A shift in the fixtures from the red to the sky blue half of Manchester has prompted many to press the trigger and fire up their Fantasy Premier League Wildcard during the international break.
Our Hot Topic posters have been full of advice on how to exploit the Gameweek 8 fixture swing, and specifically for Wildcarders on how to get the most from their chip ahead of next weekend.
Meanwhile, our community article section focuses on the impending finale to this year’s surprise hit – Norwegian Fantasy Football.
With five defenders racking up double-digit FPL points hauls in Gameweek 7, it is no surprise to see rearguard options dominate our Members’ tables round-up.
We finish off our round-up with a glance at those who have have already successfully navigated the early schedule to dominate our community competitions.
The Community Articles
The Fantasy Eliteserien game is entering the home stretch with just a handful of games left in the Norwegian top flight, which has prompted Mr Klint of Norway to take a close look at the teams vying for a European place as well as those battling for survival.
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 international break is proving the perfect time for many in the community to Wildcard, particularly in light of the impending shift of favourable fixtures towards Manchester City, as well as Chelsea.
Deploying this chip now also offers Fantasy Premier League managers the opportunity to make some extra money in the transfer market. But as Son Alli Kane Wait explains, those expecting a raft of double risers are likely to be in for disappointment.
Navigating the price changes can also be tricky for Wildcarders, as Lord Bendtner TGSTEL’s Hot Topic on the best time to ditch and swoop for players testifies.
For Lanley Staurel the key to a successful Wildcard is to make genuine changes. He is calling on those using this chip to consider a number of low-owned midfielders with considerable Fantasy potential, including Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, who is comparing well against Mohamed Salah, according to our Hot Topic.
Timing is also important, with Swinner among those beginning to regret using their Wildcard earlier in the season, when there was less information about team and player form available.
With Manchester United’s fixtures stiffening – they take on Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea in the next four – Romelu Lukaku has been labelled as surplus to requirements for some. This is especially the case for those looking to use some of his £11.8m for investment in Chelsea’s key assets, as well as the key Manchester City midfield options put forward by Sbasty.
Those handing the Belgian his P45 can take comfort from Diesel001’s look at the best captains over the next ten Gameweeks, with the striker listed as the top choice just once. Meanwhile, JurgenRodgers‘ Hot Topic on FPL’s historical greats is also grim reading for those backing Lukaku, as this reveals that strikers are rarely the top points scorers in a season.
However, dumping a player with seven goals in as many league matches could be a huge risk, warns Simon Says.
There was further discussion on forwards in our Hot Topic on the key criteria to consider when assembling a front line.
Those unwilling to part with Lukaku may need to find funds elsewhere, which is where the cut-price options in our budget enablers Hot Topic may come in handy, as will Ludo’s analysis of fixture blocks and rotation.
Sticking with Wildcard advice, Lyonnais’ post on the best formations to consider proved popular this week and strongly advocates a focus on defence. FantasyNik123 is another to urge heavy investment at the back, particularly as more casual FPL managers appear to be very keen on premium defenders from the top sides.
The two-week break from league action also provides Fantasy managers with an opportunity to look back at their successes and failures so far. Kryten invited the community to rate their season so far out of ten, while our latest rough with the smooth round-up looked specifically at Gameweek 7’s trials and tribulations. There was further hand-wringing in our Hot Topic on lessons learned from Gameweek 7.
Our resident statisticians have also had more time to mull over the numbers, with Newcastle striker Joselu proving a divisive figure in NoQuarternt’s look at expected goals (xG). Meanwhile G-Whizz dropped by to unveil the latest fixture difficulty statistics from Doosra.
To view all our discussions please visit our Hot Topics page.
The Members Tables
Have Liverpool defenders just been unlucky to concede 13 goals in the league so far? Norcaljosh has been investigating the Reds rearguard via his latest table and also found time to unearth some more of this season’s most frustrating players.
Attack-minded defenders come under rb2891’s gaze, while neenyg has been scrutinising the statistics of mid-price midfielders.
Elsewhere, FPL Virgin has been looking at the best goalkeepers as well as the most eye-catching Arsenal defenders.
Philippe Coutinho and Joselu’s successful strikes in Gameweek 7 saw them depart the goals imminent table. The latest array of players who look set to score can be found here.
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
Fabio Borges stays top of the Fantasy Football Scout Members league and Red Lightning’s Top 10,000 Any Season after Gameweek 7 and is now up to 753 in the overall rankings.
In the main FFScout league, the new leader is Damir TeNay. This is his third season and his previous best finish was only 116,000. He climbs to 35 in the overall rankings without using any chips or taking any transfer hits.
Last season’s overall FPL runner-up Uwais Ahmed has taken the lead in the FFScout Moderators and Contributors league, closely followed by Greenwindmill and Scoutcaster Az. Andy may be favourite for the wooden spoon in this league in last spot but he’s flying high in the moderators and contributors Draft league, where he has clung onto the summit.
In TorresMagic’s Last Man Standing the safety score was 41, which saw 208 players depart and over 3,000 remain with entry currently open.
QPR Utd continues to lead his own FFS Frequent Summer Posters League, closely followed by Urchin and ZoumasBloomers.
Finally, the organisers of the Community Watch tournament urged those taking part to make sure they stay involved or risk being replaced by other eager potential participants.
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.
