Allsvenskan Fantasy

Fantasy Allsvenskan blank Gameweek 18

Gameweek 17 review

Big scores for plenty of managers as Hammarby continued their impressive run of form against league minnows AFC Eskilstuna, winning 6-1. That makes it a goal difference of (I know, I know, I’m going to keep harping on about this though until it stops being insane every week) 20-7 from the last four games! All of the four most attacking players for Hammarby scored well with Muamer Tankovic (9.4m) getting 10 points, Nikola Djurdjic (10.4m) netting a massive 19 points, Imad Khalili (6.9m) a cheeky 11-pointer that promised more, and Alexander Kačaniklić (8.6m) ending up on 12 points. Aron Johansson (9.0m) will have his work cut out for him if he is to become a regular in Hammarby’s lineup as things stand.

AIK got a fifth straight clean sheet and goals from Henok Goitom (9.7m) and Chinedu Obasi (8.6m) made sure they also recorded their fourth consecutive win. Daniel Granli (4.6m), Sebastian Larsson (8.9m) and Tarik Elyounoussi (9.1m) got rotated and AIK looks to continue this worrying trend as long as they remain in the European competitions. New signing Felix Michel (4.8m) got his first start at the heart of the defence but exciting “there and back again”-signing Nabil Bahoui (9.5m) will have to wait a little bit longer before returning, yet again, to the AIK starting line-up for another stint. One to watch for multiple reasons, but crucially for fantasy managers, he’s a “points-player” who gets forward a lot, usually from a left-midfield position. From 90 competitive games for AIK he’s got 36 goals and 29 assists…

Djurgården won against Häcken at home 2-0, another clean sheet as they continue to impress defensively. Only three goals conceded in the last nine games speaks volumes and they’re developing into the “anti-Hammarby” (defensively solid, struggling in attack). Goalless draws in Östersund-Malmö and Göteborg-Norrköping made sure the top spots are well up for grabs as Djurgården, Hammarby, Häcken and Göteborg now get to play their 18th game which Malmö, AIK and Norrköping have already done in their respective double gameweeks earlier on.

The three most popular captains in the top 1k for gameweek 17, courtesy of GoktugErce:

  1. Muamer Tankovic; Captained by 75%, Effective Ownership of 171.4% (!), scored 10 points.
  2. Nikola Djurdjic; Captained by 12.4%, Effective Ownership of 69.8%, scored 19 points.
  3. Anders Christiansen (10.1); Captained by 3.1%, Effective Ownership of 59.3%, scored 3 points.

Top 1k average points for the gameweek was 82.7, compared to the overall average of 52 points.

Blank Gameweek 18 preview

Blank gameweek 18 has landed upon our doorsteps and Victor Wernersson (5.8m) went ahead and got himself suspended for the game against Örebro, just as we needed him the most. The biggest culprits as far as suspensions go though simply has to be Malmö defender Eric Larsson (6.7m) and Sundsvall midfielder Juanjo Ciércoles (5.8m). Not only do they now blank in GW18, but they’re also suspended for GW19. Blank gameweek 18 (or BGW18 for the initiated…) contains, as you would expect, not that many fixtures as the earlier double gameweeks now take their toll on our squads. No games for AIK, Malmö, Norrköping or Sundvall then, where all but the final one contain a lot of popular players. AIK went out of the Champions League qualifiers on Wednesday but no respite for us yet, as that means they now enter the next round of Europa League qualifiers instead.

In the games that do however take place, we’ll see Östersund face off against an out of sorts AFC Eskilstuna, where you’d expect a certain Gustav Jarl (4.3m) to play his most important fantasy game to date for a lot of managers. Apparently not dead early-season bandwagon Adi Nalic (5.6m) could also get some gametime for a few squads, although many active managers will have jettisoned him by now after missing out on so many games between GW9-GW15.

Falkenberg managed to win the first of the two crucial home-games and now play a Helsingborg side that looks well off the pace. Losing 4-1 at home to Örebro, goalkeeper signing Anders Lindegaard (5.0m) is going to have to significantly up his game (six goals conceded from seven shots on target). Kalmar who’s now lost five straight games will try to stop a resurgent Hammarby who’s firing on all cylinders. Expect heavy captaincies and plenty of attacking double (or treble)-ups on the green and whites, although it should be noted that Kalmar (despite being quite awful) rarely gets turned over completely, at least not so far this year.

A (possibly) tired Häcken team will try to keep their top finish-dreams alive by getting all three points at home to Sirius. Thanks to some quite frankly farcical administrative work on Häcken’s part (they forgot to register him), Alexander Jeremejeff (9.9m) is not going to be able to play for them against AZ Alkmaar and should thus be nailed on for a start in this one, while other popular options might face rotation depending on how the midweek game goes. Djurgården travel to Elfsborg and will look to push on towards greater heights, as a win brings them top of the table ahead of Malmö and AIK, with an equal amount of games played. Finally, Göteborg plays away to a surprisingly goal-happy Örebro who’s now got eight goals from the last two games, in comparison to 16 goals from the 15 games that came before that.

Taking hits to field 11

Given the popularity of AIK, Malmö and Norrköping players, many fantasy managers will find themselves scrambling to field 11 players in BGW18. Even with the likes of Jarl stepping in, you may find yourself missing one, two, or maybe even three/four players from getting a full line-up out. Assuming you haven’t rolled a transfer, that means every extra transfer after the first one is a hit (-4 points). So is it worth taking a few hits to sort it out, or should you just take this one gameweek on the chin and accept your low score? Maybe you might even be tempted to wildcard, to sort it all out?

First of all, wildcarding in this particular GW is a very hard sell as you’d then have a maximum of four players from AIK, Malmö, and Norrköping going into GW19 and beyond. The fixtures in GW18 doesn’t really lend itself to a massive pile-on for any particular team (bar possibly Hammarby) and you’d be seriously hamstringing yourself, in comparison to saving the wildcard for at the very least one more gameweek.

So that leaves us with taking hits or just accepting your fate. Now I’m more of an aggressive and risk-taking kind of manager so for me it’s hard to accept not fielding 11, through my own choice. There’s an age-old saying along the lines of “it’s really only a -2” that applies to both double and blank gameweeks, and it’s roughly explained like this: Given the player you’re taking out is 100% going to get 0 points on the gameweek, replacing him with a non-blanker (who’s theoretical “floor” is two points, although conceded goals, cards and playing time could impact that) a hit is, for this gameweek only, “really a -2”. Now before you get out your pitchforks, I don’t fully subscribe to this as the player you’re selling might be someone who you’d quite soon want back (in which case it’s really between a -2 and a -8, barring wildcards). I do think there is a lot of merit to taking a few hits in doubles and blanks in Fantasy Allsvenskan though, as the bonus system makes the points-floor of creative and defensive players a bit higher than in FPL. My advice is (assuming you still have your wildcard) – don’t be too afraid to take a few hits to get eleven players out if it’s a part of a slightly longer strategy, just don’t take hits for the sake of it as you might end up wanting the players you’ve transferred out back in, sooner than you know.

Players to target

I could (and will) take the easy way out and tell you one last time to get Alexander Kačaniklić in if you can, as he’s looked incredible and is now on five goals and four assists from his last four games.

I will, however, also suggest a nice short-medium time punt on Imad Khalili and tempt you with things like;

“He’s an OOP cheap midfielder playing as a striker”, “he plays for an insanely attacking side” and “he’s got three goals, one assist from his last two games and arguably should have had a hattrick rather than a solitary goal against Eskilstuna”. The obvious caveat is Aron Johansson, obvious counter-point is fitness and form. Khalili has pretty much struggled since he came to Hammarby back in 2015, getting most playing time as a midfielder. But in another world seemingly (2013), he scored 15 goals and 3 assists in 23 appearances, playing as a striker for Helsingborg and Norrköping.

Captaincy thoughts

Unless opting for a Häcken player at home to Sirus, the runaway favourites for captaincy in GW18 will be Hammarby players. Muamer Tankovic and Nikola Djurdjic are the more “safe” options and will between them have a shocking EO in the top 1k I’d imagine. Personally I’m going out on a bit of a limb here and lobbying for Alexander Kačaniklić as he’s looked electric in his last couple of games and he’s been very threatening, while Tankovic has been firing a lot more speculative efforts from range (and getting good results to be fair). Really punty chasers can go for Khalili, but I think that just having him is enough at this stage as we can not be 100% certain of his gametime.

How are you getting on for BGW18? Are any hits necessary? Who are you looking to captain?

Meltens

 

24 Comments Post a Comment
  1. poohdini
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Thanks as always, Meltens, these keep getting better and better.

    I dropped from 250 to 400 OR last week, thanks to AFC Eskilstuna. This week I have 9 players with fixtures and am thinking about taking a hit or two to get a full 11. Probably doing Joelsson, Kossonou, AC to Abrahamsson, Kack/Hacken defender and Khalili/Kacaniklic.

    At least it's finally WC time after this week!

    1. Meltens
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Cheers mate!
      I think a hit or two isn’t too bad this week, expect to see a lot of those flying around. I should be able to get 11 out with just a FT, should Vibe (not the best punt for a few weeks ago before the injury) recover in time I might even be able to roll the transfer. Otherwise looking at Robin Söder possibly. Looking forward to GW19 and 20 where big scores could be on the boards!

  2. Mullered in Maenam
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Hi Mertens

    Thanks for the article again, great stuff and I've just sent Geoff an e-mail with my vote for you for the July writer of the month.

    I've planned for GW 18 so I have 11 on the pitch with Jarl on the bench and no hits, hopefully make up some ground and get into the top 500 this week (currently sitting at 635 OR). Will Wildcard probably on GW 20.

    Yep, armband on Kacaniklic, 49 pts from his last four matches is just too good a run of form to ignore. I have Jeremyjeff but he averages just 6 pts per home game and hasn't hauled this season as such (one 10 pointer).

    Good luck with the hits

    1. Meltens
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Cheers, that’s very kind of you! 🙂

      Nice planning, I’d be golden as well if Wernesson wasn’t suspended and Vibe not injured, won’t have to take a hit though so that’s already a good advantage for the week.

      Yeah I think I’m sticking with Kacaniklic for the armband, will feel weird not backing Tankovic but the upside feels slightly bigger this week given form.

  3. Allsvenskan - GW18 plans
    Meltens
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Blank Gameweek 18 in Fantasy Allsvenskan approaching swiftly - how are you holding up? Any hits required for you to field 11? Who will be your captain? I’m going Kacaniklic most likely for the captaincy but really any Hammarby-option seems a solid bet!

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

      Currently down to 9 players with Erik Berg just a constantly injured pain (one of my worst purchases in any fantasy game ever, watching his red flag for weeks while the other DIF defenders are hauling) and Wernersson suspended.

      Any chance Berg could finally be fit? Will otherwise get rid of Kasper Larsen or Seb Larsson (both European rotation worries)

      Captaincy a lottery, probably Kacaniklic this week

      1. Meltens
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Sorry for the late answer but seems Berg will be out a while
        longer. Very hard finding any new information though, this is three weeks ago: https://www.fotbollskanalen.se/allsvenskan/difs-besked-om-berg-blir-borta-i-fyra-till-sex-veckor/ where they say he’ll be out a minimum of four-six weeks. I’d imagine they’re in no great rush to force him back too early

        1. TallestJohn
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Good to hear, I finally got rid of him in the end. Witry in.

          1. Meltens
            • Has Moderation Rights
            • 8 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            Nice, good luck! 🙂

    2. TAT
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Armband on Kačaniklić at the moment. I fear not putting it on Tankovic, but given the red arrows and rank drop lately, I think I might have to. Jeremejeff also an option…

    3. MTPockets
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Joelsson out for Vaiho. Isherwood probably won't play so down to 10, and don't fancy a hit for a def this week
        Tankovic cap

    4. Bob Sacamano
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I can only agree with the rest - great job Meltens, these articles are very apriciated!

      One transfer made, one will be done tonight/tomorrow, with Joelsson and AC leaving for Vaiho and Kacaniklic. You never know with Vaihos gametime, and the coach refused to say that he was the outspoken first choice now, but given his form and that Bråtveit was sent to hospital with a stomach ache yesterday, I fully expect him to start.

      I'm very pleased with my team this week, and unlike many others I even have a benching headache - Jarl or Yusuf? Which one would you pick? Yusuf is the better player in a better team with a better fixture, but Jarl is so highly owned that it could a disaster if he scores. On the other hand, AFC have only scored 4 goals away all season, and new players like Kozica might threaten his gametime. Leaning towards Yusuf.

      Armband remains on Tankovic, for coverage, form and just the fact that he's the best player in Allsvenskan and fantasy. I've been warning people about Häcken, but am still slightly worried about not owning Irandust.

      Good luck to everyone!

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

        Sounds like a good plan.

        Wernersson "forcing" me to take a hit. Tempted to punt on Andersson with Ekpolo getting injured, but I might need him next week too so not sure I can rely on him to play there as well? Also not a great fix. Could go for Calisir too, but 2 YCs and not much attacking upside.

        I've captained Tankovic a lot this season, but might give the armband to Djurdjic this GW. Kaca also tempting. Tanko definitely doesn't get as much into the box as earlier in the season, Kacaniklic does seem to play a bit more narrow and enter the box more now the last few games. Djurdjic also seems to be entereting the box a bit more with Kjartansson out. Tankovic still has the penalties and takes the most shots though.

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

      Love the review and preview article! Thanks! I have a full team without using a transfer. Of course, no bench players available, but happy to have 11 active players. Captain Tankovic as usual.

    6. Vobinho
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      I've decided to take a 8 point hit - Dahlin, Krogh-Gerson & AC out for Abrahamsson, Witry & Khalili, leaving me with :

      Abrahamsson
      Bjorkman Witry Danielsson
      Kacaniklic (c) Khalili Tankovic Rogic Ring
      Baptiste Kharashvili

      I'll be happy with a small red this week...

    7. TheAdmiral
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      A classic tale of fantasy woe...

      Had a full team ready to go this morning, despite blanks for some, with Bjorkman on the bench:
      Keita
      Danielsson/Larson/Calisir
      Tankovic(c)/Kacaniklic/Jarl/Nalic
      Jeremejeff/Bura Turgy/Söder

      Then planned a few weeks ahead to Attack Attack in GW21, when Jeremejeff, Djurdjic and Kharaishvili have favourable games. Thought I could make one change to improve my team in the interim before using my wildcard - Nalic (who's done nothing for ages!) to Hussein - and in my last minute excitement make the change only to realise Hussein isn't playing in GW18 (what a plonker!). Then, taking everything into account (no money in bank, equity in various players, favourable fixtures till the end in general, my cup competition) decide to wildcard in my desperation after such a stupid transfer, making my team:
      Amos (understanding the blank but with Linner on the bench and knowing my cup competition is in the same predicament)
      Danielsson/Witry/Calisir/Bjorkman
      Tankovic(c)/Kacaniklic/Jarl
      Jeremejeff/Djurdjic/Kharaishvili

      I then read Meltens' excellent article to then think "ah, good point" and then "hmm, oh well, throw caution to the wind!" And what's happened? Nalic scores two goals!

      That is exactly why one should never ever make last minute decisions and change one's strategy after having had a finely tuned gameplan for weeks! However, good practice for the FPL Season to come - lesson learned!

      1. Meltens
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Tough luck mate, always hard balancing being patient with players vs making moves to improve the overall team. I had Nalic in for all the weeks when he was injured but finally got around to getting rid in GW16, just the week he actually came back.

        Had Hodzic since GW1 (bench fodder) and wasn’t feeling too confident today but a very nice 8 points to go along with Jarls blank. Hope you’ll progress in the cup at least then, good luck! 🙂

    8. TheAdmiral
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Well, crashed out of the cup, with a -18 net points shift as a result of my last minute wildcard move - a real tale of woe! To add to that, I could have leaped from 870th overall position to 570th! Oh well, as I say, I would rather do it here than in FPL, although am enjoying my first seasons in Fantasy Allsvenskan and Eliteserien! Simply using the stats and your articles for Allsvensken - thanks for the insights!

    9. CharlieBrawn
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Hi Guys. Im planning to use my WC this coming GW and would really appreciate your help on "must have" players.

      What GK is looking good?

      2 Defenders, 2MF and a premium striker.

      Cheers 🙂

      1. Bob Sacamano
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Difficult to say as it depends on several things, like budget, if you're chasing etc.

        Linner/Abrahamsson are the best keepers. Linner will give you a solid route into the AIK defence, while Abrahamsson have slightly better fixtures. I also like my keeper Pettersson who have great fixtures and is great for saved and defensive bonus. Vaiho is a great budget option at 4.5. If you could afford, perhaps go for one premium GK + Vaiho or if you need to save cash, perhaps Vaiho and another cheap keeper?

        A Djurgården defender looks like a must. Danielsson is the stand out option, but Käck is also an excellent pick. Witry is good and could save you some cash if needed. Make sure to cover the AIK defence somehow, although It's difficult to know who's playing. Mets and Karlsson are pretty expensive, and the fixtures arn't great, so perhaps Linner or gamble with Granli?

        In midfield Tankovic is a must IMO. Highly owned and consistently delivering points. Same goes for AC and Irandust, who have great fixtures ahead. They are pretty pricy though.

        In attack Jeremejeff, Djurdjic and Khariashvili are the best, but I would perhaps avoid Khariashvili since Göteborgs fixtures turn in a few weeks. With Hammarby scoring for fun at the moment, I'd pick Djurdjic after his suspension. He's hard working and earns a few bonus points unlike Jeremejeff.

        1. CharlieBrawn
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Thanks for your input.

          This is my current team (2,2 m in the bank)

          Johansson/Joelsson
          Danielsson,Käck,Sandberg, Wernersson, Hodzic
          Ring Tankovic Nalic Rieks
          Gero Jeremejeff Djurdic

          Im planning to replace Hodzic,Gero, Wernersson and maybe Rieks.
          If you have any more input I would really appreciate it 🙂

          1. Bob Sacamano
            • 5 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            No problem!

            It's a bit diffuclt since there will be a bit of a fixture swing around GW23-24. For the run-in, I'm looking at teams like Häcken, Malmö and Norrköping, while Göteborg have a much more difficult run. Hammarby are always good for attacking points, and AIK for defensive points.

            The european qualyfiers might cause some rotation problems, but I think it will be difficult for the swedish teams to reach the group stage. Rotation will however be likely for the next few weeks or so. There are a few good cheap options that you could concider to free up cash, like Vaiho, Da Graca, Offia and Jarl. When it comes to structure, I'm concidering moving from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with my wildcard to make room for more premium midfielders. Tankovic, Kacaniklic, Rogic, AC, Irandust are all great options and it could be a good idea trying to fit 4 of them in. For me, that would mean I'd have to ditch at least one of my premium strikers Jeremejeff, Djurdjic or Khariashvili.

            I was sketching on a wildcard team a week ago or so, but don't have enough problems with my team to actually push the button. In that team I had players like Linner/Abrahamsson + Vaiho, Da Graca (suspended GW19), Käck, Bengtsson, AC, Rogic, Irandust, Offia and Nyman. If Norrköping goes out of Europa League, I think Nyman could be a great punt for the rest of the season.

    10. Bob Sacamano
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      60p and a green arrows for the second consecutive gameweek means I'm closing in on top 10. Through in the cup as well, and after three rather difficult games I'm facing a ghost ship in the next round.

      Only disappointment of the week was Calisir going from 6p to 0p in the last ten minutes, also picking up his third booking and a suspension for the tasty home game against Falkenberg. With Da Graca also suspended I'll hope that the decimated Göteborg defence will concede in that game. Djurdjic also suspended for a great fixture, but at least I'm not alone in that boat.