Tom Freeman comes onto the team to make most of us feel wildly insecure about our overall rank history. A long-time Fantasy Football Scout user, he has finished inside the top 1,000 a staggering five times since 2009.
Fantasy Premier League may be a stressful game for many of us right now but I’ve got my eye on some potential budget options for the future.
Gameweek 9 did not get off to the best of starts for me as David Silva (£7.6m) and Andrew Robertson (£6.9m) – two of three players I transferred out along with Teemu Pukki (£7.0m) for a hit – both delivered. Right now, those moves don’t look too clever. Time will tell if it was the correct call.
Despite that, Gameweek 9 was a good one for me, thanks largely to Diego Rico (£4.2m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£6.0m) and captain Jamie Vardy (£9.1m).
In a Gameweek where many of the top captain picks failed to deliver, Vardy proved an exception, with a goal and two bonus. He’s turning into a reliable FPL performer in home matches, scoring or assisting 50 per cent of Leicester City’s goals.
A Gameweek score of 60 leaves me with an overall rank of 52,895. Importantly, just 19 points off top 10k.
As focus now turns to Gameweek 10, I’m largely happy with my squad after last week’s surgery, with no immediate urge to use any chips, which are all still intact.
In terms of captaincy, it’s hard to look past Manchester City assets. Whilst Aston Villa
My current choice for the armband is Raheem Sterling (£12.1m), unstoppable against Atalanta midweek, and described by Pep Guardiola post-match as ‘extraordinary’.
Have I considered anyone else outside of Man City? Not really, though Vardy is an intriguing option against a leaky Southampton defence.
Here’s how we’re currently setup…
Though I will likely roll a transfer this week, one player piqued my interest over the weekend.
Since coming into the starting eleven in place of Neil Taylor (£4.5m) in Gameweek 7, Matt Targett (£4.4m, 0.6% ownership) has scored one, assisted another with five bonus, returning an impressive 24 points. That deserves attention.
I was also encouraged by Everton’s 2-0 win over West Ham. The new midfield pairing of André Gomes (£5.3m), making his first start since Gameweek 4) and Tom Davies (£5.3m), making his first league start of the season) dominated the midfield, pressing well whilst comfortable in possession.
Both players deserve credit for their performances, whilst Alex Iwobi (£5.8m, playing as a 10) and Richarlison (£7.9m) could yet become Fantasy options.
That being said, like Manchester United, I still have concerns about Everton and their ability to break down teams playing a low block. The Brighton game should give us further clues as to whether Everton have turned a corner.
Also, a quick word on Lucas Digne (£6.0m), who was busy doing Lucas Digne type things, creating four chances and spending most of the game in the opposition’s half. Have a look at the Average Positions map below – he’s the no 12, right up behind Bernard (no 20).
Going forward, I hope you enjoy reading these articles as part of Fantasy Football Scout’s Pro Pundits squad and get a bit of insight into how I play the game. Thanks for reading… until next time.
Tom Freeman comes onto the team to make most of us feel
4 years, 6 months agoWhat a scoop for FPL Surgery pod. An interview with the owner of Sheff Utd. A prince whose first hobby is FPL, three top 10k finishes, best 194th. Even organizes business meetings during IB's. 🙂