We take our weekly assessment of the goings-on in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game to find that the community’s grip on the race for title of champion has strengthened further. As always, we take a look at the top five in the Scout League – with a significant change in the pecking order – and analyse the transfer activity, with the market that’s somewhat slow after the hectic activicty of the double Gameweek trading.

Scout League Standings

There’s a real shake-up at the top of the Scout League as Kelvin Travers moves ahead of the pack after scoring 87 points in Gameweek 33. Kelvin picked up 32 points from captain Robin Van Persie, while Leighton Baines, David De Gea, Michael Turner, Juan Mata and Steven Gerrard all produced six points or more as he moved onto 2,148 points – enough to clinch top spot in the overall standings.

In second position is former world number one Julian Zipparo. He falls after a 72 point Gameweek, with his decision to captain Marouane Fellaini over Van Persie proving costly. Wojciech Szczesny, Guy Demel and Glen Johnson chipped in along with Mata and Baines as Julian registered 2,142 points overall – he is also second in the world.

We’ve a new entry at number three. Matt Martyniak racked up 84 points last time out, with captain Van Persie leading the charge. West Ham duo Jussi Jaaskelainen and Guy Demel combined for 10 points, while Baines and Mata, along with Bacary Sagna and Jose Enrique, all produced. True to form, Matt is also third in the overall rankings and has 2,132 points accrued so far.

In fourth position is Evs – a familiar name on the comment boards – after an 86 point haul. He also handed Van Persie the armband, while Baines, De Gea and Sagna were also joined by single Gameweek options Eden Hazard and Adrian Mariappa as Evs climbed to fifth overall, with 2,118 points.

Sanjeev Karki completes the top five after a 66 point return in Gameweek 33. He captained Theo Walcott and also had Olivier Giroud on hand for a combined 27 points, while Van Persie, Demel, Jaaskelainen and Enrique all boosted his tally as Sanjeev ended the week on 2,112 points – enough to sit sixth in the overall standings.

With our top five all sitting in the world’s top six, there’s no surprise to see that we’ve extended our lead at the top of the “Best Leagues” to 19 points over our nearest rival. Once again, the FFS Members league sits in second position, with Julian and Evs joined by MP, Dan Jones and Jimmy Smith in our top five.

For Contributors, Rate My Team guru, Professor Chris Atkinson, remains top after a 64 point haul last week. He took a 16 point hit and doubled up on the Everton defence, with Baines and Sylvain Distin combining for 30 points, while Arsenal trio Santi Cazorla (captain), Jack Wilshere and Giroud produced 27 points between them as Chris moved to 801st in the overall rankings.

Market Trends

Midfield seems to be the most popular area for restructuring this week, with Michu the most transferred in player thus far. After his blank last weekend, the Swansea man has earned over 21,000 new owners and also has a double Gameweek 36 on the horizon – surprisingly, of the top five most acquired midfielders, only Shaun Maloney has a double left. The 5.0 priced Wigan man has been picked up by around 9,000 managers, less than Marouane Fellaini (17,000), Stephane Sessegnon (13,000) and Theo Walcott (10,000).

Up top, Robin Van Persie leads the way after scoring in both his appearances over United’s double. The Dutchman has earned over 9,000 new owners prior to Monday’s home match with Villa, with Carlos Tevez’s strong recent form (four goals in six) allied with a double Gameweek making the City forward next in line. Further down, a trio of mid-price options are also picking up in popularity – Rickie Lambert, Christian Benteke and Olivier Giroud have been acquired by 6 -7,000.

Fantasy managers have been slow to replenish their backlines so far this week. Norwich’s Michael Turner is the most popular defender – over 6,000 have snapped up the Canaries centre-half, who has three home games in five to play out the season. West Ham pair Joey O’Brien (5,000) and Jussi Jaaskelainen (4,000) have been acquired for a similar reason, while Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen and Everton duo Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka have all earned plenty new ownership, with Vertonghen’s recent attacking exploits and upcoming double furthering his potential.

In terms of transfers out, Gareth Bale leads the way. Over 17,000 have sold the Welshman with doubts still surrounding his availability for Tottenham’s clash with City on Sunday, while elsewhere in north London, Arsenal pair Gervinho and Santi Cazorla have been sold by 13,000 and 9,000 respectively after failing to produce in the Gunners’ double. Moussa Sissoko is also proving unpopular – the Magpies man has been ushered out of 12,000 sides after a single assist in the last five Gameweeks.

Four back-to-back blanks have persuade over 12,000 to part company with Luis Suarez ahead of Liverpool’s home game with Chelsea, while Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney’s double Gameweek failures have persuaded 10,000+ and 5,000+ respectively to move the duo on. At the back, Stoke’s Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross continues to shed owners in light of one clean sheet in 15, while Arsene Wenger’s decision to field Kieran Gibbs for both Arsenal’s games in the double has seen Nacho Monreal exit over 8,000 squads.