Week 4: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

Three matches and three defeats. And while performances have improved week on week, I can tell the fans are getting restless. I’m not sure how long it’s acceptable to be rooted to the foot of the table, but thanks to the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer we may just find out. Firstly, I’m not sure how I lost my match-up last week when @RotoZdroik’s biggest threat to goal was a Lukaku missed penalty?? I had two goal scorers, as Tammy Abraham got off the mark for Swansea, and late signing Ciaran Clark netted for Newcastle. But lose I did, which leaves me bottom of the table with zero wins and the lowest points scored in the two divisions of IEFSA.

Ciaran Clark clearly delighted to have signed with my team this week

When times are tough you can always count on the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture compiler to give you a little kick. This week I will have to face @jwl_15, who would be undefeated if not for an Aaron Ramsey horror show against Liverpool two weeks ago. What makes this worse is that his star man is a player I let go at the end of last season!! And I’m not talking about Jack Wilshere (though he does have him too!).

@jwl_15’s Team

That star man of course is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Last season he managed a total of one assist and barely a paltry ten points per game. In only three games this season, he has five assists and averages over 26 points per game. (anyone who points out I seem to have replaced the Armenian with Jonjo Shelvey, -2.1 ppg, will immediately be blocked on Twitter!) As has been mentioned, he also has Ramsey in midfield, who is usually good for a decent haul of points, last gameweek aside. Partnering them he has the workhorses of the Chelsea and Liverpool midfield's in N’Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson.

How many assists can he provide this season?....or this weekend?

Up front @jwl_15 has Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini who recent got off the mark and will be looking to score again at home to Watford on Saturday. He could also play Andre Ayew, but seeing as West Ham don’t play Huddersfield until Monday night, @jwl_15 may not have the luxury of waiting on the Ghanian’s fitness until then. But seeing the numbers my side has posted so far this season, he probably could afford to! At the back it looks like Cedric Soares, Southampton, Stephen Ward, Burnley, and Mamadou Sakho, Crystal Palace. Between the sticks will be Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski. Putting him in direct opposition to two of my star players!

What I Need To Happen

Well, I’ll need both of these star players to make the first eleven for a start! It’s Newcastle who travel to face Fabianski and Swansea, but seeing as the Toon won 3-0 last time out without Shelvey or Dwight Gayle, I won’t be holding my breath. As I mentioned earlier, Ciaran Clark was a late signing who came good for me last week. He was brought in after I gave the heave-ho to Jose Fonte after he failed to make it back into the West Ham side. Looking around my squad, there are a few names under pressure to perform. Joe Allen is not his usually box-to-box self and is averaging a woeful, by his standards, nine points per game. Big signing Tom Ince has yet to trouble the oppositions net. While Victor Lindelof has yet to even feature in a Premier League game.

Abraham may have scored but are his other stats letting the side down?

Times are getting desperate. If a heavy defeat is suffered this week, I could be forced to abandon the whole squad that was carefully assembled during the draft. I will need to replace them with grafters. Players who are ready for a scrap. Who can play dirty for ninety minutes and get you all those much-needed tackling and accurate passing points. Tammy Abraham has 26 accurate passes in three games. 26?!? My goalkeeper has more! If, as I presume, he’s generally around for the kick-offs, that’s a quarter of his passes. Wholesale changes could be on the horizon if results don’t improve. If there is no reaction this week I will have no qualms about replacing an expensive signing with….. checks Free Agency list…… squints….. Solly March?

Predictions

To send me general abuse for my team/signings/predictions follow me on Twitter @GarryIrwin. Though you should really direct your ire @THE_IEFSA who seem to find new ways to undermine my carefully thought out plans every week. Before the international break I managed a rather poor four from nine. Will it be any better this weekend? Let’s find out.

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

@RotoZdroik over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FuzzyWarbles over @TRKingston

@FantasyYIRMA over @TAMc10

@nikarg over @wrigavin

@SportsByGotti over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @cjradune

@jforquer11 over @BenDinnery

@jasonuk17 over @nealjthurman

@DFS_Hambazaza over @TomSunderland_

2017 IEFSA Fantrax Draft Recap

Two weeks ago saw the  IEFSA Fantrax draft happen in Las Vegas (and China, and Greenland, and Antarctica. It was online). Now that the dust has settled and managers get a sober view of their picks, let’s take a look at all the big moves, and some of the little ones. First up, let me explain the reasoning behind the four players I decided to keep in my roster from the previous season.

Tom Heaton was retained in goals. I didn’t want to pay much money for a goalkeeper after spending far too much to get Courtois two seasons ago and enduring a year where the Belgian only managed five clean sheets, sandwiched in between seasons of 12 and 16 clean sheets. It`s just as good to keep a competent No.1 who is kept busy, than a keeper from a top club where you become very clean sheet dependent. If you can get a keeper for $1, and stay out of a scramble for the scraps to complete a roster during the draft, all the better.

Can Keane handle Joe Allen on the opening day of the season?

Steve Cook of Bournemouth, $1, and Michael Keane now of Everton, $3, were both kept. These are two defenders who averaged over 13 points a game and who should be regular starters for their clubs. It`s vitally important to get a full roster playing every week and I didn’t want to take any chances with my salary cap on defensive players.

The final player I kept was Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic for only $1. He averaged a solid 13.5 points a game when he arrived in the Premier League in January and even chipped in with a few goals. I kept Milivojevic over last season`s player of the year Joe Allen purely because he was costing me less cap money. Allen was $4. But then…. during the draft I brought Allen back into the squad for $10 in some sort of Pogba-esque divine reclamation.

 

I would have paid double, nay triple, what he cost #bargain

For the draft itself I had my eye on a few players. Mostly new signings to the league as managers had kept a hold of their best assets. I also didn’t want to overpay for any players and had set myself a limit of around $50 because the big signings of the last few years for my side were not runaway successes. Paying over $50 for a player wouldn`t give you a huge advantage over a player you could pick up for $1 in my eyes. Only a handful of players, the Aguero`s, Hazard`s and Sanchez`s of the league are worth a big outlay in salary cap.

I would also bid up any players that I had last season. If I picked them up cheaper, then it was all good, as I had a pretty solid season last year. I was just making sure no one underpaid for them. Mkhitaryan went for $82, which was $11 up from last year, and I wasn`t too broken up to see him go.

The one that got away....

My first selection in the draft was a Forward, but I didn’t end up getting him as my phone had some early teething problems making bids. I was always frustrated last year getting a consistent goal scorer, or even a forward who would get consistent game time. I still wanted a way into an improving Man Utd side, Mkhitaryan I was happy to let go, Lukaku was held by @RotoZdroik for $30, while Pogba (last year’s biggest signing) was kept by @RotoWireAndrew for $125. With this in mind I really wanted to sign Marcus Rashford, but thanks to my fat thumbs, (ProTip: don’t draft on your phone) @jasonuk17 picked him up for a bargain $23. I would have happily bid up to $50 for him. When this happened I felt I had to chase a Forward because most of the goal scorers will be gone. As a result of this I ended up paying $37 for Dwight Gayle. Gayle was the top scorer for promoted Newcastle last season. As a backup, I took a chance of $19 on Swansea loanee Tammy Abraham. These are my only two forwards as you can only play two on any gameweek, but you must have one. It`s a waste of space holding too many forwards, so I hope at least one of these guys works out so I don’t have to go looking on the waiver wire in search of goals.

Gayle was not my most expensive player though, as I went for another newly promoted player in Tom Ince at $40. The Huddersfield midfielder has scored 25 goals in the Championship over the last two seasons (playing for Derby County) and I’m hoping he will have improved from his previous spells in the Premier League, which were with Hull and Palace.

My next big signing was $34 for Man Utd`s new defender Victor Lindelof. As I already mentioned, I believe Man Utd will improve this year. I also think Jose Mourinho is closing in on his preferred backline and perhaps Lindelof is the final piece. If the Swede does find himself in and out of the Utd side, I picked up Jose Fonte for $15 to fill in, providing that he cements his place at his new club West Ham.

My last big signing was in midfield where I paid $31 for Jonjo Shelvey. He proved he can score at this level when he played for Swansea, and as a vital cog in the Newcastle Utd team I know he will want to be on the ball a lot. To fill out my squad I have a number of $1 signings. Marcos Rojo is currently injured, but if he can fight his way back into the Man Utd lineup he could be a valuable addition. And lastly Gareth Barry at Everton; he is the player most at risk of being cast aside if I need to shake things up after gameweek one. Barry did start 23 games last season, but I expect this to be reduced with all the new signings that Ronald Koeman has made in the summer.

This season the IEFSA league has been split into two divisions of ten teams each. There will be promotion and relegation and of course a cup competition during the season. I find myself in the Primary League battling for the title. I`ll be honest though, I`ll be looking to avoid relegation. Looking through the squads, the side I assembled is the only one that features no players from teams who finished in the Top-5 last season. Every other team has at least three; @TRKingston could play a whole outfield of Top-5 team players! I`ve pretty much a shoestring side on a small budget, but I have kept a sizable salary in case a big new signing enters the Premier League before the end of August, or failing that, during January.

The draft did see some managers’ splash the cash like never before (must be the TV money). Eden Hazard went for $102. Lacazette for $113. Salah was snapped up for $116. But the biggest deal, and now the most expensive player in IEFSA is Alvaro Morata. The Chelsea new boy cost @SportsByGotti $126.

$126 doesn't mean he can take a penalty

The new season gets underway on Friday the 11^th of August when Arsenal hosts Leicester. So remember to get your fantasy teams sorted before then.

@IEFSA preview coming later in the week. Good luck everyone.

Week 32: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

The trio of Mahrez, Redmond and Deeney combined for a total of over 75 points, and as a result my side suffered their second defeat in less than a week. This defeat drops my side down to third in the league and means I was not able to capitalize on the loss suffered by table topper @RotoZdroik. Though I suppose things could have been worse, as @Smokey_Loogy left midweek Liverpool goalscorer Divok Origi on the bench for our match-up. That recent run of results means that only three points separate the team in second from the team in eighth.

The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer have engineered a very interesting league table, and will try and send my side tumbling further down this weekend when I have to play a side who scored more points than mine in midweek, should have its best player back from injury, and will have three Man Utd and two Arsenal players, who are playing sides in 20^th and 16^th respectively. That side is managed by @RotoWireAndrew. Andrew’s team sits in 13^th place and is hoping for a late season push to rise up the table.

@RotoWireAndrew`s Team

Andrew spent most of his transfer budget on one man. Paul Pogba. The French midfielder has been recovering from a hamstring injury, but after a 45 minute run out on Tuesday, he seems poised to return to the Manchester United starting lineup. Pogba is Andrew`s highest scoring fantasy player, and the sixth highest player in the league overall. Pogba also has the third highest score per game average with 22.28 points. A total only beaten by Alexis Sanchez and Christian Eriksen. In comparison, my side`s highest scorer and highest per game average player, is Joe Allen. Helping Pogba out in Midfield for @RotoWireAndrew will be in form James Ward-Prowse of Southampton.

Only @RotoWireAndrew will have a bigger smile this week.

Another player on a positive run of late for Andrew is Theo Walcott. The Arsenal player has scored in his last two games, after having not previously scored since before Christmas. The 25.4 points Walcott scored against West Ham was his second highest total of the season, and you would be confident he could earn a similar score away to Crystal Palace on Monday night. @RotoWireAndrew will also have defender Nacho Monreal in that game. I could only have Milivojevic for that fixture, so I will probably need a sizable lead going into Monday.

What I Need To Happen

The only goal that Forward Fabio Borini scored in his 16 games this season came against Man Utd. Thankfully, Sunderland play the Red Devils again this weekend, but this time at home, meaning a Borini goal is bound to happen. Please mark your calendars for this occasion. With Pogba being back fit, he could impact the chances of my player Henrik Mikhitaryan getting 90 minutes at the Stadium of Light. Seeing United suffering a spate of injuries lately, it should have been the time the Armenian shone and repaid some of the $72 I paid for him at the start of the season. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to have been the case and Mikhitaryan can't be assured of a starting spot.

Wilshere is not even Arsenal's Plan B (do Arsenal have a Plan B?)

I may have to search for goals in other areas. Normally, with two players getting to take on Liverpool, I would be licking my lips at the prospect of goals. Sadly, Stoke City have only scored one goal in their last four games and seem to be clueless as to who to play up front. At various times, Walters, Crouch, Bony, Berahino, Diouf, and even someone called Bojan, had a stab at being a striker. Most of the Potters goals have actually come from the two other players in my squad. Joe Allen has six goals and Marko Arnautovic has five. I will need them to bail me out this week once again. If not, Plan B, as always, will be Jack Wilshere.

 

Has his time at Stoke prepared Bojan for a Bundesliga relegation battle?

Predictions

Nearly a perfect set of predictions last week, only ruined by @EPL_MOstradamus upsetting leader @RotoZdroik! I’m going to say that the match-up of this gameweek is the tie between @FuzzyWarbles (19-12) and @wrigavin (18-13). Here are this week’s set of predictions. Plus, don't forget to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of all the action.

Good Luck Everyone.

@Smokey_Loogy over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @wrigavin

@FantasyYIRMA over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @TomSunderland_

@EPL_MOstadamus over @SportsByGotti

@TRKingston over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @BenDinnery

Week 30: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Finally, the international break is over and we can get back to the nitty gritty of league football. What seems like an eternity without fantasy football will come to an end with Liverpool facing Everton at Saturday lunchtime. My side won a nineteenth game of the season in the last gameweek, thanks largely to another clean sheet from Tom Heaton. That win keeps my side in second place, nine points behind @RotoZdroik.

Tom Heaton is the only goalkeeper with over 100 saves this season

This week the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer gives me a change to get revenge on a two-point loss from Gameweek 12. That painful loss was inflicted by @wrigavin. Gavin is on a run of three losses which has seen him drop down the table to ninth place. He knows a win, coupled with the right set of results, could move him into fourth though.

@wrigavin’s Team

@wrigavin has only one red flagged injury, but unfortunately for him it is to his most valuable player. Harry Kane has more goals than the rest of Gavin’s squad put together. Now without the Spurs forward, he will have to rely on Alvaro Negredo for goals. Normally this would be a pretty vain hope, but with Middlesbrough sacking their manager, perhaps they can start scoring goals off the back of that new manager bounce. Negredo heads to the worst defence in the league on Sunday, Swansea. The next top scorer on the team is his Defender Craig Dawson. The West Brom player will get a change to add to his three goals this season at Old Trafford on Saturday.

It was only Arsenal right? We can't read too much into this??

Gavin has made a few changes to his squad since the turn of the year. He overhauled his Midfield with the signings of Robbie Brady (Burnley), Lazar Markovic (Hull), and Luciano Narsingh (Swansea). All three have yet to cement places in their respective sides, but in only nine starts between them, they have contributed a goal and three assists. At the back he has added Bryan Oviedo. The Costa Rican defender joined Sunderland from Everton in January and averages over twelve and a half points per game.

What I Need To Happen

Tom Heaton will not have to face Harry Kane, but will have to contend with the rest of a potent Spurs attack. If not a clean sheet, then hopefully many save points will be coming his way. Michael Keane at the back will also be kept busy in the same game and should reach his thirteen point average. In Midfield, it would really help my side if Henrikh Mkhitaryan got back into the Manchester United starting lineup for the visit of West Brom. Scoring a goal would also take points off Craig Dawson. Elsewhere across the middle of the park; Jack Wilshere is slowly recovering from an injury, yet may get more minutes for Bournemouth this weekend; Ibrahim Afellay travels to the champions Leicester City but it would be a surprise if he gets into the Stoke first team.

If I had any hair it would have went white waiting for Borini to score too.

I may be reaching a bit, but it’s April now and Sunderland a running out of time to start trying to stay in the division. With that in mind, someone is going to need to help Defoe score goals, and that someone may as well be Fabio Borini! Failing that, I may have to fall back on Chelsea’s Pedro. He has a game at home to Crystal Palace come three o’clock on Saturday. If Borini and Pedro draw blanks, all my eggs will be in the Kevin Mirallas basket. Everton have a shockingly bad record against Liverpool recently though, so I’m not going to expect too many points from either Mirallas or defender Leighton Baines.

Predictions

Six from nine last time out. Lots of close games keep the league table nice and tight. Only six points separate the team in third from the team in eleventh. The big match-up this gameweek pits leader @RotoZdroik against fifth place @nikarg. Here are this week’s predictions.

Good Luck Everyone. Also go follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

@FantasyYIRMA over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @SportsByGotti

@nealjthurman over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @nikarg

@BenDinnery over @TomSunderland_

@EPL_MOStradamus over @jwl_15

@TRKingston over @jasonuk17

Week 25: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A squad that outscored your opponent 7 goals to 1. A goalkeeper clean sheet to two goals conceded. A defence that gave up one goal, verses a team whose three defenders gave up a total of 11 goals. Four players who outperformed their averages. A score that would have beaten 14 other sides in the league. All of this league leader @RotoZdroik achieved in Gameweek 24. Yet he still game away with the Loss, as my side put in an all-round performance that pulled in the week’s highest total, 162 pts. This keeps my team in second place, but now only nine points behind. This week the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer tries to throw me a potential banana skin against the side propping up the table, @DFS_hambazaza.

Lukaku nearly equaled my season top scorer in one afternoon, but ended up on the losing side

@DFS_hambazaza has scored the lowest number of points in each of the last three gameweeks. The last time we faced each other, the winning margin was over a hundred points in my favour. On paper this should be an easy three points. But as we all know, fantasy football can throw up some surprises when you least expect it.

@DFS_hambazaza’s Team

The January transfer window has not been kind to @DFS_hambazaza this year. Nathan Ake was averaging over 14 points a game before he was recalled to sit on the bench at Chelsea. Everton have had an upturn in their performance levels of late, but Gerard Deulofeu found himself surplus to requirements and is seeing out the rest of the season at AC Milan. Seemingly better news was the transfer of Robert Snodgrass from Hull to West Ham. But the Scot has yet to settle into the side, having only started one game, but did register an assist in that one start.

Robert Snodgrass is now @DFS_hambazaza's biggest weapon

@DFS_hambazaza still has a number of players who could cause my side trouble though. If they can get on the pitch. Charlie Daniels is his highest scoring defender, but he faces a late fitness test to be ready for the fixture against Man City on Monday night. Xherdan Shaquiri of Stoke City and George Friend of Middlesbrough are both nursing calf injuries and are doubts for their teams’ games at three o’clock on Saturday. The defence should not be a problem to fill, it’s the Midfield and Forward positions that will give @DFS_hambazaza the most headaches. He spent big on getting Nolito of Man City, but the Forward has not featured since Christmas.

What I Need To Happen

Hector Bellerin is still a doubt after the head injured suffered last week. He may have a tempting fixture at home to Hull City, but surely Arsene Wenger won’t risk the Spaniard before the big Champions League clash midweek. This will leave me with an unchanged backline of Leighton Baines, Steve Cook and Michael Keane. These three conceded a combined eleven goals last weekend, so any improvement on that would be a plus.

Henrik Mkhitaryan scored against the champions, so will hold no fear of Watford

On the attacking front, Mkhitaryan got on the scoresheet against Leicester City and will be expected to carve out as many chances at home to Watford. Kevin Mirallas missed out when Everton scored six goals against Bournemouth, so I don’t expect him to get back into their starting line-up any time soon. Sunderland also scored a lot of goals last weekend without the talents of Fabio Borini. But with the Black Cats missing a few midfielders through injury and suspension, perhaps he could make his way back into the side. Elsewhere in Midfield, Jack Wilshere will get a chance to help his Arsenal buddies by scoring a goal or two for Bournemouth against Man City on Monday. Also in Midfield, The Ibrahim Afellay Experiment has shifted up a gear with the Dutchman forcing his way into the Stoke starting eleven of late. I expect him to have his best points haul yet when the Potters host a free-falling Crystal Palace side.

 Predictions

After a slight dip in predictions midweek, an improvement to seven correct and two incorrect for Gameweek 24. @RotoZdroik has seen his lead cut to nine points, with two teams on 45 points to his 54. There is a cluster of five teams a further three points back. One of those teams is @SportsByGotti, who @RotoZdroik will face this week. To follow all the action make sure you check out @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

Here are this week’s predictions.

Good Luck Everyone

@RotoZdroik over @SportsByGotti

@TAMc10 over @BenDinnery

@jwl_15 over @cjradune

@FantasyYIRMA over @jasonuk17

@wrigavin over @TRKingston

@EPL_MOstradamus over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @nealjthurman

Week 22: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A really tight fixture last week against @jasonuk17, as only three points separated the teams in the end. Two goals from both sides, along with three clean sheets from each set of defenders and goalkeepers, saw most players get to their averages. Perhaps it was the clean sheet from Burnley’s Tom Heaton that helped my side come away with the three points. The victory leaves my side third in the table, still nine points off leader @RotoZdroik.

Marko Arnautovic scores as the whole Sunderland team look on

This week it seems that @THE_IEFSA and Fantrax have had enough and will pit my side against the side with the most Chelsea players in their squad. The Blues top the Premier League by seven points and this week they will face relegation threatened Hull City at home. @jwl_15 has twice as many Chelsea players as any other team. The Fantrax/IEFSA fixture computer stacks the cards against my side once again, but hopefully my players can keep up their good form as we head into Gameweek 22.

@jwl_15’s Team

Jake has Thibaut Courtois in goals. The Chelsea stopper has 12 clean sheets already this season. A whole four clean sheets better than Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris, who has the second most in the league. Courtois also has seven more clean sheets than my goalkeeper. His other Chelsea players are in Midfield. Eden Hazard averages over 20 points per game for @jwl_15. N’Golo Kante averages nearly 16 points and Victor Moses chips in with over 13 points a game. Also in Midfield, Jake can select Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson. One goal and four assists already this season, sees Henderson gain over 19 points every game. All of these players have favourable home fixtures this week, as they all play against teams in the bottom three.

If Courtois can keep out the champions, what hope Hull City?

It’s in the Forward position where @jwl_15 has found things difficult this season. Ashley Barnes and Shane Long have managed four goals between them, yet have failed to cement a starting spot in each of their sides. They both have only managed six starts going into Gameweek 22. Jake will perhaps look to his Defenders to get him enough points for the win. Here he has Joel Ward of Crystal Palace, Kyle Naughton from Swansea, Cedric Soares at Southampton, and Juan Zuniga with Watford to choose from. Two of these defenders play home fixtures this week (Ward and Soares), so perhaps he will pick them to start. More motivation for Jake is that fact that in Gameweek 3 my side managed to scrape a tight win against him.

What I Need To Happen

A Hull goal at Stamford Bridge is almost a must this week. If the Tigers new manager can somehow organise his team to stifling the Chelsea attack for ninety minutes, with perhaps the exception of Pedro, who is on my team, that would greatly help me in this match-up. Working against @jwl_15 though, is that the Chelsea versus Hull game is the last of the Gameweek. Does he leave all his player slots open for his Chelsea players on Sunday evening? If he does, I may need to have built up a sizable lead from the nine earlier Premier League games.

Wilshere tried to score against Hull with one arm tied behind his back

The players I’ll need in order to build up this lead have thankfully been seeing some form in front of goal of late. Arnautovic got a brace last week against Sunderland. Mirallas put one past Man City. And Pedro scored his fifth of the season against Leicester. Elsewhere, Mkhitaryan seems to have nailed down a place in the Man Utd starting eleven, and Jack Wilshere is still due a goal. For those worried about the ‘Ibrahim Afellay Experiment’, the Stoke midfielder added 2.7 points off the bench last weekend. We are still waiting for the Dutchman to break out and gain a boatload of points.

Predictions

The third week in a row where six predictions have been correct and three incorrect. @RotoZdroik is still six points clear of @wrigavin, while @DFS_Hambazaza is 12 points adrift at the bottom. @nikarg has the longest winning streak in the league with six, and it’s getting harder and harder to predict winners with each passing gameweek. Let’s try and improve on six correct predictions this week though with the following predictions. Follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep on top of all the action this Saturday and Sunday.

Good Luck Everyone.

@BenDinnery over @jasonuk17

@RotoZdroik over @TRKingston

@EPL_MOstradamus over @DFS_Hambazaza

@SportsByGotti over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @TAMc10

@nealjthurman over @cjradune

@FuzzyWarbles over @FantasyYIRMA

@wrigavin over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @SmokeyLoogy

Week 20: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Happy New Year IEFSA fans. If you thought the previous nineteen games of the season was intense, then you better strap yourself in for what’s coming in 2017! The transfer window is now open again. The race for the championship seems to be mirroring the actual Premier League, with @RotoZdroik taking the role of Chelsea. But unlike the three teams facing the drop, a whole ten teams in the IEFSA league will be for the chop for the start of next season. With this in mind, every single game becomes a six-pointer from now on. Also, in the second half of the season I’m sure you will see more blatant maltreatment of my team from @THE_IEFSA Fantrax fixture computer; starting in Gameweek 20 with a game against @TRKingston. The team that began the season by getting a favourable decision over my side by only 0.5 points.

Not much between the top 10 sides. It's squeaky bum time!

@TRKingston’s Team

Danny Rose and Miles Jedinak were the stars of Week  1 for @TRKingston, hauling in 35 points between them. Rose is still in Todd’s side, but that was the only game Jedinak played before heading to the greener pastures of Aston Villa. Yohan Cabaye was on the bench that day and this week should be in @TRKingston’s team when Crystal Palace play Swansea at home. The French midfielder should rack up the points against the managerless Swans team. Not that @TRKingston needs help getting points, he is one of the highest point scoring teams in the league. His team are the second highest scorers in the game and if his typical line-up all hit their average, it will take over 128.2 points to beat him.

Will Burnley give more reasons for Pep and David to feel down?

Another midfielder with plenty of scoring potential this week for Todd’s side is David Silva. Man City will be looking to bounce back after their reversal to Liverpool, and have a home tie with Burnley to take out their frustrations. Most of @TRKingston’s points in Defence come from the player already mentioned, Danny Rose. The Spurs left wing-back averages over 20 points a game. He is comfortably the best Defender in the game, averaging over three points more per game than his nearest rival, Marcos Alonso of Chelsea. Todd also has two goal, three assist, Jose Holebas of Watford in his team. On Tuesday Watford face a Stoke City side who have conceded eight goals in their last two games. And you don’t think the Fantrax fixture computer doesn’t have it in for my poor side.

What I Need To Happen

I’ll really need David Silva to be kept quiet on Monday. Even if he doesn’t play a full game, he could well do a lot of damage playing behind Aguero against Burnley. Failing that, perhaps Cabaye can be marked out of the game on Tuesday as Swansea lock things down tight in search of a positive result. Then hopefully come the Tottenham versus Chelsea clash on Wednesday my side will be a good twenty points ahead so as to negate any damage Danny Rose could do.

Danny Rose will be tested against Chelsea this week

As for my side? Well, just as things were looking up with the return of Pedro and Arnautovic from suspension, Jack Wilshere will be unavailable because he is playing against his parent club Arsenal. That’s a big no-no according to the FA. I would have had no problems with it though, as he would surely have broken his duck for Bournemouth against his old teammates. Another problem with my side is the ever changing nature of the Manchester United starting eleven. Mkhitaryan started the last game, yet scored off the bench the game before that, so will he start again? Lingard missed out against Middlesbrough, but started the game before against Sunderland. Will he start? Will either of them be subbed on if they don’t start? Also, we are two games into the Ibrahim Afellay Experiment and things are not going well (3.4 points per game).

Predictions

An improvement in predictions as I called six correct to three incorrect. @RotoZdroik is still six points clear at the top, he faces a tough fixture against @nealjthurman this week though. To see how this and the other games go, remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

Good Luck Everyone.

@EPL_MOstradamus over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @BenDinnery

@RotoZdroik over @nealjthurman

@FuzzyWarbles over @DFS_hambazaza

@SportsByGotti over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @TAMc10

@SmokeyLoogy over @cjradune

@wrigavin over @FantasyYIRMA

Week 19: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

I’m not sure what got into my players at the start of this festive season, but they went a bit goal crazy during Gameweek 18. Six goals were scored by my squad. Which is crazy considering they only managed fifteen in total from the previous 17 gameweeks! Unfortunately two of the more spectacular goals, Fabio Borini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s efforts at Old Trafford were scored while sitting on the bench. Luckily the 50+ points which didn’t contribute to my weekly total were not needed, as I managed to overcome @TomSunderland_, who could only respond with a James Ward-Prowse assist and two defensive clean sheets.

You can't be offside if you flick the ball from behind you, it's in the rulebook

The @THE_IEFSA and Fantrax fixture computer is clearly not happy with my team gaining a tenth win for the season, and on top of the injuries, will be adding suspensions to my selection headache going into this gameweek. The standout player for my side was Chelsea’s Pedro last time out with two goals. I’ll have to do without him this week though, as after picking up a yellow card, he will now miss a game. He joins Arnautovic on the bench who is also serving a suspension. This will leave me very light in the Forward position when I play against @EPL_MOstradamus this week. @EPL_MOstradamus was the front runner in the league up until recently. He has gone three games without a win and has dropped down to eighth.

@EPL_MOstradamus’ Team

Despite my glut of goals recently, I’m still a few shy of Chris’ sides 26. Benteke missed a penalty last week, so is hardly going to repeat the trick two times out. In fact, Chris has three players with more goals than my current top scorer, Joe Allen (5). Benteke has eight on the season, closely followed by Firmino of Liverpool and Heung-Min Son of Spurs, who both have six. Next on the list of goal scorers is Manuel Lanzini of West Ham United, with three. He has been in and out of the side lately but faces a tempting fixture in a trip to out of form Leicester City on Saturday.

Benteke with a weak penalty, helping Gomes earn some points

Christian Beneteke may have missed his spot kick in the last game, but @EPL_MOstradamus picked up the save points thanks to having Watford’s Heurelho Gomes as his keeper. The Brazilian averages 8.14 points a game. In fact, if all of Chris’ players hit their averages this gameweek, I will need my side to score more than 127 points to beat him. Something my team hasn’t managed to do in the last eight gameweeks. You still think @THE_IEFSA and Fantrax fixture compiler is not out to get me?

What I Need To Happen

The ‘Claudio Yacob Experiment’ is over. Please welcome the new and improved ‘Ibrahim Afellay Experiment’. The Stoke City player has just returned from a knee injury, and while he may not get much joy against Chelsea this weekend, he may do enough in the coming gameweeks to force his way into my Midfield. His inclusion does mean if you divide my squad by the divisor of ‘Stoke players’, the resulting quotient is ‘Too many Stoke players’. If Afellay is to be included going forward, it could be at the expense of a Mr Jack Wilshere. The Bournemouth player is still due that elusive first goal for the Cherries. If it doesn’t come against Swansea on Saturday, I may just have to give up on it happening at all!

Afellay made sure he was wrapped up warm for his few minutes against Liverpool

If @EPL_MOstradamus’ forwards can be kept quiet in tricky fixtures against Man City and Arsenal, that would be a good for me in this matchup. Benteke will be determined to make amends against the Gunners, but perhaps Chris will get more points from Firmino at home to Pep’s, Man City. City may have kept a clean sheet against Hull, but Liverpool are on fire in front of goals. In my side, looking for goals might be a thankless task with Pedro being absent. Lingard and Mkhitaryan will surely get chances against Middlesbrough, but the question is, will either of them start the game? The first game of the gameweek is on Friday night when Hull City host Everton. With Baines and Mirallas in my team, a positive result here will surely put Chris on the back foot.

Predictions

The league is still really tight. The current top 7 all won in Gameweek 18, which means that @RotoZdroik remains six points clear. A whole host of teams are only separated by points scored. The table may even be tighter than it looks. When @SportsByGotti gets the points owed from the performance of Joel Robles for Everton against Leicester, he would leapfrog bitter rival @RotoWireAndrew and be in ninth position. Also, the transfer window opens soon, so expect a scramble as most managers make crazy bids to take Fabio Borini off my hands.

Five correct and four incorrect, in what was a repeat of the predictions from the week before. The predictions are not getting worse, which is a good sign. Will this week’s be any better? Let’s see. Follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep up with the three days of Fantasy Premier League action.

As always, Good Luck Everyone, and Happy New Year.

@TRKingston over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @nealjthurman

@FuzzyWarbles over @BenDinnery

@RotoZdroik over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @DFS_Hambazaza

@SportsBtGotti over @SmokeyLoogy

@wrigavin over @TAMc10

@FantasyYIRMA over @cjradune