We’re half wondering what will occupy the Fantasy Football Scout community once Gameweek 31 has passed – probably Gameweek 34’s doubles. For now, however, it’s all about the next set of fixtures as the transfer options continue to be sifted, with the potential of Everton’s spot-kick specialist, Leighton Baines, coming under particular scrutiny this week. We also look back on discussions on the Sunderland back-four, midfield heavy-hitters and a string of differentials as double-Gameweek fever strengthens its grip. Elsewhere in our round-up, we drop in on the latest ups and downs in the community leagues.

The Hottest Topics

The agonising wait for Gameweek 31 has continued to produce a number of key dilemmas, the latest being the merits of swooping for an Everton defender in the light of the announcement of their Gameweek 34 double. The key decision being pondered last week was whether to draft in Seamus Coleman or opt for the pricey set-piece supremo that is Leighton Baines.

An emphatic case for Baines was put forward in our catch-up on defenders’ bonus points, while the debate around Coleman or Baines was also the subject of Keith’s discussion. He wondered whether Coleman was still creating the chances that made him such an attractive prospect at the start of the season; yesterday’s winner against Cardiff may well have quelled those fears.

There’s also a certain “theory” that threatens to dent Baines’ appeal. Our research showed that there is a correlation between Romelu Lukaku’s starts and a dip in Baines’ average points per game. R✪melu, however, was on hand to show that the devil is in the detail when it comes to the Baines and Lukaku hypothesis.

If you’re overlooking the Toffees rearguard, how about a cheeky punt on Sunderland’s back four for their double Gameweek? The community examined the Black Cats’ defence in some detail, with Kings of Lyon underlining the potential of loanee full-back Marcos Alonso.

Our midfields were also treated to some community love, with Your Mum’s Athletic stepping in to cast his eye over a trio of Gameweek 31 heavyweight options, David Silva, Steven Gerrard and Juan Mata. TW duly added that Samir Nasri is another option worthy of our consideration.

For those looking for something a little different, Vince ‘Newcastle’ Mcmahon asked for the community’s top double Gameweek 31 differentials. Among those being put forward were Newcastle’s Mousa Sissoko by Tinkerman , while Tommy J nominated Andy Carroll – a player who remained on the radar following yesterday’s strike at Stoke. There were further differentials discussed in Scroobius Mac’s hot topic only yesterday.

Finally, the week wouldn’t be complete without another discussion of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) rules. This time around, it was the January Wildcard being dragged in for questioning. Torres Magic asked whether we should keep or ditch the New Year refresh, with a varied reaction from the community voices.

The Community Tournaments

With a score of 66, Gloria Kanchelskis was the Gameweek 29 winner of @ocprodigy’s Scout Picks Challenge, an FPL game which is loosely based on our very own Scout Picks.

Those who failed to qualify for our Paddy Power Cup, which resumed this weekend, have themselves their own cup tournament, created by AZ. Sadly, he was a first round victim in his own tournament, crashing out to Cowboy John who notched an impressive Gameweek 29 tally of 74 points. Jack1980, who registered 34 points, was the lowest scoring winner of the round. Those who found safe passage to the knock-out stages included DannyRex, Trust John, D1sable, BsloeBadger, Castiel, HamsterGod, @ocprodigy and Lazurus.

In Torres Magic’s leagues, 75 remain in his Last Man Standing competition following Gameweek 29 and six are yet to go broke in his Millionaire Club. The FPL Open first round saw some of our community regulars clash head-on, including Ronh vs Bouncebackability and Fresco vs GTS is under repair. There’s still time to enter TM’s Elite 64 competition, which is for those in the top 10,000.

Ahead of Gameweek 30, Gaz Downright held onto the Fantasy Football Scout’s Moderators and Contributors lead by a slender one-point margin. Similarly there was no change in the The Iron Man competition, for those taking part in multiple games, Gigging Order, In Like Flynn and Jonty topped its Sky, Metro and FPL components respectively following Gameweek 29’s fixtures.