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 1: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

Is it just me, or did that summer break seem to pass by in the blink of an eye? Barely have I had time to celebrate finishing fifth in the IEFSA league when Gameweek 1 rolls around and I’ve to cobble together a team to face @nikarg. It seems I’m not the only one who the new season has snuck up on. Spurs have sold four players and loaned out another four, but as of yet haven’t replaced any of them with a game against Newcastle looming. The Toon manager Rafa Benitez for his part has been complaining about his side’s lack of summer signings (they have only brought in seven players). Perhaps the summer break isn’t long enough and the Premier League should copy what happens in Germany, Italy and Spain, where everyone gets an extra week of down time in in order to entice Phillipe Coutinho into a transfer request? Or they could do what they do in Andorra, where the league doesn’t bother to start until the middle of September. That would have given me plenty of time to get an unbeatable squad together.

To see my thoughts on the IEFSA Fantrax draft from earlier in the month, please scroll down and read the previous post.

This season there has been a shake-up to the league. Instead of all 20 teams playing each other. The league has been split into two divisions of ten teams, with promotion and relegation at the end of the year. There will also be a Fantasy Cup which will happen during gameweeks that have midweek fixtures. Thankfully I’ve earned a bye in the cup until the second round. It should be a very interesting season.

@nikarg’s Team

Nik has a team which shouldn’t be short of goals. He splashed out $75 for the services of West Ham’s Chicharito to compliment the attacking threat of Bournmouth’s Jermain Defoe. In Midfield he can call on the talents of Christian Eriksen, who scored eight goals last season. @nikarg will be looking for Riyad Mahrez to rediscover the form he showed in Leicester’s title winning season, where he scored 17 goals. Elsewhere in Midfield he has Jesse Lingard of Man Utd, and Andros Townsend of Crystal Palace. Both players are capable of hitting the back of the net when given the chance.

If Huddersfield can score, Hennessey has problems.

Between the sticks he will have the Palace goalkeeper. Probably Wayne Hennessey for this weekend’s clash with newly promoted Huddersfield. The Terriers were the lowest scorers of the top eight teams in the Championship last season. They are actually the lowest scorers to gain promotion since Birmingham City in 2009. With all this in mind, it looks like Palace have one of the better chances of keeping a clean sheet on Saturday. In Defence, With McAuley out injured, Nik will have to start the trio of Ryan Shawcross, Stoke City, Rob Holding, Arsenal, and Leighton Baines, Everton.

What I Need To Happen

If I can’t score more goals than @nikarg, my players are going to have to out-work his to give me any chance of winning this match-up. Thankfully I have retained the services of the biggest workhorse in world football, Joe Allen. Helping the Welshman in Midfield will be this seasons star signing, the most expensive player in my squad, Tom Ince of Huddersfield. Another new signing in Jonjo Shelvey of Newcastle will join an old face in Palace’s Luka Milivojevic. Up front I will have to choose between Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle or Swansea’s Tammy Abraham. Neither player is assured of a starting spot for their respective teams, so I will have to keep an eye on the matchday squads.

New Premier League  season excitement encapsulated in one picture

In goals this year will be Tom Heaton again. The Burnley stopper unfortunately has to travel to the champions Chelsea for the opening game of the season on Saturday. At the back, and hopefully pulling in a clean sheet or two, are Steve Cook of Bournemouth (a holdover from last year), Victor Lindelof of Man Utd (a new $34 signing), Michael Keane now of Everton (another survivor from last year’s squad), and Jose Fonte of West Ham (central defender who cost $15). Lindelof and Cook and not assured of starts, but Keane and Fonte should get 90 minutes. It would be great if three of those four could find their way onto the field this weekend.

Predictions

With so many changes after the draft it’s going to be difficult to call all this weekend’s games. I haven’t even figured out how the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer is clandestinely sabotaging my team yet! To keep track of all the action this season please follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

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

@EPL_MOstradamus over @FuzzyWarbles

@jwl_15 over @FantasyYIRMA

@RotoZdroik over @TRKingston

@RotoWireAndrew over @SmokeyLoogy

@SportsByGotti over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @wrigavin

@BenDinnery over @TomSunderland_

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jasonuk17

@nealjthurman over @jforquer11

Week 14: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

An embarrassing defeat to @RotoWireAndrew last week continues my side’s slide down the table. Fans are surely getting restless after three losses in a row, while the board are probably scratching their heads asking ‘What’s a Claudio Yacob?’ Things don’t get any easier this week in the @THE_IEFSA and Fantrax Fantasy League as the fixture computer (which hate’s me by the way) throws me into a matchup with @jforquer11. Both our teams have 21 points and are in danger of dropping down to the lower reaches of the table this week if things don’t go their way. @jforquer11 has a fully fit squad to select from though, whereas my players just love that treatment table.

A wild Yacob appeared.

@jforquer11’s Team

A good spread of teams in Joel’s squad. Only Stoke City supplies him with two players; the goalkeeper (currently Lee Grant) and the left back Erik Pieters. Luckily for him also, is that most of his team will be playing on Saturday. He might sweat over the inclusions of Gareth Barry or Daley Blind in the Everton versus Manchester United game on Sunday, but could fill his Defence and Midfield with players with Saturday fixtures and save himself that headache, while more than likely opening up a sizable lead in our matchup! His top scorer, Burnley’s Sam Vokes, does travel to Stoke though, so while these players could keep each other busy, they could end up taking points off each other, so that even the sting of a Vokes goal will be tempered by the points Grant would lose.

Elsewhere in his squad he will be looking to some of his more reliable players to gather him points. His highest salaried player, Man City’s Fernandinho, averages nearly 17 points a game, but does have a tricky game against Chelsea in the opening fixture of the weekend. Joel spent big in defence and will perhaps be disappointed with the returns so far from Wes Morgan (Leicester City) and Jose Fonte (Southampton). These two players do have fixtures with some of the Premier League’s lesser teams in Sunderland and Crystal Palace respectively. Complementing Vokes in attack he will have to choose between Shinji Okazaki and Joshua King. They have started 18 games between them, but have only managed three goals, so they are perhaps due a goal this week.

What I Need To Happen

Speaking of being due a goal, Jack Wilshere will return to the Bournemouth side this week. The Cherries host Coutinho-less Liverpool, and a clean sheet there rake in the points for my side. Steve Cook also owes me a solid 90 minutes after last week’s horror show. Another player returning this week is Stoke’s Joe Allen. Fresh from suspension, Allen will hopefully rediscover the form of a few weeks ago. The Stoke versus Burnley fixture will include Allen as well as Arnautovic for the home side, against Michael Keane and the Burnley goalkeeper with the away side. Last week Paul Robinson found himself in goals after Tom Heaton was ruled out with a toe injury. A highly entertaining nil all draw would be ideal here. But a boring draw that ends up shown last on all the highlight shows is more likely.

Has Mkhitaryan done enough to earn a start?

Another game that will include four of my squad will be the Sunday four o’clock kick-off between Everton and Manchester United. Though if all four players do play, I will be genuinely surprised. Baines does seem to have settled back into the side after injury, but Mirallas has seen himself fall out of the side after a number of anonymous performances and a run of poor results for the Toffees. The Man Utd team is even harder to predict. Lingard and Mkhitaryan have been in and out of the side over their last four fixtures, with perhaps the Armenian midfielder more likely to gain a starting berth this weekend.

Predictions

12 points separate the top 18 sides in this league. The longest win streak is only three games, by @FantasyYIRMA in 17^th. Any team can beat any other, so even a fixture between top (@jwl_15) and bottom (@DFS_Hambazaza) cannot be predicted with 100% certainty. Only three of nine matchups correctly predicted last weekend. Are things going to improve in Gameweek 14? Follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to find out.

Good Luck Everyone

@jwl_15 over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @BenDinnery

@EPL_MOstradamus over @cjradune

@wrigavin over @nikarg

@RotoWireAndrew over @FuzzyWarbles

@SportsByGotti over @jasonuk17

@nealjthurman over @SmokeyLoogy

@TRKingston over @TAMc10

@TomSunderland_ over @FantasyYIRMA

Week 10: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Battling against the odds, my plucky squad have climbed to second in the table. I said last week I would need 130+ points to win against @cjradune, and thankfully a Pedro goal and assist pulled my team over 150 points, and when Sturridge failed to take the field for C.J., I knew I was within touching distance of the win come Sunday. A positive from last weekend was that all of my nine players posted double figure scores.

A glance at the table this week and you would be forgiven for thinking that as I’m facing second from bottom @FantasyYIRMA, I should be favoured to pick up the three points. But sometimes the table does give a false impression this early in the season. @FantasyYIRMA has scored more points than eight other sides and if his players hit their fantasy points average, I will need 128 or more points to win. As usual the IEFSA/Fantrax fixtures computer tries its best to hamper my team, as both of @FantasyYIRMA’s highest scoring players have enticing fixtures; Dele Alli is at home to a Leicester side that don’t seem to bother playing away from the King Power Stadium; while Mesut Ozil faces bottom of the table Sunderland, who don’t seem to bother playing anywhere.

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

Alli and Ozil are joined in Midfield by two players who average around fifteen points a game, and both play at home on Saturday. Juan Mata scored midweek in the EPL Cup against Man City, so he will surely fancy his chances facing Burnley. Wilfried Zaha hasn’t had the same luck in front of goal lately, but still has goal and two assists in seven starts this season. The only problem here though, is that if Zaha does get on the scoresheet, he will be taking points away from @FantasyYIRMA’s Liverpool goalkeeper. In his squad is another Palace player who could return from injury and take over the Forward slot that is currently up for grabs with Wayne Rooney’s injury. Loic Remy is trying to shake off a thigh injury in a race to be fit for the Saturday evening kick-off.

At the back @FantasyYIRMA can count on the return of Jonny Evans from suspension. The West Brom defender will get a chance to rack up the points against a Man City attack determined to stop a slide of no wins in their last six games. Evans might not be assured of a spot in @FantasyYIRMA’s back three though, but with two defenders facing each other in Reid (West Ham) and Williams (Everton) he may be forced to choose one over the other. His remaining defender is Bournemouth’s Simon Francis. The Cherries kept a clean sheet last week against Spurs, so should be fancied to do the same again against Middlesbrough, who haven’t scored since October 1st.

One of these players is due a goal

What I Need To Happen

Stoke are at home this week, which can only mean one thing….. Joe Allen getting himself back up the scoring charts. The only problem here though is that Stoke face Swansea on Monday night. I guess I will have to hold a roster spot open for both Allen and Arnautovic. But can I afford to? Pedro is coming off the back of his best game of the season, but has an awkward fixture away at Southampton. Kevin Mirallas was back in the starting line-up for Everton last week, but after that game was lost I would not be surprised to see Ronald Koeman change his first eleven. Elsewhere in Midfield I have two Man Utd players. Jesse Lingard could possible take the field against Burnley, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan appears to be on the missing list. My biggest summer signing has barely 25 points to his name this season. I don’t expect that to improve on Saturday.

Juan Mata will look to keep Man Utd in the hunt for seventh place.

Thankfully a number of @FantasyYIRMA’s players face each other and could cancel each other out. Ideally I’d like his players to have a quiet day and let others do most of the work. Big hitters like Dele Alli, Ozil and Mata having an off day on Saturday would help a lot. Come Sunday night I’m thinking that if my side is within 80 points, then I can just sit back and watch Joe Allen drag me back into the tie, and hopefully to victory.

Predictions

The league seems to get tighter and more difficult to predict every week. It really is wide open and anyone can beat anyone. The predictions last week saw only four correct from nine. A number of intriguing games this week doesn’t make things any easier. The leader @EPL_MOstradamus plays last week’s high scorer @TRKingston. Who will win that battle? Well, you’ll just have to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to find out.

This week’s predictions. Good luck everyone.

@wrigavin over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @SportsByGotti

@jforguer11 over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @FuzzyWarbles

@nealjthurman over @BenDinnery

@jwl_15 over @nikarg

@TomSunderland_ over @jasonuk17

@EPL_MOstradamus over @TRKingston

Week 7: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Another Joe Allen spearheaded victory last week, as my side move to 4-2 and into 5^th place. Unfortunately news out of Stoke is that the Welshman has a slight hamstring injury and will need to be assessed before the Potters head to Old Trafford to face Man Utd. That the game will be played on Sunday because of United’s Thursday night Europe League exploits does not help my team selection. Do I chance leaving a spot for Allen at the expense of someone who starts on Saturday?

Stoke City are basically a one man team now

Unfortunately any dropped points from my team will be exploited by this week’s opponent @SportsByGotti. Mike might have lost three games, but all those games were mighty close and with the rub of the green he could just as easily be sitting on the top of the table. @SportsByGotti has also managed to concede the fewest points in the league in his match-ups. His side has more shots, more assists, and more goals than mine; which is just further proof of the clear fixture bias against my team. His top scorer also has a favourable home game this weekend. It really is a horrible time to be playing against him if I can’t get a fully fit squad on the pitch.

@SportsByGotti’s Team

His top scorer is one Michail Antonio of West Ham. The Hammers host Middlesbrough on Saturday, and will look to get out of the relegation zone and above ‘Boro with a win. His top scorer fantasy points-wise might be injured in Kevin De Bruyne. But Man City face a tricky weekend away at Spurs and perhaps he would have found more joy with Matt Phillips at Sunderland or Callum Wilson at Watford anyway. Duncan Watmore might even be an option for him with Sunderland as they chase goals in a, almost, must win game against West Brom.

At the back his team will start getting points from the Friday night game. Stekelenberg in goals will be facing Pardew’s rejuvenated Crystal Palace. If he keeps a clean sheet my side will be on the back foot. It will be a bit of a double blow too, because I’ll be watching it knowing that Baines is contributing nothing as he sits in one of my injured reserve slots. Elsewhere at the back his best chance of points is probably with David Luiz. The Brazilian has averaged over 16 points in the two games he has started for Chelsea so far.

What I Need To Happen

Hull turning Chelsea over on Saturday would be a fillip to my side. Unless of course Pedro somehow finds himself on the team sheet. Even in that unlikely event, Hull giving Mike’s two players the runaround would be no bad thing. We have a number of players from the same sides; Stoke, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton. It will just be a case of hoping my players putting in a better display over the 90 minutes.

While my backline is pretty secure, red flags and rotation haunts my players in Midfield and at Forward. It’s looking like I’ll have players with a combined 330+ points this season sitting it out this weekend. It puts more pressure on those that do start, but apart from Santi Cazorla no one has lit the Premier League alight this season. Hopefully this will be the weekend one or two of them do. Plus, as I say every week, that young scallywag Jack Wilshire is due a goal.

One of these players is due a goal.

Predictions

Some more really close games last week, two pairs were separated by less than a single point. As for the predictions, they went a lot better than the previous week’s. Seven correct to only two wrong. Can we out-do that this week? As always, follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of the scores.

@BenDinnery over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @TomSunderland_

@RotoWireAndrew over @TRKingston

@SmokeyLoogy over @jasonuk17

@TAMc10 over @DFS_Hambazaza

@cjradune over @RotoZdroik

@EPL_MOstradamus over @jforquer11

@nikarg over @nealjthurman

@wrigavin over @jwl_15

Good Luck Everyone

Week 5: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

It’s barely been four days and the next round of fixtures in the IEFSA Fantasy League on Fantrax comes around again. An agonising loss last week saw my side slip from ninth to twelfth with a .500 win percentage. @BenDinnery might be the go to guy for Premier League injury news, but how long to recover from a broken heart Ben, how long?? I thought I had done enough on Saturday to keep my side in front, before Diego Costa popped up with two goals to crush my dreams, as Ben’s team streaked off into the distance. Everton’s emphatic win on Monday night only served to fill me with false hope as a late rally from Baines left me short by a soul crushing 1.85 points. An interception or a blocked shot and some accurate passes away from the victory. Heart breaking stuff.

This week the IEFSA fixture bias against my team continues, as I’m to face 3-1 (fifth place) @RotoZdroik. He has won his last two games and is the fourth highest scorer in the league. His Forward line has also contributed five goals to his team, while my Forward line has provided the grand total of zero.

@RotoZdroik’s Team

That Forward line is led by Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian hit a hat trick last time out and will be home to Middlesbrough on Saturday evening. His back-ups are more than capable too. Jermain Defoe returns to old side Tottenham on Sunday. Wilfried Bony will try to open his Stoke City account against Crystal Palace, while Fernando Llorente heads with his Swansea teammates to Southampton. Adam’s Midfield is full of real work horses who love hoovering up points around the pitch. Idrissa Gueye averages over twenty points a game for Everton. Granit Xhaka will be part of the Arsenal squad that travels to Hull on the back of some good recent form. Gylfi Sigurdsson adds some guile to his midfield; and if any of those three are not fit to start, he has Aaron Ramsey and Leroy Sane waiting in reserve.

Lukaku won't get everything his own way against Middlesbrough

His star in defence has been Kyle Naughton. Averaging over 19 points a game, he wins his fair share of aerial duels, as well as putting in a number of accurate crosses. His three other defenders are playing at home though, so he may be tempted to rotate them in to one of his three defensive slots. Cahill will be kept busy by Liverpool. Zabaleta might get to raid forward when Man City entertain Bournemouth. Damien Delaney plays on Sunday in the clash of Palace and Stoke. Finally in goals will be Hull’s Jakupovic. In the opening four games the Bosnian has made 16 saves to three goals conceded.

What I Need To Happen

If Arsenal could put a few past Hull at three o’clock on Saturday that would be good for my squad, which includes Bellerin and Cazorla. Before that game though, perhaps it would be good (if not a minor miracle) on Friday night if Pedro were to actually start a game for Chelsea.  He hasn’t done a great deal since joining the Blues and faces stiff competition to break into their starting eleven. More than likely joining him on the bench will be my two Manchester United ‘stars’ Lingard and Mkhitaryan. Playing these two last week more than likely cost me any chance of victory, but the chances of them starting this weekend against Watford are pretty remote. Although we will know more after the dust has settled on Man Utd’s Europa League game.

This will leave the rest of my squad to pick up the slack. Burnley holding champions Leicester to a clean sheet would benefit my goalkeeper, and defender Michael Keane. Two Stoke players, Arnautovic and Allen, need to help the Potters off the foot of the table, and any win away to Palace will surely hurt Delaney’s points tally. My ace in the hole though is tricky Jack Wilshire, who is due a goal when Bournemouth head to Man City. No clean sheets yet for The Citizens means a brace or more is not out of the question.

Predictions

It’s proving really difficult to predict winners in this league. @cjradune overcame @TomSunderland_ by only 0.2 points in Week 4's top of the table clash for instance. A respectable six correct and three wrong from last week’s predictions though. As usual, to keep track of all the games from this week, make sure you are following @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

Here are this week’s predictions. Good luck everyone.

@DFS_Hambazaza over @BenDinnery

@EPL_MOstadamus over @FantasyYIRMA

@RotoWireAndrew over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @SmokeyLoogy

@jwl_15 over @SportsByGotti

@jasonuk17 over @TAMc10

@cjradune over @TRKingston

@FuzzyWarbles over @jforquer11

@wrigavin over @TomSunderland_

Week 4: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A weekend of international fixtures is not really a time of rest for fantasy managers, but a period of worry and apprehension as you wait for news of your players as they play games in far flung corners of the globe. Will they come back injury free? How many minutes will they play? Will Kevin Mirallas come off the bench for Belgium in Cyprus?? These kinds of questions have been keeping me up all night. And of course some of my worst fears were realised when my star signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan limped off after 38 minutes in a friendly against the Czech Rep. Mirallas didn’t get on the pitch against Cyprus though, so a small plus point there I guess.

In Week 3 my side picked up a tough victory against @jwl_15 to get to six points and remain in ninth place. A Cazorla goal and consistent double points hauls from most of my players saw me beat out Hazard and Fer goals, and a Courtois clean sheet, by just over six points. My lowest scoring player was Fabio Borini. The Italian played just over an hour and is now injured for three months. My most expensive forward will need to be replaced. But I don’t need to mention injury tales of woe to this week’s opponent @BenDinnery. His side currently has five players on the sidelines.

Fabio Borini is a 'Spot The Ball' generators dream

@BenDinnery’s Team

Outside the injuries, Ben’s starting side average over 12 points per player in the right combination. Injuries will restrict his options this week. But Ben loves injuries, this won’t faze him! He has come up against three tough fixtures so far and is looking for his first win of the season. Spearheading his attack will be in form Forward Diego Costa. Costa has a good record against Swansea and Ben will be hoping he can continue his good run at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. The only other player to score for his side is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Arsenal host an out of sorts Southampton side. If these two players do score though, it will hamper his backline as he has Amat (Swansea) and van Dijk (Southampton) in Defence.

His Midfield is very Hull heavy. Livermore and Meyler are two of the handful of fit Tigers players that have made such a good start to the season. They travel to Burnley this weekend and will be facing off directly with my goalkeeper and one of my defenders. A goal from either of these players would give him a leg up in our match-up. Even if they do not manage a goal between them, they still put in a lot of work that has helped them average over 13 points per game so far this year. Speaking of work rate, his highest scoring midfielder is Stoke’s Glenn Whelan, average over 15 points a game. This weekend the Potters host Spurs.

What I Need To Happen

As I’ve mentioned, Burnley keeping Hull out would give me the advantage in the tie. I will also need my Arsenal and Stoke Players to outperform those belonging to @BenDinnery. Cazorla is my highest scorer to date and will surely get more opportunities for points against the Saints. Marko Arnautovic still has to get off the mark this season and it would be most welcomed if he did so this weekend. With Mkhitaryan red flagged with injury, I’ve drafted in Wanyama of Spurs. With lots of options in Midfield I will reserve judgement on the make-up of my three M and one OF slots until team sheets are announced.

Now I know what everyone is thinking this weekend. With Borini out injured, where will the goals for my team come from? Arnoutovic has so far drawn blanks and Pedro is struggling to get into Chelsea’s starting 11, but I have an ace up my sleeve. You see Bournemouth have secured the services of one Jack Wilshire. England’s most promising midfielder will be pulling the strings for the Cherries attack for the rest of the season. Hopefully he can return to the form of 2013-14 which saw him score three league goals…

Predictions

Four correct and five wrong for the games two weeks ago. It’s not getting any easier to predict these matchups in @THE_IEFSA Fantasy League on Fantrax. All eyes this weekend will be on the game between first placed @cjradune and top scorer (4^th placed) @TomSunderland_

Follow all these guys on Twitter to keep up with the action.

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

@EPL_MOstradamus over @TAMc10

@FuzzyWarbles over @SmokeyLoogy

@TRKingston over @SportsByGotti

@cjradune over @TomSunderland_

@jasonuk17 over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoWireAndrew over @jforquer11

@RotoZdroik over @jwl_15

@wrigavin over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @FantasyYIRMA

Week 3: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A first win of the season last weekend, shoots my side up the table to ninth in the IEFSA Fantasy League on Fantrax. A solid effort from my goalkeeper and three defenders (67.8 pts) saw me overcome @jasonuk17. A strike from Kevin Mirallas was also my team’s first goal of the season. No Friday night game this week to sweat over (read: almost forget about!). Plus my entire squad seems to be getting back to full fitness. Now if they could only all break into their respective side’s starting elevens that would be great. This weekend I face @jwl_15, who has the same record, with one opening week loss followed up by a victory last time out. His side have outscored mine in those two weeks though.

@jwl_15’s Team

His highest scoring player is Eden Hazard in Midfield. The Belgian is averaging over 22 points a game; the best anyone on my side can muster is a little over 16. His other two midfielders, Leroy Fer and Jordan Henderson, both average over 20 points. Midfield is where the goals are coming from in Jake’s side at the moment, as he is still waiting on his Forwards to get off the mark. Shane Long probably won’t get a better chance to open his account as Southampton host Sunderland this week. His other Forward is Spurs new signing, Vincent Janssen. He also has Memphis Depay as a back-up if some sort of zombie apocalypse happens between now and Saturday evening.

Hazard is rediscovering the form of two seasons ago

All his Defenders are playing at home this week. Funes Mori has a favourable matchup against Stoke City; Joel Ward hosts Bournemouth in another potential clean sheet game; While Andrew Robertson of Hull has the trickiest tie when he squares off against Zlatan and Manchester United, but even if a clean sheet is hard to foresee there, his defensive returns over ninety minutes could more than make up for it. Behind everyone in Goals is Chelsea stopper Courtois. Chelsea host new boys Burnley as they attempt to keep their first shut-out of the campaign.

What I Need To Happen

I do have one Chelsea player in Pedro, who did get the start last week. But I also have two Burnley players in Goalkeeper Heaton and Defender Michael Keane. It would probably serve me better if the Clarets could sneak a 1-0 win.  In the Everton/Stoke game I should probably wish for a goalfest as I have two players from each side. And Joe Allen is due a goal right?

Speaking of being due, Jack Wilshire surely has a few games in him before his next injury. But if not, I still have Bellerin and Cazorla when Arsenal travel to Watford. A positive result for the Gunners here could set my team up nicely. Elsewhere, I will be keeping an eye on the Man Utd team sheet on Saturday as I have two players waiting for their first starts of the season in Lingard and Mkhitaryan. Though with that game kicking off later than a host of other fixtures, I could well have played my hand in the match-up with @jwl_15, before Mourinho hands in his starting eleven.

Predictions

A shocking set of predictions last week, as only four of the other nine fixtures in the league were correctly predicted. This just goes to show you how tight the league is. This week none of the six unbeaten sides will face each other, giving each a chance to go 3 and 0. But will they all manage it? Remember to follow all these guys on Twitter, and to keep up to date with each match-up over the weekend, follow @THE_IEFSA.

Here it goes for this week’s guesses informed predictions…

@BenDinnery over @jasonuk17

@EPL_MOstradamus over @DFS_Hambazaza

@FuzzyWarbles over @FantasyYIRMA

@RotoZdroik over @TRKingston

@SmokeyLoogy over @RotoWireAndrew

@TomSunderland_ over @SportsByGotti

@nikarg over @TAMc10

@cjradune over @nealjthurman

@wrigavin over @jforquer11

Good Luck Everyone

Week 2: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A really tight matchup in Week 1 ebbed and flowed but unfortunately saw my side lose by a measly 0.5 points. I thought I was down and out until Santi Cazorla came off the Arsenal bench and provided two assists. Out in front with only Mark Noble to play on Monday night for @TRKingston, I thought I’d snuck a win when all was done and dusted but Noble kept accumulating points after the game was finished and I ended up with a big fat L. This week I’m facing @jasonuk17, who is also coming off a first week loss. Jason has added a number of players to his squad before this weekend in an effort to pick up those important three points.

@jasonuk17’s Team

Arthur Masuaka and Oriol Romeu are the newest editions to his side. Both players posted double figure scores in Week 1. Romeu has played in the Premier League before with Chelsea, but sees himself now at Southampton, while Masuaka joined West Ham from Olympiacos for £6.2m. Matsuaka will slot in at the back for Jason with two of, Ryan Shawcross, Kyle Walker, or under fire Alberto Moreno. Moreno plays away again with Liverpool this week, so will probably see himself sidelined. To complement Romeu in Midfield will most likely be Capoue of Watford and Gardner of West Brom, mainly because both those players are playing at home.

Jason will mainly be looking at his Forwards and Goalkeeper to get him the points needed for victory. De Gea in goals will be fancied to keep a first clean sheet of the season with a home game against Southampton on Friday night. De Gea cost $22, but is not @Jasonuk17’s costliest player. That honour goes to Forward Olivier Giroud at $31. So, Arsenal fans won’t be the only ones hoping he is thrown back into the starting line-up when the Gunners face Leicester. His other Forward is Bournemouth’s Benik Afobe. The striker joined the Cherries in January and scored four goals in the league by the end of last season.

Giroud scores goals by the power of being Arsenal's least-worst striker

What I Need To Happen

My big signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan could do with a few more minutes on the pitch, but will struggle as long as Man Utd keep winning. If Utd let in a goal or two then that would prevent De Gea from racking up a score and increase the chances of the Armenian getting some game time. Elsewhere in midfield I hope Cazorla ends up being the focal point of the Arsenal attack rather than Giroud, and that he starts this weekend. Another one of my players would help me with a start is Pedro at Chelsea. Oh and Joe Allen at Stoke too. Why are all my players sitting on benches up and down the country??

Burnley keeping Liverpool at bay would aid my chances. I have Keane at the back and Heaton in goals. Everton overcoming West Brom will dent Gardner’s impact on the tie and ideally see Baines and Mirallas score points for me. Up front I’ll need Arnautovic to open his account against Man City.

Predictions

The first weekend of @THE_IEFSA action on Fantrax saw six correct predictions to three incorrect. Lets try and top that this weekend. And my crystal ball says that the wins will fall to…

@BenDinnery over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FuzzyWarbles over @TAMc10

@RotoWireAndrew over @FantasyYIRMA

@wrigavin over @SmokeyLoogy

@TRKingston over @jwl_15

@RotoZdroik over @TomSunderland_

@cjradune over @jforquer11

@nealjthurman over @SportsByGotti

@nikarg over @DFS_Hambazaza

Good Luck Everyone.

Week 1: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

The new season begins this weekend on Fantrax for the IEFSA Fantasy League. After last year’s respectable midtable finish, I will be hoping to mount a challenge for the title this time around. I wrote about the thinking behind the squad I drafted earlier in the week. But now it’s time to run a preview over the opening fixture. I lost more games than I won in finishing ninth back in May, so I know how important a win and a good start will be for 2016/17.

That opening fixture pits me against @TRKingston. Todd has put together a fairly balanced squad, but will I be able to get the better of him and start the season with a victory? This year also sees the league expand to 20 teams, and Todd is one of the managers competing for the first time and had to put his team together from scratch. In the first twenty picks of the draft, Todd went out and secured three players for his team. He clearly means business.

@TRKingston’s  Team

Todd’s first move in the draft was to acquire David Silva of Man City. The Spaniard had 11 assists last year in a mostly injury hit season. If he can stay injury free and recapture the form which saw him score 12 goals the season before, then the $52 that was paid for him will seem like shrewd business. To complement Silva in Midfield, the next signing in the draft was Yohan Cabaye. Pulling the strings in the Palace side, Cabaye is doubly important because @TRKingston’s side also features Connor Wickham up front. At the moment he is the only fit Forward that Alan Pardew can call upon, and any goals at Selhurst Park this weekend will surely come through him.

Valdes will have Ben Gibson getting a Carles Puyol haircut soon #Influence

Between the sticks we see Middlesbrough stopper Victor Valdes.  ‘Boro had the best defence in the Championship last year. Valdes wasn’t part of that squad, but if anything his experience will help them tighten up enough to compete in the Premier League. Even if he doesn’t grab a load of clean sheets, his saves should gain plenty of points. In front of Valdes we have Liverpool new boy Joel Matip, Spurs left back Danny Rose, and Burnley’s Ben Mee.

What I Need To Happen

Even if it benefits Todd’s Ben Mee, I will hope that Burnley can keep a clean sheet at home to Swansea. I have Tom Heaton in goals and Michael Keane at the back. My other two players at the back are in direct opposition to @TRKingston’s defenders. Rose will be up against Baines. While Matip will face Bellerin. So if the home sides can score in the matchups of Everton V Spurs and Arsenal V Liverpool, then that will help me a lot. Some of our other players will face off too, this time in the Monday night game between Chelsea and West Ham. Todd’s Mark Noble is probably more assured of a starting place than Pedro. If I’m behind going into Monday, it could be tough to pull it back.

As I’ve always said, it’s goals that decide these fantasy games more often than not.  My Midfield might not be able to compete goalwise this week though. With Mkhitaryan probably a week or two away from starting for Man United, Mirallas having to find his place under new manager Ronald Koeman at Everton, while Joe Allen is hardly known for his goalscoring exploits. I’ll be looking to my Forward to score the goals to take me to victory. And the forward to do that, while ruining the first game of the Pep Guardiola era at Man City, will be Fabio Borini… hmmm come to think of it, I’m starting to think that Marko Arnautovic overcoming his hamstring injury would be a better option for my nerves, my team, and my prospects of victory. An Arnautovic goal or two past Valdes on Saturday would be a great start to the season.

Predictions

It will be tough to predict how sides will start out the season (but that won’t stop me from trying!). Please remember to follow these guys on Twitter to keep track of all @THE_IEFSA action. Plus they give the best advice on your fantasy strategy and up to date football news, day in, day out. Also, give some positive vibes to Fabio Borini on Twitter, he caries the hopes of my season on his shoulders!

@BenDinnery over @nikarg

@FuzzyWarbles over @DFS_Hambazaza

@wrigavin over @FantasyYIRMA

@RotoZdroik over @nealjthurman

@jforquer11 over @SportsByGotti

@TAMc10 over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @SmokeyLoogy

@EPL_MOstradamus over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @TomSunderland_

Good Luck Everyone