Time machines and crystal balls were engaged this week as the Fantasy Football Scout community cast aside concerns on the immediate fixtures to look ahead at the raft of missing matches from Gameweek 29. Those looming blanks dominated discussion but there was also time for a controversial post calling for the community to dump the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game’s top scorer, plus an array of threads assessing Ultimate FPL strategies. The week was also notable for the launch of a couple of new unofficial community competitions surrounding the Scout Picks and an exclusive tournament for our “Deadzone” posters.

The Hottest Topics

With most of the FA Cup quarter-finals in place, the community was this week left staring into the chasm that is Gameweek 29 and pondering how we can navigate the void left by a series of postponements. Among those to lead our community through the tricky ravines was PIPP✪ who, quick as a flash, was on hand within a few hours of last Sunday’s games to give us the low-down on those active and missing in action from the Gameweek. His quick thinking made it one of the week’s most popular posts, as he dipped into an array of issues, including UEFA and Premier League politics. Highbrow.

Scoredelario was another of our Gameweek 29 sherpas. He provided a cautious warning about coping with the Gameweek of blanks via hits. He urged the community to avoid spending points on lightweight players merely because they have a fixture in place. Bsloebadger was also on hand to produce a great little blank fixture survival guide, complete with key options from the teams that are set to be in action.

Innsie’s team-by-team, player-by-player analysis on Gameweek 29 was another popular draw, with Peter Crouch and Charlie Adam among the unlikely names being discussed. We also offered a list of those who could be great captaincy options for the week.

Elsewhere, our resident Sky Sports game expert, “D1sable”, is also riding high in the FPL game this season. He took it upon himself to look beyond Gameweek 29 and towards the double Gameweeks that follow: his post on the long-term Gameweek 29 strategies is well worth a read.

Amongst this week’s most controversial posts was Giggs Boson’s incendiary discussion on whether now is the time to drop Luis Suarez. A string of goalless performances, including another today in the win over Swansea, perhaps provide a compelling argument. At the time, few of our community seemed brave enough to part company with the enthralling Uruguayan but the goal posts have been moved again by Daniel Sturridge’s Anfield brace this afternoon.

This weekend marked the kick-off of the Ultimate FPL game Beta. This new in-depth pursuit looks ideally placed for dedicated Fantasy managers and in our UFPL hot topic we asked what early strategies the community was looking to adopt. Meerlight offered a timely reminder on the wildcard after three Gameweeks, urging the importance of focussing on short-term fixtures.

The Community Tournaments

In Tommy We Trust’s All Things leagues we saw ENR, Bootsy, Jonty, Billy Ketsu, Jambo17 and Koneheads take top spots going into Gameweek 27.

Meanwhile, @ocprodigy has started a new game based loosely on our very own Scout Picks. His idea is for the community is to compete against each other with their own weekly picks. Plus, those who score more than the Fantasy Football Scout Picks will gain an extra point. The full rules and point scoring system are explained here.

In addition, Innsie turned up again with another proposed distraction, aimed specifically at those posters active in the early hours of the morning UK time. The “Deadzone” as it is affectionately known is always full of willing participants from many timezones and Innsie has put forward an unofficial FPL tournament dedicated to those good folk.

Finally, a reminder that our Paddy Power Cup and Members Cups are still open for entry – we will close the gates on qualifying tomorrow but, if you’ve yet to get your name in the hat, you can still get involved. Click here for details.