I’m predominantly focusing my FantasyBet picks on those teams with fixtures against the bottom four sides this week. A trio from in-form Tottenham also appear on my radar as they welcome a West Ham side devoid of injured playmaker Dimitri Payet.
Everton’s assets form the spine of my team – the Toffees host Aston Villa and scored six goals against Sunderland in their last match at Goodison. Crystal Palace have the honour of welcoming the Black Cats this week, so I also find places for a pair of Eagles recruits.
Finally, the consistency of Mesut Ozil, allied with ongoing doubts over Jamie Vardy’s hip problem, convinces me that the latter can be dropped in favour of a 3-5-2 formation, with the German taking the Leicester striker’s regular spot in my starting XI.
If you are unfamiliar with FantasyBet, it is particularly accessible for those who play Fantasy Premier League, as it uses the same initial player prices and has a similar scoring system.
MY TEAM
This is the team I will play in the freeroll:
Hugo Lloris (5m)
Scott Dann (5m)
Danny Rose (5.5m)
Seamus Coleman (6m)
Riyad Mahrez (5.5m)
Yannick Bolasie (6.5m)
Gerard Deulofeu (6.5m)
Andre Ayew (7.0m)
Mesut Ozil (8.5m)
Harry Kane (9.5m)
Romelu Lukaku (8m)
KEY PICKS
Hugo Lloris – Spurs have conceded just twice in their last five at White Hart Lane, including matches against Manchester City, Everton and Liverpool. As mentioned above, they face a Hammers side without top scorer and creative force Dimitri Payet, making a fifth shut-out of the season appear likely for Lloris and team-mate Danny Rose, who has an assist in each of the last three.
Scott Dann– A second goal of the season for the central defender at Anfield re-affirmed his aerial threat from set-plays. Palace have also improved defensively of late, with three shut-outs in the last six, suggesting there could be points available at both ends of the pitch against Sunderland.
Andre Ayew – For many, this weekend will be the Ghanaian’s last chance to impress as Swansea’s stuttering form shows little sign of abating. Up against a Bournemouth side that have conceded 13 times in their last four league matches, Ayew – who has been involved in 50% of the Swans’ strikes so far – looks a viable one-week punt for the Liberty showdown.
Harry Kane – The Spurs frontman has shaken off a slow start to the season by netting five goals in the last three Gameweeks. Kane now faces a porous West Ham defence that ranks second-bottom for shots conceded inside the box on their travels and are without a clean sheet in each of their last seven.
THIS WEEK’S GAME PICKS
There is an End of Week bargain game that covers the fixtures at White Hart Lane and Selhurst Park – it’s only £1.10 to enter and has a £75 guaranteed pot.
The Grand weekend is FantasyBet’s biggest game, where you compete for a £1000 guaranteed prize pool on a £5.50 buy in.
As always, the best place to start if you’re new to FantasyBet is the weekly freeroll, where you can set up a free team and compete against the team above for a £100 pot.
LAST WEEK
I had another narrow miss of a big money win in the £1000 pot in Gameweek 12. A total of 64 points was enough to put me in fifth, just one point off a joint-second finish in which three players scooped just under £80 each. Frustratingly, captaining Jamie Vardy instead of Romelu Lukaku would have put me in second overall.
Riksheim was further ahead with 69 points to clinch top spot, a bold captain choice of Ryan Bertrand paying off.
On the upside, I still won £11.11 and now have a pot of £105.82.
THIS WEEK’S STAKE
This week I will enter all of the contests mentioned in the games picks, as well as the £50 flash freeroll and, as usual, the FFScout Picks League for a total stake of £7.70.
In addition, I’ll be going up against Jossy, the Community champion in this week’s Scout Picks. He will be taking me on in a specially set up head-to-head game for a chance to win free entry into a £500 Guaranteed ‘Big Weekly’ game worth £22.
Also the Community Champion who beats the Scout Picks by the highest margin every month will win a free entry into the £600 guaranteed ‘Boss’ game worth £55.
FFSCOUT PICKS LEAGUE
Redbullindia topped last week’s Scout Picks league with 74 points. He doubled up on both Manchester teams in defence, bringing in an impressive 26 points between them.
The Scout Picks accumulated 52 points, putting us in 31st. My decision to captain Alexis Sanchez was a mistake after he blanked at home to Tottenham, with Jamie Vardy my top-scoring pick on nine points.
Once again, FantasyBet have provided a £100 pot for the FFScout Picks League, with a £1.10 stake for entry. I will enter our Scout Picks as closely as possible, given a 15-man squad is required with the 100m budget and a captain also needs to be selected.
Feel free to go up against them this week and pick your own squad on FantasyBet.
