Fantasy Premier League Draft 2018/19

[Beren]

[jonny_sniper]

  On 17/08/2018 at 14:30, leffe186 said:

Week One Review

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Week one, and the teams are feeling each other out. One big score and one small (thanks, Autodraft), and the rest pretty solid. It will take a couple of weeks to get a true feel for the teams, but a couple of things are already evident.

 

Firstly - jonny_sniper has a really strong team. Richarlison will not score double figures every week, but equally, he will expect more from Mahrez and Aguero - particularly with KDB out for a while. Everybody else contributed with at least five points, which would probably ensure victory in any given week. Top scorer Mendy looks like a lock for team of the season, while the backups look decent too, especially if Leno can stake a claim ahead of Cech. jonny_sniper has clearly decided to ride with Manchester City, already swapping out Bertrand for Stones (with Laporte as backup) and looking to trade for Bernardo Silva. The question with Man City is, as ever, who will actually play, so this is a bit of a risky proposition. As for his keeper, he missed out on Kepa on the wire and must hope that Pepe doesn't rotate Ederson as long as Leno stays on the bench.

 

Secondly - Autodraft was not kind to 54. While nearly all of jonny_sniper's players got on the pitch, a full seven players on team 54 completely missed out, including four players from Manchester and his entire bench. While Pope and Dalot will expect to return from injury soon, he chose poorly at fullback and in midfield. He has already started to remedy this by replacing Lingard with Mata, although if Rose and Moses cannot get a more regualr berth he may have to make changes at the back too. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. Dubravka and Lascelles will see better days, and a return of three points from Kane and Rashford should be the exception rather than the rule. Morata was unconvincing, pushing Giroud up the ladder, and KDB's absence should mean more opportunities for David Silva. Pogba looks like he will be significantly more productive this year too.

 

The second-top scorer this week was Ketsbaia, although it was something of a mixed bag. Remarkably, he had both the joint top scorers for the week, and perhaps even more remarkably, they were Pereyra and Mane. His defence was also terrific, but there are a number of concerns brewing. Most obviously, KDB's injury will take his best player out of the equation for a while, maybe until Xmas and beyond. His forwards struggled, with Jesus and Lacazette barely playing and Mitrovic missing one of his better opportunities to rack up some points. Two bench players did not feature at all, but there is room for optimism there - Trippier and Young can expect to play more regularly, and Maddison looks like a promising understudy for KDB in the midfield. That said, it was a surprise to see Ketsbaia inactive on the wire.

 

The other winner was me, in the tightest battle of the week. I managed 52pts thanks almost entirely to my defence and keeper - even though I left Van Aanholt's 11pts on the bench. Most encouragingly, the win comes despite the big guns not firing - it's not every week that Eriksen, Ozil, Arnautovic and Lukaku will combine for just seven points. In contrast to Ketsbaia, I may benefit from KDB's absence, as Bernardo Silva looked really impressive. I may also benefit from being slightly above jonny_sniper in the waiver wire queue, as I beat him to Kepa and now have the luxury of choosing between Kepa and Alisson in goal.

 

The man who can probably consider himself most unlucky to lose in week one was Sima. He finished just seven points short of me, but can still take a great deal of confidence from his performance. Sane is another who may benefit from KDB's absence going forward, while his two West Ham midfielders will have more encouraging matchups than Liverpool away. His defence was excellent, although concerns will centre around whether players will have a regular position - Rudiger and Aurier can expect to be rotated, and Otamendi and Alderweireld did not get onto the field. Perhaps most worrying is his forward line. Ings and Rondon had decent cameos without achieving anything, but Morata did not look comfortable. Sima may have to head to the wire soon, as there could be weeks where he struggles to put eleven on the pitch.

 

Last up is our illustrious leader Kasper, who had a peculiar start to the season. He was unfortunate to run into jonny_sniper's big week, but even so, he only managed to cobble together the second lowest amount of points - 44. It was encouraging to see the performances of Alli, Jota, and Zaha, while Pereira looks like being a good pickup. Alonso started as he finished last season, while Auba and Lloris will have better weeks to come. Concerns center around Son, who will be missing for a few weeks, and whether Hazard stays at Chelsea. Kasper will need more reliable cover than Mkhi, particularly if King continues to misfire and Cresswell cannot get on the pitch.

 

 

There will almost certainly be at least one team with a 100% record going into week three, as I'm playing jonny_sniper. He can expect another big score, with Man City at home to Huddersfield and Everton at home to Southampton. I will hope that Fulham draw another blank, and that Vardy and Arnautovic exploit juicy-looking home games. There will also be a team guaranteed to be winless through the first two weeks, as 54 faces Sima. 54 will hopefully have better luck this week as although Man U and Newcastle are away, it's only against Brighton and Cardiff. He will hope that Kane breaks his August duck too. Sima will be very confident, as Salah will be supported by midfielders who play Huddersfield and Bournemouth at home.

 

Great write up! I probably need to not be so all-in on Man City players!

[Kasper]

Nice one leffe 

 

Not the best fixtures for me this weekend with two from Arsenal and two from Chelsea.

[leffe186]

  On 17/08/2018 at 15:28, Beren said:

 

 

It’s partly to keep me engaged, tbh. I won’t be as in-depth for the soccer football, if that helps.

[leffe186]

  On 18/08/2018 at 09:38, Kasper said:

Nice one leffe 

 

Not the best fixtures for me this weekend with two from Arsenal and two from Chelsea.

 

Yeah, i’m waiting for Arsenal to play somebody shit so Ozil will actually do something.

[leffe186]

Mint. The minute I realize I left Sessegnon on the bench, Vardy gets a red card. Not happening for me this week.

[Kasper]

  On 17/08/2018 at 14:30, leffe186 said:

Kasper will need more reliable cover than Mkhi

 

Mkhi disagrees with this post.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Shame about Auba missing sitters but atleast Mkhi & Alonso did well.

[Ketsbaia]

Hmmm. Maddison and Trippier scored but Mitrovic is on the bench..... need someone like Jesus or Robertson to not play.

[Kasper]

Me: 54 with Zaha to play.

 

Ketsbaia: 35 with Mane, Robertson and Tomkins to play.

[leffe186]

  On 18/08/2018 at 15:28, leffe186 said:

Mint. The minute I realize I left Sessegnon on the bench, Vardy gets a red card. Not happening for me this week.

 

Up against Aguero too. Got absolutely wrecked this week.

[Ketsbaia]

  On 19/08/2018 at 19:35, Kasper said:

Me: 54 with Zaha to play.

 

Ketsbaia: 35 with Mane, Robertson and Tomkins to play.

 

Be surprised if I won from here.

[54]

Don't know who I'm playing this week, but I'm battering them

[leffe186]

  On 19/08/2018 at 21:26, 54 said:

Don't know who I'm playing this week, but I'm battering them

 

Sima, and he’s having an absolute mare

[Ketsbaia]

  On 19/08/2018 at 19:35, Kasper said:

Me: 54 with Zaha to play.

 

Ketsbaia: 35 with Mane, Robertson and Tomkins to play.

 

56-54 to you. So close!

[leffe186]

Week Two Review

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

It's been a very topsy-turvy first couple of weeks, but one player has come out of the traps like Mick the Miller. jonny_sniper has now top-scored in both weeks, and is the only unbeaten player remaining. On the flipside, Sima is Santa's Little Helper, losing both matches, albeit rather narrowly. Everybody else is marooned in midtable, with one win and one loss.

 

jonny_sniper has ridden Manchester City, Richarlison, and Pedro to an amazing start, and now has the top two scores of the season. He's done so despite minimal contribution from Alexis Sanchez, which is a bit scary, and there is no obvious sign that this will slow down, with Man City playing Wolves, Everton vs Brighton, and Chelsea up against the Toon. At least all three are away. His most difficult question at the moment is who to leave out. Stones didn't last long in his line-up, as he shrewdly picked up Gomez. Although this may still cause rotation problems, he will not have too many eggs in the Man City basket.

 

Rotation has already given Sima problems, and arguably lost him his tie this week. Sane has only played for 17 minutes in total, Yarmolenko 46, and Otamendi, Aurier, Rondon and Sterling didn't get on the pitch at all last week. He will expect to see more of at least Rondon and Sterling, and Liverpool have a handy-looking home match against Brighton for Salah and Van Dijk to enjoy. Morata and Ings both scored too, which bodes well going forward, although Sima may need to invest in a couple of mundane lower half players to ensure that he can put a full team out each week.

 

Sima is not the lowest scorer overall, as that honour goes to 54. He also has rotation issues, illustrated by the startling fact that four of his defenders have managed a pitiful nine minutes of play between them, and one solitary point. He really needs to start getting active on the wire and/or the trading block, particularly as Danny Rose seems to be on his way out. Despite this, 54 was victorious in week two, exploiting Sima's struggles, a clean sheet for Newcastle, and the continued strong fantasy performance of Pogba. Kane finally scored in August, and KDB's injury looks like giving David Silva an opportunity to shine.

 

KDB himself is now tantalisingly available, as Ketsbaia decided he just couldn't wait. It's much, much harder to stash a player here than in Newcastle-Online's Fantasy (American) Football. He really could have done with KDB last week, coming up just two points shy of Kasper's 56. Even more frustrating was the fact that he left 6pts from Mitrovic on the bench. Still, Mane, Robertson and Maddison continued to shine, and Trippier and Jesus came back strongly after essentially missing week one completely. Liverpool have a tasty-looking game which will favour Mane and Robertson, and Arsenal might fancy giving West Ham a kicking, although there's no guarantee that Lacazette will be on the field for much of it.

 

The man Ketsbaia replaced KDB with was Gross, who I rashly ditched in week one to check out Neves. His 10pts would not have held jonny_sniper at bay, but would have meant I avoided the wooden spoon of the week. I was forced to shift my affections to Walcott, although at least I could reverse my other rash ditching - Maguire for Bailly. My score was nearly a mirror opposite of week one, with only Alisson, Azpi, Ozil and Eriksen being consistent. Alisson and Azpi for good reasons, Ozil and Eriksen for bad. At least Ozil gets to face a shitty team this week, that is, presuming he gets on the pitch. Vardy's red didn't particularly cost me in week two, but the suspension will probably hurt.

 

Kasper was one of only two people to score higher in week two, and it was just enough to pip Ketsbaia. Only four of the top seven scores in week two were on rosters, and three of those four were on Kasper's - Alonso, Mkhi, and Pereira. He tried to add a fourth this week but missed out on Walcott, however he will hope he now has the right Bournemouth forward, swapping out King for Callum Wilson. His matchups look encouraging this week, with Chelsea at Newcastle and Arsenal at home to West Ham, although Spurs' record at Old Trafford has not been great the last couple of years. He'll have to hope Lloris keeps his sheet cleaner than his driving license.

 

 

The top two clash this week, as Ketsbaia moves into jonny_sniper's firing line (see what I did there?). Sima looks to break his duck against Kasper, while I face 54.

[leffe186]

Not a great start for anybody. I could have done with Ozil and Vardy playing, but my Bernardo Silva outscored 54's David Silva, so it could have been worse. At least jonny_sniper hit the buffers - four points in total from Ederson, Mendy, Richarlison, and Aguero is awful, and Mahrez' one point off the bench isn't great in reserve. Mind you, Ketsbaia's not exactly setting the week alight. I was going to say that Kasper might be well-placed, but if Arsenal stays like this he's screwed too .

[leffe186]

I have no idea why I left Walcott on the bench. FFS.

[Kasper]

King scored

[jonny_sniper]

  On 25/08/2018 at 15:13, leffe186 said:

Not a great start for anybody. I could have done with Ozil and Vardy playing, but my Bernardo Silva outscored 54's David Silva, so it could have been worse. At least jonny_sniper hit the buffers - four points in total from Ederson, Mendy, Richarlison, and Aguero is awful, and Mahrez' one point off the bench isn't great in reserve. Mind you, Ketsbaia's not exactly setting the week alight. I was going to say that Kasper might be well-placed, but if Arsenal stays like this he's screwed too .

 

Yep, awful this week. Need a Firmino miracle.

[leffe186]

  On 25/08/2018 at 15:40, Kasper said:

King scored

 

Two assists for Wilson though...

[Fugazi]

Got Kepa/Hazard/Willian, chances of them getting points tomorrow are high, i'd say.

[Fugazi]

Need to get shot of Aubameyang next week though.

[Ketsbaia]

I'm against jonny_sniper, currently at 27 (with Mitrovic, Pereyra & Tomkins to play) vs his 31 (Pedro left).

 

Assuming Mahrez automatically comes in for Sanchez.

[Kasper]

Me 43-32 Sima

 

Me: Lloris, Davies, Alli

Sima: De Gea, Toby

 

 

I'm not sure it's even possible in theory to lose this one. De Gea clean sheet and bonuses + red cards for my players maybe.

[leffe186]

Week Three Review

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The third week leaves us nicely poised, with no less than four teams sharing top spot but separated by points scored.

 

Ketsbaia knocks jonny_sniper off the top thanks to remarkably consistent scoring. There has only been a nine point differential between his highest and lowest scores, and 62 pts this week was the top score overall. Mitrovic has got into gear, and Ketsbaia has seen solid contributions from Robertson, Trippier, Mane and Pereyra. His team possesses some nice variety without reliance on any one club, which has lead to reliable scoring overall. Although his Man City duo have been mildly disappointing, a home game to Newcastle bodes well, with the usual proviso that they actually get on the pitch.

 

After two big scores, jonny_sniper came right back down to earth with 34 pts, the third-worst of the season so far. His Liverpool contingent performed well but almost nobody else did - he will have expected much more than zero points from Aguero and Richarlison combined. At least Gomez looks like a great pick-up. jonny's midfield failed entirely, with Pedro and Richarlison unable to make up for the faillings of Mahrez, Sanchez & Ramsey this week. One comfort is that jonny's strong first couple of weeks leave him only just behind Ketsbaia on points scored, and as with Ketsbaia, Man City vs Newcasstle could yield some serious points.

 

Although jonny_sniper has the third-worst score, 54 has the bottom two, following week one's 26pts with an even more disappointing 25pts this week. It would have been even worse without Spurs, as his other 13 squad players only managed a pitiful ten points between them. He really needs to get active on the wire and/or the trade block sharpish, with Pope and Dalot still out and Lascelles and Rose now looking doubtful. At least Harry Kane is starting to warm up. Too many players are not getting enough minutes, and each week that goes by suggests that 54 has backed the wrong horse in Man U.

 

I didn't have to do more than a solid performance to beat 54, although new purchase Walcott coming off the bench was the icing on the cake. Decent all round, although Vardy's suspension meant I was light on top. Fortunately I could afford to "rest" Davinson Sanchez and Ozil. Hopefully Arnautovic will recover to play against Wolves, since Lukaku has had a poor start to the season and may not even start against Burnley.

 

Sima has actually been even more consistent than Ketsbaia with his scores only covering a range of eight points. Unfortunately, that range starts at 37 and ends at 45, which means he remains winless and rooted at the bottom of the table. He's another whose Man City players suffered this week, and despite getting good contributions from Van Dijk and Salah in every match they have not had enough support from elsewhere. In fact, he is the only owner for whom nobody has got double figures in a match so far. That may change this week, with Sterling and Sane at home to Newcastle, and encouragement also comes with the return of Alderweireld to the Spurs side.

 

Sima's third loss in a rwo means Kasper sits in third on points-scored. After facing two tough opponents he will be happy to have only had 39pts to overcome, but will have bittersweet feelings given that his prime contributors were Alonso and Hazard. Alonso has actually hit double figures in every game so far - a remarkable achievement - and a home game against Bournemouth gives him the opportunity to extend that streak. Sima will hope that a game against Cardiff gives his Arsenal players a shot in the arm too, and Zaha at home to Southampton looks promising.

 

Two of the top four are paired together this week - myself and Ketsbaia. Sima looks to kickstart his season against jonny_sniper, while 54 travels to Finland to play Kasper.