Today’s Members article is the third instalment focusing on player value. We turn our attentions to the top ten midfielders in our Members Projections area and analyse just why we anticipate each of them to be so budget-friendly Fantasy prospects in the upcoming 2011/12 campaign. With three of our top four are already justifying our hopes in early pre-season by finding the net in their respective clubs’ friendlies, some of the names are already blinking brightly on our radars…
Anyone getting Everton cover outside of the defence?
Open Controlsthanks for your reply soup or man on the prev page, can i ask if your soup from last season?
Open ControlsThere is a difference between me and Soop, if thats what youre wondering.
I was Supermanderson/ Chuck Norris for most of last season.Open Controls😳 sorry man avin a mare following who is who cheers
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Really don't know, their fixtures are amazing but they have the most boring mediocre players in FPL terms. Cahill is too expensive without seeing some form, maybe Beckford could be worth it but he still isn't the most prolific.
Open ControlsOsman could be worth a look
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yes cahill. never owned him last season but fancy a crack the first five gameweeks, then swap for VDV
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Arsenal Transfer Shcoker
Forget Man City and their massive transfer, Arsenal are set for something bigger as they fight to stay in the top four. Consider your fantasy football team again when you read this article below:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3720784/Arsenal-land-Juan-Mata-Phil-Jagielka-is-next.htmlOpen ControlsSuperDunny are you around?
Will Hanley be a starter? Not many great options at 4.0.Open ControlsIf we lose Samba maybe but probably not.
Salgado Samba Nelsen Givet
or
Salgado Nelsen Givet OlssonOpen Controls
So many players not even in the FPL game. Formica, Adebayor, Bellamy, Bridge etc.
Not that Id have any of them, except Ade if he went out on loan.Open ControlsFormica might of tempted me for a cheapie.
Citeh's new defender (not that he'll play much) and Norwich's winger from Brighton are missing too.Open ControlsThere is a decent chance he'll be OOP as well. FPL will probably have him as a midfielder and he will be playing off a lone front man if pre season is anything to go by
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i'd look at adebayor and boyata if they loan them out
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Barton or Sinclair hmmmmm!
Can't decideOpen ControlsSinclair.
Open ControlsBarton
Open ControlsI actually have them both at the mo but Barton would definitely be much choice.
He's been there, seen it and got the yellow cardOpen Controls
barton for me
Open Controlslooks like u av the casting vote st george 😆
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Not alot in it then I'm still undecided. Better check fixtures
Open ControlsMaybe just go ohara!
Open ControlsHavent seen many people include Dirk Kuyt in their RMT's.
Is there a reason?? I have him in mine atm.
Surely he is a player with point making potential.Open ControlsHey guys... RMT please. Any improvements
Given Ruddy
Clichy Kompany Hughes simpson orr
Malouda Silva O’Hara Moses Nzogbia
Rooney Suarez Holt
I have 0.5 in the bank and plan on changing clichy to Luiz/Alex, depending on whoever partners Terry in GW 1. Thoughts?Open ControlsI quite like it...
Obviously you'll be keeping tabs on the Suarez news... if he isn't back in time you could consider Zamora and upgrade your defense with the extra cash...Open Controlsdecent shout. only potential issue with the chelsea defence is away at stoke could persuade AVB to play ivanovic and alex in gw1 and then two nice home games he could easily change to bosingwa and luiz? horses for courses
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anybody nervous that taarabt and sinclair will nosedive in price if they flop the first few weeks? They are selected by quite a bunch of managers...
Open ControlsDoes anyone know is Rafael is solid to start in Manure's back four?
Open Controlsi;d avoid. even in O'Shea's departure it is a still a rotation risk. Ferguson likes a versatile defence and i think we could see fabio and even smalling rotate through RB.
Open ControlsI was with you until 'Manure'
And SAF rotates defense least of the team. O'Shea was never a risk to Fabio or Rafael. Or anyone.Open ControlsSo... you are saying Rafael will be getting consistent starts?
Open ControlsRafael is 60-70% the starter at RB. The community shield will help make the case.
He was first choice (over Fabio) until his injuries late last year ... Fabio did very well in his absence ... but Rafael seems to be getting the love in this preseason.
SAF would rotate Jones into RB before Smalling, imo.Open ControlsYou sure it was just injuries Eric? I got the impression that saf's favour swung to fabio at the end of the season. There was a couple headless chicken performances and defensive shockers from rafa and fabio looked more composed when he came in.
Open ControlsI agree SAF swung to Fabio - and that he played quite well. I just think it's a toss-up right now ... hence their cheap pricing by FPL.
Gun to my head I'd say Raf ... because he started earlier than Fabio and because of his head-butt with Tevez 😀
Based on last season, I'd say Fabio was the better defender and Rafael the better offensive player ... I'm just guessing SAF will go offensive with his wing backs.Open ControlsYeah fair points. Certainly too much doubt to start with either imo. No gambles from the start for me this year 🙂
Open ControlsAgreed there. Right now I'm going Roon for United coverage. I'm staying away from United defense until fixtures lighten up/things get a bit more predictable in the back four.
I like to put 2-3 gambles at the start on the team ... right now, it's Holt, Taarabt, and a defender to be named. Looking for rapid price rises while still minimizing risk. Avoiding the Raf/Fab for the mo.Open ControlsYeah I'm starting with shrek too. Avoiding taraabt though.
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Kuyt anyone?
I know 10 is expensive but surely he is worth the gamble.Open ControlsWell, I'm concerned he might suffer from rotation. Adam, Maxi, Downing, Meireles, Gerrard... too many mids at Liv.
Open ControlsYeah, you might be right.
Not sure how they plan on lining up.
However its the same with most big teams this season.
ManU's midfield
Liverpools midfield
Man City's midfield. If Tevez stays, Mancini might play him on the left with Aguero as striker.Open Controls
Kuyt is only 'off the radar' until we see what a starting midfield is for 'Pool and how recent signings will affect his play.
Open ControlsThat said, with Suarez and Carroll, and the endless midfield options, he can't be seen as a serious investment.
Open ControlsPersonally, I would agree. Of course, I refused to pick him up late last year because I was not a believer and that burned me. For weeks. Ugh.
That said, although I like Kuyt in general, I believe his FPL prospects are too speculative to warrant a 10.0 pricetag at this point.
Suarez/Carroll for liverpool coverage, imo.Open Controls
Dobbie & holt
or
Hoolahan & graham?Open ControlsB I think. Though maybe just graham and someone else.
Open ControlsCheers. Got a feeling about hoolahan doing well this season. Probably more worried about graham tbh
Open ControlsHoolahan keeps cropping up in my thinking too... I quite like the look of Norwich for some under-the-radar bargains. I'd say their fixtures are at least as good as QPR and Swansea's for the first 6 games, arguably the best of the 3, barring Chelsea GW3 obviously.
Open ControlsYeah gw 1,2,4 look like good opportunities for returns from hoolahan & holt. Norwich will go balls out attacking like blackpool last season too, probably suicidal but should lead to attacking returns. I think Qpr & swansea will be take a more cautious approach.
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whats everyone think of this one...
given/kenny
baines/kompany/cole/de laet/simpson
barton/taraabt/sinclair/n'zogbia/silva
rooney/rodallega/zamora.Open ControlsSo, Victor Moses... the real deal, or the new Boselli?
Open ControlsNot boselli as he's been blooded into the prem slowly and played his whole career in England. Unlike boselli it's easier to know what to expect.
He's not going to match n'zogbia's wigan returns but should be a solid pick at 5.0Open Controls
Are you guys still getting those login issues? No matter how many times you change your password it still happens. Used to be able to bypass it once you got the login error by clicking login at the top, now it wont even allow me in!!! What a POS this new site is!
Open Controlswhen u log in... it will say wrong password. just click on 'Home' right above the email part and you will be in.... I think
Open ControlsI just click login twice. Always works the 2nd time.
Open Controlsnope.. not working at all for either suggestion. Used to be able to bypass this bullsh1t error by clicking login on the top right, now its just returning back to the home page not logged in. Im about to snap something!
Open ControlsHmm that sucks. Email fpl. The new site was clearly rolled out still fairly buggy.
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here is my team with reasons please critisise
given (ruddy)
huth hangeland alcaraz (simpson gabbidon)
VDV taarabt nzogbia titoe ferguson
suarez RVP rooney
given is best choice outside the pricey top 4 keepers who do not get enough points compared to midfield and strikers
huth and hangeland are the best fpl pointswise outside the expensive baines cole vidic trio and are significant cheaper. considered getting in players such as rafael and gibbs who could be regulars for top 4 but noticed players such as sagna and evra who are 1st teamers still got less points despite more clean sheets
kompany who was best cb last season only got 96 points so i see greatest points return in the likes of huth hangeland and considering samba or cahill if they move to big 4
vdv best midfield option imo and nzogbia is a class act.. taarabt if he can perform at pl level will be by far the bargain of season having watched him many times truly is some player
gone for 3 big strikers as i believe other midfielders( fab gerrard lampard) are overpriced and so best value in strikeers this year... only 2 strikers that can break this trio is aguero and tevez wil wait to see how man city use them
big downside to the team is the bench is very weak and taking a huge gamble on inuries there
any thoughts?Open Controlsdespite your top heaviness i dont mind it. Midfield is good but tiote is a huge liability and looks like u will have to play him 50% of the time... Your defence doesn't have enough CS's at all...
YOur reasoning behind spending heavy on forwards doesn't make sense as a defender who will score 150 is worth 7-8 whereas a striker will be 10-12Open ControlsHuth and Hangeland will surely do worse than last season. Huth was the luckiest player in the league, and hangeland will suffer from Jol's attacking bent.
Kompany's yer man.Open Controlsexactly. or clichy. i think wolves opening run is ok and Johnson is a prospect as he scores legitimate goals, unlike huths lottery type goals where he happens to be on the goal line for a tap in.
Open ControlsHuth takes heaps of shots for a cb. Even scored a couple from outside the box.
I wouldn't touch him for 6.0 though.Open Controls
Just realised if I spin my chair to the right it causes more interference with the radio. It's been a productive day.
Open ControlsRight rmt....
Given Al Habsi
Cole Kompany Bramble Simpson Orr
Lampard Sessegnon Ireland Moses Taarabt
Rooney Suarez Zamora
-Given and Al Habsi rotate well.
-Cole and Kompany will play every week, and one of the other 3 will play depending on fixtures. Simpson and Bramble rotate well 90% of the time, and Orr can fill in the other 10%.
-Lamps will play every week, while the other 4 and Zamora will be rotated for 4 spots in the team.
-Rooney and Suarez could change depending on Aguero's price, Tevez's whereabouts and Suarez's fitness gw1.
Thoughts?Open Controlsi really dont understand how kompany only got 95 points even nedum onouha lescott and zabaleta outscored him ?!
Open ControlsTrying to get a balanced team with plenty of options and came up with this:
Given, Ruddy
S Taylor, Gibbs, Jagielka, R Dunne, Kompany
O'Hara, Albrighton, VDV, Silva, Moses
Rooney, Graham, Carroll
What do you think advice welcome please.Open Controlsgibbs is rotation risk
carroll has been hopeless all preseason looks so unfit suarex better option and cheaper
good other than thatOpen Controls
After days of boredom, studying and tinkering, this is what I've came up with.
Reina (Al Habsi)
A. Cole, Hangeland, M. Richards, Kompany, (Simpson)
VDV, Sinclair, Taarabt, (Brunt, Ephraim)
Bent, Suarez, K Davies
Davies, Taarabt and Brunt would be rotated depending on fixtures. Also by choosing mids around 6.5 mil, if players aren't preforming there's lots of others who are affordable to put in their place. e.g. Sessegnon for Taarabt.
What do you think?
Be gentle ;o)Open ControlsNot so sure about doubling up on City Defenders, not too sure on Davies and i have no idea who Ephraim is, but apart from that its quite good chap.
Open ControlsYea, I don't like doubling up but looking at their games and the price in comparison to United or Chelsea defenders they seemed better value. I'm a Liverpool fan but don't know who our choice defense will be. That's 1 position that could change. Cheers though mate.
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Kevin Davies has terrible fixtures early on get Ba or maybe Holt instead. I'd say Clichy is more nailed on in City's defence than Richards. You could downgrade Hangeland to Hughes and use the 1.5 to upgrade Eprahim
Open ControlsHangeland scores infinitely more than hughes though. 2nd top defender last year. I agree wi the fixtures but I think that Newcastle could be shocking. Also Holt, I had him in before too but changed my mind, I'm already risking two championship players wi Sinclair and Taarabt. I chose Davies because he's proven and last season towards the end he was unplayable.
Thanks for the response.Open ControlsKeep in mind Martin Jol is an attacking manager so Fulham may not get as many clean sheets, which is why I wouldnt have Hangeland
Open ControlsFar comment, that's the reason why I'd take him over Hughes though. He scores goals and picks up bonus points. I'd like to put Huth or Shawcross in but their fixtures are terrible.
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Doubling on City is a gamble, but might pay off. I personally like nthe double-defender gambit ... just wondering if Richards is better than Clichy.
VDV has vicious fixtures weeks 2-5, although you mkight be thinking he's class enough to produce anyway.
Since you have Reina and will, presumably, be starting him 95% of the time ... why not downgrade Al-Habsi to Ruddy and get Hart/Cech instead?Open ControlsI'd prefer Reina over Hart and Cech anyway and seeing as though I already have a Chelsea defender and 2 city defenders I think it could be overkill. Hughes does look good value but Hangeland was my 2nd choice defender after Cole. I'm still uming and arring over Davies.
Thanks again peeps keep the comments comingOpen ControlsRb seems 50/50 between Richards and zabaletta. Kompany & lescott look the safe options to start with.
Open ControlsI'd disagree. Clichy is a safer bet than Lescott. I wouldn't be surprised if Onuoha got the nod over Lescott.
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Davies will get you more yellows than goals. 2 QPR mids might be a little over reliant. Hangeland is too dear imo, especially when Hughes is only 5.
Has potential though.Open Controlshow did fulham get so many clean sheets last season? dya think hughes was one season guy or is he worth putting in again
Open ControlsHughes wasnt a one season guy, thats for sure.
Open ControlsA lot of people talking about Fulham not doing as well defensively this season, but at the moment they have the same key defensive personnel, i.e. Schwarzer, Hangelaand, Hughes- and the same hard-working midfield. They're not going to forget how to defend, they've been consistently solid for a fair while. Maybe they'll be a bit more gung-ho and drop a couple of clean sheets, but I don't think the difference will be that drastic.
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any ideas on who are the best defenders priced at 4.. from newly prmoted teams as well?
Open ControlsOrr and Simpson are the most popular here.
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Best 4.5 defender?
A. Bramble (have him at the moment)
B. Salgado
C. Shorey
D. Alcaraz
E. other (who?)Open ControlsChamp, on the subject of Norwich players, I see Henri Lansbury is signing for them permanently. He could be another one to watch, but they've not put him in the game yet. I was hoping he'd be there as a 4.5m Arsenal squad player (ala O'Hara a couple of years back at Spurs on loan to Portsmouth) but hey....
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