The end of year school report cliché ‘could have done better’ proved apt this week as our community scribes and Members’ tables focus on players who are failing to meet their potential.
The misfiring antics of Fantasy Premier League’s most expensive players, in particular, takes centre stage in our summary of the major community discussions. Meanwhile, we conclude our weekly round-up with a look at those who have managed to swerve the frustrating assets to take an early lead in our community competitions.
The Community Articles
AceKn1ght has been delving into the underlying statistics of early season underperformers he believes should have done better, while underachieving is also a theme of Top Marx’s latest look at the Career Hall of Fame top five, who have all endured a tough start to the campaign.
Meanwhile, Hutch_James returns with his regular look at what ‘the crowd’ are saying about the next set of fixtures.
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 Topic
The stalled performances of two FPL’s most expensive assets – Harry Kane (12.5) and Kevin De Bruyne (10.0) – dominated much of the discussions this week. Following his two single-point returns, we pondered whether the Spurs talisman can currently be trusted with the captaincy.
Meanwhile, Too Mane Men wondered whether those dumping De Bruyne will regret the decision, given that he next visits a Bournemouth side hit for six by Man City over two matches last season, with the Belgian playmaker on the scoresheet.
Waiting in the wings should De Bruyne slip once again is Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, who is set to make his comeback from injury against Liverpool this weekend. We asked whether the 11.9 midfielder is a shoo-in for your team in the near future or too expensive to consider. Rodellegabomb’s post on ‘ball in play’ stats certainly suggest the Chilean will see plenty of action.
Spurs’ Christian Eriksen and Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Manchester United have also emerged as key replacements for those looking to jettison De Bruyne. We asked whether you liked to see such ‘Steady Eddie’ scorers in your teams or preferred the ‘Flash Harry’ goalscoring exploits of their respective team-mates Dele Alli and Paul Pogba.
Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso could not be ignored by the community this week having made up for his blank in Gameweek 1 with a sensational brace against Spurs.
His owners were quick to make themselves known in our Rough with the Smooth update of your Gameweeks, although Fantasy Football Sprout questions whether he is a viable long-term pick given his price point.
Among those with mixed views on the Spanish left wing-back is Heavy Data who axed him on Saturday night, only to regret the move and consider spending points to transfer him back in after witnessing his attacking masterclass at Wembley.
Markus’ look at whether such hit taking is worthwhile in terms of team value should be essential reading for Heavy Data before he completes his promised u-turn.
Elsewhere, there are other players the community has concerns about. For Andy85wsm it is a punishing schedule for Bournemouth, which also include trips to Arsenal and Everton in their next four, that is prompting him to consider discarding Cherries left back Charlie Daniels.
Fears are mounting for FPL Virgin regarding the game time of Liverpool’s assets, given Jurgen Klopp’s surprise Gameweek 2 teamsheet that saw winger Mo Salah benched. Flock of Seagulls is particularly interested in Roberto Firmino and asked the community for their opinion on what exactly the Brazilian’s ‘false 9’ role entails.
With the international break looming, many in the community are looking ahead to the end of the transfer window, Wildcarding and future captaincy choices.
Bibelnissen is already focusing on the Gameweek 4 captaincy, when many of the key armband options have less than favourable fixtures.
A change of focus in midfield, by saving money through rotating two 4.5m players, is being considered by Rodellegabomb, while Karan14 is urging caution regarding deploying the Wildcard so early.
Triggerlips is also advocating patience, particularly as the second international break of the season could potentially be more lucrative in terms of price rises.
Finally, Nobwak put forward an intriguing idea to improve FPL’s transfer market by basing price changes on form rather than popularity.
To view all our discussions please visit our Hot Topics page.
The Members’ Tables
Harry Kane dominates proceedings in my goals imminent table, ahead of Gameweek 3. There was further discussion of this table, sparked by Red Arrows, earlier this week.
Goal-threatening midfielders and defenders are the subject of They Are Lost’s latest tables, while FPL Virgin has also been looking across the defenders, midfielders and forward positions in search of the best options.
Elsewhere, assist kings are the focus of Dug-out’s latest construction, which is sorted by chances created.
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
HeelsOverHead’s R U Smarter Than The 10K Club league for those who have never finished within this elite group is led by One From One Country, who sits in 16,276th spot.
A Gameweek 2 score of 52 was enough to see Evs oust Greenwindmill at the top of the FFScout Moderators and Contributors league. There was further bad news for Greenwindmill, who I defeated in the Moderators and Contributors FPL Draft league to retain top spot. Az and Spencer also have two wins under their belt and join me on six points.
The safety score was 29 in TorresMagic’s Last Man Standing competition, which saw 214 players depart and over 3,800 remain, with entry currently still open.
Meanwhile, FPL Fly remains leader of FPL General’s who’s who of Fantasy Football league, the Elite64, with Evs in hot pursuit.
In Red Lightning’s Top 10k Any Season mini-league Rok Krasna takes number one spot and is up to 7,800 in the overall rankings. With two top 600 finishes, he has the pedigree to push for another exceptional season.
If you are running a community tournament and would like the latest scores included in future Community Round-Ups, please email us a summary of the current leaders and a link to your league, spreadsheet or head to head competition at jonty@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk.
