The festive run of fixtures is not yet over and the battle to rise up the rankings picks up again swiftly this weekend. We look back at how the Christmas results have fared so far with our hot topic posters also on hand with some last-minute advice ahead of Gameweek 20. Meanwhile, our community writers have been taking an in-depth look at both the trials and tribulations of veteran Fantasy managers as well as the new kids on the block riding high in the rankings. There’s been no let-up in the construction of Members tables over Christmas, with one differential midfielder in particular showing some impressive underlying statistics. Finally, we find out about some exciting new community competitions for the New Year as well as who is leading the current tournaments.
The Community Articles
With many finding significant green arrows hard to come by in the Fantasy Premier League this term, TM245 took a look at whether this is the toughest season in recent years to break into the top 10,000.
Some of those that are struggling the most to join this elite group are the veteran managers with several years of Fantasy management under their belts. Kavali has been analysing this group of stalwarts and found that they could be on their way up the rankings thanks to some canny moves over Christmas.
Elsewhere, Bolivian Seaman dropped by to tell us what the fans are predicting for their teams in Gameweek 20.
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
Rotation has hit many Fantasy teams hard already this Christmas and Gameweek 20 looks to be no different. Already, Arsene Wenger has hinted at more changes and it is Arsenal players that are among those mentioned as we played rotation roulette ahead of this weekend’s games.
Looking ahead into the New Year, Andy85wsm sparked a discussion on who the best defenders will be in January, with Swansea’s bonus-point machine Ashley Williams and Chelsea’s resurgent defenders amongst those touted for success.
The festive fixtures so far have shown how vital a good captaincy pick is. In our festive Rough with the Smooth there were plenty of disheartened managers who opted for Sergio Aguero for the armband.
Following the FFScout captaincy poll leader may be a good way to select a captain, says Sully29. He points out that a high scoring player has topped the poll every week since Gameweek 12.
The fact that players from Leicester and Watford have often proved shrewd captaincy picks shows just what an unpredictable season 2015/16 is turning out to be. Sanchez asks whether the most open title run for years makes the Premier League one of the best on record, or shows a lack of quality, with no team able to dominate as in previous years.
Finally, our last community round up of the year would not be complete without a look back on some of your best posts. In Balders’ end of year round up Wild Rover’s last gasp £1,000 victory in Ultimate Fantasy Premier League and Fuzzy Warbles’ battle for clarity over the 60-minute cut off point for extra points in FPL were among the most popular highlights.
The Members Tables
For those looking for a new differential in midfield Zasa has been researching a key player to consider for the New Year, who boasts a strong pedigree as well as good fixtures. Members can see who the player is via this list of Members tables.
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 Tournaments
Peter Warren tops the community’s UFPL FFS £1K Heist league, dedicated to the game’s monthly prize of £1000. Peter’s impressive December tally of 430 put him in second place for the month overall, just five points short of the cash prize.
In TorresMagic’s Last Man Standing the safety score was 59, which saw 86 players depart and 844 remain
‘Anyone for tennis’, was the challenge laid down by Balders this week as he asked the community to take part in a new Wimbledon themed doubles tournament.
In the Top 10,000 Any Season league Ralf Buckenmaier retains the lead and is now 243rd overall. This league is run by Red Lightning who also brings news of a new league for the New Year. His January to May League will run from Gameweek 20 to the end of the season and is open to anyone in the community to enter – the code is 870-507.
Andy continues to lead the FFScout moderators and contributors league with a commanding 70-point lead over Greenwindmill.
If you are running a community tournament and would like the latest scores included in future Community Round Ups please email me a brief summary of the current leaders and a link to your league, spread sheet or head to head competition, at jonty@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk.
