The second international break of the season gives us time to take stock and roll out our weekly regular. As always, we take a look at the top of the Scout League and cast an eye over the market activity as we count down the days until Gameweek 8 is upon us. Only 12 to go, then:
Scout League Standings
There’s no move at the top of the Scout league, where T.I. racked up 64 points over the weekend. Captain Eden Hazard brought home 18 points, while Santi Cazorla, Nikica Jelavic and Leighton Baines were all amongst the goals. Asmir Begovic chipped in with nine points between the sticks as T.I. moved to 516 points for the season and third place overall.
Ivo V moves up into second position, having returned 67 points in Gameweek 7. He also decided to captain Hazard, while Wayne Routledge and Cazorla produced 21 points between them in a four-man midfield. At the back, both Rafael and William Gallas earned clean sheets to take Ivo’s total to 498 points.
In third spot is Iyad Zahlan after a 46 point haul last time out. Baines, Cazorla, Hazard and Michu grabbed the goals and though his decision to captain Luis Suarez failed to pay off, he still sits in 42nd place in the overall rankings.
Damon Randall bullets into fourth position after producing an incredible 87 points – a tally that was inside the top 2,000 for Gameweek 7. He had one of those weeks where almost everyone chipped produced the goods – only Marouane Fellaini returned less than four points for Damon. A backline of Branislav Ivanovic, Rafael and Baines, with Begovic in goal, combined for 33 points, while the decision to captain Fernando Torres brought in 24 points alone. Damon has climbed on to 57th overall, sitting on 494 points so far.
Bob Booker completes the top five. James Morrison and Steve Pienaar were his differentials over the other featured managers – the midfield duo picked up 20 points between them, while Ivanovic and Baines were the standouts at the back.
For the contributors, Facer leads the way after returning 66 points in Gameweek 7. Baines and Begovic were joined by William Gallas at the back, while Cazorla, Michu, Hazard and Jelavic were all amongst the goals. The Fantasy Football Scout league remains at number one but our lead has been cut down to just 1.8 points over Last Word Listeners.
Market Trends
Wayne Routledge is the most popular asset since the weekend’s games. The Swansea winger has already attracted almost 26,000 new owners after a 13 point haul against Reading on Saturday, with his 5.1 price clearly appealing. Although there remains concerns over a regular role, as Michael Laudrup rotates him with Nathan Dyer and Pablo Hernandez, Routledge has made a strong case for a starting berth at home to Wigan next time out – he has averaged 7.5 points per game at the Liberty Stadium so far.
Santi Cazorla is next in line – no surprise, really, given his masterclass at West Ham on Saturday evening. The Arsenal midfielder has been snapped up by over 23,000 Fantasy managers and now has a trip to Norwich on his agenda – bearing in mind the Canaries have shipped nine goals in their last two, Cazorla can expect significant investment before the fortnight’s break is over.
Investment at the back is looking like a tactic for many. Aleksandar Kolarov, Rafael and Branislav Ivanovic have all been transferred into more than 21,000 teams as defences are reshaped. While the latter two look relatively safe for starts, the Kolarov bandwagon looks far from stable – Saturday was his first appearance since Gameweek 3.
Demba Ba and Leighton Baines continue to pick up investment, with 17,000 and 15,000 drafting in the duo. Chelsea pair Juan Mata and Fernando Torres make their way into a combined 25,000 new teams, while Jussi Jaaskelainen, Asmir Begovic, Carl Jenkinson, James Morrison, Gervinho and Luis Suarez have all persuaded 10,000+ Fantasy managers to throw investment their way.
In terms of transfers out, faith in Swansea’s backline is starting to diminish. Michel Vorm, Angel Rangel and Ashley Williams have been shipped out by a combined 24,000 teams after the Welsh club’s 2-2 home draw with Reading. Michael Laudrup’s side has now conceded two or more goals in each of the last five Gameweeks. In midfield, over 24,000 have bid their farewells to Nathan Dyer and Michu, with a likely move to Wayne Routledge freeing up some budget.
Intriguingly, Manchester City’s assets are also being sold off ahead of a strong run of fixtures. Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez lead the way in their respective classifications – while Tevez’s 19,000 transfers out can be understood after he failed to score for the fourth Gameweek in a row, the former duo (with a combined 31,000 sales) are pretty much nailed-on when fit and offer a consistency of starts that is rare amongst Roberto Mancini’s side. Granted, Kompany missed out against Sunderland with a calf problem but if he is available for the trip to West Brom, there seems no doubt he will slot straight back into the first XI.
Marouane Fellaini is also accumulating plenty of trades out. With no attacking returns in his last two, the Everton man has been offloaded by 15,000+ Fantasy managers, despite a strong run of fixtures to follow for David Moyes’ outfit.
The return of Wayne Rooney seems to be having an effect on Robin Van Persie owners. The Dutchman was outscored by Rooney in their first league start together and with the former currently 1.8 cheaper, more than 9,000 have shipped out Van Persie since last Saturday’s deadline. Shinji Kagawa has also proved unpopular – in excess of 13,000 have parted company with the former Dortmund man after he was subbed off early once again at the weekend.
