Fantasy League

How to prepare for a Fantasy League auction

Last week we alerted you to the relaunch of Fantasy League for the 2019/20 season, with a Q&A with founder Andrew Wainstein and an introduction to the long-running auction-based game.

For those looking to master Fantasy League, we’re lucky enough to have an in-house expert – Fantasy Football Scout site user Clouseau – to help us out.

Clouseau’s previous article looked at the merits and basics of auction-based Fantasy Football based on his two decades of experience playing the Fantasy League game.

This latest feature is the first of a two-part piece which will look in more detail at how to have an effective auction – from prepping in advance through to the big night itself.

Take it away, Clouseau…

The Scene-Setter…

First of all, let me give you the context of this article. For a lot of what you’re about to read, you should put FPL from your mind. Although the advice in this piece should translate to any auction-based fantasy game, I’m looking at it from the perspective of playing Fantasy League (FL), using their traditional scoring system.

Where I talk about FL points, this is based upon three points for a goal and two points for an assist, both irrespective of the scorer’s position, and, for goalkeepers and defenders, one point for an appearance, two points for a clean sheet with -1 point for every goal conceded.

There are no bonus points and, for goalkeepers, no points for saves/penalty saves. Fortunately, there are also no minus points for cards or penalty misses. Furthermore, whilst your league can select any number of permitted transfers, I am assuming that just 20 are allowed for the course of the season, with a starting squad of 15. This puts the focus very much upon the auction rather than your ability to constantly swap players in and out.

Think Long Term!

The principal thing you need to understand if you are a veteran of FPL, but have never played the auction-style before, is that you are looking to select a squad for the full season. As a result of this, you should try to forget about fixtures and Season Tickers because, ideally, all your players will play every team home and away.

Understanding the Player List

Most of the things which make good outfield players good FPL players also make them good Fantasy League players. That’s the good news. What’s slightly less good news is that I tried to do some rudimentary comparisons and analysis to see if there was a common margin/denominator by which FPL points convert readily to FL points; there isn’t. I also specifically said outfield players because goalkeepers throw up a lot of anomalies which I will discuss a little further down.

What I’ve managed to do is break it down by category (and for the purposes of this I have amalgamated full-backs and centre-backs, which are separate categories in Fantasy League, into an amorphous group) and, based mostly on FPL’s ‘premium’ and upper-mid-range players (I may have swapped a few players in and out of the list based on expectations for the coming season), I came up with the following average margins by which FPL points convert to FL points:

Strikers (priced 8.0 and up): 2.7
Midfielders (priced 7.0 and up): 3.6
Defenders (priced 5.5 and up): 4.3
Goalkeepers (priced 5.5 and up): 5.2

Put simply, if your striker scores you 200 FPL points, you can expect them to get you around 74 FL points. However, remember that these are based on averages and the very best players will have margins lower than the average due to their scoring the majority of their points through goals, assists and clean sheets; as an example, both Sergio Aguero and Trent Alexander-Arnold had margins of 2.5. Salah and Sterling had margins of 2.9 and 3.0 respectively, due to their playing in teams which kept a lot of clean sheets and, therefore, got additional points for them in FPL, but still much lower than the mean for midfielders.

Goalkeepers are the real outliers and, with them, it’s doubly important that you understand the difference between a good FPL goalie and a good Fantasy League stopper; remember, there are no points for saves/penalty saves or bonus.

Let me use two examples from last season: Lukasz Fabianski and David de Gea. Fabianski was the fifth-highest-scoring goalkeeper in FPL with 143 points. In Fantasy League he was the 21st ‘best’ goalkeeper with a massive score of -3 points; you’d have been better off picking a non-playing goalkeeper for the season. De Gea similarly scored 120 points in FPL, making him equal-ninth best, but got -2 in FL.

With goalkeepers, notwithstanding De Gea’s horror show last season, you are best sticking to those from the top six clubs and, after that, looking to clubs you hope will keep things tight at the back, not ship a cricket score too frequently and pick up the occasional clean sheet. Don’t be tempted by keepers in sides you know will have shots rained in on them like it’s the Alamo, but where you expect them to make 25 saves a game. That will just end in tears.

Sensible Prices

My first piece talked about setting yourself reasonable maxima for players so that you don’t end up in a bidding war with someone over a player that you both ‘must have’, where you go way beyond what represents good value for money (VFM).

I’m not saying that you should always stick rigidly to your pre-auction plans, and sometimes you’ll have to sacrifice a player you really wanted in order to secure four of the other five upon which you’d set your heart, but remember, your pot of money has to get you the whole squad, not just a couple of players, and whilst there will be those you can pick up for free or for not a great deal, it’s a brave manager who goes all-in on only a handful of players and has 14+ slots to fill with the dregs.

When doing your auction prep, it’s worth thinking about how much players may go for in order that you can sketch out a potential squad for yourself. In my experience, the table below sets out the approximate costs for players by position and ‘quality’, based on % of auction budget (I’ve gone with this rather than absolute prices as different leagues will set different starting budgets):

 

The VFM point above is one I consider to be imperative in having a successful auction and you should always be conscious of the point at which no player is worth the amount you’ll have to spend. No player is guaranteed to score you a certain number of points and whilst certain players increase the likelihood of big scores, these have to be looked at relative to prices and points for other players.

Consider the top three Liverpool scorers from last season: Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Alexander-Arnold who scored 90, 82 and 75 points respectively in Fantasy League. Salah went for 28% of someone’s pot at my auction, whereas Robertson and Alexander-Arnold went for 10% and 4% respectively. Clearly that won’t happen again but I would expect Salah to be around 32% and the full-backs to be a maximum of 16% each. Based on last season’s scores, the two defenders would get you 157 points to Salah’s 90. Now, of course, this vastly oversimplifies the argument. For starters, it overlooks the fact that you’d have another player, picked up for free, to sit alongside Salah when working out how many points your 32% of budget had bought you. However, the chances of your picking up a freebie who will score you at least 67 points are very, very low. I’m not saying it can’t happen (I remain smug to this day that I picked up an unknown Michael Owen for free at the 1997/98 auction) but just bear in mind when you set yourself an eye-watering budget for a big player that you may be better off spreading the money around.

Starters vs Substitutes

Although picking players you expect to start matches is a good starting point, appreciate that it matters less in Fantasy League where there are, for example, no appearance points for midfielders and forwards. Impact subs at good clubs can easily outscore regular starters in lesser teams.

Leroy Sane is a great example of this. He currently sits in just 3% of FPL squads, reflecting his lack of certainty of starts, even though he was the 10th-highest scoring FPL midfielder. Last season in Fantasy League, he was the fifth-highest-scoring midfielder (and 18th highest in any position) and rightly went for 16% at the auction. Good players playing only 15 minutes per match can easily outscore 90 minutes per match from lesser players or those at lower-placed clubs.

Squad Structure

With Fantasy League giving you up to seven substitute berths (on the Legend package; the squad is fixed at 15 players for Novice and Pro), over which there are no positional restrictions, it can be very tempting to load up on strikers; you can, in principle, have up to ten of them with the Legend package.

A wiser move is to spread your substitutes around: for example, assuming that your starting XI is a 4-3-3 formation, having three strikers, three midfielders and a defender on your bench. There’s no perfect structure until your squad is forming but this is the sort of ballpark for which I aim in my pre-auction prep. Of course, you should keep an open mind and you should never limit yourself by enforcing a certain structure; to use an extreme example, you would never turn down the chance to get Aguero for a good price because you already had your ideal number of strikers, particularly if you were only missing a midfielder from your subs and the only options left in that category were players who only their mothers had heard of.

The caveat I give to this advice is that Fantasy Football is a game loaded with schadenfreude and, in the case of auction-based Fantasy Football, spoiling tactics. Every player you own is a player denied to everyone else. If the average number of strikers per manager is six, your taking ten means that you’ve removed four [presumably] desirable strikers from the pool who are now not available to your fellow managers.

The same can apply to goalkeepers. As you’ll see from my analysis of points by position in Fantasy League vs FPL, good goalkeepers are more of a rarity in the former than they are in the latter. Whilst a second goalkeeper (I would never advise getting a third keeper!) is rarely a boon from a points-scoring perspective, it can leave one of your opposition managers with the unpalatable choice of a goalie who will likely leak goals like a rusty bucket or one who will only ever be played by his club in League Cup games.

Caveat Emptor…..

….. or ‘buyer beware’ for those of you who aren’t lawyers and/or versed in Latin. If you spend your precious money on a player who is crocked or is halfway out of the door, you kiss that money goodbye. Therefore, even if you do very little prep in the run-up to the auction, five minutes of last-minute cramming may well save your season. Check the latest injury situation.

I’m not saying don’t aim to buy players who are currently injured for the short term (see above for ‘think long term’ with your acquisitions), but be aware with your VFM calculations that being out until the end of September means seven games will be missed, almost 20% of the total season.

Similarly, check the gossip columns. The BBC does a handy daily round-up of all the stories from the main papers and outlets, and whilst if every transfer ‘story’ came true half the players around the world would be playing for three clubs simultaneously, you should still bear them in mind.

I learned the painful way 20 years ago when I spent one-third of my auction pot on Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink after he’d had that stellar season with Leeds, only for him to run off to Atletico, leaving me with a gaping hole in my squad and not a penny of my huge investment returned. Back then, I’d have had to buy a paper every day to know this; nowadays, with the proliferation of news and gossip through multiple, free outlets, there’s no excuse for not knowing the latest.

Finally….. Make Lists, Lots of Lists

Lists will smooth and caress your passage to the successful end of your auction. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but lists help with focus in preparation and can act as a vital crutch during the auction, particularly towards the end when your player list, printed from the Fantasy League website, is getting harder and harder to read.

Break down by position the players you really want and maybe break them down again by premium, mid and low; you’ll probably want to ensure that you get at least one from the premium column and avoid delving into the low column as much as possible.

Print out at least two copies of the player list to take with you: one to keep on top where you’ll cross off players as they are bought, and one hidden underneath (away from prying eyes) where you’ll highlight the players you want, preferably using different highlighter pens to denote must-haves, highly desirables and ‘have at a push’.

I will be looking at how to tackle the auction night itself in the not-too-distant future so watch this space.

Clouseau Serious (for which you can read \'stressy\') fantasy football fan. Have been playing the auction-based version with its unique squads (fantasyleague.com) for over 20 years but more recently branched out into FPL. Follow me on Twitter @FFSClouseau

1,994 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Winston.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Latest one...thoughts?

    Ederson
    TAA VVD Zinchenko Digne
    Salah KDB Sigurdsson LMoura
    Wilson King/Deulofeu

    Dendoncker Greenwood Rico Button

    1. falafel
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Looks really good, maybe downgrade Ederson to upgrade on of your strikers

      1. Winston.
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Which one..? LMoura (AVL), Wilson (SHU), King(SHU)/Deulofeu(BHA), and wanna keep Salah, Siggy, KDB for sure.

    2. ElliotJHP
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Super similar to mine mate, I just have Sterling,Perez and Jota for KDB, Wilson & Moura.

      Therefore, think it is good to go.

      1. falafel
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Maybe to upgrade Wilson to Vardy since you have can have King

      2. Winston.
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        I had Sterling, Perez and Jota until this afternoon...might switch back to them. But GW1 fixtures look so tempting Moura and Bou strikers.

        1. ElliotJHP
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Really do mate, I have King for Bournemouth instead of Deu.

          Just not convinced Lucas will start, Leicester always feel a bit fixture proof too.

          1. Winston.
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 10 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Thanks for comments. But Perez (WOL, che) and Jota (lei, MUN)...both are great picks for the season, but those first two fixtures are not tempting.

  2. falafel
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    What about this team?

    Pope (Button)
    Zinchenko, VVD, TAA, Digne (Kelly)
    KDB, Salah, Perez, Fraser (Dendoncker)
    Kane, Jota (Greenwood)

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Looks good. Have same but Wilson and Siggy for KDB and Jota.

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        That would make us twins pretty much if I go with this set up - still unsure on premium choices.

        Wondering about downgrading a defender for a bench option.

    2. Dr Funk
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Probably only one playing sub...

    3. Andy Mac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      My exact team!! Bar king for Jota currently, so I love it! 😉

  3. Camino Aleatorio
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Jota the Shooter-in-Chief at Wolves

    I don't have him but I am afraid he will be selling for 6.8 to 7.0 by early September.

    Should I worry about the red-fixtures for Wolves?

    Arsenal and Leicester are not real Red fixtures. Other than MCI and Liverpool, the rest of EPL are not shut-out teams.

    Arsenal for example has sloppy, low IQ defenders. They are Red on the attack but not Red for the opposition attack. Arsenal does defend ok at home, tho.

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      That's the thing - they're not red for Wolves, who did well against 'red' sides last season.

  4. Hanked
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Afternoon fellas,

    A or B question that's coincidently centre backs vs wing backs.

    a) Laporte, VVD, Luiz
    b) Walker, Robertson, Azpi

    1. falafel
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      A

    2. fantasyfog
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      either could do better really, tough call

    3. The Chosen One...
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B

    4. Hanked
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I'm thinking...

      - There's perhaps not much between Luiz and Azpi and they're the same price
      - I favour Robertson over VVD. I think VVD scored his absolute ceiling last year in terms of attacking returns, Robertson's attacking returns seem repeatable given the way that Liverpool play
      - I favour Laporte over Walker because I think he will play more minutes, has more attacking threat and more chance of bonus

      Ideally, I'd go Azpi, Robertson, Laporte but it's 1.0 more expensive

      1. Hanked
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        *0.5 more expensive

  5. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    How's this motley crue - 0.5 ITB for a rainy day 🙂

    Henderson
    TAA, Robbo, Digne, Coleman, Zinchenko
    Sterling, Salah, Perez
    Vardy, King
    Bench: (L, O, L, Z)

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Upgrade bench. You sure ok double Leicester with fixtures? I think this is the season over any to play the fixtures with mid price options and leiecesters aren't the best.

      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Cheers - but I like an absolute zero dollar bench until first wildcard when the bargains have emerged - want to keep the dollars in the pitch early doors

        I also think the Leicester fixtures thing is a bit of a fallacy tbh

        Since puel was sacked, They’ve scored 19 goals in 11 games, with Vardy getting 10 goals & 1 assist in those 11 games

        He also scored against wolves, United and Bournemouth last season, 3 of his first 5 opponents... wolves may have one eye on Europa which stretches them even further....

        Sheff utd are newly promoted, and Chelsea have the football management experience equivalent of a toddler in charge...

        They won’t fear those fixtures one bit 🙂

        1. Brosstan
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          But you have .5 on the bench lol

    2. NUFCAndrew
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      5 backs look so tempting but I reckon they end up in tears

      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah it's the First time in 11 seasons with it for me

        I've never seen a lineup of defenders like we have this year, some of whom have had errors in their pricing, combined with an underwhelming (imo) crop of mid priced attackers

        1. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Yeah, very nice Starting XI. Saw talk today of Hendo maybe not going to Blades - can always pop Pope in there.

          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
            • 14 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Yeah exactly he's more of a placeholder

            Although to be honest if he doesn't go I'd nearly go Ederson/Robinson instead of Henderson /King

            But will see how it works out, I think it's in utd's interest to let Henderson get PL games so reckon he'll go

            1. Andy_Social
              • 11 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              Yeh, I think so. My team is similar, 5 at the back plus Eder and more beef elsewhere. I did it by sacrificing Raheem for Kev. Feeling wobbly.

  6. fantasyfog
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    my team has salah sterling and perez

    my only thing to sort out is this

    Kdb and wilson

    or

    Kane + 6.5 mid possibly Redmond

    1. Winston.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      First one

      1. fantasyfog
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        yeah i'm leaning towards those as well, may get burnt by kane though

  7. Ci Siamo
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    So I ditched Siggy from my draft, thoughts on this?

    Lloris
    VVD • Cathcart • Gibson
    Salah • Sterling • Fraser • Hughes • Maddison
    King • Kane

    Bench: Diop • Mings • Wickham • Button

    1. Team17
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I liked this until I saw the defense.

      Mings -> Rico
      Hughes -> Dendonker
      Maddison -> Perez

      Use the extra 2m to invest in your backline.

      1. BigBarn
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Agree with this.

  8. The Chosen One...
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    best Watford 4.5 def?

    1. Winston.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Cathcart?

      1. The Chosen One...
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        thought so, but seen Kabasele start with Dawson in the friendlies in what looks like their first choice defence

        1. Winston.
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Dawson then?

          1. ENZO SZN™
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Dawson 5.0

  9. King Kohli
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    How am I looking?

    Pope
    TAA VVD Coleman Zinky
    Salah Sterling Fraser Norwood
    Wilson Vardy

    1. fantasyfog
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      looks good apart from norwood, can't have them all though

    2. Flaming Flamingo
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Looks good. Though I'd look to downgrade Vardy and upgrade Norwood personally 🙂

  10. Wılly
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Wilson, Siggy, Richarlison or Bilva?

    1. Winston.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Wilson or Siggy

    2. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Wilson

    3. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      One of the Evertons

    4. One Man
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Wilson or Siggy

    5. fantasyfog
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Wilson or Rich

    6. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Sig

    7. Queenofthestoneage
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Siggy

  11. Drogo
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    RMT

    Pope

    VVD, ATT, Coleman, Ake

    Salah, Sterling, Pereyra, Perez

    Kane, King

    (Button, Wickham, Kelly, Dendoncker)

    1. dimo_fpl
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Very very similar to mine. Instead of Ake and Coleman, I have Digne and Taylor

    2. Yoshimiwinz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I’d consider Wilson & Vardy over Kane & King

  12. Adambailey7
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Tielemans or brooks?

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Brooks probably

  13. Otto8
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    A) KDB and Lacazette
    B) Bsilva and Kane

    1. Yoshimiwinz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B. I think Bilva is going to surprise everyone.

    2. One Man
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Siggy & Kane. But Auba to start the first few, then change to kane after gamesweek 2 or so.

  14. Ci Siamo
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Which combo is better?

    A) Ryan and Gross

    B) Leno and Pereyra

    C) Lloris and Hughes

    Like Watford’s fixtures so wouldn’t mind punting on one

    1. Adambailey7
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B. Not sure on Arsenal’s defence though but I like pereyra

  15. One Man
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Auba Or Kane for first 2 ?

    1. Flaming Flamingo
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Aubameyang

    2. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      In isolation? Auba surely.

    3. Winston.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Auba

      1. Winston.
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        ....could be a great differential

    4. Adambailey7
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Kane historically starts off slow and aubam starts of against Newcastle where he will probs have a field day

    5. HNI
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Remember August and Kane. Never scores early on. Plus his goal vs Juve was freak show and dint look dangerous at all

      1. adamtheyido
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        He played 45 minutes. Could have had another 2 goals, which showed he still managed to beat his defenders and get in good positions. The goal was class!
        How are we still banging on about August?!

        1. thunder_mike
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          And it is the first time he has had a summer off in ages

  16. Cheshire Duck
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    How could fit Cutrone in Wolves starting XI ? Does that mean Jota will play as a mid ?

    1. HNI
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Cutrone? Is he a new singing.never even heard this name. By the way did Dendoncker play in preseason. Looking for a good 4.5mn mid

      1. Ci Siamo
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Doubt he will leave Milan tbh mate

        1. Irish Madridista ⭐
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          It's only on loan

    2. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      5212 with jota behind Jiménez and Cutrone. Could mean our man Dendoncker misses out :O

  17. HNI
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Does anyone else this why hasnt Manutd thought of including highly talented Skriniar in any deal involving Lukaku? Considering his young age as well he looks much better bet than over priced Maguire. Plus he is tactically very solid which will help in organizing Manutd defence. Sometimes I fear that Manutd transfer decisions are taken by people without even basic commin sense! i mean 40mn + Skriniar for Lukaku why not try instead of including ageing Perisic!

    1. HNI
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Does anyone else think*

    2. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Why would he want to go to Man U if he is that good?

      1. HNI
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Agreed Inter are playing in ucl but Barring Juve any other team to Manutd will surely be a bit upgrade

        1. Now I'm Panicking
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Man U fans think this. Nobody else does.

          1. HNI
            • 10 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            More media and fame than fans. There is always much more pressure on Manutd managers than others and no its not because of fans as they mean not much in todays football else mike ashley and Glazers would have long gone. The club is all hyped by media and thats why it feels a step up from other seria A teams, not to forget the attention and money

    3. Yoshimiwinz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Inter already rejected Skriniar + cash for Lukaku

      1. HNI
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Any link? That news went past me!

    4. Rains of Castamere
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Maguire is better than Skriniar.

      1. I Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        No he isn't.

    5. I Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Probably because Inter don't want to sell Skriniar.

      1. Ask Yourself
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        And don’t want lukaku that much

  18. Teror
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Monitoring Zinchenko. King is a two week punt because of fixtures, then I'll see which cheap forward is firing. Otherwise nice and safe.

    Pope
    TAA - Robbo - Coleman - Zinchenko
    Salah - Sterling - Richarlison - Perez
    Wilson - King

    (4.0 - Dendenocker - Kelly - Greenwood)

    1. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Personally would go Jota for the 2 week punt, King makes sense to me only as a long term hold for his pens to kick in - don’t think fixtures make any real difference to his probable returns.

    2. Adambailey7
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Wouldn’t have Wilson and king. King is on penalties though for Bournemouth and with VAR this season there will probably be quiet a few early on in the season

  19. ALIVE AND KICKING
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Head scratcher
    Sterling & Vardy or
    De Bruyne & Kane?

    1. mdm
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      First one (not even close imo)

    2. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Vardling

    3. tbeans22
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      That seems to be a common decision. I went Sterling/Vardy for the extra .5

    4. columbus189
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      De Bruyne - Kane

      1. ALIVE AND KICKING
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Difficult as would want Kane week 1 & 3 , sterling 2 & 4

    5. Andy Mac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Been debating the same. Currently on KdB & Kane as offers more flexibility in my opinion to move quickly at price points, plus already got Perez and Fraser...

      1. ALIVE AND KICKING
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yes good point. Also have Perez & flitting between Frazer & Siggy

  20. mdm
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Fraser or Siggy to start with?
    (have also Digne and King)

    1. tbeans22
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Toss-up. Can you use the extra .5 elsewhere that makes a difference?

  21. OPTA FPL
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Vardy + Tielsman

    or

    WIlson + Fraser?

    1. Adambailey7
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Vardy and fraser

  22. Adambailey7
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Giroud, Vardy or Jimenez?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      vardy

    2. columbus189
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Vardy

    3. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      The expensive one normally wins.

  23. mdm
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Which option:

    A. Sterling, Kane, Perez and Kelly
    B. KDB, Vardy, Siggy and Robertson

    1. I Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B

    2. columbus189
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B

  24. columbus189
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Anywhere I can improve the team?
    Could switch Willson to King --- Perez to Zaha/Richarlson


    Pickford

    Robertson - Digne - van Dijk - Laporte

    Sigurdsson - Fraser - Pérez - De Bruyne

    Kane - Wilson

    Ryan - Targett - Nketiah - Dendoncker

    1. Canary_Kid
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Not using 3 Liverpool slots is a problem

      1. columbus189
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        I just want to wait. With Salah and Mane without a full pre season I just don't want to commit. Tried to pick players in full form and sure to play 90min

  25. the vanisher
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Thoughts on my latest XI?

    Pope
    Taa Vvd Zinc Coleman Rico
    Salah Sterling Grealish
    Kane Wilson

    and some 4.5 bench fodders

    Happy to have included 4 big hitters in attack and a double pool defence including a city and everton and a punt on grealish. I know i will be playing with a 4.0 or 4.5 every week but seem happy with the rest 10.

    Thoughts?

    1. columbus189
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I would try to find 0.5 to switch Grealish to Perez?

  26. Whazza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    The lack of good 5.5-6M mids is making me consider 5 at the back.
    I believe Ritchie would be in alot of teams as a 4th mid if he wasn't classified as a defender!

    So why not see him as a 5.5 mid with set pieces, but with the bonus of clean sheet points? It's not every season you can have a defender on penalties either 🙂

    Pope
    TAA VVD Digne Zinchenko Ritchie
    Salah Sterling Fraser
    Vardy King

    Button Greenwood Dendoncker Stephens

    Thoughts?

    1. columbus189
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      How many clean sheets did Newcastle have last season?
      How many more points would he have had if he was D last season?

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        11 CS (7th most). Under Rafa though!
        I'm not sure but remember reading around 150 points I think

    2. jtreble
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      ... I would also add, “defender with second highest ICT in the EPL”.

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Is that so? Nice!

    3. Chandler Bing
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Is he not going to play LWB anymore?

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        He switched between wing-back and winger under Rafa, but I believe he has been playing winger under Bruce so far (correct me if I'm wrong)

    4. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      To consider it he needs some attacking returns imo. Newcastle look a bit short up front right now!

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        He has been getting attacking returns, 10, 10 and 12 last three seasons.

        1. pingissimus
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          That was with Rondon Perez in town.

          From memory Toon have been very inconsistent in attack. Second half last time they were a decent call but first half they weren’t. Ritchie will get returns but I’m doubting they will come quickly.

          1. Whazza
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 11 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Rondon was there for last season only mate. A penalty or set piece-assist can come at any time though, not only one half of the season. They weren't attacking under Rafa, but new manager now. Might be bad news in terms of CS points

    5. nisag17
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Did they only get 3 penalties last season? Seems really low.

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yes, 3 is low. 5-6 is pretty average.

        1. nisag17
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Thanks. He wasn't on my radar. But now is! The only thing is that he isn't a set and forget and I already have 4 premium defenders. Plus Newcastle have poor fixtures to start with. So he needs to be rotated with someone decent.

          1. Whazza
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 11 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            I actually think he could be a set and forget, if he keeps pens and all set pieces you can't predict his attacking points. If he manages 10 attacking returns like the three seasons before + around 7-10 CS you'd be smiling for 5.5M

            1. nisag17
              • 14 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              Is height free kicks and corners too?

              1. Whazza
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 11 Years
                4 years, 8 months ago

                If like last season (pens, indirect FKs and corners).
                New manager now so need to monitor

    6. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      "The lack of good 5.5-6M mids is making me consider 5 at the back."
      This is a key factor. At the price point get terrific goalies and defenders, and no decent midfielders or strikers at all.

      Your team - excellent apart from that Ritchie pick. Even OOP, do you really see him outscoring Coleman, AWB and other 5.5 defenders?

      1. Whazza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Thanks! Haha, too little Richie-love on here 🙂

        He could indeed outscore them, if he gets his annual 10 attacking returns and Newcastle keep keeping some clean sheets under Bruce.

        How's your team looking?

  27. mcmd11
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Which option is better?

    A) Zinchenko + VVD + Wilson
    B) Laporte + Robo + King

    1. mdm
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B

    2. SKJ
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      A short term

  28. pingissimus
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    My calculation is King scored 4 non penalties in 28 or so matches when Wilson was on the pitch as cf.

  29. Catastrophe
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Help greatly appreciated chaps! Any suggestions? Would have to start one of Hayden, Dendoncker, Greenwood, Kelly every week...

    Pope
    Robertson, TAA, Laporte, Zinchenko
    Salah, Sterling, Fraser, Dendoncker
    Vardy, King

    (Ryan, Greenwood, Hayden, Kelly)

    Cheers

    1. SKJ
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      yes - you may need to free up funds if you want better mid priced options

  30. Catastrophe
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    A) Kane, KDB, VVD, Ake
    B) Sterling, King, Laporte, TAA

    cheers

    1. mdm
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      B