Site Features

Mindfulness, mental health and FPL in a season of disruption and variance

Mindfulness coach and Community trial winner Dominic Watts discusses how Fantasy Premier League managers can ensure they enjoy a healthy relationship with their favourite game.


With the United Kingdom subjected to another lockdown at the start of this new year, the human mind is up to all its old tricks with a vengeance. 

Being out and about helps us to use our energy up in all sorts of different ways, and being stuck in does no good for our mental health if we let the mind run riot. 

Those problems affect Fantasy Premier League managers just as much as the rest of the human race so I have put together something for the community during these challenging times as we seek to find balance and perspective in FPL and life in general.

FPL never fails to surprise us. As I signed on to make my transfer back in Gameweek 9, convinced I had to get rid of Son Heung-min (£9.7m) ahead of the Manchester City game, there he was staring at me on the homepage doing that heart celebration. I simply couldn’t press the button. That day, I won as Spurs won 2-0 and Son got 10 points. But it could easily have gone the other way.

For example, as I opened up Notes on my iPad in preparation for writing this article, I stumbled upon an absolutely hilarious ancient relic. It was a watchlist of players I created on September 11 this year, the day before the 2020/21 campaign kicked off. It was something I had completely forgotten about, perhaps on purpose when you consider who I had marked down as hidden gems ahead of the new season:

  • Pulisic
  • Vinagre
  • Alli
  • Brewster

Now this is no offence to these admittedly excellent footballers, but it just shows how fickle the FPL gods can be. Between them, these boys have amassed a grand total of 50 points this season, 28 contributed by Christian Pulisic (£8.2m) who has one goal and one assist so far. 

Either way, this served as a stark reminder that someone hugely in favour one day is a laughable consideration the next, and so the rollercoaster goes on. Sometimes we might wonder why we put ourselves through all this.

Why So Serious?

Well, anyone who has seen the fantastic Leed United documentary Take Us Home will have felt the goosebumps as the players could not resist breaking their quarantine rules to exit the building and be closer to the elated, chanting fans after they secured promotion to the Premier League. 

The emotion was truly incredible to witness and, just like football itself, people who don’t play FPL can be utterly mystified by how much others care about it. My wife hates football so much that she even had the gall to stop picking my captains for me based on random numbers a few years ago (I’ll never forget the day Kevin Nolan got me a hat-trick on her say-so). 

On the face of it, I can understand the view that we should not get ourselves worked up about FPL. After all, you’re picking an imaginary team of real players who get points for you and then getting really annoyed when you don’t pick the right ones. 

But if you want to pick it apart, you can make similar arguments about most things people care about. The thing is that as human beings we create meaning. We give meaning to the things that we care about and so if we decide to care about FPL, it becomes meaningful to us. It may not be easy to understand how someone gets massively into stamp collecting, knitting or beekeeping, but the same principles are at work. 

When we allow something to be meaningful to us, we become vulnerable to its forces. In terms of FPL, this means we are choosing to be at the mercy of its ups and downs, and we can’t have the ups without the downs. 

The challenge is finding balance, so we can enjoy the rollercoaster without it having a negative impact on our lives. To that end, let’s look at a couple of key themes which seem to cause a lot of the trouble. 

What Time’s Kick Off?

Did you know that Stephen Hawking held a party for time travellers and only sent the invites out after it had finished? Surely if they didn’t come there was no point sending the invites out? Well, I guess if he didn’t send them out then he wouldn’t have been able to say that they had turned them down.

Sorry about that. As you can see, time travel is a bit of a mess. But it’s no wonder so many of us are stressed; that’s what you’re doing all the time. Have you ever considered how amazing it is that you are able to access possible pasts and possible futures whilst being in the present? 

Your time travel powers come as both a blessing and a curse. They are the source of both the excited anticipation that comes with waiting for the weekend’s games to start and the empty comedown of having your captain blank for the second week in a row. 

This same time-traveling ability of ours causes so much trouble in every area of life as well as FPL. What this means, though, is that the wisdom which has been passed down through the ages to help people live a balanced life can be really useful for those of us who play this wonderful game as well. 

What you will see throughout the rest of this article is that as the mind twists and turns through imaginary timelines, dragging us along for the ride, the remedies for FPL angst are always simple, always the same and always in the present.  

Uncertainty?

One of the main culprits which causes us stress and anxiety is uncertainty and living through 2020 has really brought this home. The coronavirus has forced us to face uncertainty about so many things: work, health, socialising, traveling and even Christmas in the end.

The fact of the matter is that life is uncertain but the mind seeks and loves control because when it feels in control it feels safe. If we know exactly what will happen to us in the next week, it can help us to feel secure and comfortable. The dark side of this is that it’s less fun, less realistic and simply not the truth.

We don’t know what will happen to us tomorrow and some of the best things possible happen totally out of the blue. Yes, some of the worst things do too, but that’s the game we’re in. There’s no point pretending otherwise.

Actually, FPL is a great training ground for learning to live with this. After all, uncertainty is the main attraction of sport. As fans we want to see what happens, because we don’t know. It’s the thrill of the unknown which keeps us coming back and makes it so epic when outrageous things happen. 

Mindfulness teaches us that when we start to consciously embrace uncertainty, life can be way more exciting and energising. It can help us to live more fully now instead of always worrying about what is around the corner. Remember that this game wouldn’t be fun at all if we knew exactly what was going to happen all the time!

Acceptance

Uncertainty relates quite nicely to acceptance because it’s hard to accept uncertainty. When we can’t accept something, we fight it, and this uses up a lot of energy.  

Let’s take a real life example which is pretty serious: a break up. So much of the difficulty with a break up comes from non-acceptance of the fact. The mind will pull out all of the stops to convince us that it just can’t be true and we can change the past. 

The problem is that all of this happens subconsciously and so we don’t generally see what’s going on. Thoughts are moving so fast that we believe their stories without question and follow their lead. Yet accepting things as they are is incredibly powerful medicine and, unfortunately, it’s worth practising because it’s not the mind’s natural way. Have a look at what the mind is saying. Is it trying to fight the past?

In FPL, the mind can use up a lot of energy by doing so. It sounds ridiculous to think about logically, but it happens all the time. Ask yourself next time you have a ‘thought storm’ relating to FPL, how much of this is caused by unavoidable uncertainty or not accepting what has happened? 

My brother often says when it comes to transfers that we ‘can’t have them all’. On the face of it, this seems obvious, but it’s a great example of acceptance in action. When you truly accept that you can’t have all the players you’ve had your eye on, you might see that this subconscious desire has been causing some stress. Seeing this can bring relief and a more light-hearted approach to the game. 

What To Do?

So what can we do about all this? What can we do when the mind is going round and round in circles of uncertainty, avoidance and trying to control the future? Well the short answer is look

The longer answer is that we don’t need to ‘do’ anything, in the normal sense of what we mean by that. In fact, anything we ‘do’ is likely to make things worse. We can’t stop thought and we don’t need to. Thinking happens. To all of us. A significant part of the mind’s job is to anticipate and solve problems, so it just loves having something to chew on. When we interfere and try to suppress, control or stop thoughts, we tend to just add fuel to the fire.

What we can learn to do is be curious about what the mind is doing and learn to really look. Look properly, not just at the mind, but at everything else in the present as well. 

Look at where you are, what you are doing, what is happening now. When we connect to the present moment, the dramas and stories of the mind are seen in a different light.This is the golden key and it opens up a choice of how to respond to what is happening now. Try it out and hopefully you’ll see what I mean. 

You may end up laughing at how anxious you were about your transfers, or seeing that you were convinced someone is going to get 100 points this week just because the league leader has them in their team. Ridiculous, right?

Bringing it all together

More home struggles for Vardy as Lookman's FPL form continues

As I write this, my mind reminds me that I thought Jamie Vardy (£10.2m) was DEFINITELY going to get 10+ points against Fulham in Gameweek 10 and that I should have burned the extra four points to bring him in for Timo Werner (£9.2m). We all know that would have turned out.

One thing I know for sure, though, is that I’m not the only person making these decisions. Anyone who has owned Vardy this season has had to make tough calls on him at various points. 

This reminds me that all of the thoughts and emotions we experience in relation to FPL are not ‘my’ thoughts. They are just par for the course; the standard thoughts of everybody playing this game.

Seeing that thoughts are just thoughts, that you don’t own them and you don’t need to control them, is the start of developing a more relaxed relationship with the mind. It allows you to watch its acrobatics without being so attached to what goes on and this detachment brings a more healthy perspective.

Who would have thought that choosing a team of players could bring us face-to-face with some of the most difficult aspects of the incredibly confusing job of being a human?

Lessons learned from FPL Gameweek 17

1,372 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Gobigorgohome
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Facing a FH GW 18 team

    while I wont

    So confirm out of the cup next GW then 🙁

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Same, so annoying!

      1. Gobigorgohome
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        yes indeed 🙁

    2. Je suis le chat
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I reckon my rival will FH also so should be fun. Going against dead teams is trickier!

      1. Gobigorgohome
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        yeah at least predictable lol

    3. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Facing A team with 10 good bgw players already...

    4. The Train Driver
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      How do you know they are FHing?

      1. Gobigorgohome
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        he just WCed with 15 DGWers

        essy to guess

  2. Qaiss
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    In your view, who is a better pick long term, Saka or Grealish?

    1. Gobigorgohome
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish
      not even close

    2. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish but I love Saka as a player

    3. BenDavies
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish

    4. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish by some distance, look at this stats. Not that Saka is a bad pick at that price.

      1. Qaiss
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Yeah, I do probably agree. It’s just that in relation to my team (long story), if i sell Grealish in 19, it means I can get Bruno for free this week.

        If I sell Saka in 19, it means I have to wait till the week after to get Bruno.

        Im not free hitting have 11 players for this week and not Bruno, so I’m wondering if I can get away not owning him.

        1. St Pauli Walnuts
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Couldn't you sell Saka in 19 and take a hit to bring Bruno in early? Depends who you would play instead of Bruno in the DGW if it is worth it or not. I plan on holding Grealish, one risk is though is he only 1 yellow off a ban. So if he gets that in 18 he misses the 1st game of DGW 19 and if he gets in the first game he misses the second.

    5. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      G

    6. Buck The Trent
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Grealish ..

      But if you get Saka at 5.1, he is a great 5th mid in 352

  3. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Good evening everyone!
    Would you recommend Bench Boosting in 19 with this team? 0 FT's.

    Meslier Johnstone*
    Stones KWP Coufal Taylor* Balbuena*
    Salah KDB Bruno Soucek Raphinha
    Bamford Kane Wood*

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Nice team but no

      1. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I'm leaning towards this too sadly, despite using my WC16 to make a DGW BB side. City DGW announcement and Taylor/Balbuena injuries have stuffed it up though, so may just TC.

        1. Qaiss
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Who do you think is the best TC option?

          1. BenDavies
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            I'm very tempted to go with KDB. Man City are now buoyant after that Chelsea win and I can see them putting Palace and even Villa to the sword. Salah another option but he's been so poor recently. Bruno also has Fulham away, but has a tough game against Liverpool. Overall, I'd go with KDB.

            1. Qaiss
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              True. Even though KDB is a really good shout, perhaps though you could wait and see with the TC. If Man Utd win tomorrow, they will miss GW33 against Leeds, so will have a double game week against them.

              a DGW with one fixture being Leeds would be so good.

              1. BenDavies
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                That's a very good point. It's just I want to use 1 chip for this upcoming DGW or I will feel I didn't make use of it enough. You only get a few DGW's every season. I don't feel I can BB anymore with my team, so only TC remains. I will of course wait for more information though.

    2. Je suis le chat
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Maybe not, esp if high risk of games being cancelled/player suspensions.

      1. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers, that's always a worry. Think I'll wait to use the BB for the next DGW.

    3. Gobigorgohome
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I wont

      Balbuena and Taylor may not play both games (doubt even 1 game tbf)

      1. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers, I agree. Such an unfortunate decision to pick Taylor and Balbuena in hindsight, but don't think it was a poor decision at the time.

    4. The Train Driver
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No way, Taylor might still be injured. Balbuena not a certain starter. Wood lucky to score 1 goal and Johnstone plays for WBA.

      1. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers! Johnstone does have 2 semi-favourable games, and can rack up save points at least. You're right about Taylor and Balbeuna, just unlucky with what happened to both of them. Wood is on penalties but to be fair Burnley have to actually get into the opposition box for that.

    5. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No

      1. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Cheers!

  4. MGD
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Regulion->Cancelo

    Y/N? Seems good long term

    1. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      It's a big yes from me fella.

    2. Qaiss
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes definitely.

    3. arndff_
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes

    4. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      100%

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

    Who is better in each option below guys?
    1) Cancelo (-4) or Justin
    2) Adams/Antonio(-4) or DCL

    Right now on Cancelo (-4) and DCL

    1. arndff_
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      If you already own Man C def -> can keep Justin + go for Antonio — fixtures in 19 look good

  6. Stupendous
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    RIP King Colin Bell

    A terrible day for City fans.

    Inevitable, but sad.

  7. Westfield Irons ⭐️
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Livefpl - 'THREATS TO YOUR RANK' ??
    Has anyone been using this guide to players owned by your FPL rivals in your 'local rank' to make a 50/50 decision on transfers?
    Has it helped with climbing rank, or limiting drops?
    I can't decide if I should concern myself with the likes of Grealish, DCL, Neto etc who are highly owned in my 'local rank but wouldn't be my picks of choice for Free Hit in BGW18.
    Do you think checking ownership this closely, compared to overall ownership is helpful?

  8. HNI
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Would you use BB on this team?
    Martinez Mcarthy*
    Robbo Cancelo Dias Dallas Coufal
    Soucek Kdb Bruno Son Grealish
    Bamford DCL* Watkins/Antonio
    Above team is for -4, I i dont bb then I would bench Dallas DCL Watkins

    1. arndff_
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      100% BB

    2. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yip

    3. BenDavies
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I would yes. Very strong defence and midfield, and then good attack. If McCarthy returns it's a 100% yes, if he doesn't then its 75% yes.

  9. Bolivian Seaman
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    sorry which channel is tottenham vs brentford on?

    1. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Sky

      1. Bolivian Seaman
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        thanks 🙂

  10. RamaJama
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Who to sell for kdb?

    A) Mane
    B) Salah

    (Yes, I’ve got both..)

    1. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Mane. Mane's looked better on the eye lately but Salah on pens and his ceiling is just so high, also always horrible not owning him and dreading the games.

    2. The Knights Template
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

    3. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A

    4. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        A

    5. bso
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Can’t decide between Saka and Gundogan for the upcoming fixtures. Who would you go with?
      Would prefer Gundo but is he going to play every game?

      1. St Pauli Walnuts
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I don't think so, look at his minutes this season and he is pretty nailed, he's a touch further forward too and he has always demonstrated the technical ability to show that he is capable of returns. With the playing in blank, DGW and the fixtures after that, Gundo could be worth the punt.

        1. bso
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Thanks mate. Leaning in that direction

      2. Qaiss
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I would go Saka. More exciting pick and in the DGW, we play Newcastle. City do have 2 games but Gundogan could miss one of those.

        1. bso
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Thanks Qaiss!

      3. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        G

    6. arndff_
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      To FH or not?

      Martined
      Dias Cancelo
      KdB Bruno Son Grealish
      Watkins

      -4

      1. dunas_dog
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        No that’s a good 8.

      2. St Pauli Walnuts
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Nah. You're setup better than me and I'm not planning on FH at the moment.

        Martinez
        Cancelo / Mitchell
        KDB / Bruno / Grealish
        DCL / Brewster

        I may add Stones for TAA yet.

        1. arndff_
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Do you own Robbo? If so, I would definitely get rid of TAA but would prefer Dias over Stones tbf.

          1. St Pauli Walnuts
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            No, I was a smart arse and picked TAA instead! ... was great fun watching him set this season's record for most give aways the other night ha.

            I'm not sure Dias is worth the extra over Stones anymore, the main justification for the premium was Dias naildness but Stones has that now too. He's in the best form of his City career. There is a bit more goal threat from Dias but Stones offsets that a bit by high pass rate and good chance of bps.

      3. The Knights Template
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        No need

    7. Buck The Trent
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Choose one for DGW ?

      A Martial (ful liv)
      B Ings (lei lee)
      C) Antonio (BUR WBA)

      1. Westfield Irons ⭐️
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        B

      2. arndff_
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        C — high risk, high reward... No kidding. Plus he’s cheaper than the other 2.

      3. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        B

    8. myteamissheeeeeeeet
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hey, I have 2 frees which will be Chilwell & Salah to Cancelo & Sterling. Leaves me with this for GW18:

      Kilman? Targett Holding Cancelo
      Bruno Son KDB Sterling
      DCL Watkins

      Is this enough please or should I FH?

      1. arndff_
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Think Kilman plays...

        Going without a GK shouldn’t be a problem for you. Lovely!

        1. myteamissheeeeeeeet
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Cheers Bro I’ll have 1.5 to do Sterling back to Salah for GW19. All sound ok?

      2. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Gd

    9. JohnnyRev7
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      GW18: (2FT done prepping for DW19)...

      Martinez
      Kilman / Dias
      KDB / Grealish / Bruno / Son
      Kane / DCL

      Playing with 9. No FH.

      DGW19: BB + -4 hit)...

      Martinez** / Steer
      Dias** / Bednarek** / Justin** / Dallas** / Coufal**
      Grealish** / KDB** / Bruno** / Son / Soucek**
      Kane / Bamford** / Rodrigo**

      Not really happy about Rodrigo (can't see an alternative in that price range) but Steer is blocking Watkins and I don't want two playing keepers going forward. It was a conscious decision to remove Salah to KDB tonight. I also don't want to play any chips other than BB in DGW19.

      I'll end up with 1FT and ITB1.5 moving forward to GW20.

      Anything I've missed? Or GTG?

      1. arndff_
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        BB without a second GK isn’t perfect. Try to squeeze a 2nd GK IMO.

        1. JohnnyRev7
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Nah, screws up the squad moving forward and it's illogical to take a -4 for another keeper who scores maybe 4 or less. Ta for your input though.

      2. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        This

    10. Snooze ya lose
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      1. Son and grealish to Kdb and soucek for free or
      2. Just salah to Kdb

      No. 1 would have to be tonight b4 the price changes!

      1. Qaiss
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        2, as making early transfers this season has such high risk.

      2. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Tend to agree!

    11. paza12
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Keep 2 from: Walker Peters, Justin and Konsa? Cheers!

      1. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Kwp, Justin

      2. Geordie19
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        KWP and Konsa

    12. Geordie19
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Lowton, Cancelo.
      Son, Bruno,
      Kane, Wood
      For GW18.
      Worth a free hit or just a -4 to field 8 players?

      1. Snooze ya lose
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Fh

    13. Make Arrows Green Again
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Excellent article. Funny, informative, well-written, original.

    14. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Lovely read. More of similar articles please!

    15. richarlison2348
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Stones or Wan Bissaka for GW 19? Have no Man U or City defenders ATM

    16. El Presidente
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      What do you guys fancy more:

      Son + Lacazette or...

      Kane + Saka?

      Thanks!

      1. El Presidente
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Sorry, forgot to mention this is for GW18 only...

      2. richarlison2348
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Kane and Saka for me

      3. Buck The Trent
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        B

    17. Je suis le chat
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Tottenham really need a trophy, awful tally of just 2 league cups in nearly 30 years.

      1. Party time
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Yeah but they are too reliant on Son & Kane, if either/ both get get injured... they are screwed

        • Arteta
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Yup. They've been really close a few times but always missed something/someone at the end.

          1. Je suis le chat
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Jose might give them the killer instinct, though the could do with more offensive assets.

        • Qaiss
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Last won the league before man went to the moon!

          1. Je suis le chat
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            So did Liverpool, lol!

          2. Party time
              3 years, 2 months ago

              😆

              By the way, we are in the same mini league. Lol 😆

              Dammit... you are doing well

              1. Qaiss
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Oh really? Lol. Which mini league is that? 😀

                And thanks!

                1. Party time
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Man, The Hunting Party. You are smashing it. I better not let you know my team, I am in the relegation zone 😆

                    1. Qaiss
                      • 8 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      Haha thanks you. I did well with getting 90 points this week and not owning Bruno.

                      Ah yes, I enjoy being in that mini league. Really competitive also.

                      Don’t worry about it, there’s still a long way to go, not even halfway through yet 🙂

                      1. Party time
                          3 years, 2 months ago

                          Hahaha

                          1. Qaiss
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 2 months ago

                            Tell me your team name and I’ll check out your team every week 😉

            • Paqueta Rice
              • 3 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              A or B folks

              A) Cancelo and Sterling
              Or
              B) Stones/Maguire and Kdb

              1. Paqueta Rice
                • 3 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Anyone?

                With Kdb rising and Taylor dropping I am under pressure

              2. Volley127
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                B. Stones.

                1. Paqueta Rice
                  • 3 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Thank you. Do you think Kdb starts both games? If Aguero plays will Kdb stay on penalties?

                  1. My heart goes Salalalalah
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Can just hope he plays both. He can kill it without pens

                  2. Volley127
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 11 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    No worries.

                    Definitely expect him too. I’d be shocked if he didn’t.

                    KDB on pens too I reckon. Taken the last few and magbe even Aguero missed his last?

            • Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              I'm sorry the above type of article really annoys me the 'we care' vibe. Trying to equate fpl to a broad phrase mental health, it is a bit pathetic. And cheapens those who suffer or have suffered with a serious mental health condition.
              It should simply come with a statement at the start saying anyone who finds themselves really upset over something as trivial as fantasy football should seek professional advice/help. As it may be a sign of an underlying mental illness or problem.

              Instead we have a headline screaming Mental Health and fpl and twee lines like the following:

              "When we allow something to be meaningful to us, we become vulnerable to its forces. In terms of FPL, this means we are choosing to be at the mercy of its ups and downs, and we can’t have the ups without the downs."

              Reading like a self help guru 'new age' book in my opinion. Grandiose statements of nothingness. Showing people 'care'.

              Next week fpl and how betting can be harmful to addictive personalities....and mental health

              Oh wait...that would not please the many betting sponsors on the site. No hypocrisy there then.

              1. DA Minnion (Former great)
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Why are you on here if it annoys you so much.

                1. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                  • 14 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  I commented on the article as I am free to do. I come to the site for fpl talk not 'Alan Partridge-esque' guff about mental health and mindfulness.

              2. Qaiss
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I agree. Mentioning FPL and mental health in the same sentence is a bit weird to be honest, when people in this world have serious mental illnesses and need to take pills to stay well. That’s mental illness. Mental illness is not being down because you had a bad week on FPL.

                FPL is literally only a game and if it gets to that stage where it makes you extremely upset, you need help or to have a look at yourself, much like if you get extremely upset playing a video game on a PlayStation.

                1. Nimby
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 5 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Probably aimed at people like Fudgy.

                  1. Qaiss
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    I think Fudgy is trolling most of the time though. But I just don’t understand why people feel the need to mention mental health and FPL in the same sentence.

                    Playing FPL in the 18/19 season, I actually stopped around gameweek 10 because I was frustrated with myself for a big FPL decision I made. So I just decided to stop that season. And yeah I have a 900k on my rank history but whatever, it helped me going forward (last season and this season) to not get too frustrated at this game and look at it differently also.

                    1. Nimby
                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                      • 5 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      So you stooped for the benefit of your mental health? Seems the article is a good and valuable one, then. I liked it anyway.

                      1. Qaiss
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 2 months ago

                        Nah, not my mental health. I stopped because I got angry that I took Aubameyang out (I support Arsenal) who was my differential, he then hauled twice in a row and Kane who I brought in blanked against Cardiff.

                        I didn’t get that upset but was just frustrated. It was a moment of ‘rage quit’ rather than stopping to benefit my mental health. But tbh, having a break helped me do better last season and this season, as I said.

                    2. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                      • 14 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      See you took the advice of those betting ads - when the 'fun stops stop'. That is the right thing to do. If you are really not enjoying it stop. Simple.

                      However, I remember there was one particular poster on twitter tweeting to Mark Sutherns. Having a big dramatic I am quitting fpl tweet for all these vacuous 'whoa is me' reasons. I thought it was a p take. Until I read Sutherns reply: 'you are a valued member of the community and we will miss you'. With plenty of other comments 'chin up mate'. You would swear someone died. I could not believe it! And quitting fpl seemed to need some sort of communal send off! It was very odd.

                      1. Flair
                        • 3 Years
                        3 years, 2 months ago

                        To be fair, Sutherns is pretty professional. Doubt he'd start dishing out life advice on Twitter.

                        1. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                          • 14 Years
                          3 years, 2 months ago

                          Just to clarify he went as far as saying 'we will miss if you you were a valued member of the community' along those lines. It was not 'professional advice as such. It was followed by other comments by other twitter users having real sympathy, chin up, don't quit, 'we all have bad days' and so on.

                          One I found it odd a person had to tell the world he was quitting. Two that the person had to make a big drama of it and look for sympathy. For stopping playing fpl. It seemed way out of proportion to what it was.

                      2. Ginkapo FPL
                        • 12 Years
                        3 years, 2 months ago

                        Those betting ad disclaimers are there to protect peoples mental health and fight against addiction.

                        1. Westfield Irons ⭐️
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 13 Years
                          3 years, 2 months ago

                          Betting companies don't give a damn about that stuff, the disclaimers are a legal requirement

                          1. Ginkapo FPL
                            • 12 Years
                            3 years, 2 months ago

                            A legal requirement created because.....

                            1. Westfield Irons ⭐️
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 2 months ago

                              OK sure, but let's be realistic, they are to protect the betting companies from a lawsuit or similar action. Like the warning on cigarette packs or 'drink aware', a token gesture, to pacify the anti campaigners and probably put lawyers from taking them on. They don't actually 'protect' anyone. They could do more if they wanted to. I'll sit back down...

                              1. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                                • 14 Years
                                3 years, 2 months ago

                                Exactly, they would be happy if people gambled or drank to a certain excess, but not enough to stop completely and reach the bottom of the barrel. They are businesses. All the 'time outs' and taking a break is only designed to let the person with addictive personality to recharge and start the cycle again.

                                1. Westfield Irons ⭐️
                                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                  • 13 Years
                                  3 years, 2 months ago

                                  my last comment on this, re betting sponsors on this site. I don't think it's reasonable to criticise FFS for taking betting sponsors and suggest they are hypocrites for trying to do something positive for mental health awareness. They need sponsors to keep the site going. I've been using this site for nearly 10 years, but i'm such a tight wad i've never paid for membership, so i accept they need sponsors and betting companies are going to be the most lucrative for a site like this. Re mental health articles, you can choose to read or ignore, no harm done

                2. Ginkapo FPL
                  • 12 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  Where does the article say mental illness?

                  Some people have physical disabilities, the rest of us are just unfit. Do you object to the idea of physical health given others suffer with major issues?

                  Mental health does not equate to mental illness. Just as physical health does not equate to physical illness.

                  1. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                    • 14 Years
                    3 years, 2 months ago

                    Mental illness comes under the umbrella of mental health as you well know. And oftentimes overlap.

                    Your point about physical disabilities is phrased badly. But my answer to that is the best way to help people with physical disabilities help themselves where possible. Their own programme not to go out and seek pity, or some kind of 'pity party' which many in the fpl 'community' seem to find fashionable.

                    Also many physical common physical disabilities are caused by neurological disorders. So physical health can equate to physical illness.

                    1. Qaiss
                      • 8 Years
                      3 years, 2 months ago

                      Spot on

                      1. Ginkapo FPL
                        • 12 Years
                        3 years, 2 months ago

                        I presume neither of you takes any measures to improve your physical health then.

                        1. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                          • 14 Years
                          3 years, 2 months ago

                          I do actually and I would know a far bit about it from various angles. But what you are trying to do is again equate fpl to mental health in around about way.
                          You will say people take care of their physical health. People take care of their mental health. Fine fair enough. I understand that. But to tie in Mental Health to fpl for the most oblique reasons is wrong. Just being annoyed about a transfer should not be dramatically called 'mental health'.

                          If there are people who get seriously upset about fpl they should be checked for underlying causes by medical professionals.

                          But Feeling 'a bit down' or mumbo jumbo about 'mindfulness' for the most minor of issues sounds like a parody show. It would actually make a great skit and great youtube channel surprised it has not been done already.

                3. Wrong Captain Choice - Ag i…
                  • 14 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  It is. It is not the first time they have done it either as if people are trying to pretend they are 'suffering' or something. A manufactured suffering, As I said, simply saying consult your medical professional as it may be the sign of underlying conditions if you become overly upset about fpl. I could kind of understand that. Simple and to the point. No mumbo jumbo guff. Then carry on with fpl talk.

                  But to latch the broad term 'mental health' to fpl would be laughable if it we not so serious. It reads like somewhere between a p take or a very bad self-help parody book.

              3. Camzy
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 13 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                It helps some people so I'm okay with it. Judging by the comments it is an appreciated article, so I see no reason to put it down.

                I don't really get much out of most of these articles seeing as I'm watching every game, so whatever they feel is relevant/people will find interesting I'm fine with.

                That includes this piece, Football Index, Fantasy5 whatever.

                My favorite articles nowadays are the pro pundit ones which largely feel like an extension of the comment section.

            • Babit1967
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Mendy to Pope - 4 , suppose I would need Burnley to keep a cleanie at home to Man U to benefit, but even if Man U score Pope is prob guaranteed save points

              Worth the transfer ?

              1. Gudjohnsen
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Mendy has 2 fixtures in 19 right?

              2. Over Midwicket
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 12 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Awful transfer

              3. Stormbringer22
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 4 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Not a fan of that move

            • KGFC
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Do you think both Salah and KDB will change in their prices??

              Salah on -90 while KDB is +101

              1. BeWater
                • 3 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                I transferred Salah out for KDB yesterday. It looked like KDB was going to rise last night. He didn't in the end but will tonight.

                1. Westfield Irons ⭐️
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 2 months ago

                  I think the same will happen with KDB tonight, you might get away with another 24 hours before both happen

            • Qaiss
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              What are folk doing in relation to Spurs assets from game week 19 onwards? Are you keeping at least one or will you have non going from that point forward?

              1. BeWater
                • 3 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                It's really difficult. I transferred Kane out a few weeks ago. Got Son at the moment but he may go next week too. I'm looking at having Salah, Bruno, KDB and Vardy as the 4 premium players.

              2. GreennRed
                • 12 Years
                3 years, 2 months ago

                Dunno. Was thinking of selling Bissouma and Kane for De Bruyne and fodder. But will wait and see cos Salah to Dé Bruyne looking like plan B.

            • JohnnyRev7
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              @domwatts23

              Great article. I work in HR so many paragraphs resonate with me as we all go through difficult times.

              Many thanks.

            • JELLYFISH
              • 11 Years
              3 years, 2 months ago

              Guys, does this lot need a FH:

              Target Kilman Stones
              Fernandes KDB* Son
              Kane DCL

              * = Salah > KDB -4