In yet another tense final day, Ben Crabtree has been crowned the Fantasy Premier League champion for 2016/17.
Nestled in the top ten since Gameweek 28, Ben – who made just a single four-point hit in the final 11 Gameweeks –
claimed top spot for the first time in the very final round of fixtures.
Trailing Uwais Ahmed by two points heading into today’s deadline, Ben went ahead before kick-off following Uwais’ four-point transfer hit.
That saw Liverpool pair Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho swapped in for Spurs’ Dele Alli and Leroy Sane of Manchester City – trades that would eventually prove decisive in the battle at the top.
Ben – with two free transfers – made equally radical transfer moves, shifting out Eden Hazard and Victor Anichebe for Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas and Chelsea’s Diego Costa.
Starting on Ben’s bench, the Cherries midfielder was the makeweight for the gutsy signing of Costa, although, on the day, it was Stanislas who was to prove the unlikely hero.
He scored the opening goal of the day and, with Josh King in Ben’s starting XI but missing out through injury, those points from the bench helped him extend an early lead.
The Stanislas strike, together with assists from Christian Eriksen and Leroy Sane, saw Ben seize a 12-point advantage heading into half-time.
While Uwais quickly countered with early second-half goals from his signings Lallana and Coutinho, Ben edged further ahead with an assist from his own Gameweek 38 capture, Costa.
The tide looked to be turning back in Uwais’ favour when Cesc Fabregas produced one of two assists in the second period. However, Ben Davies’ strike for Spurs on 84 minutes in their 7-1 rout of Hull City was to deal the killer blow.
While Uwais edged the bonus points on the final whistle, the two awarded to Stanislas on Ben’s bench, introduced as the auto-sub for King, were to take him to a final tally of 97. That surpassed Uwais final tally by three points on the day, and by a five-point margin in the overall ranks.
A proven FPL manager of some pedigree, Ben bettered his previous best rank of 353rd back in the 2011/12 season to become the FPL’s latest champion.
Huge congratulations go to Ben from all at Fantasy Football Scout, and also to Uwais who fought a valiant battle to give us a dramatic final day.
Elsewhere, Bibek Thapa from Nepal stormed to a 99 – 68 victory over Polish manager Peter B to claim the FPL cup.
Many congratulations go to Bibek.
We will have further post-season coverage coming up in the next 24-hours, as we round up the winners of this season’s Scout Leagues and Cups.
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