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 6: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Last weekend’s matchup was a real rollercoaster. It had ups and downs and twists and turns right up to, and beyond, the final whistle. I knew the odds were stacked against me when I was up against last year’s table topper @RotoZdroik, and going into Sunday’s games I was down on points and only had two (Stoke City) players to play compared to Adam’s five. But Joe Allen covered every blade of grass while getting near 30 points and Marko Arnautovic banged in a late goal to get me with my nose in front.  A bit of adjusting of the score tally by Fantrax, and a premature awarding of the tie to @RotoZdroik by @THE_IEFSA on Twitter, and I had picked up my third win of the season, to move into 8^th place in the standings.

Joe Allen was pretty much the only Stoke player trying against Palace

This week sees my side face off against @DFS_Hambazaza. There are a number of positives for Hesh though, because while his side currently prop up the league, his team has never actually scored the lowest points total in any week; plus he has a total of eight goals in his squad compared to my side’s meagre four. Also, @DFS_Hambazaza would have won last week if he had swapped in George Friend for the benched Phil Bardsley, that mistake is hardly going to be repeated. So what I’m saying is, yes, the fixture computer is doing everything in its power to screw me over again this week.

@DFS_Hambazaza’s Team

I’ve already mentioned two of his defenders. The remaining pair are Charlie Daniels of Bournemouth and Fernandez Federico of Swansea. Friend might be his highest points scorer at the back, but four into three doesn’t go and you have to weigh up how busy a defender will likely be in order to score points in this league. Will Friend have enough on his plate against a Kane-less Spurs? All his defenders will kick off at three on Saturday, so if only three are starters anyway, his choice will be made. In goals he has Southampton’s Fraser Forster, fresh off his best performance so far this season. He does have Ryan Bertrand on Injured Reserve though, if he wanted to do a bit of juggling and go with two Saints players.

In the Midfield and Forward positions nearly every player has scored for him so far. Those to miss out have been Deulofeu of Everton, who has only started two games; and Sam Clucas at Hull, who plays mainly in front of the back four. Getting most of his goals has been his other Hull player, Robert Snodgrass. Three goals so far this season means he is a certain starter, but he does have a tricky tie away to Liverpool on Saturday. Looking elsewhere for goals then, he will have James McClean heading to Stoke, who can barely keep from letting in four goals a game never mind just one.  Andre Gray of Burnley will look to score his second league goal against Watford on Monday night. @DFS_Hambazaza might just keep that one up his sleeve in the OF position if things aren’t going his way on Saturday.

What I Need To Happen

I have the Burnley Goalkeeper and a Defender in Michael Keane playing in that game on Monday night. If I’m still in the matchup by then I’ll be happy. Of course Hesh could have played all his players by then and be out of sight. I’ll need to pick up some points in the early games. A strong performance from my Stoke players would be a good start. I also have a couple of Everton players traveling to Bournemouth, and if they were to score a goal or two against Charlie Daniels, I might get a little edge in the tie come 4:45.

One of these players is due a goal......

A trio of Arsenal players round off my team. Two of them host Chelsea in the Saturday evening game. Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin. While the third will be playing for Bournemouth, and is due a goal (or an assist) any day now. My bench pretty much picks itself, as Pedro can’t get into the Chelsea side, while Mkhitaryan and Lingard can’t dislodge Wayne Rooney from the Man Utd team, so another week in the wilderness beckons.

Predictions

Five correct and four wrong last week for the predictions. Lots of really close games again, but there was also a few blowouts. @SmokeyLoogy got 165.5 points, but @nealjthurman topped that by getting over 190. I predicted both of those sides would lose of course! To follow all the action please seek out all these guys on Twitter, and @THE_IEFSA will also keep you up to date with all the scores. To hear about how the system is trying to keep my side down, you can also follow me @GarryIrwin

Good Luck Everyone

@TAMc10 over @BenDinnery

@EPL_MOstradamus over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoZdroik over @SportsByGotti

@wrigavin over @TRKingston

@RotoWireAndrew over @TomSunderland_

@FantasyYIRMA over @jasonuk17

@cjradune over @jwl_15

@FuzzyWarbles over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @jforquer11

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