Week 13: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

So you’re telling me there’s a chance!

Despite having the lowest scoring squad of players in the league (Primary League, @nealjthurman has scored fewer in the Secondary League. Sorry for that mention Neal), a win over @nikarg in Gameweek 12 has shot my side up one place to ninth in the table. Another Nick Pope clean sheet went a long way to gaining the three points. But we all know how I achieved the victory! The return of Zlatan froze the star players on @nikarg’s team into a below average week. And he didn’t even have to get off my injured reserve list!

Zlatan has the knees of a Lion. But the smile of a Cheshire cat

Ibrahimovic will probably be needed this week though, as the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer sees fit to throw my rebounding side against fourth place @wrigavin. A team who in our previous encounter ran away easy thirty-point winners. If I am to fit Zlatan in this week though, I will have to send someone back to Free Agency. Will @wrigavin be as quick to snap up Gareth Barry, as he was Jonjo Shelvey??

@wrigavin’s Team

Harry Kane has not scored in the Premier League since October 22^nd. @wrigavin, (and I’m sure IEFSA/Fantrax!) will be hoping he can end that poor run of form this weekend against West Brom. This barren patch for the striker coincides with Gavin dropping two of his last three games. Kane averages over 20 points per game for Gavin, and behind the England striker, who did score midweek in the Champions League by the way, is another Spurs player; Davinson Sanchez, who averages over 16 points per game.

Kane scores in the Champions League against Dortmund. Or the German Norwich City if you will

Looking elsewhere for points on @wrigavin’s team, the Liverpool goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet has kept three clean sheets in a row at home. This week he is up against Chelsea though, but if he does keep a clean sheet, he will surely be made to work for it. The second top scorer on @wrigavin’s team is Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri with two goals. Stoke City travel to bottom of the table Crystal Palace on Saturday at three o’clock. Shaqiri also has five assists on the season. Though who he’s assisting on the Stoke team I’ll never know. They were probably all for Peter Crouch.

What I Need To Happen

Just give Zlatan the ball. The big Swede will surely make mincemeat of the Brighton defence. The Seagulls haven’t beaten Manchester United since 1981, back when Moses was parting defences. I’m going to make a bold prediction and say the newly promoted side won’t be adding to that win from the eighties on Saturday. In other good Man Utd news for my squad. Marcos Rojo has returned from injury, and Victor Lindelof is getting into the first team. He’s falling over and giving away goals, but it’s a start!

Lindelof settles down to the perfect view of Dwight Gayle's opening goal

In fact, most of my squad now is returning from injury. It’s very refreshing to be able to change around players rather than being worried if it’s even possible to get eight outfield players scoring points. The only injury concern this week (so far) is Swansea’s Tammy Abraham. The young forward has been rated as 50/50 by his manager to start this weekend against Bournemouth. Another who has been absent from his side’s first team recently has been Newcastle’s Ciaran Clark. But with Lascelles injured at the moment, the Irishman should slot into the Toon backline for the visit of Watford.

Predictions

Only @wrigavin and @RotoWireAndrew let me down after I tipped them to win last week. Seven from nine is still a respectable score though.  Please follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to see how my side is fairing. Don’t forget that the gameweek starts on Friday night with Leicester traveling to West Ham for David Moyes first home game in charge.

This midweek will also see the first round of the IEFSA Cup, as eight teams battle it out for a place in the last 16.

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone.

@TRKingston over @TAMc10

@jwl_15 over @RotoZdroik

@FuzzyWarbles over @FantasyYIRMA

@EPL_MOstadamus over @nikarg

@cjradune over @jasonuk17

@SportsByGotti over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @nealjthurman

@TomSunderland_ over @SmokeyLoogy

@DFS_Hambazaza over @BenDinnery

IEFSA Cup

@BenDinnery over @TomSunderland_

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jasonuk17

@RotoWireAndrew over @jforquer11

@SmokeyLoogy over @nealjthurman

Week 12: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

Young, Alli, Bong, @FantasyYIRMA, your boys took a hell of a beating! Burnley and Bournemouth were the architects of your downfall; a Steve Cook winner and a Nick Pope clean sheet were your undoing. How does it feel? How does it feel when Gareth Barry does a whole lot of nothing, except get booked, and gets more points than your Vardys and your Rooneys and your Ozils. How does it feel?????

Only one Cook needed to spoil Newcastle's day

This was my side’s second victory of the season. The first victory strangely enough also came before an international break. Perhaps my players up their games in order to cement places for their countries at the very highest level of competition. If this is true, the next international break can’t come soon enough. *checks fixtures* The next international break is in March…. Bugger. I’m not sure how the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture compiler swung that one, but it’s surely just further proof of the uphill struggles my side must face. And struggle it will, as this week sees a fixture against @nikarg, the only other side with two wins to his name. This is surely the match-upnic of the weekend. Nik has been eyeing up this fixture for a while now. So much so, that he has lost his last nine games in a row in preparation.

@nikarg’s Team

We last met in Gameweek 1, where Nik picked up the victory thanks to two Christian Eriksen assists. It’s hard to believe but Eriksen has not provided an assist since then and he scored almost a fifth of his season’s total points in that opening game. The Dane is coming into the North London Derby in great form though, having scored three goals midweek against Ireland in the World Cup playoffs. Arsenal’s defence are not going to be as generous as the Irish were in Dublin though.

Christian Eriksen ran riot midweek. (also pictured, Ireland's answer to Eriksen; Aiden McGeady)

The rest of @nikarg’s players, apart from perhaps Riyad Mahrez, will have somewhat favourable fixtures this weekend. Sam Vokes at Forward will face Swansea at home. He could also rotate in Defoe or Chicharito who are playing Huddersfield and Watford respectively. That’s providing either of them start for their clubs. Andros Townsend in Midfield will be up against Everton on Saturday. The Toffees haven’t kept a clean sheet since the opening day of the season. Unless you count a game against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup in September, but no one counts a game against Sunderland! At the back he has Scott Dann of Palace, and a couple of players who face off on Monday night. Lewis Dunk and Ryan Shawcross both average over 15 points a game. If @nikarg is behind in our match-up going into this Monday night fixture, just watch as Brighton and Stoke play out a nil all draw.

What I Need To Happen

I have no less than five players who will be sweating over late fitness tests and are basically game-time decisions for their managers. But….. But….. if the stars align for my side, then this man is back…

 

Zlatan is back. Quick, everyone look busy!

You may as well hand that IEFSA Primary League Trophy over to me now if Zlatan returns this week. He inspired his own nation Sweden into knocking out Italy in the World Cup Playoffs and he didn’t even have to play! Everyone had an eleven-week head start, but playtime is over. Manchester United play Newcastle United at home in the evening kick-off on Saturday. Zlatan could well be the Premier League’s top scorer come Saturday night.

Predictions

Six correct predictions last gameweek, as several tight fixtures went against me. There is no doubt as to the tie of the round this week, it’s my side against @nikarg. While the Secondary League has a rather intriguing set of fixtures because the top four all play each other. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep abreast of the goings on in the league. Here are this week’s predictions.

Good Luck Everyone

@TRKingston over @RotoZdroik

@FuzzyWarbles over @EPL_MOstradamus

@jwl_15 over @FantasyYIRMA

@wrigavin over @TAMc10

@cjradune over @SportsByGotti

@RotoWireAndrew over @SmokeyLoogy

@BenDinnery over @TomSunderland_

@jforquer11 over @nealjthurman

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jasonuk17

Week 11: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

For all those following @THE_IEFSA on Twitter, you will have seen a brief rundown of how all the teams in the league are doing with a third of the season completed. My side was encouraged to find some attacking talent in order to improve. But do they not see that I have Swansea’s top scorer Tammy Abraham in my team! I also have Crystal Palace’s second highest scorer of the season! Milivojevic has 33% of all Palace’s goals this season. In addition to all this, in Ciaran Clark, my side also boasts Newcastle United’s joint third top scorer! So, with that slightly optimist take on how my squad is doing, let’s check in on who they face this gameweek.

You asked for goals.. step forward Tammy Abraham

Ooooh it’s @FantasyYIRMA. A side that was described in @THE_IEFSA recap as a Top 2 side languishing with a 5 - 5 record. A side that is sure to climb the table soon. To make sure this prediction sticks, the biased IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer pits him against my side this weekend. YIRMA has won his last three fixtures after a run of three defeats. Those defeats were to sides that had to post the highest points totals that gameweek in order to get the win. If my side has to have any chance, it looks like they will have to score more points than they have ever scored before!

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

His side has scored 21 goals, spread across eight players. Top scorer Jamie Vardy has six, and Wayne Rooney has four. If needed, he could also call on Daniel Sturridge in the Forward position. With Rooney missing out on the Europa League game on Wednesday, he should be fresh for the fixture against Watford. It’s then up to @FantasyYIRMA to play Vardy or Sturridge away to Stoke or West Ham respectively. In Midfield most of the goals have come from Tottenham’s Dele Alli, who has contributed three. Mesut Ozil has chipped in with one, and Robbie Brady has only contributed one assist but does average nearly 12 points per game.

FantasyYIRMA has a Vardy party most weeks

His highest scorer though has been his goalkeeper David De Gea. In fact, it was largely thanks to    De Gea in Gameweek 2 that YIRMA managed to get one over my team by a measly five points. The Spaniard averages over twenty points a game and has kept eight clean sheets in ten games. In front of De Gea, @FantasyYIRMA has a back-line that are no strangers to finding the net. Nacho Monreal has two goals this season, as has Jamaal Lascelles. Jonny Evans is the man bringing up the rear at the back, with only one. That came from his only shot on target this season. Evans is probably as deadly as Sergio Aguero, if only Tony Pulis would take the handbrake off his team.

What I Need To Happen

Nick Pope has been on a one-man mission to keep the scores of these matchups respectable of late. Last weekend he scored over 30 points, meaning my side only lost by 20 points to @RotoZdroik. Did I mention my side also got their second highest total of the season in Gameweek 10 too. Things really are looking bleak. If goals are needed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic can’t return soon enough to guide my side to safety. Seeing as this weekend won’t see the return of the Swede, Tammy Abraham will have to be the one who scores the goals that fire my side to victory. The youngster will be up against Brighton at three o’clock on Saturday. The Seagullls against the Swans is one of the highlights of the Premier League and Bird Watching Magazine calendars.

A battle as old as time.... but who will win this weekend?

My side is facing another injury crisis. Micheal Keane is still side-lined for Everton with a foot injury. Renato Sanches is nursing a thigh injury and the game against Brighton is perhaps too soon for him. Ciaran Clark is still waiting on a recall to the Newcastle side, meaning it looks like I will struggle to get three defenders onto the field this weekend. Without a full roster playing, I will just be cannon fodder to the big guns of @FantasyYIRMA, which will delight the Fantrax computer no end!

Predictions

Two predictions wrong last weekend, as ruining the slate were @BenDinnery and (of course) @FantasyYIRMA getting big wins. This weekend in the tie of the round my previous weeks conqueror @RotoZdroik will get the opportunity to upset table toppers @FuzzyWarbles, and a chance to prove he didn’t just raise his game against my side!

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone.

@TRKingston over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FuzzyWarbles over @RotoZdroik

@jwl_15 over @wrigavin

@TAMc10 over @nikarg

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @SmokeyLoogy

@jasonuk17 over @TomSunderland_

@BenDinnery over @neajthurman

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jforquer11