Community

The best FFScout Community articles ahead of Gameweek 4

Welcome to a new regular feature capturing the latest talking points in the Fantasy Football Scout Community as we turn our attention to Gameweek 4.

Here we bring to your attention some of the best articles submitted through our Community Trials initiative, which is part of our ongoing mission to support budding contributors and creators.

This piece will also cover the latest in the Community mini-leagues and competitions.

How to avoid feeling Blue

Chelsea have been the subject of much debate over the past week. In his Community article, Blues-fan James878 cautioned against owning members of Frank Lampard’s defence:

I would like clear evidence of improvement in the backline before going anywhere near those Chelsea assets.

– James878

Advice that was borne out in Gameweek 3 as Chelsea shipped three goals to newly-promoted West Brom

Meanwhile, Portsmouth Bubblejet highlighted the problems of accommodating their exciting summer-signings, Timo Werner (£9.4m) and Kai Havertz (£8.4m), in their favoured – and most effective – positions.

But Chelsea-fan AK countered that once the injured Christian Pulisic (£8.3m) and Hakim Ziyech (£7.9m) return we should see a better balance to the first XI. And he argued that Werner can operate effectively as a No 9.

Elsewhere, managers have been asking what to do with the injured Son Heung-Min (£9.0m) – although it transpired today that the South Korean has a very small chance of playing this weekend. And I shared my thoughts about the unpredictable results we’ve seen so far. 

Value and Formation

Three members of the 12-strong The Great and The Good deployed their Wildcards ahead of Gameweek 3, although disappointingly not one received an immediate green arrow. The refreshed squads of Lateriser, Ville Ronka, and Meet the Manager guest Sean Tobin were examined by Greyhead in his latest offering.

The ageing wizard speculated that a formation switch to 3-4-3 might be on the cards, given the number of goals and penalties seen so far. Messrs Calvert-Lewin, Wilson and Maupay would appear to provide more value than a mid-range fifth midfielder.

This is a view shared by Steven Reinaldo Rusli who found that the best-performing forwards are currently offering better value than the best-performing midfielders. Delving into non-penalty expected goals, he predicts this trend will continue: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.4m), Michail Antonio (£6.4m) and Richarlison (£8.0m) are all posting impressive underlying statistics compared to their midfield counterparts.

Meanwhile, value was the subject of an in-depth analysis from TorpedoToien in his Moneyball Perspective.

Casting his net as far back as 2014/15, the Community scribe made some interesting discoveries. The first is the importance of playing time:

On average going from 60 to 80 minutes played per Gameweek resulted in an increase of 20 points per season for defenders and midfielders and 30 points per season for forwards. It might not look like much, but across the 10 outfield players in your team, it will make a difference of 200 points a season.

– TorpedoToien

Over the last six seasons, the best value player in FPL based on starting price is Riyad Mahrez. Costing a mere £5.5m in Leicester’s title-winning campaign, the Algerian averaged a whopping 43.6 points per million.

However TorpedoToien notes:

Mahrez is one of just 11 midfielders or forwards among the 47 [to average 30 points per million or higher]. The remaining 36 are goalkeepers and defenders.

– TorpedoToien

Before examining goalkeepers in detail, he suggests that two benefits of favouring defenders could be:

  • Higher points per million compared to midfielders or forwards
  • Fewer attacking options to rotate, making transfer management easier

But in the comments section, Giggs Boson challenged this approach pointing out that we get 37 free transfers, two Wildcards and a Free Hit to change our teams. And, if we are willing to spend four points, we can make as many transfers as we want. 

Over a good set of fixtures, even a £12.0m player can be good value. If you dilute the money across the team, you can’t take advantage of the fixtures as well. You’re making lower impact transfers moving around £7.0m-£8.0m players than you are moving £11.5m-£12.0m players.

– Giggs Boson

Over the summer Hedge took his yearly look at player value, concluding that last season 3-4-3 and just one £10.0m+ player would have been the optimal strategy. The tricky part is obviously identifying those value-for-money players.

Like TorpedoToien, Hedge promotes a premium defender strategy but does favour a rotating £4.5m pair for one slot.

To help us identify this year’s must-own players, FPL Fetish submitted his eye-test review of Gameweek 3. Tariq Lamptey (£4.6m), Leandro Trossard (£6.0m), Solly March (£5.0m) and Neal Maupay (£6.5m) impressed for Brighton, while Tomas Soucek (£5.0m) and Michail Antonio (£6.4m) did likewise for West Ham.

Finally, Meltens previewed Gameweek 22 in Fantasy Allsvenskan and GAFFR.io looked ahead to Gameweek 3 in Fantasy Championship.

Fantasy Football Scout Mini-Leagues

League code: 5u05vz
Eligibility: Open to all

There are currently 47,734 people participating in the open-to-all Fantasy Football Scout mini-league.

Straight in at number one is Iddi Marzuk. A new entry this week, Iddi is 73rd overall after captaining Son for a 121-point haul in Gameweek 2 and then playing his Wildcard for 57 points in Gameweek 3.

Iddi is one point ahead of Devika Tiwari and last week’s leader حسام احمد (Hossam Ahmed) who share second place.

Fantasy Football Scout Community Members

League code: Available on Members page
Eligibility: Open to those with a registered FFScout account – paid or free.

Hamdy Sameeh takes over at the top of the Fantasy Football Scout Community Members mini-league and bags himself the first prize of the season. Hamdy wins the Manager of the Month award for September and takes home a £50 Amazon voucher. Hamdy, please contact Geoff (geoff@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk) to claim your prize.

The mini-league leader is 145th overall. He triple captained Vardy in Gameweek 1, played his Wildcard in Gameweek 2, and Bench Boosted in Gameweek 3. This is his third season.

We’re dishing out £2,500-worth of giveaways throughout the season, however only those who have registered a Fantasy Football Scout account (paid or free) will be able to claim a prize. Also, managers must be registered one month in advance of the awarding of a specific prize to be eligible.

Head-to-Head Leagues

Five managers in League 1 have made 100%-winning starts to the new campaign. The leader on rank-difference is Tim Hill who beat defending Head-to-Head champion Craig Johnson (aka Bouncebackability) 50-36 in Gameweek 3.

Tim has been playing FPL for 14 years and has six top 10,000 finishes, putting him 90th in this site’s Career Hall of Fame.

Three managers have flown out of the blocks this season: Martin Lilov in Division 15 of League 5, Michel Sanchez in Division 89 of League 9, and Nura Lexa in Division 52 of League 7. They all rank inside the top 1,000 overall.

But despite his explosive start Michel dropped points to Janek Polska last time out. The Polish manager earned himself a draw thanks to Jamie Vardy’s heroics at the Etihad Stadium.

A fixtures table will be published in the Scout’s Guide to Gameweek 4 ahead of the deadline. However, if you can’t wait to find out who you are playing next, follow this link. Use your browser’s find in page function (Ctrl+F) to locate managers.

All this information and more is contained in the main Head-to-Head page

Last Man Standing

League code: 48n69x
Deadline: Open now until Gameweek 18*
*entrants must pass all previous safety scores to qualify

In TorresMagic’s Last Man Standing the safety score for Gameweek 3 was 29 points. This saw a total of 219 managers eliminated

The threshold for elimination remains at 5% for Gameweek 4.

3,598 managers have entered the competition so far and it is possible to join up until Gameweek 18 – although you must pass all previous safety scores to qualify.

Aside from bragging rights, the winner will receive a free Fantasy Football Scout Membership for the 2021/22 season.

You are able to keep tabs on the action throughout the season via Ragabolly’s website Live FPL.

Elite Community Mini-Leagues

Anders Sundstrom is the new leader of RedLightning’s Top 10k Any Season mini-league (league code 8kcvzq). Anders is 1,938th in the overall standings and has one top 10,000 finish in his ten years of playing FPL. He came 6,911th in 2011/12.

Surging to the summit of PDM‘s Top 1k ANY season mini-league (league code 2agvvx) is Paddy McEvoy. The Liverpool fan has one end-of-season rank inside the top 1,000 which he achieved back in 2012/13.

Paddy has started well and currently sits inside the top 10,000. He played his Wildcard in Gameweek 2 and picked up a respectable 60 points in Gameweek 3. This is his 12th season.

Despite dropping slightly to 34,358th overall, Henry Rawlins is unmoved at the top of Chaballer’s Top 1k HoF League (league code mr8dyh). Henry is 233rd in our Hall of Fame (HoF) and his impressive history includes four top 10,000 finishes, the best of which was 117th in 2014/15.

Meanwhile, elite manager Emil Gustafsson, sixth in the HoF, has established a six-point lead in RedLightning’s Multiple Top 10k Finishes mini-league (league code 8t42p6). This is Emil’s ninth season playing FPL, his impressive history includes five top 10,000 finishes and an amazing four top 2,000 finishes in the last five years.

An inspired decision to captain Mason Mount helped 2017/18 FPL winner Yusuf Sheikh increase his lead to 39 points in Simon March’s exclusive FPL Champions League. FPL titleholder Joshua Bull moves up to second following a 17-point haul from Jamie Vardy.

Pros and Cons

The Fantasy Football Scout Network mini-league is for the Scout Network and includes the Pro Pundits

In first place after Gameweek 3 is Christos Tsaras Sui (aka FPL Greece). Christos is currently 6,901st overall in what is his 13th season. He has an impressive three top 10,000 ranks, the best of which was in 2017/18 when he reached 200 in the final standings.

Former Scoutcast member and Mark’s erstwhile nemesis Lee Cowen (aka Granville) sits proudly atop the FFS Mods & Cons mini-league. Granville is 86,381st overall and has finished three times in the top 10,000 since FPL’s first recorded season back in 2006/07.

Elsewhere, Baz Zahathevan retained top spot in Skooldaze’s FPL Vets 2006 or before mini-league while Daniel Arnott is the new leader of Greyhead’s The Next Great and The Good mini-league. Daniel has opened up a ten-point gap over previous leader Rami Sameh

And in the world of Fantasy Allsvenskan, Love Hallersby is flying high – not only the no 1 in our mini-league but also the overall no 1!

It’s an incredible achievement and, with eight Gameweeks to go, we’re all rooting for him to finish the season strongly. Love hasn’t dropped out of the top ten since Gameweek 10. 

The amorously-named manager followed up a 107-point score in Double Gameweek 21 with a solid 59 in Gameweek 22, thanks to a 14-pointer from Stefano Vecchia. He has his second Wildcard and Two Captain chips intact.

Second-placed Jonathan Fletcher has an overall rank of 18 and trails Love by 48 points. He captained Jesper Karlsson in his final game for Elfsborg before moving to Az Alkmaar, but the Swedish international could only muster a disappointing six points. Like Love Hallersby, Jonathan has the second Wildcard and Two Captain chips remaining.

Get involved

To join a featured mini-league that you are eligible for, simply enter the League code in the ‘Join private league‘ section on the FPL site. Any questions relating to community competitions please email geoff@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk or comment below this article.

Thank you very much to RedLightning for his contribution to this article.


Lessons Learned from FPL Gameweek 3

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

1,805 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Rassi
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL due at least two blanks now

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      100% . Gutted he played tonight

  2. dshv
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Thats all i need ..

    Dcl captain against brighton this week..

    1. F4L
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Brighton are no pushovers.

      1. Weak Become Heros
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Even United are beating them.

        1. Cok3y5murf
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Clearly, you didn't watch the game

        2. F4L
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          If you're talking about today, that's a full second team for Brighton.

      2. No Professionals
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        They are woeful defensively

  3. Cheeto__Bandito
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Werner, Son to Maupay, Sterling (C) -4 thoughts?

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      I like Sterling but not Maupay.

  4. King Kun Ta
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Not enough money to do Digne & Martial -> Robbo & Vardy....

    A Digne -> Robbo (FT)
    B Martial -> Vardy (FT)
    C Digne & Martial -> Vardy & VVD (-4)
    D Digne & Martial -> Robbo & Jimi (-4 already have Saiss & Podence)

    Ta for the advice!

  5. pablo discobar
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Vardy captain

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Nah won’t be getting pens every game

  6. Third Eye Vision
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Carlo Ancelotti only has himself to blame for the mighty blues smashing the hammers in this game. What was he thinking?!

    1. El Presidente
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Moronic

  7. Right In The Stanchion
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    People who still don’t have DCL don’t deserve him and shouldn’t buy him.

    Terrible FPL managers

    1. MSTRKRFTSMN
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      I’m 32k and haven’t owned him yet. Where are you?

      1. KUN+10
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Awesome reply

      2. Right In The Stanchion
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        14k biatch. Eat it

        1. KUN+10
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Don't see a link....

        2. MSTRKRFTSMN
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Calling bull on that con digesting you only got 58 points this week and Previously claimed to have captained Werner on a -4 lol.

          1. MSTRKRFTSMN
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Considering *^

    2. Doctor Evil
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      300k and still not had him or Rod or Rich or Son or Jimi or Ings. How’s your template rank working out?

    3. michaelington
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Everyone look at me, I score loads of points. Sling yer hook

    4. Goonsquad245
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      We can just buy him whenever we like. Probably after Liverpool.

  8. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Dcl on an unstoppable rampage

    1. n-doggg
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Godlike

  9. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    That man is on fire.

  10. The Mandalorian
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL has broke the Internet

  11. jdogg
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Werner and wilson

    To

    dcl and jimenez

    is a must even for -4?x

  12. Piggs Boson
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL was getting good chances before Allan, Doucoure & Rodriguez arrived. Allan & Richarlison being out is a blow but it won't stop him getting chances, especially with Rodriguez and Digne feeding him.

  13. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    I am so dumb going without DCL on wildcard..

    Now what? Must have? Got to get him in now

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      The lad on fire, having an Ings season!

      1. Right In The Stanchion
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Ings only scored 1 at a time

    2. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      No you don’t

      He will regress obviously or do you think he scores 76 goals this season

      1. Champions League Varane
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        I think he scores 76 goals

        1. TheDragon
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Then definitely get him 🙂

    3. Salarrivederci
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      West Ham chasing a result after the Richarlison Injury which leads to another couple of DCL goals.

      I got Richarlison and I have to say I'm a looking at swapping him to Ings and not DCL. Think DCL will have a hard time dealing with Dunk, White & Webster all alone. Rodríguez will have 2 Brighton players breathing down his neck all game long, and Lamptey will bully whoever plays on his territory.

      They will surely miss Richarlison and Allan.

      1. Champions League Varane
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Great points in going to hold out and pray now lol good luck!

    4. JURGENAUT
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Is your WC still active? If so, then just fit him in. Surely he's worth it

  14. HurriKane
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Richarlison and Allan injuries will hamper points potential of DCL and James right?

    1. Salarrivederci
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Yes.

    2. Limbo
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Yes. A bit.

      Doucoure + Gomes
      Siggurdsson + Hamez (no 10) + Bernard/Iwobi
      DCL

      It's defo not as strong.

  15. The Count of Monte Cristo
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    An odd question, but has anybody read The Count Of Monte Cristo?

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      No but have always wanted to ever since Guy Pearce’s and Jim Caviezel’s performances in one of the many remakes

      1. The Count of Monte Cristo
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        I enjoyed the film too although it was not received well.

        I've read the first 'volume' of the book out of the 5 volumes which covers everything up to Dantes' escape more or less.

        I heard that Volumes 2-4 cover a lot of backstory and being about 250 pages long each!

    2. KUN+10
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      No, but I once watched a movie with a similar title.

    3. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Yes its a very good book. Read it this summer. I can see it getting tedious at certain parts for someone who isnt used to reading classics though.

  16. Shultan
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL hatrick!

  17. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL is such a bad player, he is just too lucky.

    1. Gaztafari
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      I'd say he'd been really unlucky last couple of seasons

  18. elchilangles
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Villa having a great window, anyone fancy Barkley???

    1. Niho992
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      another overrated english player

    2. It's his Job.
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Nope..

    3. The Mandalorian
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      He's a form player I'm sure he'll have a points run at some point

  19. Chucky
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL or James on Pens now? 😀

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Siggy

    2. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Surely DCL given his hot streak

      Strikers with confidence will be more likely to take

      1. Chucky
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        D(C)L locked...

  20. ChickenTikkaMoSalah
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Just seen Allan and Rich injuries. Are they serious or just precautionary?

    1. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Not precautionary

      1. Zimo
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Haha jinx

    2. Zimo
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Not precautionary

  21. Baps hunter
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    DCL 7.5 tomorrow

  22. Giles G
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Better to do Werner to Jiminez this week, or roll transfer and go into the IB with 2??

    1. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      I did

    2. FC Hakkebøf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Go with 2 imo

    3. The Mandalorian
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Big Jim here

  23. It's his Job.
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Any changes needed here?

    Ryan
    Taa Saiss Dunne Justin
    KDB Zaha Rodriguez Salah
    DCL Jiminez

    Martinez-Mitchell-Bamford-Anguissa

    1.9 itb

  24. iL PiStOlErO
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Ramsdale Steer
    TAA KWP Mitchell Taylor Justin
    Salah Sterling Son Romeu Bisso
    Vardy Werner Davies

    2ft, 0.5 itb

    All different but what do you like the most. Choose one:

    A) Son + Werner to Bruno + DCL
    B) Son + Werner to Rashford + Jimenez
    C) Son + Werner to James + Martial
    D) Son to Rash
    E) Son to James

    Cheers mates.

    1. FC Hakkebøf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Avoiding city?

  25. Drip Doctor
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Any Ultimate Team players here?

    1. Cok3y5murf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Yes

    2. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Yeah

  26. Pompel
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Who were on scoresheet for United tonight ?

    1. hsakrujd
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Mata, Pogba (lucky free kick) and McTominay

  27. Arteta
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    D(C)L should be seriously considered lads.

  28. The Mandalorian
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    FPL community, DCL is finished. DCL scores a hattrick.

  29. TheDragon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Do we think Mahrez starts at the weekend?

  30. Lukakuna
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Does this sway the Jimi vs DCL debate in Dominic's favour?

    1. KEN YA DIG IT
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Absolutely