Yahoo Focus – Gameweek 12

There’s news of yet another big-money weekend contest from our partner game Yahoo as domestic action resumes once again this Saturday.

They are offering a bumper Premier League £5k Saturday contest for the upcoming Gameweek. This consists of the seven Saturday matches that take place from 3pm onwards, ending with the 5.30 pm clash between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The contest is guaranteed to run, costs £5 to enter and is a multi-entry game, which means you can select up to 10 teams. The top 230 places pay out – there’s a minimum win-back of £10, with £500 going to the first place.

Our “best XI” below will, therefore, focus on this contest, which is the
biggest payout on offer in Gameweek 12.

Driven by Opta data, the Yahoo game has a scoring system is ideal for members of our community on the lookout for a Daily Fantasy Sports game.

New players can sign up and claim a free £50 in credit to your account when you deposit just £5. Promo code: Fantasy50.

It’s also worth checking out our Strategy Guide before picking your starting lineup, as this gives you a better idea of the mechanics of the Yahoo game and those players in line to benefit.

FFS Strongest XI

David de Gea – £17
Alberto Moreno – £15
Ben Mee – £14
Charlie Daniels – £14
Philippe Coutinho – £24
Leroy Sane – £22
Eden Hazard – £21
David Silva – £20
Romelu Lukaku – £25
Josh King – £15
Christian Benteke – £13

As Yahoo allows late swaps up until each kick-off, our listed line-up could be subject to change.

We call three of the most resilient home defences in the league and line up in a 3-4-3 formation for Gameweek 12.

We’re opting for David de Gea as a secure route into a Manchester United defence that has yet to concede in front of their own fans. Visitors Newcastle have been far from prolific on the road, scoring just three times in five outings. The Spaniard’s average of 11.4 Yahoo points per appearance is more than any defensive team-mate, and he looks in line to profit once again, given that goalkeepers earn double the number of points as defenders for a clean sheet, as well as points for wins or draws.

Left-back Alberto Moreno comes in for Liverpool’s clash with Southampton. The Spaniard’s game seems suited to the Yahoo scoring system – he leads the way among team-mates for successful tackles (25) and fouls won (13), while no Reds’ player has bettered his tally of 36 crosses. Jurgen Klopp’s men have conceded just once in five at Anfield, and their visitors have struggled for a cutting-edge, scoring more than a single goal in just one of the last nine Gameweeks.

A home match with Huddersfield Town brings Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels into contention. The raiding full-back has produced more crosses (46) than any team-mate, is joint-top for successful tackles (19) and is placed in their top three for interceptions (12) and key passes (11). His prospects of a clean sheet look promising, too, considering that the Terriers have failed to score in their last four away from home.

Burnley’s Ben Mee looks a strong shout for points at either end of the pitch at home to Swansea. The Clarets have conceded just two goals in front of their own fans, while their visitors – like Newcastle – have netted just three away goals so far. Mee also offers a decent goal threat in and around the box: a total of nine close-range efforts is ranked third among defenders and is second only to Chris Wood (10) for Sean Dyche’s side.

With Mohamed Salah classified as a forward in Yahoo, we turn instead to his midfield team-mate Philippe Coutinho. The playmaker returned to action for Brazil in midweek and looks set to be recalled to the teamsheet for Southampton’s visit to Anfield. An ideal player for the Yahoo scoring system, Coutinho’s average of 15.6 points per appearance is second only to Man City’s Sergio Aguero (15.9) among all players for Saturday’s contests.

We’re backing Leroy Sane to retain his start for Manchester City’s trip to Leicester. Named on the teamsheet in 10 of the last 11 matches in all competitions, the left winger squares up to a Foxes defence that has conceded more chances down their right flank (55) than any other team.
Over the last six Gameweeks, Sane has produced at least one goal and one assist on four occasions – during that run, no team-mate bettered him for shots (16), efforts in the box (12) or big chances (six).

David Silva is also selected as we double up on the Man City attack at Leicester. The Spaniard’s scheming has been pivotal to the success of Pep Guardiola’s side away from home: he has created more chances (15) than any team-mate to claim four assists. On the road, the Spaniard may have yet to score, but his numbers still catch the eye – he is joint-top for City when it comes to away shots inside the box (nine) ahead of the Foxes’ encounter.

Eden Hazard is our preferred Chelsea attacker for the trip to West Brom. Both the Belgian and team-mate Alvaro Morata grabbed a goal over the international break, but Hazard’s kinder price tag – £21 to £23 – makes a persuasive case. Having returned to a central support role in the previous league match, he could torment a Baggies backline which has claimed just a single clean sheet in the last nine Gameweeks.

Three goals for Belgium over the break will have done Romelu Lukaku’s confidence the world of good after a seven-match dry spell for Man United. At home to a Newcastle side that have mustered just one clean sheet in the last seven Gameweeks and have concerns over the fitness of captain Jamaal Lascelles, Lukaku looks in line to punish the Magpies.

Bournemouth’s Josh King is one of two budget frontmen in our line-up. The Norwegian turned in one of his most encouraging displays of the season last time out, producing six key passes and three attempts on goal in the win at Newcastle. Although there’s a minor doubt over his fitness after he withdrew from international duties, we’re confident that King will be available to entertain Huddersfield Town. His team-mate Callum Wilson (£14) is on standby for our XI if King misses out.

We’re also going to take a risk on Christian Benteke’s return to the fold for Crystal Palace’s home clash with an Everton side that’s conceded nine goals in their last three league fixtures. Priced at just £13 in Yahoo, the big Belgian boasts a fine record against this weekend’s visitors, producing five goals and an assist in seven head-to-heads. Since moving to a 4-4-2 in Gameweek 8, only two sides have fired more shots inside the box that the Eagles’ 38.

This Week’s Contests

The Saturday 3pm slot, covering the seven matches from that time onwards, offers Yahoo managers the two biggest prize contests of the weekend.

Both are guaranteed to run.

As discussed earlier in the article, the Premier League £5k Saturday contest has the largest pay-out.

There’s also the Premier League £2k Saturday contest, which costs £10 to enter and has a minimum win-back of £20 to the top 60 Yahoo managers. You can submit up to two teams for this contest and the winner earns £200.

And the return of the Champions League in midweek also offers Yahoo managers further big-money contests.

There is a Champions League £3.5k Tuesday and a Champions League £3.5k Wednesday, with the rules for both contests identical.

Covering the six matches that take placed from 7.45pm on each evening, they cost £5 to enter and have a minimum win-back of £10 to the top 174 Yahoo managers. You can submit up to eight teams for these contests and the winner earns £350.

Yahoo are also running a Premier League £1,000,000 Perfect Lineup Cup, which takes place over Gameweek 1-19.

It’s free to enter, with £500 in prizes and £50 for the best team every week. Over the 19 Gameweeks, there’s £40k in prizes on offer, with £30k shared among the top 5,000 and £10k going to the winner.

The Yahoo Cup also has a “£1,000,000 challenge”, which gives away £1m to any user who selects the perfect line-up in any given Gameweek to score the maximum possible points.

You can open an account and get started immediately.

If you register and deposit £5 or more, Yahoo will also give you a £50 bonus to be used as cash to enter paid contests.

Register here to claim the bonus.

You must be over 18 years of age, resident in the UK, and of legal capacity to register with Yahoo Daily Sports and open an Account. If you sign up, please always play responsibly.