Among the key issues being mulled over on the boards this week were whether Arsenal’s Welsh midfield dynamo Aaron Ramsey is now essential and which of Liverpool’s sharp shooters to invest in. We also find our resident “falling stars” expert in fine fettle, there’s an analysis of a new phenomenon of goalkeeper assists and we also take a look at the latest goings on in our community leagues.
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A Defender’s Nightmare wonders whether Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is now essential. The self-confessed “bitter non-Ramsey owner” asked for the community’s views after missing out on yet another points haul from the talented young Welshman.
Another transfer headache to vex the community this week is which of Liverpool’s star strikers to invest in. Among those to answer Giggs Boson’s post on the issue was Viperstripes and Daniel, who advocate finding a place for both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in our Fantasy teams.
Just how do we measure the potential of strikers like Suarez and Sturridge? Goals is the obvious attribute to consider but The Sports Guy has gone further creating a mathematical way of measuring a raft of other key indicators. Among the factors he has considered are fixtures, form, set piece potential, risk of injury and whether the striker is captain material.
Wakey was in jubilant mood this week after scoring some notable successes with his Falling Stars selections, a tag handed to those whose price has dropped since Gameweek 1. Michu and Stephane Sessegnon were among his successful Gameweek 5 picks. For his Gameweek 6 selection he gains further bragging rights as it included Luis Suarez and Romelu Lukaku, who both went into the weekend below their initial price tags and returned with heavy points hauls.
Mark and Granville will be among those wishing they’d read Isacki’s illuminating post on Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic. The pair both drafted in the out of position Austrian midfielder ahead of Gameweek 6 but Isacki’s analysis takes the wheels and axis off this particular bandwagon. Damningly against Arsenal in Gameweek 5 Isacki refers to the player as “very apathetic” – will his new owners now be saying hasta la vista to Arnautovic after another abject display against Norwich in Gameweek 6?
Many of the community’s more experienced Fantasy managers are struggling to gain a foothold on this season. We offered five top tips to climbing up the rankings for the community to mull over. Among those to offer further advice was falling star man Wakey, who urges poor performing managers to keep an eye on the plummeting prices of players set to return over the coming weeks. Bows and Bluetiger were among those to also advocate some pride-swallowing points-chasing.
Never captain, never bench is the old saying for Leighton Baines. But is that the case this season? Going into Gameweek 6 Viperstripes certainly thinks he is a credible contender for the armband, although his blank against Newcastle this week provides an equally powerful counterargument.
Sarjeant was putting his abacus through its paces this week as he looked at the teams with the highest average ownership. This offers an interesting insight into where the majority of Fantasy managers are investing their money and a handy guide to were some hidden differentials may reside. West Brom looks an ideal place to find differentials in particular, he found.
Gameweek 6 saw the start of what Nedfoo believes could a new trend of goalkeeper assists. American goalkeepers Tim Howard and Brad Guzan both assisted during the week and Nedfoo wonders whether goalkeeper training in the US is a factor.
Scored asked for the community’s ideas for new rule changes to the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, with quirky suggestions especially welcome. Among ideas that caught the eye were Jafalad’s suggestion that any player under 5m be awarded 10 points. Tokyored wants to see any player who bites an opponent immediately docked 10 points; a sure fire way to ensure the Sturridge versus Suarez debate ends swiftly.
Another rule change some are calling for surrounds player sell-on prices. Hooperman sparked this interesting debate on whether the current system is fair.
Community Leagues
In HeelsOverHead’s Worst To First – 2Million+ Club, for those with an overall rank below 2,000,000 in the first five game weeks, there are now four teams that have breached the 500,000 ranking barrier. Ten of the 23 entered are now in the top 1,000,000. Bales of Fury and Norfolk-In-Chance top the league with an overall rank of 288,416.
Bowie topped Torres Magic’s Last Man Standing competition with a haul of 89 points. There are 801 players remaining with 46 eliminated. The safety score this week was 38. Meanwhile, Mike Knight got 69 points in his Early Bird competition, where there are just 11 survivors after 3 got knocked out. Entry is still open to those who qualify, details here.
The In Tommy We Trust All Things league leaders are La Roja, Chilin, Dude, Lawndart, Crouch Potato and Binij.
The Long and Winding Road league leaders are Hay Number 2, Canadian Football, IAmSuarez, Demented Flamingo, ManAmongst, Iain_90 and Beric, who also tops the LAWR main league.
In Thomas and Peppie&Felix‘s Friends Life the league leaders are Thomass, Daniel and Al Pacino.
Meanwhile, in the FFS UEFA leagues Grubs, the manager of Villarreal, was the round’s highest scorer with 82 points. He was followed closely by EpicFail with 80 points, who also gets the Order of Valour Award by handling Suarez the armband in his first game in the Premier League, along with owning Lukaku.
Doctor X, who represents AZ Alkmaar in the Rest of Europe league, is the only manager to have an unblemished record as he celebrated his sixth consecutive victory. FFS UEFA also have a new team H2H competition starting soon. Full details will be revealed this Sunday on their blog.
