We have some stability at last. The Scout League leader takes advantage of depleted squads to stretch his lead and close the gap on the glittering top prize in the process. Read on for the current standings amongst the community in the Sky Sports game, plus our look at the transfer trends over the past week as Robin Van Persie continues to bow before Luis Suarez. Finally, we look to tonight’s episode of the Fantasy Football Club, with a certain Stoke centre-forward the latest signing…

The Scout League

Chris Pearce, a man ranked 22nd in the Fantasy Football Scout Live Hall of Fame, stretched his lead in the Scout League. He now stands a healthy 24 points ahead of Paul McAnulty, who climbs to second with his “Housewives Favourite” lineup, ousting Simon Davies as the see-saw battle at the top rolls on.

Lewis Nicklen’s “Dreamboat” provides the meat in the “Evans sandwich” as Pascal Evans’ two Covport sides sit fourth and sixth, either side of Lewis’ squad. Lower down the table, I’ve slipped to 34th place in the Scout League and now sit 160th in the world after a Gameweek which saw me field just five players.

While my chances of challenging for the overal crown are nil, then, Chris Pearce is our nearest frontrunner, although he sits in third place, a full 76 points behind the current overall leader in the chase for the £25k top prize. Chris is one of six Scout managers in the top 20, keeping our Private League rank at the top, some 12 points ahead of our nearest rival.

A reminder that if you’re playing the Sky Sports game and have yet to join our league, you can sign up to the FFScout League with this Pin: 8004519. We have a home cinema system, worth £600, available to the winner.

Market Trends

Luis Suarez continues to dominate the transfer activity, having again top scored amongst the forwards on show with a huge 17 point haul against Spurs on Sunday. Almost 50% of the transfers made this week saw the Uruguayan signed up and he is now owned by over 26% of the managers in the game. With exceptional form and points per million of 24.5, easily the best on show amongst the forwards, Suarez’s popularity shows little sign of abating.

Even Gareth Bale is being left in the wake of the Liverpool man. The Welshman was kept quiet on Sunday, limited to just a single assist in the Opta powered Sky Sports game. That still kept him on top of the midfield form rankings, however, with 29 points delivered in the last four Gameweeks. A third of all transfers made this week saw Bale brought in.

Bizarrely, Robin Van Persie continues to drop in ownership, despite having a hugely favourable home fixture on his agenda this weekend. Over 37% of transfers saw Van Persie shipped out, no doubt with Suarez the benefactor in a lot of cases. On the flipside, 14% of transfers saw the Dutchman acquired: not enough to prevent him suffering back-to-back declines in ownership. Van Persie is still surely the favourite for the armband ahead of the home clash with Reading – those who recently sent the Dutchman packing could well regret their decision.

Michu is the other significant name in the transfers out rankings. Over 13% of trades made saw the Spaniard depart squads – the first time that there has been a clear loss of confidence in the Swansea hitman. A lack of form and tough fixtures to come is at the root of the move, although it’s worth noting that, for points per million, only Santi Cazorla has given better value this season amongst the midfielders. It remains to be seen if, like Van Persie, Michu can punish those who have lost the faith.

In defensive terms, Pablo Zabaleta again features heavily in this week’s transfer trends but even he plays second fiddle to Norwich City’s Seb Bassong. Clearly influenced by Bassong’s impressive 12 point haul in the draw with Southampton, over 12% of transfers made this week saw the big defender brought in, with Zabaleta claiming 11% of trades. Liverpool’s Glen Johnson and Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen were the next most popular targets, both being part of 5% of the exchanges made in the past seven days.

The Fantasy Football Club – Tonight 10pm

The towering Peter Crouch will be stooping through the door of the Fantasy Football Club dressing room to lend his height to proceedings in tonight’s episode. With the live draw for the Fantasy Football Club Cup taking place, you can join Fenners and Merse from 10pm tonight on Sky Sports One, or catch the repeat at 9am on Sky Sports Two on Saturday.