Week 24: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

My unbeaten run came to a screeching halt against @EPL_MOstradamus last gameweek. Two goals from Spurs’ Son Heung-Min (and he only played 70 minutes) did the majority of the damage. His other players also chipped in with three assists and three clean sheets. My side tried their best in accumulating a healthy-ish 119 points. That was never going to trouble the near 150 points that @EPL_MOstradamus ended up achieving.

Carry on...

The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer really turns the screw on my team this week with a game against second placed @FuzzyWarbles. I did manage to get one over him in our last encounter, so hopefully I can catch his squad cold again.

@FuzzyWarbles’s Team

Going forward the team is very strong. Sergio Aguero has 21 goals this season and Sadio Mane has eight. Eric Dier averages over 15 points per game; while Aaron Lennon appears to be getting a new lease of life at Burnley. He doesn’t have many slouches at the back either. Hegazi, Christensen, Hoedt and Janmaat, all average over ten points a game.

Can Lloris and Spurs bounce back from their Champions League disappointment?

In goals he has the Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris. 13 clean-sheets in 26 games is an excellent return, and he will get a chance to add to those figures in a fixture away at Bournemouth on Sunday.

What I Need To Happen

My side may not have any star names, but at the moment they seem to be getting minutes on the pitch and that’s all I need. My side are third from bottom of the table and miles behind when it comes to fantasy points scored. The 119 points I scored last weekend, even in a loss, was the highest score I’d achieved since Gameweek 11. If I can post something like that for the rest of the season, I’m sure I’d be fine. Would it be enough this weekend though?

Newcastle have a good home record. But will Gayle keep his starting place?

I swapped out Ayoze Perez for Dwight Gayle last weekend after the Newcastle United team sheet was announced. Either, both, or none could play this weekend for the Toon in a game against Southampton. Hopefully Gayle will keep his place and justify it with a goal.

Predictions

Lots of upheaval last weekend with 17 teams scoring in the triple digits. The highest number of teams doing that since Gameweek 9. Because of this my predictions were a paltry four correct from nine match-ups. Here are this week’s predictions. Don’t forget to check out @THE_IEFSA on Twitter as the league looks to be going down to the wire between @TRKingston and @FuzzyWarbles.

Good Luck Everyone

@TAMc10 over @EPL_MOstradamus

@jwl_15 over @nikarg

@RotoZdroik over @FantasyYIRMA

@TRKingston over @wrigavin

@jasonuk17 over @FPL_MNOP

@BenDinnery over @RotoWireAndrew

@jforquer11 over @TomSunderland_

@SportsByGotti over @nealjthurman

@cjradune over @DFS_Hambazaza

Week 23: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

No fixtures for several weeks thank to FA Cup and League Cup action. While I would usually be glad of the break in order for my side to heal up all those injuries, I would probably have been better off if games were being played! Because, barring we’ve entered some bizzaro-fantasy league, it looks like I have the most in-form side in the league with four wins in a row. I ended @jwl_15’s outside change of the league title last time out thanks to two goals from Tom Davies and Luka Milivojevic. Davies is new to the side as I picked him up before kick-off, along with Swansea Defender Mike van der Hoorn. With 18.9 points the Swansea player could well be one to hold onto for a couple of weeks. Swansea play at home to West Ham this Saturday.

Can Tom Davis continue scoring and help Everton away at Burnley?

The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer doesn’t dole out any easy fixtures, and Gameweek 23 is no different. This week’s opponents are @EPL_MOstradamus. A side that has an identical 9 wins and 13 loss record. @EPL_MOstradamus does have a big advantage in fantasy points scored though. He averages over 110 points per game, my side on the other hand averages a league low 103. The last time we met was before Christmas, and I managed to get the win thanks to a Joe Allen (who else!) goal and assist against West Brom. Chris will be super determined to get the three points this week as he tries to climb away from relegation, and he definitely doesn’t want to fall below my side. (There’ll be no catching me!)

@EPL_MOstradamus’s Team

Chris’s top scorer is Heung-Min Son with seven. Next on the goal-scoring charts is Laurent Depoitre who has netted five times. To help his stuttering Forward line, where Benteke has returned a paltry two goals, Everton’s new Turkish signing Cenk Tosun was brought in for $20. Tosun has struggled for game time under Sam Allardyce in the first two months of the year and could turn out to be an expensive signing who rots deep in the bench. He is not @EPL_MOstradamus’s highest salaried player though, that honour belongs to Nathan Redmond. Like Benteke, he is another player who has failed to reproduce any sort of consistent form this season.

It's all becoming a little too easy for Man City and Danilo.

The player who bags Chris the most fantasy points per game at the moment is Manchester City Defender Danilo. The Brazilian has two goals and an assist from 15 games. @EPL_MOstradamus’s Defence is put together on a budget seeing as big signing ($39) Benjamin Mendy, also of Man City, is a long-term injury absentee. Danilo only cost $1, as did Erik Pieters and Matthew Lowton. The only cash splashed was on Charlie Daniels of Bournemouth, $13. In goals Chris has Ben Foster of West Brom. And as a bit of a trick card, he has Scott McTominay in his squad. If our match-up is pretty close, he could throw the Manchester United youngster into the OF roster slot and hope he and Benteke bring home the points needed for a win on Monday night.

What I Need To Happen

If it does go down to the wire of Monday night, I would think, going on form, McTominay would outscore Milivojevic. It would perhaps be in my best interest in getting as many players who are starting games out early, rather than waiting on the line-ups for that fixture. I wouldn’t want to be leaving a spot for Victor Lindelof for instance. Most of my team are playing away from home this weekend. And on top of that, most of my squad will be facing teams inside the top 10 in the league. Can Tom Ince score away at Spurs? Will Ayoze Perez score away at Liverpool? Nine times out of ten, the answer to these questions has to be a no.

Thankfully there are hardly any throw-ins in the modern game.

In some good news, it does seem that Serge Aurier will be returning to the Tottenham back-line again. Thankfully, Fantrax don’t track foul throws……. do they??? With Aurier against Huddersfield, van der Hoorn against West Ham, and my goalkeeper Nick Pope hosting Everton. It could be the defensive side of that game which gives me a platform in order to have a chance at victory.

Predictions

A lot of big money moves over the last few weeks as a few sides get desperate in their bids to either gain promotion or avoid relegation. @SportsByGotti sweet talked @DFS_Hambazaza into giving him Mo Salah in exchange for Jordan Ayew and some scrubs. @FuzzyWarbles beat @TRKingston in the previous gameweek, meaning both are now tied on 17 wins, with Todd claiming first place in the IEFSA Premier on fantasy points scored.

Five correct from nine last time out once again, so let’s try and at the very least beat that this time out. Here are this week’s predictions. Don’t forget to check out all the action on Twitter from @THE_IEFSA.

Good Luck Everyone

@RotoZdroik over @nikarg

@jwl_15 over @TAMc10

@TRKingston over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @wrigavin

@jasonuk17 over @cjradune

@SportsByGotti over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @nealjthurman

@TomSunderland_ over @FPL_MNOP

@BenDinnery over @DFS_Hambazaza