Sponsored by FanTeam
There is a prize pool of €20,000 (the equivalent of £18,000) in FanTeam‘s Pursuit game for Blank Gameweek 29 – a seven-a-side Fantasy tournament with a twist.
In Pursuit mode, players are handicapped with plus/minus bonus points according to how good a Fantasy performance is expected from them.
For example, Robert Sanchez begins this weekend on -0.76 bonus points ahead of Brighton and Hove Albion’s relegation six-pointer against Newcastle United. His opposite number, the Magpies’ Martin Dubravka, is, by contrast, handed a +0.60 start.
The seven-a-side contest will cover the four Premier League games being played in a decimated Blank Gameweek 29, starting with Fulham v Leeds United at 20:00 GMT on Friday.
The winner will take home €2,000 (£1,800), with prizes awarded down to 230th place.
Entries cost €20/£18, with up to 50 teams allowed per person and a maximum of 1,437 entrants permitted overall.
For those looking after the pennies, there is a sister tournament with exactly the same rules that costs €2/£1.80 to enter and carries a prize pool of £2,700.
ENTER YOUR OWN TEAM HERE
HOW TO PLAY: A BASIC GUIDE
Let’s boil it down to the basics: Fantasy managers need to pick seven players in total, with the usual limitation of three players per Premier League club in place.
FanTeam managers can pick up to:
- 1 Goalkeeper
- 5 Defenders
- 5 Midfielders
- 3 Forwards
There are no player prices, so you can stock up on as many of the premium assets as you so wish – although the ‘better’ players with the more appealing fixtures tend to be the ones more heavily handicapped.
Captains get double playing and bonus points, while vice-captains are awarded 1.5 times their returns.
There are two other aspects worthy of mention at this point:
- Stacking Penalty: If you decide to double (or even triple) up on goalkeepers/defenders from the same team, you’ll receive one fewer clean sheet point for every extra player you select.
- Safety Net: There is no bench or autosubs in Pursuit mode. Instead, any selected player who fails to start will be replaced by a team-mate from the same club, in the same position, with an equal or cheaper price.
SCORING SYSTEM
FPL managers looking for a way to make their knowledge pay will have no trouble picking up FanTeam‘s familiar scoring system.
Think of it as FPL without the bonus points, with a few other exceptions – detailed in the graphic above.
SCOUT’S GAMEWEEK 29 SELECTION
The different possibilities of formation, the lack of player prices, and the points handicaps blow the Gameweek 29 Pursuit wide open.
Strategies will veer from going big up top to packing the defence, and from flooding a team with players with ‘head starts’ (in the form of positive bonus points) to selecting those assets who are widely expected to do well on paper.
FanTeam’s own Pursuit strategy guide discusses ‘synergies’, emphasising the point that it’s difficult “to pick seven players from different teams and positions who will all do well” – not least because there are winning/losing ‘impact points’ dished out depending on the result.
It’s for that reason that attacking double-ups are popular in particular (see ours above), with the ‘Stacking Penalty’ of course only a mild deterrent to lumping on goalkeepers and defenders from the same side.
Head starts for Stuart Dallas and Joachim Andersen are too good to overlook ahead of a match that ought to be low-scoring based on Fulham’s excellent defensive form and Leeds’ recent goal drought, while Martin Dubravka’s +0.60 handicap looks generous given that Brighton have carved out a reputation as being profligate this season – so save points beckon at the very least.
ENTER YOUR OWN TEAM HERE
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3 years, 2 months ago
Would you captain Auba over Kane if you were an owner?