May madness continues as we have yet another simultaneous Gameweek, except for one late match, on Monday (May 21). Once again, be on the lookout for those early team sheets, 15-30 minutes ahead of deadline.
Gameweek 11
FK Haugesund – Rosenborg
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
Haugesund are flying high. Last week they were the second team this season to take points off powerhouse Brann, and the first to do so on Brann’s home turf. This week’s fixture isn’t much better as they host the second tightest defence in the league, but the Brann game showed us that they are capable of doing well against the good sides. David Akintola looked potent all game and is one to consider.
Rosenborg saw another improvement in their attacking game, having all three heavy hitters grab a goal each versus Lillestrøm midweek. Their defence still looks like a safe investment, after securing their sixth clean sheet in seven games.
IK Start – Bodø/Glimt
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
IK Start are having a horrible time back in the top flight and were routed 4-0 by Sarpsborg in their last road trip. They now host Bodø/Glimt, who are turning their season around in spite of an undeserved 1-0 midweek loss to Tromsø. On current form there’s not much value to be found in Start, but Bodø might have a differential pick in Opseth with good fixtures coming up.
It is worth noting that Start fired their coach Mark Dempsey this week, just six months after his appointment. No replacement have been announced yet.
Kristiansund BK – Strømsgodset
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
Kristiansand are known for close encounters, but that reputation was shattered in their last run out when they were humbled 3-1 by visitors Ranheim.
They retain home advantage for their clash with Stromsgodset, with Daouda Bamba looking their best chance of points. His strike in his last game was his sixth of the season and third in a row.
Strømsgodset field a lot of premium-priced options, but are currently just two points above the relegation places. Their season is starting to look reminiscent of last campaign, where they fared poorly during the first half, before turning it around later on with an eight-in-a-row winning streak to take fourth spot. We eagerly await them turning the season around again, as they definitely have enough quality in their squad to do so.
Ranheim – Molde
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
Ranheim were expected to be bottom of every pecking order in this league, but they have shamed all predictions as they are currently on a champion-level streak with a third of the season done. Erik Tønne scored a brace to prove his value and punish his benchers, one of them a penalty after regular penalty taker Michael Karlsen had been subbed off.
Ranheim are hosting Molde, who had a nice upswing beating Strømsgodset midweek. Andreas Linde pulled a savepoint and clean sheet once more, comforting his high ownership, who incidentally will be relieved to see that he didn’t get a call up from Sweden for the World Cup.
Molde picks are still a minefield due to rotation, but there are some hopes of stability with Braut Håland, Hestad and Haugen as decent options.
Sandefjord – Sarpsborg 08
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
Sandefjord, like Start, are in freefall and offer little of interest to Eliteserien managers. They face a tricky task overcoming Sarpsborg, whose back up keeper Aslak Falch is perhaps worth considering having seemingly secured the number one jersey.
Also for Sarpsborg, Joachim Jørgensen and Joonas Tamm have locked down their place in the starting XI in defence, with Kristoffer Zachariassen the only mainstay in midfield and Patrick Mortensen looking secure up top. However, none of these look like super value though, as Sarpsborg have only kept four shut outs so far, and Mortensen picked up only his third goal last round.
Ethiopia international defender Amin Askar is one to watch for the the visitors. Last time out he got another start as a left winger, scoring two goals and assisting one (albeit a “fantasy assist”). We’re not sure if he’s nailed on as an our of position player, but if you’re looking for another defender he might be worth a punt. The uncertainty about his position in the team is underlined by the fact that Askar, who runs a Norwegian Fantasy Eliteserien podcast, doesn’t have himself in his own Fantasy team.
Stabæk – Odd
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
Stabæk are on a bad run of three narrow 0-1 defeats in a row. They could easily have scored against Vålerenga, with Ola Brynhildsen having a major penalty appeal turned down. Ohi Omoijuanfo has been frustrating for his owners lately with three blanks in a row. Brynhildsen still looks like a great pick at 5.0, he’s been close to returns over the last few games.
Odd have really found some form lately, especially at home, so it it will be interesting to see if they can carry on their good home form to Stabæk. Elba Rashani looks like the safest attacking pick, while Martin Broberg and Fredrik Nordkvelle offers budget options in midfield. Broberg has been getting a lot of new owners lately, but there’s uncertainty about whether he’ll continue to play up front or move down to midfield. The defence has been quietly been racking up clean sheet points after John Kitolano got dropped. Coincidence? Ruud is probably the best pick at the back, but it’s hard to find a place for him with all the other great rearguard picks.
Tromsø – Vålerenga
(Monday, 5:00 P.M.)
After a terrible couple of weeks, Tromsø managed to steal victory away against Bodø/Glimt. Gjermund Åsen missed out again, sitting on the bench for the full 90 minutes. Reports suggest he was fit to play, but he definitely wouldn’t have been out of the first XI if this was the case. Runar Espejord bounced back after three straight blanks with a beautiful goal.
Sam Johnson scored his seventh goal in ten games, and seems like the most reliable source of points up front. Center back Felipe Carvalho continued his hot streak with another clean sheet and an assist. In addition to his recent goal and assist in Eliteserien, he’s also scored in back-to-back cup games. Chidera Ejuke has frustrated his owners lately by not being involved in any of the goals their scoring. If you own him it might be worth looking at alternatives, although we know he is a “hot-and-cold” type of player that suddenly can haul out of nowhere.
Lillestrøm – Brann
(Monday, 7:00 P.M.)
Lillestrøm had a decent game against Rosenborg, and will feel hard done by losing 0-3. This week they will face the league leaders at home. Lillestrøm have been showing more promising signs lately, with Erling Knudtzon as the prime pick. Please note that he started out wide last Gameweek, before being moved up front for the second half. He’s also an injury doubt for the weekend.
Brann dropped points at home for the first time against Haugesund. While they did dominate most of the match, they struggled to created big chances and also looked vulnerable to Haugesund’s counter attacks. Daniel Braaten had to fill in at right back, and did look a bit suspect at times.
Early reports are suggesting that Ruben Kristiansen will be back for this game, allowing Gilli Rolantsson to shift to right back at the expense of Daniel Braaten. This will be a big boost for Brann’s defence compared to last week. Sivert Heltne Nilsen will miss out with a suspension after his fourth yellow card, which means Kristoffer Barmen most likely moving down to the holding midfielder role and Peter Orry Larsen coming into the line up if he’s fit again.
Scout Picks
We’ve started tracking our Scout Picks score, but please note that we did not have scout picks for Gameweek 1 and Gameweek 6.
Niemi’s picks for Gameweek 11 (470)
Falch
Wormgoor – Tønne – Askar
Helland – Reginiussen – Akintola – Brynhildsen
Johnson (K) – Bamba – Opseth
MrKlin’s picks for Gameweek 11 (436)
Falch
Wormgoor – Tønne – Jørgensen – Hovland
Koomson – Akintola – Broberg (K)
Johnson – Opseth – Bamba
