We make our regular Friday call in on the Sky Sports game, assessing the recent run of Man of the Match (MoTM) awards, the bonus point magnets and the current market trends. As always, we also look ahead to the forthcoming Gameweek, offering our preferred captain strategy.
Gameweek 8 Man of the Match Awards
Listed below is a match-by-match breakdown of the players who won the plaudits from the Sky Sports reporters last time out, earning five additional points for the Man-of-the-Match award.
| Fixture | MoTM |
| Newcastle vs Liverpool | Steven Gerrard |
| Arsenal vs Norwich | Aaron Ramsey |
| Chelsea vs Cardiff | Eden Hazard |
| Everton vs Hull City | Curtis Davies |
| Man Utd vs Southampton | Adam Lallana |
| Stoke vs West Brom | Asmir Begovic |
| Swansea vs Sunderland | Jonathan de Guzman |
| West Ham vs Man City | Sergio Aguero |
| Aston Villa vs Tottenham | Andros Townsend |
| Crystal Palace vs Fulham | Pajtim Kasami |
Looking at the spread of awards, midfielders continue to come out on top with a total of seven MoTMs out of the ten fixtures. The other three were shared equally with goalkeepers, defenders and forwards claiming one apiece. After backing Pajtim Kasami and Curtis Davies to continue their form last week, the duo once again delivered and earned the award for the second and third time respectively. Big hitting pair Sergio Aguero and Eden Hazard were the game’s top scorers overall both achieving 20 points following two goals, an assist and the MoTM award.
Gameweek 8 Bonus Points
Six Goalkeepers managed five saves or more – Norwich’s John Ruddy and Manchester United’s David De Gea were the top shot stoppers with seven and six saves respectively; both have now earned bonus points twice so far this season.
In defence, a total of 13 players fetched bonus, six for tackles and seven for passes completed – Manchester City centre-back Matija Nastasic was the closet to achieving both, just missing out with three tackles completed; one short of the required four. Crystal Palace’s full-back Joel Ward remains the top defender for bonus points so far this term, achieving four or more tackles in five of his six games to this point.
In midfield, 21 players picked up bonus – 11 for tackling and 12 for passes. England duo Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard were the two players to gain bonus for both. Aaron Ramsey (16bps) and Steven N’Zonzi (14bps) remain the overall bonus point darlings in this position.
Somewhat surprisingly, one forward managed to gain bonus last weekend – Chelsea’s Samuel Eto’o was the man in question, he managed to make four tackles, earning him an additional two points.
A reminder that Fantasy Football Scout members can access all the data regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.
The Transfer Trends
Top Transfers Out
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Rose | Tottenham | 4.7 | 6.03% |
| Van Persie | Man Utd | 10 | 4.06% |
| Ben Arfa | Newcastle | 5.9 | 3.30% |
| Soldado | Tottenham | 8.1 | 2.34% |
| Coloccini | Newcastle | 5.2 | 2.29% |
Robin Van Persie, Roberto Soldado and Danny Rose were amongst last week’s top five in terms of transfers out and the trio have again suffered big losses over the past seven days. Hatem Ben Arfa and Fabricio Coloccini join the list amidst rotation and injury worries surrounding the Magpies pairing, while faltering form from Van Persie and Soldado continues to sting their ownership, despite both fetching goals last weekend.
Top Transfers In
| Name | Team | Value | % of Managers |
| Lovren | Southampton | 5.2 | 5.88% |
| Townsend | Tottenham | 4.6 | 5.69% |
| Ramsey | Arsenal | 5.8 | 4.47% |
| Davies | Hull City | 4.5 | 3.78% |
| Ozil | Arsenal | 8.8 | 3.24% |
The regular trio of Dejan Lovren (5.88%), Aaron Ramsey (4.47%) and Mesut Ozil (3.24%) continue to attract substantial investment. Hull’s centre-back Curtis Davies has been drafted in by 3.78% of Fantasy managers and is now owned by just over 10% of the total players in the game. Flavour of the month, Andros Townsend, has been fetched in by 5.69% following on from his recent performances for club and country – at just 4.6 million he is yet another candidate to offer outstanding value in midfield.
Gameweek 9 Proposed Captain Strategy
Looking ahead to the armband options for the weekend, we highlight two possible strategies that offer potential dividends, whilst also setting us up nicely for the following Gameweek.
With no Monday night football this time around, our focus is on maximising the potential of Sunday’s four fixtures. An Arsenal skipper for the early kick-off at Selhurst Park looks a must so, if you’ve got the armband on Mesut Ozil or Olivier Giroud, you’re all set and can pocket your captain change for Sunday. If not, it’s certainly worth considering backing a Gunners asset, with a transfer used to shift your captaincy ahead of Sunday’s kick-offs. An Arsenal to City or Arsenal to Chelsea tactic looks the best option on offer.
Captain Option 1
You have a captain playing Saturday and use a captain change to a player featuring in Sunday’s matches. For example:
Our Strategy:
Olivier Giroud → Sergio Aguero
Although selecting Sergio Aguero for his tough fixture away to Chelsea may not the obvious route, it would enable you to go into the following Gameweek with the armband on the Argentine against Norwich the following Saturday.
Captain Option 2
You have a captain playing Saturday and use a captain change to a player taking part in Sunday’s matches. For example:
Our Strategy:
Mesut Ozil → Eden Hazard
If you have Ozil or choose to bring him in this week, you can use your captain change to assign him as your skipper, using an additional transfer to bring in Hazard as his replacement ahead of Sunday’s matches. Hazard goes into the following Gameweek facing a trip to Newcastle on the Saturday. Similarly, a transfer to Silva ahead of Sunday would get you the Spaniard at home to Norwich for the following Gameweek.
The Fantasy Football Scout League
Our own Fantasy Football Scout League has reclaimed top spot in the Private League rankings. With a £1000 prize to the winner, you’d be mad not to get involved. To join, visit Sky Sports Fantasy Football and key in League Name: FFScout, League Code: 8000112.
The Fantasy Football Club
Just over an hour away, this week in The Fantasy Football Club show, you can catch Fenners and Merse will be discussing the previous week’s Fantasy Football events, chatting to Ledley King and quizzing ex-Milan legend Franco Baresi for his #One2Eleven. Catch them at 6pm on Sky Sports One HD.
