Knee jerking was taken to new levels this week as underperformers were jettisoned in their droves and replaced with the season’s early points magnets.
Our hot topic posters take a look at some of the key players to dominate the transfer market and examine some budget buys, while our community writers look back at last week’s predictions and ahead to Gameweek 3’s potential high scorers.
Meanwhile, our table constructors have been busy in the Members area assessing the underlying statistics of defenders, midfielders and forwards and finally we catch up on those whose savvy transfer skills have propelled them to the top of our community leagues.
The Community Articles
Fantasy Football Scout had a mixed Gameweek 2 with its predictions, according to Andy85wsm’s latest look at our crystal ball gazing skills.
The veterans from the community fared little better. Kavali’s latest look at the 50 veterans Fantasy Premier League managers he is tracking showed that a goal and an assist from their key differential Andre Gray of Burnley was not enough to prevent a slide down the rankings.
Hopping onto bandwagons with strong early season form can be one way to predict where points hauls will come from. But, as RVP fc explains in his latest article, form is just one of a number of factors Fantasy managers need to consider before jumping on.
As ever, the Premier League fans have had plenty to say about where the goals and clean sheets will arrive this weekend. Bolivian Seaman‘s latest look at the supporter forums finds Manchester City and Manchester United followers among those in the best spirits.
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
Transfer activity in the Fantasy Premier League picked up markedly this week as managers looked to shoehorn both Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic into their sides. According to our discussion on the best midfield options, among those being discarded to provide funds for this dynamic duo, is Liverpool midfielder Roberto Firmino, who has so far failed to register any attacking returns.
But The Special One’s recent update on the Influence Creativity and Threat (ICT) stats shows that perhaps many may regret showing the Brazilian the exit so soon.
Underperformers such as Firmino were also discussed in our hot topic on whether patience is a virtue in Fantasy football.
Among the cheaper players catching the eye this week is Hull’s midfield powerhouse Robert Snodgrass. His number one fan Kings of Lyon dropped by midweek to sing the Scotsman’s praises.
Middlesbrough are also proving a strong source of budget picks, says Up the Boro. His look at their midfield assets shows the wealth of options for Fantasy managers to consider.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba is proving a divisive alternative to the likes of Firmino, with Pundit of Punts’ hot topic on the Manchester United midfielder showing opinion divided as to whether he can be a high scoring Fantasy asset in his own right.
Already some are looking even further ahead to Gameweek 4 and the international break but, unlike previous seasons, wildcards are being kept firmly in pockets due to a strong start from many in the community. Nevertheless there are still some regrets over the first two Gameweeks, as our discussion on early season blunders showed.
Finally, Jarvish revealed he has been a contestant on the TV quiz show Countdown, with his episode airing on Thursday.
The Members Tables
My goals imminent table, focusing on those with a high level of shots that have yet to register a goal, has been updated. This has also had a slight tweak to give extra credit to those who have at least been able to hit the target once over the first two Gameweeks.
Willhowe has been examining the most attacking midfielders so far, while Bowstring the Carp has taken a look at the underlying statistics of forwards, midfielders and defenders.
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
In Red Lightning’s the Top 10k Any Season league Aidan Pearson retains the lead as well as his top 1,000 overall rank.
Facer continues to lead the FFScout Moderators and Contributors league with Andy, who finished last season in the top 1,000, in the wooden spoon position.
Over in the It’s A Long And Winding Road league Facer is also doing well, currently in second just two points behind leader Joshua Blake.
The FFS Old Farts Club, which involves our community’s oldest members, is led by Dan Farrell, while in TorresMagic’s Last Man Standing the safety score was 48, which saw 167 players depart and 2865 remain.
Spencer and Az are the last Scouts standing after just the first round of Jaffalicious’ FFS UEFA Champions League competition. They were the only ones of our moderator and contributor team to make it through to the second round draw.
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.
