Better late than never. With the Press Association finally delivering the stats, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) have been able to recalculate bonus points and add auto-subs. League tables have now been updated, affording us a chance to roll out our weekly regular:
Scout League Standings
Sitting in first place in the Scout League is T.I, after racking up 82 points last time round. Captain Nikica Jelavic, Gareth Bale and Demba Ba produced 61 point between them, with Asmir Begovic also chipping in with a clean sheet at the back. Our leader now stands fourth place overall on 452 points.
Iyad Zahlan moves into second place after handing Luis Suarez the armband last weekend. The Uruguayan produced 40 of his 75 points, while Bale and Robin Van Persie combined for a further 21; Iyad is fifth overall, having accrued 450 points in the first six Gameweeks.
Last week’s top dog Renoir Buffon slides down to third slot in the Scout League after racking up 55 points last time round. Captain Suarez was the only player to produce more than two points, yet Renoir manage to finish around the 280,000 mark in Gameweek 6. He is the third of our featured managers to be sitting in the overall top 10.
Edward O’Brien moves into fourth spot with 65 points in the previous Gameweek, despite handing Van Persie the captaincy. Suarez, Bale and Begovic were the other main protagonists as climbed into 11th slot overall.
Sanjeev Karki was the highest scorer of our top five, with 91 points racked up. Captain Suarez was joined by Bale, Jan Vertonghen, Simon Mignolet and Raheem Sterling. Sanjeev’s decision to bench Eden Hazard for Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal was a bold one that paid off in the end – he is now up to 29th in the FPL rankings.
The endeavours of our top five means that Fantasy Football Scout have extended their lead in the League of Leagues table. We now sit on 447.0, with Last Word Listeners in second on an average of 437.4.
Finally, for the contributors, Anorak remains at the summit after picking up 40 points last time round. Captain Van Persie and Demba Ba were the only players who managed more than a two-point haul as he moved to 364 points overall.
Market Trends
Demba Ba leads the way for transfers in after bagging a brace in Newcastle’s draw at Reading last Saturday. Ahead of a home clash with United this Sunday, the Magpies man has picked up over 70,000 new owners – top scorer in FPL with 47 points and with five goals in three matches and four lots of maximum bonus already, Ba has now risen from 7.5 to 8.2.
Gareth Bale is the next most popular asset. Similar to Ba, the Spurs midfielder has produced maximum bonus in each of the last three Gameweeks and is now just two points off Eden Hazard at the top of the midfielder rankings; the Welshman has risen to 9.4 after being snapped up by 67,000 Fantasy managers this week. With three home clashes in the next four (AVL, CHE, sot, WIG) he looks likely to pick up plenty more investment as Tottenham begin to click under Andre Villas-Boas.
Luis Suarez’s Carrow Road hat-trick has earned the Liverpool forward over 60,000 new owners. The Uruguayan now has back-to-back home clashes against Stoke and Reading on his agenda, as Fantasy managers scramble to get aboard the bandwagon. Peter Crouch and Steven Fletcher ‘s mid-price appeal and strong form has earned them a combined 62,000+ new owners, while Everton pair Nikica Jelavic and Marouane Fellaini have been snapped up by a similar number.
Gervinho’s role as the lone forward has earned the Arsenal man plenty of interest – classified as a midfielder, the 7.4 priced Ivorian has returned 25 points in the last three Gameweeks and, with a goal and assist in the Champions League win over Olympiakos, has subsequently been transferred into 53,000+ new teams as a viable alternative to Santi Cazorla.
Chelsea’s run of four clean sheets in the opening six fixtures is clearly having an effect. Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and Petr Cech have been subject to a combined 76,000 transfers in, with the left-back proving the most popular this week. Arsenal full-backs Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson have also been targeted, with 31,000 and 23,000 Fantasy managers persuaded by their mid-price appeal.
In terms of transfers out, Carlos Tevez leads the way – perhaps unsurprising, given he is the most-owned player in the game. With Sergio Aguero now back and amongst the goals, his compatriot has been shown the door from 90,000 teams ahead of a home clash with Sunderland.
Dimitar Berbatov is the next in line to be moved on. Over 60,000 have got rid of the Fulham forward after he missed last weekend’s home game with City, while Robin Van Persie is also losing owners – 26,000 Fantasy managers have moved on the United forward in spite of his midweek Champions League brace
Elsewhere, Michu has been sold by near on 44,000 teams; bearing in mind he now welcomes Reading and Wigan to the Liberty, this seems an odd one. Similarly, Eden Hazard – with a home game against out-of-sorts Norwich – has made his way out of 28,000 Fantasy teams. City pair Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure have lost ownership ahead of a strong run of fixtures. The only two outfield players to feature in the first XI in the opening six Gameweeks, they have been moved on by a combined total of 50,000.
