The FPL launch understandably dominated our discussions after the 2015/16 game went live yesterday morning. Our community writers and hot topic posters offered valuable advice on every aspect of Fantasy Football, from rule changes to team selection, and from bonus points to getting the funniest team name. Our Members have also been busy constructing tables to help gain a further insight into the players that have the potential to bring the community success in 2015/16.
The Community Articles
Our community writers have timed their articles perfectly this week to ensure they offer the best advice on selecting the perfect FPL side. Bowstring the Trout’s analysis of exactly where teams like to attack is key when debating whether to draft in a central midfielder, striker or winger from a side.
Meanwhile, The Shoemaker has taken a closer look at last season’s bonus point allocation as well as some must-read research into how much initial pricing can indicate whether a player will succeed as a Fantasy prospect.
For The Puntmaster, 2015/16’s new Premier League recruits have caught the eye. His excellent research looks at their performance in other leagues last season to see how they would have fared in England’s top-flight.
Those teams best-suited for a cheap defender rotation strategy have come under Jaffalicious’s microscope, while MatchoftheDan has been looking back on his poor 2014/15 FPL campaign to see how he can improve next season.
The Sky Sports game is also due to launch soon and offers one of the biggest cash prizes in Fantasy Football. For those looking to turn their Fantasy prowess into hard currency, Buffrey presented his top tips for success in the Sky game.
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
A key ritual for many Fantasy managers is to attempt to get the lowest ID number possible in FPL. MaxUn1ted proved the fastest on the draw this summer, snatching the coveted number one ID as soon as FPL launched late on Thursday morning.
For those yet to sign up and pick a squad name, we launched a search for the funniest team names, with some particularly cringe worthy puns on display for inspiration.
With teams in place, the community started to get their heads around some crucial rule changes. Chief among these was the ability to use ‘chips’ for one Gameweek only to boost captaincy scores, bring in bench scores and construct an all out attacking line up.
Amongst the ensuing discussions was our post on some potentially lucrative weeks to use your chips outside of the obvious double Gameweeks. Andy85wsm was also on hand to flag up the changes to the game as well as the new deadlines and wildcard changes, which now afford us a wildcard for each half of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Demi offered his early thoughts on some of the player prices. Expensive players, in particular, were the focus of our discussion on the best heavy hitters to draft in.
The 2015/16 FPL also has a number of changes to its Bonus Point System (BPS), which is used to calculate bonus points. Ziegler1988 was among the first to flag up these changes, while in our follow-up discussion on the BPS, we considered how slick passers are set to miss out, while tough tacklers and dynamic centre backs could benefit.
With teams in place, names chosen and new rules assessed, the community then turned its attention to getting the most out of value players through rotation. Doosra took a look at the best three-way rotation for those with a keen eye on fixture combinations. For TeddY, the best goalkeeper combinations available took centre stage, while Giggs Boson was on hand to tell us the best fixtures for potential clean sheets next season.
Other issues to consider in selecting the perfect FPL side are whether a player can benefit from penalties. But according to our discussion the jury is still out as to whether spot-kicks really offer added value to our sides.
Finally, this week also saw the launch of our Members area RMT and Projections tools. As our discussion on RMT scores submitted so far showed, finding the right teaam balance is proving a tricky task.
The Members Tables
To help understand how the changes to FPL’s BPS will effect players chance of gaining bonus points D1sable has constructed this table looking at the toughest tacklers. While Doosra has made this table looking at another area of change, pass completion, as well as tackling and players’ disciplinary record.
For those specifically interested in how some of the top defenders in the game will be affected by the BPS change, I have updated my Arsenal and Chelsea tables to include tackling, CBI and passing statistics.
Another change to the BPS involves greater recognition of goalkeeper saves. Barryyuen’s table provides a timely look at last season’s top savers. By switching to 2013/14’s figures this gives a good indication of Norwich keeper John Ruddy’s potential for extra points.
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.
