbers behind the performances of 2016/17’s key assets, while we also discover that there is still competitive mini-league action taking place over the summer.
The Community Articles
Our community’s insatiable desire for Fantasy Football during the summer months is being met via the windswept chilly stadia of Norway, as Fantasy Eliteserien continues to gather interest during June.
Niemi delivered his latest update from the top flight of Norwegian football, including a stock check of the players to draft in and those to sell on. This impressive series has earned him a £20 Amazon voucher after being voted the top community writer of the month for May.
Elsewhere, YMA still has some unfinished business with the Fantasy Premier League 2016/17 season and he dropped by with a look at how his fixture and form analysis fared in predicting the best captain each week.
Meanwhile, Red Lightning has been taking a historical look at the prospects of the three promoted sides next season.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got some statistical analysis, a feature or a scout report brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article.
The Hottest Topics
Virgil Van Dijk’s potential move from Southampton to Liverpool generated plenty of interest earlier this week, with FPL Virgin among those questioning whether the Dutch defender is worth his reported £50m+ price tag.
By the end of the week, any points were rendered somewhat moot when the Reds sheepishly announced they would no longer be pursuing the centre-back.
It remains to be seen if another side can match the Saints’ valuation, or whether Van Dijk remains on the south coast as their key Fantasy temptation.
Kuntheman – Silva hopes his side, Manchester City, are not among the suitors as he believes they are already well equipped in the heart of defence to prevail next season.
Liverpool are also reported to be interested in Roma winger Mohamed Salah, although according to local media on Merseyside they may be priced out of the move. Should a deal be brokered, Parm believes he could be a strong addition to the Reds squad.
Pre-season planning also took in whether Arsenal’s top scorer in 2016/17, Alexis Sanchez, should be reclassified from a midfielder to a forward. Billy Gilmore thinks the Chilean should, based on his goalscoring exploits last season, while Baines on Toast is among those who are happy to keep the status quo.
The Gunners’ north London rivals Spurs were also in our community’s thoughts this week as they considered how best to tackle the inevitable price hikes for three of their 2016/17 stars, Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli.
There was further chat during the week around whether such price rises may lead to FPL veterans ditching a tried and tested budget spread at the start of next season.
Another consideration when investing in Spurs assets is how they will cope with the demands of competing for the Premier League title alongside a Champions League campaign.
Mark asked how European involvement might have an impact on teams next season, in particular regarding rotation. Red Lightning added to the debate with a look at how English clubs have fared at the top European level in recent years.
Thoughts of chasing the title or a European place are unlikely to be top priorities for newly promoted Brighton, Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United, who will surely be happy enough to finish 2017/18 still in the top flight.
As the trio prepare for the Premier League, we asked for your top tips on getting the most out of promoted players, particularly in the early stages of the season.
Tapping into the save point potential of a cheap goalkeeper is among the top advice on offer. But for all three sides, that position is very much up for grabs, with Brighton linked with Australian stopper Mat Ryan and Huddersfield in search of a new custodian. In addition, the recipient of the number one jersey at Newcastle is still uncertain according to Magpie supporter The Tinman’s assessment of his side’s key assets.
Finally, our interview with FPL winner and Everton fan Ben Crabtree revealed that he took the crown in spite of his strict ban on Liverpool players. This prompted us to find out how club affiliations have affected our Fantasy management.
To view all our discussions, please visit our Hot Topics page. We are also still keen to hear from you about how this can be further developed.
The Members Tables
Among the newly introduced features in the Members area is the ability to filter home and away statistics to take into account more recent performances.
My table looking at the most shot-happy players over their last four road trips is an example of the sort of data now available.
With Spurs playing their home games at Wembley next season, Spencer has taken a detailed look at their players’ home and away form.
Those looking at investing in Manchester City forwards next season are advised to glance at my table on the frequency of penalty area attempts. There is further insight into last season’s sharp shooting stars in Greenwindmill’s latest table.
Meanwhile, FPL Virgin has constructed a series of tables looking at the best assets by position, covering goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.
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 Tournaments
Colman’s Mustard sits at the top of the Fantasy Eliteserien FFScout mini-league during the competiton’s international break, with Prinsenkrysset and Bøllefrø in hot pursuit. Dutch Warriors remains on top in the Fantasy Eliteserien FFScout H2H league
If you are running a community tournament and would like the latest scores included in future Community Round-Ups, please email me a summary of the current leaders and a link to your league, spreadsheet or head-to-head competition, at jonty@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk
