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

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 11 Preview

An Andre Ayew goal helped seal another win for me last week. That was my second win on the trot but I’m still sitting in a lowly 11^th place, nine points off the top. A points total of 55.7 was the third highest of the week and helped me overcome @BenDinnery. I will need a similar score this week as I face 4^th placed @FuzzyWarbles. His team averages 54.6 points a week, so I’m definitely going to need some goals to have a chance in this matchup.

@FuzzyWarbles could go top with a big win, while I could jump into the top 7 if results go my way. The league table gets tighter by the week; only three points separate the top 5. No one has a winning run of more than three games, and previous top dog @DanRiccio590 has only gone and lost two games in a row.

@FuzzyWarbles Team

@FuzzyWarbles' only injury concern is David Silva who will be out with an ankle injury. But he has more than capable back-ups in midfield. He can call on Mane and Mata, both players average over eight points a game and have six goals and seven assists between them. They also have games against sides who have been leaking goals lately. Further upfield he can call on one , or more likely two, of any of his four forward players. Between Mitrovic, Rondon, Diouf and Gomis he has 11 goals, in contrast my three forward players have only managed three goals this season.

In goals he has the dependable Hugo Lloris of Spurs. Four clean sheets so far this season, and the chance of another at home to an all at sea Aston Villa side this weekend. His back line now includes some players who have just broken into their respective sides, so dangerously they are in good form. Otamendi should be in the Man City side that host Norwich City on Saturday. Marcos Rojo should also feature for Manchester United as they travel to Crystal Palace. With Jagielka injured his third defender will be Leicester’s Robert Huth. Huth has played every minute of every game so far this season and that sequence should continue away to West Brom this weekend.

What I Need To Happen

I need Jürgen Klopp to wait at least another week for his first Premier League win. Chelsea host Liverpool in the weekends early kickoff as Begovic will attempt to keep only a third clean sheet. A nil-all draw would suit my side as I also have Moreno at the back for Liverpool. Speaking of nil-all draws, if that was the result between Watford and West Ham I’d be pretty happy, because I have a defender from each side in that match.

Can Andre Ayew continue his goalscoring form against Arsenal?

I have two players facing each other in midfield too, but I’ll be looking for goals between Newcastle and Stoke, with the goals to come from Wijnaldum and Arnautovic in particular. My top scorer Ayew plays at home to Arsenal, a tough match but he has the class to trouble the Gunners I feel.  Depay picked up a knock in midweek during a league cup tie, so he may not play (he probably wouldn’t have played anyway!), this means Schweinsteiger will start for my side, but he will have to improve on his 2.47 points per game. Making up the remaining spots on my roster will be difficult because I have three Villa players (I know, I know, I know!!) and they will play on Monday night, because of this I’ll try and keep one spot free for a Villa midfielder to play, I’m hoping I won’t have to call on all three of them.

Predictions

5 from 7 in the predictions again last weekend. Let’s try for the full set this week. But as I’ve mentioned the league seems to get tighter by the week and predicting winners will get tighter as a result. Remember to follow all these guys on Twitter and to follow @THE_IEFSA too so you can keep up with all the scores in the matchups as they happen.

@BenDinnery over @GalinDragiev

@DanRiccio590 over @DFS_hambazaza

@FantasyYIRMA over @nealjthurman

@TomSunderland_ over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @nikarg

@cjradune over @Smokey_Loogy

@wrigavin over @SportsByGotti

Good Luck Everybody.