As always on Friday afternoon, it’s time to kick back and assess our Sky teams after last week’s action. We look at the usual info including the Man of the Match (MoTM) awards, bonus point beneficiaries and current market trends. Once again, we also look ahead to the forthcoming fixtures, offering our preferred captain setup, with one eye on Gameweek 19.
Gameweek 17 Man of the Match Awards
Listed below is a match-by-match breakdown of the players who won the plaudits from the Sky Sports reporters last time out, earning five additional points for the Man-of-the-Match award.
| Fixture | MoTM |
| Man United vs Newcastle | Cheick Tiote |
| Crystal Palace vs Cardiff | Marouane Chamakh |
| Liverpool vs West Ham | Philippe Coutinho |
| Southampton vs Man City | Jay Rodriguez |
| Stoke vs Chelsea | Steven N’Zonzi |
| West Brom vs Norwich | Leroy Fer |
| Sunderland vs Tottenham | Mousa Dembele |
| Fulham vs Aston Villa | Dimitar Berbatov |
| Arsenal vs Everton | Ross Barkley |
| Swansea vs Hull | Ahmed Elmohamady |
Midfielders continued their domination of the awards, claiming seven out of a possible 10 – the other three went to forwards. A few budget options have reared their heads in recent weeks and look good for future potential returns: Steven N’Zonzi (5m) and Leroy Fer (5.3m) have both come into form recently and are central to their team’s chances of picking up points. Early season bandwagon Ross Barkley (4.3m) has also reappeared after being rested by his manager in recent games – Everton’s fixtures up until January make a strong case for owning Barkley, especially as an enabler for more expensive options elsewhere.
Curtis Davies is the runaway leader in MoTM awards with six to his name, whilst Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Rooney, Eden Hazard and Daniel Sturridge all sit on four.
Gameweek 17 Bonus Points
Four goalkeepers managed to achieve five saves or more – Vito Mannone, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Brad Guzan and John Ruddy were the top shot stoppers. Ruddy was the best performer of the week with a total of 11 saves and a clean sheet. Simon Mignolet is still top of the bonus points stats overall, picking up an extra ten points so far.
In defence, a total of 14 players gathered bonus, nine for tackles and five for passes completed – Spurs stand in full-back Kyle Naughton was closest to achieving both, missing out by just one tackle. Crystal Palace full-back Joel Ward now sits alone at the top of the bonus table with an additional 14 points.
In midfield, only nine players earned bonus points – three for tackling and six for passes. Swansea’s Jose Canas just missed out on both, falling one challenge short of the required four. Aaron Ramsey still sits head and shoulders above the competition with 28 additional bonus points earned.
A reminder that Fantasy Football Scout Members can access all the data regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.
The Transfer Trends
Top Transfers Out
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Daniel Sturridge | Liverpool | 9.2 | 5.31% |
| Oscar | Chelsea | 7.6 | 4.79% |
| Wayne Rooney | Man United | 9.6 | 4.57% |
| Jan Vertonghen | Tottenham | 7.3 | 4.36% |
| Leighton Baines | Everton | 7.7 | 4.16% |
With Daniel Sturridge, Jan Vertonghen and Leighton Baines all on the injury table, it’s hardly surprising to see them on the most transferred out list. Oscar and Wayne Rooney both missed last weekend’s fixtures due to injury and suspension respectively but are expected to return this weekend and look to have a good chance of getting among the points – Chelsea host Crystal Palace at the Bridge, while United travel to Aston Villa.
Top Transfers In
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Luis Suarez | Liverpool | 9.9 | 7.69% |
| Seamus Coleman | Everton | 6.5 | 5.04% |
| Sergio Aguero | Man City | 9.8 | 4.30% |
| Samir Nasri | Man City | 6.3 | 3.62% |
| Jonjo Shelvey | Swansea | 4.6 | 3.26% |
Fantasy managers continue to draft in big-hitting duo Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero, which is hard to argue against, considering their devastating form. Low-to-mid-price options Samir Nasri and Jonjo Shelvey have also been in good form and also find themselves snapped up by roughly 3.5% of Fantasy managers. Full-back Seamus Coleman also looks a great purchase for Everton’s kind run of fixtures over the festive period and is currently the top defender overall with a total of 77 points.
Gameweek 18 Proposed Captain Strategy
Looking ahead to the captaincy choices for Gameweek 18, we only have the option for one switch of the armband due to no Monday night fixture.
Our Strategy:
Romelu Lukaku (Fulham at Home) → Wayne Rooney (Aston Villa Away)
For Saturday December 14, there are a multitude of options in what looks like a tough day to get the captaincy choice right. Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard and Loic Remy all look strong shouts but we’re backing Everton forward Romelu Lukaku to continue his good form.
A tactical captain change or transfer for the fixtures on Sunday the 15th should mean one of Wayne Rooney or Luis Suarez getting the armband – both have tasty home fixtures in Gameweek 19, with Rooney facing West Ham and Suarez up against Cardiff City. For us, Rooney just edges it as this week’s fixture against Aston Villa looks potentially more profitable than Suarez’ visit to White Hart Lane, where he will come up against a revitalised Tottenham.
The Fantasy Football Scout League
Our own Fantasy Football Scout League is on top of the Private League rankings. With a £1000 prize to the winner, you’d be mad not to get involved. To join, visit Sky Sports Fantasy Football and key in League Name: FFScout, League Code: 8000112.
The Fantasy Football Club
This Friday The Fantasy Football Club show, where you can catch Fenners and Merse at 18:30 Skysports One HD where they will be discussing the previous week’s Fantasy Football events, chatting to former Derby man Dean Saunders and asking ex-Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou for his #One2Eleven.
