Yahoo Focus – Gameweek 13

While our decision-making in other Fantasy games can be parked for another Gameweek, the tinkering in our partner game Yahoo continues at pace.

There’s another bumper Premier League £5k contest on offer today. This consists of the six Saturday matches that take place from 3pm onwards, ending with the 5.30 pm clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield.

The contest is guaranteed to run, costs £5 to enter and is a multi-entry game, which means you can select up to 10 teams. The top 230 places pay out – there’s a minimum win-back of £10, with £500 going to the first place.

Our “best XI” below will, therefore, focus on this contest, which is the
biggest payout on offer in Gameweek 13.

Driven by Opta data, the Yahoo game has a scoring system is ideal for members of our community on the lookout for a Daily Fantasy Sports game.

New players can sign up and claim a free £50 in credit to your account when you deposit just £5. Promo code: Fantasy50.

It’s also worth checking out our Strategy Guide before picking your starting lineup, as this gives you a better idea of the mechanics of the Yahoo game and those players in line to benefit.

FFS Strongest XI

David de Gea – £16
Kieran Trippier – £15
Scott Dann – £12
Marvin Zeegelaar – £12
Eden Hazard – £22
Juan Mata – £16
Philippe Coutinho – £24
Wilfried Zaha – £20
Darren Fletcher – £13
Harry Kane – £27
Richarlison – £23

Man United’s David de Gea retains his place in goal for a plum home encounter against Brighton. The Spaniard has conceded just one goal in six at Old Trafford and faces a Seagulls outfit that have fired just 28 shots in the last four Gameweeks – fewer than any other side. De Gea benefits from the Yahoo scoring system, as goalkeepers earn double the number of points as defenders for a clean sheet, as well as points for wins or draws.

Kieran Trippier is our Spurs defender of choice for the visit of West Brom. Rested from midweek Champions League duties, the right-back has started five of his side’s six home league matches, with Spurs conceding just one goal in their last four at Wembley. At home, Trippier has produced more than double the number of crosses than fellow full-back Ben Davies (35 to 17) and also betters the Welshman for key passes (nine to seven) and successful tackles (eight to five) in front of his own fans.

Scott Dann offers the prospect of points at both ends of the pitch for Crystal Palace’s home clash with Stoke. The Eagles have allowed just 19 shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks – only Man City (11) boast a better record. Dann has produced more efforts in the box (14) than any defender, and his aerial threat could profit against a Potters’ defence that are the third worst for attempts conceded from set-plays.

We also call upon Watford’s Marvin Zeegelaar as a budget option at the back. Handed his first start of the season as a left wing-back in last week’s 2-0 win over West Ham, the Dutchman won more tackles (three) than any team-mate, helping the Hornets to their first clean sheet in eight attempts. Zeegelaar could be poised to pick up further points away at Newcastle who have scored just two goals from the last four Gameweeks – fewer than any other side over that period.

There’s no question that Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is approaching some of his best ever form and, despite facing a testing fixture at Anfield, we’ve seen enough to back him with a Yahoo selection. He produced a 26.1 point return at West Brom and followed that up with another impressive 20.8 tally in the Champions League tie in midweek. Over his last four Premier League matches he’s recorded eight shots on target, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah can match that over the same period, hinting that Hazard has significantly improved his goal threat since shifting to a No 10 role.

Juan Mata is our choice of the Man United midfield for the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion. The Spaniard has started five of his side’s six home matches this season and was handed a central support role against Newcastle at the expense of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He’s produced a goal and assist over his last two at Old Trafford and, after being rested against FC Basel in midweek, looks set to return to the starting XI against the Seagulls.

With Salah listed as a forward, we turn instead to Philippe Coutinho as our preferred Liverpool pick for the visit of Chelsea. Returning from injury with a goal and assist against Southampton last weekend, the Brazilian has been involved in 56% of his side’s goals when on the pitch this season – more than any team-mate. Coutinho – who is more or less identical to Salah for Yahoo points per appearance this term (15.2 to 15.4) – is ranked fourth among all players for both shots (26) and chances created (17) over their respective last six league matches.

We’re backing Wilfried Zaha to produce the goods yet again as Crystal Palace entertain a Stoke side that have conceded an average of two goals per match this season. Fielded up front, the Ivory Coast international has scored in each of his last three at Selhurst Park, while his style of play also benefits from the Yahoo scoring system – he was the most fouled player (121) over the previous campaign. We’re also keeping an eye on Christian Benteke at a cost of just £13, though, after the Belgian made his return from injury with an appearance off the bench last weekend. If he starts, we may well find a place in our XI for the big target man.

Priced at just £13, Stoke’s Darren Fletcher is a handy budget enabler whose Yahoo appeal is boosted by a recent share of corner kick duties. The Scot is the second top midfielder for successful crosses (eight) and has created seven chances for team-mates over the last four Gameweeks – joint-top with Xherdan Shaqiri. Only two Stoke players have won more tackles than Fletcher’s 24 this season.

We’re keeping faith in Harry Kane for Spurs’ home encounter with West Brom. Up against a defence with one clean sheet in ten, the statistics are more than persuasive – he is the top-ranked player for shots (37) and efforts in the box (24) in front of his own supporters. Along with Lukaku, Kane is the priciest asset on offer for Saturday’s £5k contest – his average of 16.8 Yahoo ppm is more than any other player. He’s scored six goals in five league outings against this weekend’s visitors, including a hat-trick (albeit at White Hart Lane) last season.

Richarlison’s away form is too good to ignore as Watford make their way to a Newcastle side with one clean sheet in eight. On his travels, the Brazilian has served up four goals and two assists and has fired more shots inside the box (20) than any player. As the league’s most fouled player, he also profits from the Yahoo scoring system.

It’s worth noting that, as Yahoo allows late swaps up until each kick-off, our listed line-up could be subject to change.

This Week’s Contests

The Saturday 3pm slot, covering the six matches from that time onwards, offers Yahoo managers two of the biggest prize contests of the weekend.

Both are guaranteed to run.

As discussed earlier in the article, the Premier League £5k Saturday contest has the largest pay-out.

There’s also the Premier League £2k Saturday contest, which costs £10 to enter and has a minimum win-back of £20 to the top 60 Yahoo managers. You can submit up to two teams for this contest, and the winner earns £200.

The following day, Yahoo also offer a Premier League £2k Sunday contest, which takes in all of the day’s three fixtures and gets underway at 1.30pm, when Southampton entertain Everton.

It costs £5 to enter and has a minimum win-back of £10 to the top 100 Yahoo managers – you can submit up to four teams for this contest and the winner earns £200.

Yahoo are also running a Premier League £1,000,000 Perfect Lineup Cup, which takes place over Gameweek 1-19.

It’s free to enter, with £500 in prizes and £50 for the best team every week. Over the 19 Gameweeks, there’s £40k in prizes on offer, with £30k shared among the top 5,000 and £10k going to the winner.

The Yahoo Cup also has a “£1,000,000 challenge”, which gives away £1m to any user who selects the perfect line-up in any given Gameweek to score the maximum possible points.

You can open an account and get started immediately.

If you register and deposit £5 or more, Yahoo will also give you a £50 bonus to be used as cash to enter paid contests.

Register here to claim the bonus.

You must be over 18 years of age, resident in the UK, and of legal capacity to register with Yahoo Daily Sports and open an Account. If you sign up, please always play responsibly.