Sponsored by Smarkets
For the 2023/24 season, Smarkets are introducing some brand new markets which will allow customers to bet on virtual Fantasy points scored by Premier League players.Â
Smarkets will track real-life player performance based on their in-game actions and statistics. This will be converted into an overall score for each player – a familiar sight to many Fantasy Football managers.
HOW IT WORKS
The rules for the markets, as well as details of the scoring system, can be found here.
One important rule to make note of is that if a player does not start the match for their team, then all markets involving that player will be voided. You can therefore place bets in confidence, safe in the knowledge that a training ground injury or an unexpected benching (we’re looking at you, Pep!) will not jeopardise your bet.
Each week, Smarkets will focus their efforts on offering markets on popular players to score over/under a predicted point score, as well as interesting head-to-head match-ups. So if you want, you’ll be able to double down on your instincts by backing your player to score well.
Conversely, if you prefer to hedge your risk, you will have the opportunity to bet against your own player or to back a player you couldn’t fit into your Fantasy team. Or, you may simply see value in the odds and spot an opportunity to make a profit by capitalising on that.
Can’t decide whether to pick Alexander Isak or Ollie Watkins up front in your Fantasy team? Are you thinking of owning Harry Kane over Erling Haaland after the former grabbed four goals in Spurs’ last pre-season friendly? These are the sort of tough decisions facing Fantasy managers every week. Now, you’ll be able to bet on your convictions with Smarkets.
GAMEWEEK 1
In Gameweek 1, Smarkets will be looking at some of the key decisions facing Fantasy managers who no doubt have spent pre-season tinkering with their teams. Both Arsenal and Manchester United will fancy their chances of starting the season strongly with favourable home ties against Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. Smarkets will therefore be offering markets on the scores of some of their popular attackers, with markets available on the performance of Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, alongside United’s dangermen Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. They’ll also, of course, be offering markets on the perennially popular Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Mohammed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, among others.
For the aforementioned Arsenal players, Smarkerts will be setting the over/under line at 7.5 points as they welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates. Forest managed a league-low of 11 goals and 8 points away from home last season, while Arsenal were dominant at home, with 53 goals and 45 points. This game therefore looks perfect for Arsenal’s trio to get off to a fast start and they could make a mockery of the traders’ 7.5 point prediction.
Despite a quiet performance in the Community Shield, Erling Haaland is widely expected to score highly again this season. Smarkets therefore will be offering betting on him to score over or under 8.5 points. He could beat this target with at least 60 minutes played (2 points), a goal scored (4 points) and maximum bonus (3 points), provided he avoids any negative points from cards or a penalty miss. It would take a brave person to bet against him.
All Fantasy Football markets can be found under the Football Outrights section in Smarkets.
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