After an FA Cup break, we cast an eye over the data from the previous double Gameweek and jump straight back into the action in the Sky Sports game. As always, bringing you the usual info including the Man of the Match (MoTM) awards, bonus point beneficiaries, the transfer trends and our new Watchlist feature before taking a look at the Scout team and our future plans.
Gameweek 26 Man of the Match Awards
These were the players that caught the eye of the Sky Sports reporters from last weekend’s fixtures achieving the Man of the Match award (worth an additional 5 points).
| Fixture | MoTM |
| Tottenham vs Arsenal | Harry Kane |
| Aston Villa vs Chelsea | Carles Gil |
| Leicester vs Crystal Palace | Julian Speroni |
| Man City vs Hull | David Meyler |
| QPR vs Southampton | Sadio Mane |
| Swansea vs Sunderland | Kyle Naughton |
| Everton vs Liverpool | Jordon Ibe |
| Burnley vs West Brom | Danny Ings |
| Newcastle vs Stoke | Philipp Wollscheid |
| West Ham vs Man United | Cheikhou Kouyate |
| Arsenal vs Leicester | Riyad Mahrez |
| Hull vs Aston Villa | Dame N’Doye |
| Sunderland vs QPR | Leroy Fer |
| Liverpool vs Tottenham | Daniel Sturridge |
| Chelsea vs Everton | Tim Howard |
| Man United vs Burnley | Chris Smalling |
| Southampton vs West Ham | Cheikhou Kouyate |
| Stoke vs Man City | Sergio Aguero |
| Crystal Palace vs Newcastle | Daryl Janmaat |
| West Brom vs Swansea | Brown Ideye |
Numerous differentials featured in the awards over the double with perhaps only Harry Kane (15.3%), Daniel Sturridge (11.5%) and Sergio Aguero (19.2%) having any significant impact on the leader boards. Having said that, a number of these differentials look enticing prospects in the weeks to come – Carles Gil at 4.8m, Sadio Mane at 5.8m, Jordan Ibe at 4.5m and Brown Ideye at 7.3m look the pick of the bunch and sit firmly in the budget bracket. A special mention goes to Cheikhou Kouyate, who managed to pick up both MoTM awards for his displays at centre-half for West Ham. At 4.9m, he could be another decent option and is set to move back into midfield as the injuries ease at the back for Big Sam.
Gameweek 26 Bonus Points
Nine goalkeepers achieved bonus points from collecting five or more saves. Robert Green managed to grab bonus in both his appearances after racking up 11 saves and further cements his place as the top goalkeeper in terms of bonus points with a total of 24 – that’s 10 more than second placed Costel Pantilimon and Hugo Lloris.
In defence, 14 players grabbed bonus, 11 for tackles and six for passes completed. Man City full-back Pablo Zabaleta managed passing and tackling bonus to earn four extra points but it was Swansea’s new boy Kyle Naughton who stole the show to collect six extra points, having earned passing twice and tackling once – at 5.5m, he could be an option if he continues to rake in the bonus points. Man City players Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta are joint top for defenders with 16 additional points overall.
In midfield, there were 29 beneficiaries in total: 20 for tackling and 14 for passes. A few players managed to earn themselves four extra points but Fabian Delph was the main man here after picking up six bonus points for his combined 124 passes and five tackles over the two matches. Nemanja Matic is still the games overall highest bonus point earner with 40 points credited.
One forward earned additional points, as Marouane Chamakh chipped in with tackling bonus after taking the fight to the Newcastle back four.
Fantasy Football Scout members can access all information regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.
The Transfer Trends
Top Transfers Out
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Fer | QPR | 5 | 6.7% |
| Bertrand | Southampton | 5.1 | 5.1% |
| Aguero | Man City | 9.8 | 5% |
| Sterling | Liverpool | 7.8 | 4.9% |
| Rooney | Man United | 9.4 | 4.2% |
One of the Sky game’s more popular budget midfielders, Leroy Fer, is facing a spell on the sidelines as 6.7% transfer him out. Ryan Bertrand serves the final game of his domestic ban, whilst Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling are both fit for the weekend. Wayne Rooney continues to underwhelm in his deep-lying position and sees further sales this week.
Top Transfers In
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Kane | Tottenham | 6.7 | 10% |
| Costa | Chelsea | 9.5 | 9.9% |
| Eriksen | Tottenham | 7.6 | 3.3% |
| Fonte | Southampton | 6.3 | 3.1% |
| Ings | Burnley | 7 | 2.5% |
Harry Kane and Diego Costa find themselves drafted in by around 10% of Fantasy managers as the top two targets this week – both look great captain options for the weekend. Christian Eriksen’s form and cheap price sees him targeted by just over 3%, whilst dependable options Danny Ings and Jose Fonte make up the top five targets.
Watchlist
Here I aim to highlight a few players with sub-5% ownership that could be good options in the coming weeks. The players are split up into three separate price categories to cater for your available budge – these names evolve with fixtures and form and offer Fantasy managers a nudge in hopefully the right direction.
Last week we tipped Daley Blind and Laurent Koscielny to deliver in the coming weeks and they produced straight away with a goal apiece. This week, we reassess and bring you our latest tips for the next six weeks or so.
| Budget | Mid-Price | Premium | |
| Defender | Craig Dawson, 4.8m, 2.3% | John Stones, 5.3m, 3.2% | Pablo Zabaleta, 7.6m, 3% |
| Midfielder | Carles Gil, 4.8m, 0.1% | Sadio Mane, 5.8m, 1.7% | Mesut Ozil, 8.6m, 1.2% |
| Forward | Dame N’Doye 6.7m, 0% | Jermain Defoe, 7.3m, 0.4% | Olivier Giroud, 8.9m, 4.5% |
My Team
Fabianski
Bertrand Hutton Van Aanholt
Hazard© Fabregas Di Maria Mane
Aguero Kane Sanchez
ITB: 0m
Transfers remaining: 12/40
Last week’s points: 80
Overall points: 1449
Rank: 392
Notes
80 points was a fairly decent haul for the double Gameweek, with Sergio Aguero’s 32-point captaincy haul making him my standout performer. Ryan Bertrand has one more match out suspended before returning and his return, along with fit-again Cesc Fabregas, should help to boost my point’s potential.
Angel di Maria finally chipped in with some attacking returns and due to lack of available transfers, he hangs onto his place for now. I finally bit the bullet and transferred in Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez for the first time into my team, both these players have scored sensationally and in all honesty I should have acquired their services long ago. Better late than never, though, and now my forward line is looking rather potent for the latter part of the season. With 12 transfers remaining, I can’t afford any injuries but if I can see out February then I’m on course for four a month in March, April and May, which was the original plan.
Captain plan
For Saturday it’s going to be one of Eden Hazard or Sergio Aguero that gets my armband. I think Aguero has more potential for points but with Man City’s Champions League fixture looming shortly after, I feel the safer option is Hazard. I have until Friday at midnight to decide but at the moment Hazard is the front runner.
For Sunday, I’ll be switching to Sadio Mane for his home clash against Liverpool. Granted this is a bit of a risk and clearly Harry Kane at home to West Ham presents a more enticing option but this in in order to prepare myself for Gameweek 29, which is a double Gameweek. Tottenham don’t feature in the first part of the Gameweek and so ending this week with Kane presents an issue unless you wish to use transfers to rectify the issue – this would probably be the best way to navigate the week but I don’t have enough transfers left to go down this route myself.
The Fantasy Football Scout League
Once again, we’re running our own Fantasy Football Scout League this season and are currently topping the Private League rankings. With a £1,000 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: 8009000.
The Fantasy Football Club
This Friday The Fantasy Football Club show, where you can catch the rerun of Fenners and Merse at 18:30 SkySports One HD where they will be discussing the upcoming week’s Fantasy Football, quizzing former Man City striker Uwe Rosler and asking Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish for his #One2Eleven.
