RADIO
One of the fastest growing fantasy games is the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) - a season-long version of fantasy soccer for the English Premier League (EPL). With millions of players each year, the FPL game is becoming a fixture for soccer enthusiasts across the globe.
Having played the game for the last twelve seasons and largely languished in mediocrity (apart from a top 30K finish in 2009/10), I was ready to finally put my largely wasted knowledge of football statistics to use and strive to become one of the game's elite players. Last season, I finished around the 250K mark and in the process won my family league - but that is not enough for me.
Tired of wasting my time with meaningless, emotion-fueled transfers, I have decided to make a concerted effort to not only destroy my fantasy league this year, but improve on last year's finish and - hopefully - have a good amount of fun in the process. Thanks for joining me on my journey through EPL's Fantasy Premier League. I hope you enjoy the embarrassment that is about to unfold and, just maybe, pick up a piece of advice from a self-described non-expert on the game.
EPL Diaries - Fantasy Premier League
The Squad:
- GK: Joe Hart (4.6M), Maarten Stekelenburg (4M)
- DF: Marcos Alonso (7M), Benjamin Mendy (6.2M), Andrew Robertson (6.3M), Aymeric Laporte (5.7M), Ryan Bennett (4.2M)
- MF: Eden Hazard (11.3M), Sadio Mane (9.9M), Heung Min-Son (8.3M), Pedro (6.5M), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (4.5M)
- FW: Alexandre Lacazette (9.6M), Aleksandr Mitrovic (6.9M), Isaac Success (4.5M)
The Analysis:
Back in the top 350K, I am not feeling too bad about my team. Last week was definitely a good one for me, as I finished just under the 600K mark without the production from my top forwards. Regardless, I am happy with the result and hope that the international break has rejuvenated my players to continue performing at a high level moving forward.
Reviewing my team from last week, the 70 point mark was definitely a solid haul in a week where it could have been much worse. Joe Hart was only able to secure two points, but my defense more than made up for his lackluster performance. With five clean sheets from five players, my defense had 36 points (one bonus point for Robertson and a yellow card for Mendy) - this won't happen every week, but it was certainly good to rely on the defenders I have for solid points totals each week. My defense has largely carried my team this season, and I hope that relying on several premium defender options can sustain me going forward.
In the midfield, Mane and Son once again disappointed, but I have faith at least in the Liverpool winger to revert back to the mean and produce in the final third. As usual, Hazard was once again a bright spot, with a 28 point haul as my captain. I was definitely on the Hazard train before his mass adoption by fantasy owners, and I will take full credit for that, but now that his ownership levels are around 50%, it doesn't feel as fantastic for him to have a fantastic performance. Nevertheless, Hazard is having a career year under Sarri at Chelsea and is also doing great for my fantasy team, so I'm not complaining.
Up top, Lukaku and Mitrovic both were unable to score, which is a bit worrying given the capital that I have spent on the Belgian. Mitrovic not scoring is not as bad due to his high ownership levels and budget value, but with Lukaku it seems as if Manchester United's poor performances are holding down the towering forward.
With a solid point total this week, I hope I have made a prudent transfer decision in bringing in Lacazette for Lukaku. Lacazette is riding a six-game streak of either scoring or assisting; I realize that this may be a poor buy-high option due to Arsenal's front-line rotation policy, but the Frenchman's value at his price point and consistent production is too good to pass up. If he fails to produce, I have 2.6M in the bank that I can spend to get another premier striker option. However, as it stands my transfer plans are to swap Pedro for Richarlison (sub for a guaranteed minutes player) and bring in De Bruyne for Son in two weeks (hopefully he is back to full fitness then. These moves should leave me with some money left over to invest in other parts of the team and consolidate my midfield while allowing for one player who starts (likely Bennett) to be left on the bench as a first sub in case someone doesn't play.
Looking forward to this weekend, I hope for a 0-0 draw in the Man City vs Burnley match. However, I would take a City clean sheet and saves points for Hart. Chelsea has a tough game against Manchester United, but hopefully, Alonso is able to continue his run of good form. Finally, Robertson and Bennett have decent matchups and should capitalize on some clean sheet upside.
In the midfield, Hazard remains my captain as he will likely be the top option for the week even though he faces Manchester United. Mane and Son have easy matchups as well - if one of them can get on the scoresheet that would be a bonus for the midfield. Finally, up top, Mitrovic plays Cardiff and Lacazette plays Leicester. Both have a good chance of producing up top and should help my team with some goals and bonus points.
5-3-2 is usually not a good formation for fantasy, but for now, it will have to do as my defense looks elite and my other options are obviously not as good as Hazard and as such should not be mentioned in the same sentence as the God himself. If I can bring in Richarlison and De Bruyne, I can realistically transition to a 4-4-2 with a guaranteed starter on the bench in Bennett. Hopefully, my team keeps performing and I keep rising up the rankings - I guess we'll have to find out how I do after the dust has settled at the end of the weekend.
That's all for this week - good luck gents!
