Goodbye from here

Almost 10 years ago today I sat inside a Central London office on the verge of accepting a football-related job. It's something that I had dreamed of since collecting football stickers and following scores on Ceefax as a child. I was all set to start but had a change of heart.  Sometimes you just have to say no. I wanted to do something different and instead write about football, in particular my fantasy football adventure. Not long after this realisation the FPL Hints blog was formed by me.  I simply wanted to share player recommendations and my very own team before each Gameweek. I still remember my first article on here which was short and brief.

From the onset we had readers from all around the world.  The blog's hits, content production and writing team grew rapidly as the number of FPL managers skyrocketed in a few short years. In terms of traffic, 2013-2017 was the heyday of this blog. Thereafter I didn't have the time to commit to weekly articles and preferred using Twitter.  Over the years, many seasoned fantasy football managers contributed an assortment of articles.  At the same time, this blog had its limitations. It wasn't a website and I didn't really have time to develop it due to my own commitments. I dare not look at the traffic numbers now, but they've probably nose dived over the past year and a half when I gradually stopped posting content on here. Sorry for letting that happen and for also no longer sharing my team on a weekly basis.

On the plus side, looking ahead, www.fplhints.com will now be redirected to a long awaited website with new functionality. Rest assured, this blog will not be deleted off the face of the earth. I will keep it alive for archive and nostalgia purposes. But as the 10th anniversary of FPLHINTS gets near it made sense to do something new on the web front, as well as releasing a free magazine. I will still be active on Twitter and have began to experiment with YouTube and even Instagram. Thank you for reading this message and see you on the other side.

Ash, Chief @FPLHINTS

Eliteserien Fantasy League

For the first time ever, I've decided to play an official version of a fantasy football game other than that of the English Premier League.  I've decided to experiment with the Norwegian Eliteserien Fantasy League:

Here's my league code:

15865-3432

30 Gameweeks of unknown players and random teams.  How hard can it be? Join me.

Stag's Knight - Gameweek 8

The Stag surveyed the expanse of colours laid out before him. The jerseyed knights jostled for positions, snarling as they sought the upper ground and over enthusiastically celebrated their triumphs. However, The Stag required a differential.  Only a knight less than 20% of the herd would do.  Only one knight could help him vault the others over the next 3 gameweeks.  Only one knight could bring him the fabled Green Arrows.  A knight to brighten his day.

FPL's a funny old game isn't it? You spend a whole week carefully deciding on transfers, you daydream about your players scoring hat tricks and you subdue the awful possibility that the player you transferred out does well. At the end of the day it's all a bit of luck. 53 missed shots and no goals caused me to ditch Alexis before gameweek 7. You can imagine my pain as he tore Leicester's porous defence to shreds. I feared for my selection of Coutinho as Stag's Knight after he wasted multiple opportunities against Norwich for the same reason, lots of shots and no returns. Yet there he was assisting the returning prodigal son Daniel Sturridge to two goals against Villa. If there's any lesson to be taken here, it's that irrational patience is key (I don't really believe this but it has proven true this season). Does that bode well for Aguero owners? I hope so!

With Nathan Redmond, the same principle could be applied in a microcosmic way. Sure, he started the season on fire, racking up 24 points in three gameweeks for only £5.5m; after that though, things changed. A drought descended where the young Englishman failed to pull any attacking returns for three games despite his team netting 4 goals. In the ruthless world of professional football, nobody is safe and Redmond's was punished for his dip in performance, dropping from the starting line up to play West Ham. He showed real character (at risk of sounding like Brendan Rodgers) by slotting home in the 83rd minute with a low shot to put his team in a lead that was cancelled out late on.

Why then, after telling you all that Redmond was dropped for poor performances, am I telling you to pick the £5.7m, 7.7% owned midfielder? Is he even guaranteed his place in the team?

Well I'll attempt to allay your fears. Redmond didn't start the Canaries' first game this season in the 3-1 defeat to Palace but he did score a goal in his 37 minute cameo as a sub. For that, Alex Neil rewarded Redmond with a string of starts which lasted until gameweek 7. As far as evidence goes, that's as much as is available right now. As always, keeping an ear open to the manager's press conference would be worthwhile, worry not, there's no risk of price changes with Redmond.

Delving into the stats, in 500 minutes of Premier League football so far this season, Redmond's offensive averages are not to be scoffed at. He has had an average of 1.7 shots per game and gives 2.3 key passes per game. Keep in mind that with those he has returned 3 goals and an assist. He also acquired 5 bonus points in gameweeks 2 and 3.

Finally I'll run through the fixtures. Norwich entertain Leicester before travelling to Newcastle and then hosting West Brom. Leicester STILL haven't kept a clean sheet so far this season in spite of their unbelievable form. They're the sort of team that try to outscore their opponents rather than choke them out and win 1-0. It would be astounding if Norwich fail to put at least one past Kasper Schmeichel. Everyone to visit St James' Park so far the season has managed to score and Norwich have lost only once on their travels under Alex Neil. Both those facts bode well for Redmond to do himself justice. Finally the home game against Tony Pulis' men would be tough for any team. I could see this game falling to a stalemate or exploding into life, let's hope it’s the latter with gameweek 8's Stag's Knight Nathan Redmond getting on the scoresheet!

Find me, contact me, follow me @FPLStag

Click to view in full

How Kåre "The Conqueror" finished in the Top 10 of Fantasy Premier League (2014/2015)

I was lucky enough to finish in the Top 10 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and as #1 in Norway! Firstly, I would like to  mention that due to the nature of FPL I find good previews more impressive than summaries and I don't worry about who I captained in hindsight. I say this because my choices obviously paid off enough to get me this high, but I could just as easily ended around 10k, or even lower.

I know a lot of people use statistics, and I would never discourage a good use of statistics.  I have a Masters in Economics and I'm quite comfortable with numbers and I know that the 2014/2015 champion (@MarchSimon) said he favoured a more statistical approach.  I love to watch Premier League football, and I usually base my choices on what I see. I like this approach because it usually allows me to identify key players early on.  But more importantly, I can also gauge when I need to drop them. As I based my team around a lot of heavy hitters I needed to know when players like Tadic/Sigurdsson/Downing/Kane/Austin had outlived their usefulness.  This is the team that I selected for Gameweek 1:

How the journey began (Gameweek 1)

Starting from the first week, I actually did less work on my team than previous years. I usually enjoy tinkering with fun and "original" ideas, but decided that this year I would drop all differentials, and just try to keep to the biggest hitters. This tactic worked wonders, as there was such an abundance of great low priced players, exemplified by Kane and Austin in their peak periods during the 2014/2015 season.

As stated, I wanted a strategy with as few differentials as possible, and focus on having as many heavy hitters as possible. That meant I always strived to get players such as Aguero, Silva, Hazard and Sanchez into my team as soon as possible. My thinking was that I didn’t want to have a GW where I would lose massive amounts of points compared to everyone else above me, and rather hope that I will have more heavy hitters than most and that will benefit me in the long run. 

Of course I still had bad GWs.  But as per the team's URL below my “bad” weeks didn't drop me too much down in the rankings, because the average score tended to be low as well in those weeks, while my good weeks tended to be extremely good for my team. I developed a line of thinking that made my picks similar to the teams higher than mine, with choices such as Terry, Ivanovic and Diego Costa during their peak weeks.  I would have preferred having more variation but didn't want to be at a disadvantage and be cut off from the higher teams.

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/683/history/

On a final note, the most single important decision I made this season was to use the Wildcard in Double Gameweek 34. I chose 3 Liverpool midfielders and while that was pretty bad at the time I still stand be that decision, as the wildcard as a whole gave me the tools to launch myself into the Top 10.  It made it possible for me to double up on Leicester defenders and freed up funds for Silva and Arsenal midfielders. 

As I mentioned at the start, I love to watch teams, and that also gave me the knowledge (and punt) to use the Wildcard to drop Kane and Clyne, while benching Giroud and Van Aanholt for GW37. So while the "Triple Liverpool" didn’t work originally, I got many other calls spot on. This, together with a lucky line of clean sheets from Hull and Double Leicester gave me the standing I needed for my #8 global finish in the 2014/2015 FPL season.

How the journey ended (Gameweek 38 team)

Kåre is an Arsenal fan from Norway.  

Feel free to follow him on Twitter through this handle:

@KaareSag

Final FPL Standings (14/15)

Chief's #FPL Team - Gameweek 38

Latest Rank: 

42k
(5k rise)

Transfers:

Ozil OUT

Yaya IN

Team Value:

£101.7M

Bank Balance:

£1.7M 
 

Context:

As per the podcast, I don't tend to have good archival form for the final Gameweek of the season. As a result, I really didn't want to take a hit.  This will remain the case unless I make a last minute "light bulb" transfer on Sunday morning.  A 35k overall finish would be fabulous but will require fantasy returns from most of my players.

Explanatory Notes:

So here we are; Gameweek 38. The marathon is almost over and the 2014/15 FPL champion is about to be crowned.  Conventional wisdom says that the final day doesn't have many clean sheets, has squad rotation and lots of random results. It was with such considerations in mind that I wanted to take it easy and not go gung-ho.  Despite this, I seriously considered doubling up at the back by buying John Terry - I think Chelsea will be favourites for a clean sheet win at Stamford Bridge as Sunderland are safe for another season.  I also looked at buying Lampard for his final PL hurrah match, but I fear that he may only make a cameo appearance.  Ozil had to go due to his lack of fantasy returns.  Out of all the options at hand Yaya sprung to mind, due to his brace last weekend and awesomeness since 2013. He is probably playing his final game for Manchester City and will want to finish on a high.  30 goals in his last 63 PL games makes him an absolute must have. He will be wanting to show his suitors as well as City's fans his true explosive nature by scoring again.  Aside from that I can't justify taking a -4 hit for any other player.  What's the point if there's no Gameweek 39?  As for my captain, I decided to keep it safe and choose Aguero.  His recent goals, as well as his famous 90+4 goal in 11/12 makes him the perfect captain candidate for Gameweek 38.  As for Schmeichel being the vice-captain, why not?   I wish you all the best for Sunday and hope that you have enjoyed my fantasy football adventure.  I will jot up my end of season review in due course.  Apart from that I will mull over future plans in the summer. 

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Have you made your picks yet?

Dan's Digest - GW38 Preview

The final day of the season is close at hand and with only a few league positions yet to be decided most teams don’t have much to play for. From a chairman’s point of view each league position is worth £1.2m so they’ll be putting the pressure on their managers to do their best to climb the rankings. In the same way we’ll be hoping our FPL teams make a late dash up the rankings to achieve as high a finish as possible. Below we've got a brief preview of each game that makes up GW38 plus a player from each team to consider as you look to win or climb your mini-leagues.

Arsenal v West Brom

West Brom visit the Emirates on the back of an impressive 3-0 victory over the champions on Monday evening whilst the Gunners have all but confirmed 3^rd place and automatic qualification to the Champions League group stages. With their focus now firmly on the FA Cup final against Aston Villa, Wenger will undoubtedly rest a few of his first teamers, which is bad news for those of us who loaded up on Arsenal’s stars prior to the double gameweek.

Theo Walcott – With 5 big chances from just 215 minutes and the expectation of rotation, Walcott could looks set to be a main attacking threat this week

Joleon Lescott – With 4 clean sheets from the last 5 games including games against Liverpool, United and Chelsea, another shut-out isn't out of the question and Lescott carries a goal threat from set pieces too.

Aston Villa v Burnley

Villa were embarrassed by Southampton last week and will be in two minds this week. They won’t want to go to Wembley in terrible form lacking confidence but they’ll want to rotate players and keep them fresh. Burnley are preparing for life in the Championship and will hope to finish the season on a high whilst some of their players will be in the shop window hoping for moves back to the Premier League next season.

Tom Cleverley – With 3 goals in his last 5 appearances he’s a man in form and will want to carry that to Wembley.

Danny Ings – In what is very likely to be his final game for Burnley he’ll want to go out with a bang against a very poor Villa defence.

Chelsea v Sunderland

A match that has nothing riding on it after Sunderland’s hard earned draw away to Arsenal on Wednesday ensured their Premier League safety. Neither team will be particularly up for this which means anything could happen – as we saw at the Hawthorns on Monday.

Diego Costa – A player of undoubted quality that is owned by very few live teams. Fit enough to start on Monday evening he could be a real differential for this week.

Costel Pantilimon – 2 clean sheets last GW and plenty of save points up for grabs. Sunderland look more likely to keep a clean sheet than score against Chelsea.

Crystal Palace v Swansea

Palace have the worst home record in the league but still have the potential to finish in the top half if they win and other results go their way. Swansea’s position in 8^th is secure but they’ll want to enjoy their last away day of the season.

Yannick Bolasie – If he can get his shooting boots on he can grab a few goals. He’s often in great positions but has struggled to finish the chances off all season.

Bafetimbi Gomis – 5 goals in his last 5 appearances shows he’s a man bang in form.

Everton v Spurs

Spurs could finish 5^th with a win but were unimpressive against Hull last week despite their win whilst Everton will want to finish their very average season with a home win to give fans some hope of success next season.

Romelu Lukaku – A low ownership striker with 20 points in his last 3 games against a poor travelling Spurs defence.

Erik Lamela – 3 attacking returns in his last 5 games shows his potential.

Hull v Man Utd

This match means everything to Hull. They need to win and hope Newcastle fail to beat West Ham to secure their status in the Premier League. United have just 1 win and 3 goals in their last 5 games so it looks to be the ideal time to play them but it is still quite an ask of Steve Bruce’s team.

Nikica Jelavic – The striker has enough quality to get the goal Hull need to stay up and he looked sharp against Spurs despite his recent injury woes.

Ashley Young – The winger has shown plenty of attacking promise in terms of both assist and goalscoring potential recently.

Leicester v QPR

The Foxes secured their Premier League status last weekend whilst the Rs are destined for the Championship. QPR are woeful on their travels and Leicester will want to give their fans an end of season party.

Leonardo Ulloa – A strong aerial presence could see him take advantage of the shaky QPR back line.

Matt Phillips – One of just a few shining lights in the QPR squad this season has shown he can be an explosive FPL points scorer.

Man City v Southampton

Both teams have scored 6 goals in a game recently but Man City have been in much better form with Southampton losing a couple of games against supposedly weaker teams. Southampton know though that a win combined with a couple  of other outcomes this weekend could see them finish as high as 5^th which would all but guarantee Koeman the manager of the year award.

Yaya Toure – Probably his last game in a sky blue shirt so he’ll want to continue his goalscoring form from last weekend.

Shane Long – Back in the starting lineup last week with 2 goals and 2 assists against Villa.

Newcastle v West Ham

Newcastle need a win to guarantee survival regardless of what happens at the KC Stadium. However, Sam Allardyce will be out to do all he can to send his old employers down to the Championship. Neither team are in good form so it will be a tight affair in what could be a crucial game this weekend.

Moussa Sissoko – You feel that if Newcastle are going to score they’ll need the powerful midfielder to be at his best

Mark Noble – The pressure could get to the Newcastle defence and cause them to give away a penalty for the West Ham midfielder to put away.

Stoke v Liverpool

Liverpool need a win to confirm 5^th place whilst Stoke are guaranteed of a top half finish. Stoke surprised Spurs at the Britannia a couple of weeks ago and could do the same against Liverpool this week who only have 1 win in their last 5 games.

Jon Walters – Plenty of shots inside the box recently suggests he’s been unlucky not to get on the score sheet. 

Steven Gerrard – After all of the media attention last week, Gerrard will be looking to make his mark in his final Premier League game.

***All the best for your FPL aspirations heading into this final gameweek. May your final arrows be green***

Chief's #FPL Team - Double Gameweek 37

Latest Rank: 

47k
(13k fall)

Transfers:

N'Doye & Hazard OUT (-4)

Defoe & Gerrard IN

Team Value:

£99.9M

Bank Balance:

£3.5M 
 

Context:

I wanted to ensure that I had 6 DGW players in my team.  I also wanted Gerrard.

I bought two thirtysomethings in my FPL team & sold two twentysomethings.

Explanatory Notes:

Falling back to back-to-back red arrows isn't a nice feeling.  This primarily came as a result of one decision; captaining Sanchez and not captaining Aguero cost me 20 points in GW36.  Oh well.  I need to make up at least 12k in the space of the final two gameweeks.  I know that is pushing it.  But with 4 out of 6 of my DGW37 players being differentials (PvA, Ozil, Seb & Defoe), I have some hope as my team isn't too homogenised.  

I sold Hazard with reluctance.  But he hasn't been that hot of late and is facing a WBA team that has only conceded in two home games since 11th February.  The downside of having 6 DGW players is that I have to bench Ivan - he's been a yellow card magnet of late so I'm happy to give him a rest.  

I think Gerrard is capable of giving one final hurrah at Anfield.  The fact he has form on his side and isn't fatigued certainly helps.  As for Defoe, I am aware his final two PL games  will be difficult. But he still has something to play for and should chip in with a goal or two from now to the end of the season even if it isn't enough to keep Sunderland up.  Equally speaking, the same could have been said about N'Doye, but the fact that Defoe has a DGW (and scored last weekend) gives him the edge.  

Finally, the captain had to be Sanchez.  With all the differentials in my team, I wanted to play it safe on the armband front.

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Have you made your picks yet?

Dan's Digest DGW37

Welcome back to Dan’s Digest where we’ll take a brief look at a few thoughts before the DGW37 kicks off. The points raised here are designed to get you thinking about your moves for the last couple of weeks.

DGW Teams

Arsenal and Sunderland are obviously playing twice this week which presents plenty of opportunities for investment, especially so late in the season as you don’t need to plan too far ahead.

Arsenal

Arsenal’s unbeaten run came to an end against Swansea on Monday night as they fell to a 1-0 defeat but don’t let this put you off investing in them. They had 23 goal attempts , which is the joint highest with Man City who hit 6 against QPR, showing that they had no trouble creating opportunities. Despite not registering an assist in the last 6 gameweeks, Ozil has been the most creative Arsenal midfielder with 18 chances created (7 more than 2^nd placed Cazorla) and I expect him to produce some fantasy returns in this DGW. In terms of goal threat Olivier Giroud has struggled recently. A few weeks ago it was accepted that most active teams would have Giroud in for the DGW but that is looking unlikely now since he hasn't scored in his last 4 games. He’s had 1 shot on target in that time and hasn't completed a full 90 minutes of Premier League action since 4^th April. That has left Sanchez as the team’s main goal threat, which is of little surprise, and will be many people’s captain selection for this weekend.

Jack Wilshere has recently returned from (another) injury and played just over 20 minutes in each of the last 2 gameweeks. With two matches in quick succession he could end up starting one and his stats have been excellent since his return with 5 chances created in just 28 minutes of action against Swansea, as well as 2 goal attempts from inside the box.

Be aware when selecting Arsenal players that if automatic qualification for the Champions League is secured this gameweek then Wenger may choose to rest several key players in GW38 for the FA Cup final.

Sunderland

Sunderland successfully completed the ‘smash-n-grab’ tactic against Everton last weekend with a couple of lucky goals and a solid defensive display. A home game against Leicester followed by a trip to the Emirates sees the Black Cats come up against the league’s two in-form teams. In defensive terms we can’t expect Sunderland to keep a clean sheet this week despite their shut-out against Everton simply because of who they’re playing against. However, van Aanholt has been given license to get forward at any opportunity by Dick Advocaat and is a very good option for the DGW. With 8 attempts on goal in the last 6GWs and 4 of those being in the box, the left back carries a goal threat going forward. In addition to that, he’s created 10 goalscoring opportunities for his teammates showing he has potential to add to his 5 assists so far this season.

Going forward, Jordi Gomez is on penalties which always holds potential and also has an assist to his name in recent matches. It’s difficult to choose from the striking options available at Sunderland simply because they all lack the quality needed to be consistent at this level. Danny Graham’s re-introduction to the team though offers an interesting option as he’ll play as the furthest forward and most central figure in the 4-3-3 formation.

Hazard

Eden Hazard has picked up plenty of accolades this season and is the current top scorer in terms of FPL points this season. However, a lacklustre performance against Liverpool last weekend combined with just 1 goal and no assists in his last 4 games suggests Hazard may well be on his summer holidays already as far as FPL is concerned. With no shots mustered against Liverpool and a hefty price tag it might be time to ship him out to either redistribute funds elsewhere or bring in another Arsenal midfielder for the DGW.

Gerrard

Steven Gerrard’s final game in front of the Anfield faithful will be an emotional affair for all involved. Against a Crystal Palace side with nothing to play for and no points in 4 games Gerrard could go out with a bang. Expect the referee to give Liverpool the benefit of the doubt when it comes to challenges or handballs inside the box to give Gerrard the chance to score one last goal in front of the Kop.

An end of season trend?

Over the last three seasons we've seen 48 clean sheets during gameweeks 35-36 in the Premier League compared to just 30 during gameweeks 37-38. Similarly, 113 goals have been scored in gameweeks 35-36 in the past couple of seasons which has risen to 133 for the final two gameweeks. This is not a full-proof statistical analysis that stands up to scrutiny. However, it does suggest there may be a trend in the final few games of the Premier League for teams to open up and play more expansive football where goals are more regular and clean sheets are rarer. For this reason, and due to the unpredictable nature of the last few games, I’d suggest investing in the ‘Power 7’ frontline of midfielders and forwards rather than defenders since this is likely to be where the points are to be found over the coming couple of weeks.

GWs 35-36:        2013 = 55GC, 13CS

                               2012 = 58GC, 17CS

                               2011 = 72GC, 18CS (Bolton had 4 matches & 8 others had 3)

GWs 37-38:       2013 = 66GC, 13CS

                              2012 = 67GC, 7CS

                              2011 = 58GC, 10CS

Chief's #FPL Team - Gameweek 36

Latest Rank: 

30k
(4k fall)

Transfers:

Fabregas, Sterling & Henderson OUT (-4)

Sanchez, Ozil & Larsson IN

Bank Balance:

£0.7M 
 

Context:

The three acquisitions have been purchased with #DGW37 in mind.  A -4 hit for the 3 players (1.33 each) seems like a worthwhile investment for the remaining GWs.

Explanatory Notes:

It's not great when your sub goalie bags 17 points and is locked onto the bench.  Who'd have thought Myhill keeping a clean sheet and saving a penalty at Old Trafford? I certainly didn't.  Schmeichel's clean sheet was damage limitation but the loss of 10 virtual points doesn't help.  In addition, Hazard's missed penalty/goal ensured that I finished on sub-50 points and fell a few thousand places.

Looking ahead to this Gameweek, I wanted to buy players that I could use for the remainder of the season.  Sanchez seemed fairly obvious with his fantastic short term and long term form.  I'm surprised that the majority of FPL managers don't own him. Then again, he's not cheap. I also wanted to buy "Rambo" Ramsey, but talk of him being "50-50" put me off him altogether.  It came down to Cazorla and Ozil.  Both haven't been that hot of late.  But I feel that World Cup-winning Ozil offers more world class attacking prowess than Cazorla.  

If Ramsey is absent, I think Ozil may in fact have more of an opportunity to exercise his creative license.  The fact Ozil is owned by less than 5% is an added bonus - he is a differential.  I'm hoping that he will step up to the plate with some fine end of season form.  As for my final transfer - Seb Larsson - I am fully aware that it's a bit of a left field choice.  He too hasn't produced many fantasy returns for a long time and is owned by less than 5%.  But the remaining fixtures are make or break for Sunderland - he's got a lot to play for. The last time I checked, Larsson took direct free kicks and corners for them. He is a risky purchase, but his DGW fixtures offset some of the perceived risk.

As for my captain, I could have gone for Aguero or Sanchez.  But didn't QPR give City some trouble earlier in the season? Could they have one last hurrah before they get relegated?  As for Sanchez, he was awesome during the last MNF game.  I think he's capable of doing the same again.

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Have you made your picks yet?

Dan's Digest GW36

Over these final few weeks of the season I’ll be sharing a few bite size insights into the all-important run-in that will hopefully give you something to think about as you aim to boost your team up the overall rankings or make a late dash for the title in your mini-league. It’s designed to just start the conversation on the topics and give you a few extra things to think about as you plan your moves. So, here we go!

RVP

This might seem like a wacky place to start but van Persie produced some impressive stats last weekend. He may have missed a penalty (with van Gaal confirming he’ll be off spot-kick duty from now on) and notched himself ‘nil pois’ in the process but a closer look at the stats shows he was a threat throughout. He made it through the full 90 minutes, had 14 touches inside the penalty box (2^nd only to Vardy over the GW), 10 attempts on goal (2 more than 2^nd place Sanchez), 6 shots inside the box (1^st), at least 2 more shots on target than anyone else all weekend whilst also creating more chances for his team mates than any other striker in the game.

His price tag is hefty and he hasn’t lived up to it. United are struggling to score goals. He’s only just returning from injury. However, with stats like these there is an awful lot of potential for the last few gameweeks; if RVP can reproduce the threat he showed last week then he’ll surely grab some goals before the season is over.

Relegation Battle

I believe in miracles. However, let’s just assume QPR and Burnley are down. On the contrary, the third relegation spot is still very much anyone’s guess. Just 2 points separate Sunderland in 18^th and Aston Villa in 14^th. All 5 teams have it all to play for; these guys can’t afford to be on their summer holidays already (unlike a certain Chelsea midfielder) and will be putting everything they have into ensuring their team beats the drop. That alone should make all 5 teams worth considering for the final weeks of the season. Add to that the fact that all but Sunderland have 2 home fixtures out of 3, whilst the Black Cats have a double gameweek in GW37, and we’ll see that there’s plenty of potential remaining in these teams that can’t afford to lose. Here’s a player to consider from each one:

Aston Villa: Christian Benteke – 73 points, 10 goals and only 2 blanks since the beginning of March says all you need to know.

Newcastle: Papiss Cisse – Newcastle are in free fall after 8 straight defeats but 11-goal Cisse is now back in contention after serving his 7 game suspension.

Leicester: Jamie Vardy – He’s been in terrific form and is the heartbeat of all Leicester do going forward.

Hull: Ahmed Elmohamady – 2 assists in as many games against tough opposition shows he can bring in some points as the season draws to a close.

Sunderland: Connor Wickham – With 2 goals in his last 3 games we could see him hit the sort of form that kept Sunderland up this time last year.

Jamie Vardy

Just a quick note on Vardy’s potential for the last few games. If we exclude the ‘anomaly’ game from early in the season where Leicester beat Man United 5-3 and Vardy picked up a goal, 4 assists and 21 fpl points then his home returns have actually been very disappointing, even recently. That United game is the only home match Vardy has scored in all season whilst he’s picked up 3 goals on the road since GW30. On top of that he also only has 3 assists on home turf compared to 4 whilst away. This may be indicative of Leicester’s playing style but with 2 home games out of 3 remaining don’t be surprised if Vardy doesn’t produce what we might hope he does.

Harry Kane

Kane has been fantasy football gold-dust so far this season. His low starting price combined with his incredible points returns have led to a massive 91.2% ownership within live squads. However, with just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 5 games, 2 away fixtures to come and Pochettino seemingly wanting to avoid the Europa League it could be time to roll the dice with the young England striker. It’s dangerous because if he does well you could lose a lot of ground overall but he’s never going to help you catch anyone or make big leaps in the overall rankings simply because of his high ownership (unless you have the courage to captain him!). Alternatives to the Spurs star would be the aforementioned Benteke (if you can raise the funds), Cisse or Vardy. Otherwise, you can take a punt on Austin rescuing QPR or a Sunderland striker with the extra fixture.

Differential Captain Picks

Everyone will captain Aguero this week. If you’re looking to climb the rankings by going against the grain and selecting a different captain here are a few options.

Christian Benteke – He’s got form on his side and is coming up against a West Ham side with nothing to play for.

Alexis Sanchez – 4 goals in his last 3 appearances for the Gunners makes him a prime MNF captain option.

Phil Jagielka – 2 goals in his last 5 matches and 6 clean sheets from the last 7 home games means he is producing at both ends of the pitch, especially whilst at Goodison Park. Has every chance of making double figures against a feeble Sunderland side.

"Taking no risks is the riskiest thing of all. So, in order to avoid risks, I will take risks" (Juan Manuel Lillo)

Chief's #FPL Team - Gameweek 35

Latest Rank: 

30k

(/\/\/\ 32k rise /\/\/\) 

Transfers*

None

Bank Balance:

£1.7M 
 

Context:

Explanatory Notes:

Folks, we did it again! BOUNCE-BACK-ABILITY. Let's be honest, after the "Giroud Red Card / Boxing Day Massacre" it's never been the same for my team.  But the last 3 Gameweeks have demonstrated that you should never say never in FPL.  Gameweeks 27-31 were nothing but red arrows.  Cue some form and the "big" Double Gameweek and our wildcard - 54k rise in the space of 3 Gameweeks - Back in the Top 1%!  I don't want to boast about these minor successes, but they certainly do mean a lot, especially when the blog team fell 78k places over 14 Gameweeks.  Having said all that I was gutted to only score 95 (5 short off a ton). Then again that equated to a 5k rank for Double Gameweek 34.  All this with a Captain Hazard fail.  N'Doye (the calculated risk) proved to be a super differential, you can hear me rave about him here.

Looking ahead, I could have made various transfers. But why should I?  10 of my starting XI are playing at home.  Yes, it's a risk doubling up in positions during a non-DGW.  The plan is to use my FTs after GWs 35 or 36 to purchase sufficient Ars/Sun coverage for DGW37.  I am starting N'Doye as Hull have only failed to score once at home since 1st Jan and I have benched Koscielny as Arsenal have only kept 1 away PL clean sheet since 18th Jan.  I'm also happy to have PvA as sub3 as he has only kept 2 clean sheets since 27th Sep.  As for my captain, I have gone for Hazard. It would be a shame if he blanks 3 times in a row. But with the knowledge that he's been voted Player of the Year and a Chelsea win at the Bridge will secure them the title he has to score, surely!?

Honourable Mentions:

Matt won FPL in the 2012/2013 season.  He is currently raising funds for a charitable cause and is close to hitting his target (7% away).  Please click here to donate via his JustGiving page.  Every penny counts!

Jack is currently ranked 2nd in the world and 1st in the FPLH classic league.  He's a member of the FPL Twitter community and could actually win FPL, like Matt.  Show your support by following Jack and using the hashtag #TeamJackW on Twitter.

It's only rudimentary at present, but I am pleased to announce the launch of an informal FPL newspaper - Fantasy Football Friday. As per it's name, it will be updated once a week.  Worth reading for some last minute ideas.  Please have a read and subscribe.

- And remember - 

FORM IS KEY.  CLASS DOESN'T MATTER.

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Have you made your picks yet?