With a bumper crop of surprise stars emerging during Gameweek 34, the community is in confident mood as it prepares for another round of double fixtures in Gameweek 37 for Sunderland and Arsenal. Our hot topics and Members tables focus on the strengths and weaknesses of those two sides, while our community writers take a look at those mid-table sides searching for motivation as well as key differentials for the run in. We also see whether Gameweek 34’s calvacade of points for Hull and Leicester investors affected the standings in our mini-leagues. In addition, we delivered the sad news that a much respected member of the community passed away this week.
The Community Articles
The struggle for motivation amongst mid-table sides came under the watchful gaze of Ruth NZ this week in this analysis, which looks at the most likely top performers among sides with seemingly little to play for.
Motivation is something The Puntmaster has buckets loads of, as once again he delivers a trio of differential punts to help steal a march on mini-league rivals during the season run in.
There was certainly some renewed enthusiasm amongst those that played their wildcard during Gameweek, according to our latest Rough with the Smooth round up of the community’s best and worst managerial decisions.
For those looking to avoid the hype over certain players Federer was on hand with this handy guide to sticking to your own game plan in the face of herd pressure.
Amongst our most respected community writers and posters was Simon Humber, who posted under the name Absinthe. This week we announced the tragic news that he had lost his battle with cancer. We and the rest of the community left their tributes to him here.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article
The Hottest Topics
The community is never one to sit on its laurels when it comes to double Gameweeks, with planning already starting in earnest for Gameweek 37, when Arsenal and Sunderland play twice. But according to Tinkerman, Arsenal’s assets should be treated with caution, as rotation looks to scupper our best-laid plans due to their involvement in the FA Cup Final. Kings of Lyon, though, is more optimistic. His analysis of the Arsenal team sheets around last year’s final, which it was also involved in, show that Arsene Wenger could be less prone to tinker as first thought.
Question marks were also raised about Arsenal’s attacking ability, after John Terry and the rest of the Chelsea defence managed to keep them at bay so adeptly during Gameweek 34. Terry’s display, in particular, prompted The Old Git to post this discussion on the Fantasy Premier League’s Bonus Point System, after the Chelsea captain failed to pick up any bonus points for his efforts.
Terry was one of six Chelsea players to grace the PFA Team of the Year, which provided its usual controversy as the community examined the merits of those included and excluded, in Demi’s hot topic.
Another hero of Gameweek 34 was Dame N’Doye. Jairzinho kindly summed up dozens of the community’s best puns based around Hull’s two goal hero. Demi’s “N’Doye will always love you” was among some excellent word play on display.
Among those not laughing this week were reigning FPL champion Tom Fenley and Luke Sanders, who both failed to activate their wildcards and found themselves facing a -52 point hit going into Gameweek 34. Their tale was among a raft of anecdotes in our discussion on the highs and lows of wildcarding and points hits.
The community is also thinking even further ahead, with next season’s planning already underway, after Bournemouth joined Watford in being automatically promoted to the Premier League next season. Bournemouth resident Brian (Not the Messiah) is understandably delighted that top-flight football will be coming to his home town next season and asked the community for their thoughts on their prospect next season. There was further chat about Bournemouth and Watford’s chances in our discussion about the Fantasy Football potential of their players.
Finally, Sunny Beamer took a look at those first innocent days back when the community started playing Fantasy Football and teams were checked no more than once a week. One of our community who can never be accused of being a casual is Doosra, who has been absent for a number of weeks while recovering from a serious illness. Our chief statistics man made a triumphant return this week to surprise his many well wishers. Welcome back Doosra.
The Members Tables
After the unlikely heroics of Hull players in Gameweek 34 there is now heightened interest in Sunderland’s differentials ahead of the double Gameweek 37. To help those looking to find the next N’Doye or Steve Harper, I’ve compiled this table of Sunderland players, which has a global filter and is sorted by shots in the box. For those looking for more secure assets in Gameweek 37, I’ve also constructed this table of Arsenal’s most attacking options.
If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.
The Community Leagues
The FFS UEFA Cricket World Cup tournament continues to deliver drama, according to the group’s latest review of the previous round and look ahead to the weekend’s fixtures.
Greenwindmill’s Gameweek 34 wildcard saw him take a commanding 48-point lead over second placed Mark in the FFScout moderators and contributors league. Marlen Rattiner is another to secure top spot, with a 34-point lead at the summit of the FFS Old Farts Club league, for our community’s more seasoned members.
Kroos Control has retained a strong lead over second-placed Athletico Timbo after Gameweek 33 in the Dead Team Challenge, in which managers have to stick with the Gameweek 38 selection without making any changes.
Finally, AZ is recruiting for an XBOX FFS Fifa tournament. Full details here.
