Entry is still open for our FFS Holiday Cup in Yahoo Daily Fantasy, as announced earlier in the week. Don’t forget to finalise your first line-up if you’re signed up and ready to go – the contest kicks off with today’s early match at Goodison Park.
Our friends at Yahoo also have another December big-money contest for Fantasy managers .
They are offering a Premier League £3.5k Saturday contest which takes in all eight matches from 3pm onwards, finishing with the 7.45pm evening between Leicester City and Manchester United at the King Power Stadium.
The contest is guaranteed to run, costs £5 to enter and is a multi-entry game, which means you can select up to eight teams. The top 174 places pay out – there’s a minimum win-back of £10, with £350 going to the first place.
Driven by Opta data, the Yahoo game has a unique scoring system ideal for members of our community seeking 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 reading over our Strategy Guide before selecting your line-ups, as this gives you a better idea of the Yahoo game and the types of players who tend to benefit.
This was a topic we revisited on Thursday, assessing some of the standout contenders over 2017/18 so far.
FFS Strongest XI
Ederson £17
Nicolas Otamendi £17
Phil Jones £14
Arthur Masuaku £13
Kevin De Bruyne £26
Jesse Lingard £17
Yohan Cabaye £17
Aaron Mooy £17
Sergio Aguero £27
Marko Arnautovic £17
Charlie Austin £17
We’re doubling up on the Man City defence at home to Bournemouth, with Ederson selected between the sticks. Only Liverpool have allowed fewer shots in home matches (49 to 57), which suggests that Pep Guardiola’s side have been unfortunate only to claim three clean sheets at the Etihad. The Cherries have netted just six times on their travels and are expected to be without Jermain Defoe – who scored their last two away goals – due to an ankle injury. Ederson also benefits from the Yahoo scoring system, with goalkeepers earning double the number of points as defenders for a clean sheet, as well as points for wins or draws.
Nicolas Otamendi also comes in for the Cherries’ encounter. As mentioned in our recent article, he benefits from the Yahoo scoring system, which awards points for successful passes – indeed, he’s made more of them than any player this season. Joint-top with Marcos Alonso for goals (four) among defenders, the Argentine offers numerous ways to pick up the points.
Phil Jones is our Man United defender of choice for a trip to Leicester City. Nine of the visitors’ ten clean sheets have arrived in the 13 matches that Jones has started and, after being rested in midweek, he’s set to return to the teamsheet at the King Power. Compared with his defensive team-mates, he’s ranked top for blocks (eight) and sits second for both interceptions and successful passes. The Foxes, meanwhile, have scored just three times in their last four at home across all competitions.
West Ham’s Arthur Masuaku has played every minute of the last six Gameweeks ahead of a home encounter with Newcastle. Having kept out the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in recent weeks, the Hammers will be confident of claiming a fourth straight clean sheet this weekend. Handed a role as a raiding left wing-back, the Frenchman sits joint-top for crosses (25) and second when it comes to successful tackles (14) for the Hammers from Gameweek 14 onwards.
The top scoring player in the Yahoo game, Kevin De Bruyne looks a must-have for Man City’s home match with Bournemouth. The Belgian’s goal threat is on the rise of late, scoring in three of the league leaders’ last four home matches, while seven of his eight assists have been served up in front of his own fans. Ranked second for successful crosses (31) and fourth for efforts on target (23), he seems set for another profitable afternoon against the Cherries.
Jesse Lingard offers a value route into the Man United attack for the trip to Leicester. He’s found the net in each of their last three away matches, firing four goals and seven efforts on target since returning to the XI in Gameweek 14 – more than any team-mate. Also the Red Devils’ number one contender for key passes (eight) over that stretch, he faces a Foxes defence that have allowed 121 shots in home matches, the third worst record in the top-flight.
Crystal Palace’s Yohan Cabaye is one of two midfielders recently highlighted in our look at the players who tend to benefit from the Yahoo scoring. The Frenchman’s game is key to his appeal – he sits second for both interceptions (42) and successful crosses (31) over the first 18 Gameweeks. With two assists in his last five outings, he travels to a managerless Swansea outfit that have conceded more shots on target at home (46) than any side.
Aaron Mooy’s all-round potential also claims a spot as Huddersfield visit a Southampton defence that have kept out their opponents just once in the previous 13 Gameweeks. The Australian international’s brace away to Watford last weekend took his tally to four goals for the season, while he also claims fourth overall for successful tackles (53) and seventh for completed crosses (26), thanks to his dominance of dead-ball duties.
We’re rolling the dice a little with Sergio Aguero for Man City’s clash with Bournemouth, yet Gabriel Jesus’ 120-minute run-out against Leicester in midweek suggests that the Argentine will lead the line today. Over his last four matches, Aguero has fired more shots inside the box (15) than any player and is second only to Harry Kane for total attempts (18 to 22). That bodes well against a Cherries defence that is ranked bottom for attempts allowed in the box (52) in the previous four fixtures.
Up against a Newcastle side with a single shout in 14 Gameweeks, Marko Arnautovic looks set to continue his fine recent form. Moved into an advanced central role in the Hammers’ last three fixtures, he’s found the net against Chelsea and Stoke. The Austrian is ranked second for shots (13) during that period, while no player has bettered his 11 efforts in the box from Gameweek 16 onwards.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin has also upped his output of late. Named on the teamsheet for the first time in Gameweek 13, he’s scored four times in as many starts and fired 10 shots on target – second only to Harry Kane’s 12. After being utilised as a substitute at Chelsea, he’s set to return to the first XI at tome to a Huddersfield side that arrive at St Mary’s without a clean sheet in their last six road trips, conceding 17 times during those fixtures.
As Yahoo allows late swaps up until each kick-off, our listed line-up may well be subject to change.
The Weekend Contests
As well as the Premier League £3.5k Saturday contest, Yahoo are also offering a Premier League £1k Saturday contest, which also covers the eight matches from 3pm onwards.
This is also guaranteed to run, costs £25 to enter and is a single-entry game. The top 13 places pay out – there’s a minimum win-back of £50, with £200 going to the first place.
The FFS Holiday Cup
As mentioned earlier in the article, Yahoo have launched the inaugural FFS Holiday Cup.
Unlike the Saturday contests discussed above, this gets underway at 12.30pm, when Everton welcome Chelsea to Goodison Park.
It’s a free to enter, single-entry contest that spans the next four Gameweeks, with a total of £500 on offer across the contest.
The starting times of each round as follows.
Round 1 – Saturday December 23 at 12.30pm
Round 2 – Tuesday December 26 at 12.30pm
Round 3 – Saturday December 30 at 3.00pm
Round 4 – Monday January 1 at 12.30pm
Click here for more information and to get involved.
It’s also the final round of Yahoo’s 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.
