IEFSA Fantasy League Week 25 Preview

Another really tight affair last week saw me squeak a win by only 0.7 points over @nealjthurman. The win was pretty much singlehandedly earned by two goal Marko Arnautovic. That result leaves my still in ninth, with 12 wins and 12 losses. My team gets a chance to perhaps move up a place this week if they can overcome @BenDinnery. Ben’s team might sit four places below me in the league, but he has won his last two games and has actually outscored my side over the course of the season so far.

This weekend will see most of the Premier League teams play their third game in seven or eight days. These leads a lot of managers to rotate members of their squads, as well as the increased likelihood of some players picking up knocks that may keep them out of the starting eleven. My side has been fortunate in not picking up any new injuries, but @BenDinnery doesn’t have any new red flags to worry about either.

@BenDinnery’s Team

The weak link in his team has probably been his goalkeeper. Newcastle seem to pack it in after they concede their first goal and this has effected the points Rob Elliot has been able to gain. The Toon do host Bournemouth this Saturday though and it will be a game that Steve McClaren will be determined to win. At the back he has three defenders who like to get in among the goals. Ivanovic, van Dijk and Kolorov have all scored twice this season, with Ivanovic and Kolorov even providing a couple of assists each. With those two players having a couple of winnable home games this weekend, it could be a very profitable Saturday indeed.

His midfield has been quiet of late, with Mark Noble’s goal against Norwich three games ago being the only bright spot. It’s up front where @BenDinnery’s team has been helping him gain victories of late. Diego Costa has put his early season funk behind him and has scored eight goals in his last ten games. He also has Saido Berahino in the OF position, and with Tony Pulis seemingly abandoning his defence first approach recently (the Baggies last two games have involved 9 goals!). Berahino has played the full ninety minutes in those two games, while also contributing a goal in a win over Crystal Palace.

What I Need To Happen

I was lucky to get the win last time out, especially since I didn’t have a full roster of players playing. Nyom of Watford found himself on the bench again, in what I hope is just a rotation issue. But I will have to keep an eye on the lineups for the Saturday evening kick-off, where Watford entertain table toppers Leicester. My only defender with a favourable fixture is probably Angel Rangel of Swansea, as they host Norwich. The Canaries don’t travel very well, so a trip to Wales could see them camp inside their own box for ninety minutes!

Chelsea (along with 12 other teams) are eyeing a European place again

 

Further up the pitch things have been looking a lot brighter of late. Memphis Depay has been getting more game time, while not exactly pulling in more points it has to be said. Arnautovic has rediscovered his scoring boots, but will face a Chelsea side who have yet to lose under Guus Hiddink in the league this season. My main goal threat will have to come from Andre Ayew and Georginio Wijnaldum again. Ayew as I’ve mentioned will be facing a timid Norwich side. And Wijnaldum saves all his goals for Newcastle’s home games, so will be expected to get back on the scoresheet this weekend against the Cherries.

Predictions

Ouch! Only two correct predictions from seven last week, as everything became a bit unpredictable thanks to a lot of squads missing players because of the league cup final. @wrigavin picked up another win though to move six points clear at the top of the table. Remember, as always, you can follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter for the latest action, and you can also follow me, @GarryIrwin for all the latest overreaction!

@FuzzyWarbles over @GalinDragiev

@cjradune over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @wrigavin

@DanRiccio590 over @nealjthurman

@Smokey_Loogy over @TomSunderland_

@DFS_hambazaza over @FantasyYIRMA

@nikarg over @SportsByGotti

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 24 Preview

I’m still amazed that I pulled off the victory over @SportsByGotti in the last gameweek. A really tight matchup saw me get the victory by a paltry 0.4 points. It was pretty much a race to the bottom though as both teams posted barely over 30 points. My star man was Moreno as Liverpool went and embarrassed Aston Villa six nil. What angers me though is that I left a lot of points sitting on the bench. This week though, most team’s benches will be filled with players who won’t have a fixture to play. The League Cup final between Man City and Liverpool has taken those two team’s players out of contention this week, as well as Everton and Newcastle United’s squads.

My squad will be missing three players as I prepare to face @nealjthurman this week. @nealjthurman is only three points and one place below me in tenth. His side won last time out thanks to a Matt Ritchie goal and  a couplke of Giroud and Fabregas assists. Ben Foster also kept a rather surprising clean sheet away to Everton. All this helped him to 48.9 points. This week will see him missing two players, so let’s have a look at his squad.

@nealjthurman’s Team

His two missing players have been solid performers for him this season. Ayoze Perez of Newcastle has five goals, while Gerard Deulofeu of Everton is his top assisting player with eight. This leaves him with only one Forward option in Olivier Giroud, while his OF options leave him looking at either Chris Brunt of West Brom or Ben Watson of Watford. Both those players are starters for their respective clubs, although Brunt has been playing more as a left back of late, limiting his usually productive attacking play.

Elsewhere in midfield he has been waiting for Leroy Fer to come to life in a Swansea jersey, but perhaps a trip to Tottenham is not the time to be looking for that to happen. At the back he has three defenders who all will be expecting to keep their opposition scoreless. Bellerin, Fuchs and Rose will surely not give up too many goals collectively this weekend, which will mean I will need my backline to match them cleansheet for cleansheet.

What I Need To Happen

Two of my three defenders play at home against sides not known for scoring too many goals away from home. Nyom of Watford will host Bournemouth, and Jonas Olsson, who picked up an assist last time out, will play against a recently goalshy Crystal Palace. My remaining defender is Angel Rangel, but as I’ve already mentioned, a trip to White Hart Lane is not to place to go if you are looking for points. Which means I don’t hold out much hope for my midfielder Andre Ayew to score a goal. But I may need him to score, because I’ll be missing my top scorer in Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum this week.

Messi scored twice against Arsenal midweek, so Memphis should score......

But maybe, just maybe, I have an ace up my sleeve! Wayne Rooney has picked up an injury and will be missing for the next couple of weeks. Martial also went off injured in the Europa League on Thursday night for Manchester United. All this means that Memphis Depay has been getting substantial game time. Plus he seems to have been making the most of the opportunity. Admittingly the last two positive performances out of the Dutchman have come in games against Shrewsbury and FC Midtjylland. That and United will be playing Arsenal this Sunday, never the easiest of fixtures. If Memphis turns out to be more of a joker than an ace, then perhaps I can rely on Marko Arnautovic to score some goals when Stoke welcome a woeful Villa side to the Britannia at three o’clock on Saturday.

Predictions

Of the seven predictions in Gameweek 23, I managed to correctly predict a respectable five. This will will be extra difficult to predict because so many squads will be without key players. This won’t stop me from picking a winner in each matchup. Remember, as always, you can follow @THE_IEFSA on twitter for all the latest action, and you can also follow @GarryIrwin for all the latest overreaction!

@FantasyYIRMA over @FuzzyWarbles

@Smokey_Loogy over @RotoZdroik

@DanRiccio590 over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

@wrigavin over @TomSunderland_

@GalinDragiev over @DFS_hambazaza

@cjradune over @nikarg

Good Luck Everyone.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 23 Preview

Last weekend my side was unable to topple @wrigavin from the summit of the IEFSA Fantasy League, and he remains three points clear of his nearest rival coming into Gameweek 23. My team struggled to an almighty 36.3 points as a goal and assist for @wrigavin’s RobertoFirmino put the gloss on an easy victory. An immediate reaction will be required from my players this week as they face a @SportsByGotti side which sits six points and only three places below them.

A number of his most dependable starters are red flagged to be missing this week, most notably Kevin De Bruyne, but he still has some more than capable reserves in which to call upon. My reserves on the other hand have usually been hugely disappointing when they have had to be thrown into the deep end of competitive Premier League action. None more so than Memphis Depay, who has developed some sort of bizarre footballing version of a reverse Midas touch. If he hadn’t been signed for so much money, he surely would have been loaded out to Preston North End or somewhere by now!

@SportsByGotti’s Team

Mike’s team could almost boast a whole starting eight of players who have gained over 100 points for the season. My side on the other hand would have to make do with only four such players. Recently he has been picking up more defensive points through the efforts of his goalkeeper, Swansea’s Fabianski, and his Southampton defender Cedric Soares. Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny has been his star at the back though, with three goals and nine clean sheets. In a normal season you would expect the Gunners to shutout the Foxes this Sunday lunchtime, but this has been anything but a normal season.

At the other end of the pitch, @SportsByGotti has mainly been relying on De Bruyne to get the goals (yet he still only has five). If we look around the fixtures this weekend in search of where the goals should come from, you would perhaps pick out Oscar at home as Chelsea host Newcastle, or if Nathan Redmond can find his way back into the Norwich starting 11, (and if you can’t get into the current Canaries side you should really be taking a look at your career!) perhaps their home game with West Ham will supply some goals.

Redmond & Gueye met on the pitch last weekend, but will battle on Fantasy turf this gameweek.

 

What I Need To Happen

If Newcastle can keep Chelsea quiet at Stamford Bridge it would be a bonus, as @SportsByGotti will have both Oscar and Willian looking to get on the scoresheet. But I wouldn’t want the Magpies getting too cocky, as I have Courtois in between the sticks and he’s due a much needed clean sheet. Only Courtois and Rangel will be playing at home this week for my defence, therefore clean sheet points will perhaps be thin on the ground.

As the old mantra goes, ‘Goals win games’. Now, I’ll be honest, I can’t even remember the last time one of my players found the old onion bag. In Wijnaldum, Arnautovic and Ayew, I had three players who were finding the net regularly up until the New Year. They each face tricky defences this weekend, so perhaps my best hope is that Idrissa Gueye scores his first goal of the season against Liverpool on Sunday. Although three shots on goal in 22 games means I won’t be rushing down to the bookies to put the house on it.

Predictions

Five from seven last time, out as both @TomSunderland_ and @DFS_hambazaza enjoyed highscoring weekends to gain victories against opponents far above them in the table. If you want to see a larger preview of these predictions, then please head over to FantasyYIRMA. And as always, follow myself @GarryIrwin and @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

@BenDinnery over @nikarg

@cjradune over @DanRiccio590

@FantasyYIRMA over @TomSunderland_

@wrigavin over @FuzzyWarbles

@nealjthurman over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @GalinDragiev

@DFS_hambazaza over @Smokey_Loogy

Good Luck Everyone.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 22 Preview

The last time I played @wrigavin, he beat me handily. In fact, if I had faced @wrigavin every week this season, of the 21 weeks so far I would have a total of three victories. So to say that this weekend’s matchup is an uphill task really is a bit of an understatement. He has six players into triple figures for the season (Harry Kane alone has 270 pts) whereas my side has only three. His team has scored a total of 41 goals so far, to my sides lowly 32. And as I’ve often repeated in these previews in the past, ‘Goals win games’.

That’s not to say I won’t have no chance this weekend. I will more than likely have more players in my squad playing at home which is always a bonus. My top three goalscorers are all playing at home and they do most of their goal getting in front of their home fans (75%). His goalkeeper has also struggled for form recently because of Crystal Palace’s run of five straight defeats and shipping of 13 goals. So perhaps all is not lost!

@wrigavin’s Team

It’s tough to look at this side and not be envious of the forward pairing of Kane and Firmino. 20 goals, five assists and over 400 points between them, all makes for intimidating reading. And when you consider I paid 10m more than Firmino and the exact same price for Kane when I purchased Memphis Depay (2G,0A, 82pts) at the start of the season, well, you could understand if I skipped out on watching the Premier League action this weekend and just went drinking instead.

Not only do his strikers put the fear of god in most teams, but his midfield is not too shabby either. Of the five players he can choose from, all are goal threats and have a combined 15 goals this season. I expect him to go with Tadic, Brady and Cabaye this weekend. They pull in over 19 points on average; or he could throw in Heung-Min Son if he starts against Watford

What I Need To Happen

A good start for my side would be if Andre Ayew was to get on the score sheet against Crystal Palace. This would prevent @wrigavin from picking up a clean sheet with his goalkeeper. Similarly, if Wijnaldum and Arnautovic were to score, this would stop two of his defenders from getting a clean sheet bonus. In short, I need goals. Hopefully the goals I get will do enough damage to negate any of the points that Firmino and Kane will pick up when they face Sunderland and Watford respectively.

Steve McClaren will hope Wijnaldum enjoys the comforts of home this week

It would also be good if all of my players actually started for their clubs. I’ve long given up on Memphis being put on the teamsheet for Manchester United, with this weekend’s Chelsea clash being no different. In defence I’ve had to draft in West Brom’s Jonas Olsson. With Johnny Evans out injured, Olsson has been playing regularly. Which is more than I can say for two of my other defenders; Jenkinson (injured), Nyom (lost his place to Paredes). My back three will consist of Olsson, Rangel and Moreno. I expect them all to play, but don’t necessarily expect them to outshine their three or four points per game average.

Predictions

Gameweek 21 saw only four correct predictions, as a lot of tight matchups helped to condense the top half of the league. The top eight could all stake a claim to winning the league, so let’s see how they will do this weekend.

@FuzzyWarbles over @SportsByGotti

@FantasyYIRMA over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @BenDinnery

@Smokey_Loogy over @DanRiccio590

@nealjthurman over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @GalinDragiev

@cjradune over @DFS_hambazaza

Good Luck Everyone, and remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter and follow me @GarryIrwin. For a more in-depth preview of these matchups, please head over to FantasyYIRMA.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 21 Preview

I accomplished my revenge on @GalinDragiev last week as my team outscored his by nearly forty points. This was helped in no small part by half his team failing to show up! The most notable absentee was surely Raheem Sterling, who couldn’t then get in on all the points Manchester City were plundering against Crystal Palace. This weekend is set to be a tighter affair as I face off against the league’s in form team (5W) @FantasyYIRMA. Last week’s victory moved me up to ninth and I’ll need to gain another big points haul if I’m to keep my team the positive side of .500.

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

@FantasyYIRMA has probably the best midfield in the league. All five of his midfield players have scored over 100 points. With two, Yaya and Ozil, quickly chasing down 200. Metut Ozil should be back from injury this week when Arsenal face an all at sea Chelsea. Ozil’s 16 assists this season is the same number as the rest of @FantasyYIRMA’s squad put together, and it’s five more assists than my squad have managed! Up front he has brought in Bournemouth new boy Juan Iturbe. The Argentinian is on loan from Italian club Roma and should get a few chances to open his account for The Cherries away to Sunderland on Saturday.

Iturbe averaged one goal every 13 games for Roma - 'The new Messi'

At the back @FantasyYIRMA has a couple of players playing against each other. He has Baines back from injury, which is a boost for him; couple this with Howard in goals, and if they shut out Swansea in the Sunday early kickoff a lot of fantasy points will be gained. On the flip side, he does have Ashley Williams for Swansea, but could choose to swap out the Welshman for either Kurt Zouma or Per Mertesacker, who might be a better pairing with Baines in the back three. Arsenal versus Chelsea is your main Sunday game, so if this is also a low scoring affair, @FantasyYIRMA could be tough to stop.

What I Need To Happen

It would be a miracle for my midfield to outscore the likes of Yaya Toure and Mesut Ozil this week. All my fit midfielders are playing away from home, and none have been very good all season on their travels. Perhaps it is up front where some goalscorers can keep me in the matchup? Arnoutovic is still an injury doubt though, as is Joshua King, while Memphis hasn’t started a game since the 26^th of December in a game in which he was subbed at halftime. All these players play at three o’clock on Saturday though, so at least I’ll be able to rotate in and out any one of them who do manages to start.

A Chelsea clean sheet would perhaps go a long way to helping me gain the victory. Any points gained by Courtois would surely be points that would only end up being given to Ozil if Arsenal were to score. Looking around the rest of my squad for clean sheets might be a bit tough. Nyom does have Newcastle at home, so maybe a shutout is a possibility there. Moreno travels to Norwich with Liverpool in the weekends first game, I think I’ll be able to tell how my weekend will go by how many points he can bring in.

Predictions

A number of topsy-turvy matchups last week, as I only managed three correct predictions out of seven. The bottom side @DFS_hambazaza picked up their second win of the season. And league leader @wrigavin was replaced at the summit by @cjradune. It’s getting very tight, but let’s try and predict this weekend’s games.

@FuzzyWarbles over @nealjthurman

@wrigavin over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @RotoZdroik

@DanRiccio590 over @GalinDragiev

@Smokey_Loogy over @nikarg

@DFS_hambazaza over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @TomSunderland_

Good Luck Everyone, and remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of how each matchup is developing. As well as following me @GarryIrwin to see the tweets of a man who worries more about Bastian Schweinsteiger’s knee than is probably healthy.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 20 Preview

Happy New Year everybody. After a short hiatus for the FA Cup and the IEFSA Fantasy Cup, normal service is resumed with a preview for IEFSA Gameweek 20. To get you up to speed, my team has somehow managed to get into the semi-finals of the IEFSA Fantasy Cup, but I did lose out to @cjradune in the league over the New Year which leaves me on nine wins and ten losses for the season. This weekend my squad of players will face off against @GalinDragiev (who has an identical 9-10 record). The last time we met in the league @GalinDragiev kicked my ass by scoring more than double my points for that week. I think some revenge is in order!

@GalinDragiev’s Team

When his side beat mine in week 5 it was Alexis Sanchez and Riyad Mahrez who did the damage. In fact those two players outscored my whole team for that week! Thankfully neither of those two appear to be hitting their early season form in 2016. Mahrez and Leicester have struggled for goals over the last few weeks, while Sanchez hasn’t played for Arsenal in the league since November because of injury. This hasn’t hampered @GalinDragiev’s side though, because he has the more than capable Raheem Sterling as another one of his Forwards. Man City face a misfiring Crystal Palace at home this Saturday, and he would be expected to rack up some points.

If Sterling does find his way to goal, this could impact one of his Defenders. Pape Souré has been playing consistently for Palace, but has only gained 4.6 points over the last two game weeks in match-ups where the Eagles have lost. This will mean @GalinDragiev could more than likely swap him out with Southampton’s Jose Fonte. Fonte gained 8 points when the Saints beat Watford 2-0 during midweek. Plus their defence would be fancied to try for another clean sheet when West Brom visit St. Mary’s this weekend. A number of his other players have seen reduced minutes, or have been rested, over the Christmas/New Year’s period, so I expect him to be keeping an eye on the team sheets as they are announced on Saturday.

What I Need To Happen

I too will be eagerly anticipating those team announcements. My side has a number of red flags beside players. Bastian Schweinsteiger has been ruled out for Manchester United, while Joshua King missed out in Bournemouth’s last game. Most worryingly of all, one of my star performers over the last few weeks, Marko Arnautovic was subbed off midweek and is carrying a knock. To win in the IEFSA League it’s crucial to get nine starters on the pitch. I may have to do some juggling of players come 2:45 on Saturday.

Bastian Scheweinsteiger will be looking on from the stands this week

Everton blanked last time out against Man City. I’ll be hoping for the same when they visit Chelsea. Begovic and Courtois between them have only managed six clean sheets this year. For a side that managed so many shutouts last season, that is an abysmal return. Speaking of clean sheets, none of my main defenders, Nyom, Moreno, Rangel, have kept one since the tail end of December. Surely one of them is due to pick up some points this weekend?

As I look for goals, if Arnautovic is injured, I’ll be hoping Wijnaldum keeps up his impressive run of goals at home when Newcastle host West Ham, and that Andre Ayew can find the net when Swansea host Watford. As for hoping Memphis Depay can score a goal? I’ll just be happy if he, by some miracle, gets into Manchester United’s starting 11. They do have a tricky away trip to Liverpool to navigate. Chances could be at a premium, and I’m not expecting Luis van Gaal to look to Memphis to turn in a superstar performance at Anfield.

Predictions

Last time out I gave my predictions for the opening round of the IEFSA Cup. I managed to call 5 of the 7 ties. Let’s try for the full set of predictions this week. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of all the winners and losers. Plus, follow me @GarryIrwin, who will hopefully be a winner this week.

@FantasyYIRMA over @DanRiccio590

@FuzzyWarbles over @BenDinnery

@Smokey_Loogy over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @SportsByGotti

@cjradune over @TomSunderland_

@nealjthurman over @DFS_hambazaza

@wrigavin over @nikarg

Good Luck Everyone

Fantasy Golf: The Sony Open in Hawaii

The first PGA Tour event of the season with a full field of competitors begins this week in Hawaii at one of my favourite courses, Waialae Country Club. Last week saw Jordan Speith kick off the New Year by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions by a whopping eight strokes. He won’t be teeing up this week, so we will have to look elsewhere for our fantasy points. But perhaps we won’t have to look too far? Last year’s winner Jimmy Walker won this event by nine and will be fancied to post another low scoring round. He won the year before that too, but no-one has managed to win this tournament three years in a row before. Could Walker be the first?

Before we take our usual look at the fancied golfers for this event, let’s cover what fantasy games we will be participating in and how the picks will be laid out. Selections will be divided into three groups according to Yahoo Fantasy Golf; A, B, and C. PGA Fantasy has done away with the simple ‘pick any four golfers’ game and is now solely represented by the AVIS Fantasy Golf game, where you select four starting golfers who gain points for you each round, and two golfers who you can sub in if need be before the start of each days play. You may pick any golfer from the field for this game, but you can only use a golfer three times during each segment of the AVIS game (of which there are four, this one finishes at the end of January). To replace the original PGA Fantasy, we will be now playing the Golf Channel’s Fantasy Golf game. In this game you select four players, one from each group. These groups are divided up by world ranking.

As I’ve said, selections will be shown according to Yahoo groups, which picks for each section underlined. Picks for the Golf Channel Fantasy game will have a (G1),2,3, or 4 after their name, corresponding to which group they were selected from. AVIS PGA Fantasy picks will have an (AVIS) or (AVISsub) after their name to indicate where they were picked in that game. Phew! I hope that isn’t too complicated.

So on with the picks. Jimmy Walker will be one of the favourites here having won the last two times he played here. It’s also his birthday this week, if you believe in that kind of thing. Russell Henley and Johnson Wagner won here the two years before Walker, and could well be in contention again. The second most selected player in Yahoo and AVIS is Brandt Snedeker. He finished last week in third and will be the highest placed finisher from that tournament to play in the absence of Spieth and Reed.

Zach Johnson is the third most selected player in Yahoo, probably because of his good record on Bermuda grass greens. But he has only finished inside the top 10 here once (T8th) so I’ll be avoiding him I think. Looking further down the list; Chris Kirk has had two top 5s here in recent years. Charles Howell III has an excellent record here spanning back almost 15 years. Plus he has the longest run in Golf Channel Fantasy Group 3 without missing the cut and is a strong selection there.

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

Group A

Russell Henley (AVIS)

Chris Kirk (AVISsub)

 

Group B

Brandt Snedeker (AVIS) (G2)

Jimmy Walker (AVIS)

Charles Howell III (G3)

Troy Merritt

Brendon Todd

 

Group C

Matt Kuchar (AVIS) (G1)

Graeme McDowell

Lucas Glover (AVISsub) (G4)

Johnson Wagner

Peter Malnati

Daniel Berger

Will Wilcox

Marc Leishman