Okay, so we’re going to try something new here. This article is a transcript from an email exchange we had recently. Our weekly ramblings cover the latest goings-on in Fantasy EPL, as well as answering a couple of questions from Twitter. It’s a bit like a podcast… that you read!
Let us know what you think (provided it is all completely positive and in no way criticizing us). Hopefully, this will turn into a nice little weekly segment if people enjoy it. If not, let’s just gloss over it and forget it ever happened. A bit like Claudio Ranieri’s tenure at Fulham last season.
Fantasy EPL Weekly Ramblings
Inner Geek
Morning fellas, what better way to get over those Monday blues than to spend all day discussing football?? Lots of talking points from the weekend – Arsenal transfers, Liverpool preseason results – but first, why don’t we kick off with some thoughts on The FF Chaps’ draft for the FPL Draft Community League? First three rounds occurred this weekend right?”
Chap 2
Spot on. The slow draft for the FPL Draft Community League is underway! You can follow the progress on Twitter; just bear in mind it is slow!!!
Three rounds in and we’ve not had the worst start, considering we’re drafting from 4th place (12 manager league) and it’s a snake draft…
Chap 1
It certainly is slow! We’ve currently got a 12-hour window to make our picks on Fantrax, due to the different time zones managers are in! Having so long to think about your draft picks is pretty grueling at times.
Inner Geek
Fourth could be a good spot…imo Sterling/Salah/Kane/KDB are in a different bracket to the rest…so you take whoever is left to you in 4th, then get a better 2nd round pick, right?
Who have you got so far?
Chap 1
Yeah, exactly our thinking. We chose the 4th round spot in the draft to ensure that we drafted one of those four Chaps… Kane was the one that was left, so we were delighted to have picked him up! Hoping for an injury-free season!!!
Ideally our 2nd round pick would have been Anderson or Fraser to nail down a very good midfielder, but they were both gone by the time the draft snaked back around to us. We opted for Lucas Digne, based on the fact that he’s the second-best defender on Fantrax (TAA had already been drafted).
Tielemans was then drafted in the 3rd round – happy with him as our consistent scoring playmaker midfielder. It was potentially a bit early to get him, but hopefully he’ll continue his amazing form from the back end of last season!
Inner Geek
Yeah, Fraser falling to the lower half of the 2nd round would’ve been a huge bonus. Digne is a nice grab though.
Zaha gone yet?
Chap 1
Yeah, Zaha went in the 2nd round, right after we took Digne.
Seriously considered getting Zaha instead of Digne, but we felt going Forward/Forward in the first two rounds would have left us too exposed during the next few rounds.
Inner Geek
True.
Speaking of where Zaha has gone, what are our thoughts on the Everton link? (See what I did there? I should work on TV with segues like that). Do we think it’ll happen? And what are the ramifications?
Chap 2
I personally can’t see Zaha going. If you’re Palace, you don’t want your prize asset going this close to the window shutting; zero chance of a replacement at this stage. Also, Everton are making noises about Moise Kean. The Juve man would soften the blow of not picking up Zaha in this window.
Although I did see that Zaha and Kean have started follow each other on Instagram. Read into that what you like chaps…
Chap 1
Haha when social media is impacting our thoughts on transfer rumors…!
I think the Moise Kean deal is more likely, as Juve have made him available for transfer, and the fee will be less than Zaha.
If Zaha joins Everton then Richarlison is likely to move up front… if Kean joins then Richarlison can stay in a wide position, which is probably for the best after the indifferent performances he gave up front last season.
Either way Calvert-Lewin looks set to lose out, after being a potential sleeper heading into the new season.
Chap 2
Richarlison, Kean, and Calvert-Lewin. With Gomes, Delph, and Siggy behind them pulling strings?
Chap 1
Bernard did well at the end of last season. I would imagine he would start the season in the starting XI.
Silva has said Gomes and Delph are too similar to play together, so a Gueye replacement will be attempted apparently.
Chap 2
The forgotten man. Theo Walcott.
What a waste for draft managers.
Chap 1
Fun fact: Theo was picked in the 1st round of our draft a few years back…
What’s the worst 1st round pick you’ve ever witnessed in a competitive league Inner Geek?
Inner Geek
Great question! Last season one of our guys had a forfeit where he couldn’t pick a player from one of the big six in the 1st round…even so, his selection of Max Meyer must go down in history as the worst ever!! Think of all the alternatives….Vardy, Zaha, Sig, Deeney, Jota/Jimenez….
Have you seen worse than that?
Chap 1
Haha, Max Meyer is an epic pick! The manager must have been a fan of him on Football Manager a few years back?!
Chap 2
Classic. That moment when you let Championship Manager dictate your drafting!
Chap 1
Not seen a worse first round pick… You drafted Andy Carroll in the 4th round last season though didn’t you Chap 2?
Chap 2
I admit I drafted Andy Carroll 4th round last season. But let me caveat the pick: IT WAS A PUNISHMENT PICK!!!
I was late to the draft event. So the commissioner (and everyone else) made me draw out 4th pick from the hat.
It was a right barrel of laughs!
Chap 1
It was great banter.
Inner Geek
Yeah, that’s pretty bad. Not “Max Meyer in the 1st” bad. But pretty bad.
Carroll, Sturridge, Welbeck….do any of them join a PL club? And if so, would any be draftable?
Chap 2
I’m not touching Carroll ever again.
I guess it largely depends on who Sturridge and Welbeck join…
Tbh – I’d completely forgotten about them. From purely a draft perspective; if Palace or Brighton could afford them it would widen the options a little.
Would you take a punt Inner Geek?
Inner Geek
A month ago I’d have been tempted by all if they’d gone to the right club (Palace, Brighton, Newcastle, etc). But it’s too late in preseason now. They’d take a while to get up to match fitness.
One last bit of transfer talk before moving onto the merits (or lack of) of preseason results….
Pepe to Arsenal….looks a done deal….what’s the plan there? Is Emery changing to play much wider? And does that mean Auba is getting pushed to left wing? Or do they play with two wide men and Laca and Aub up front? If it’s the latter, that seems to leave a lot of responsibility on Xhaka and Torreira in midfield…responsibility that history would suggest they are incapable of handling!
Chap 2
I think 4-3-3 is more likely. Auba and Pepe wide supporting Laca. Ceballos sitting behind them in the midfield three would be pretty tasty.
I’m in for all four if that’s the case.
Inner Geek
Does that drop Auba’s value then?
Chap 2
A little. But last year he got messed around a bit and still returned good figures.
Are you altering your draft strategy to accommodate this chap? Or do you just plough ahead?
Inner Geek
Pepe? If he falls to me in the 2nd round (equivalent of 25th pick for me) then I’d definitely consider it.
Chap 1
Auba, Lacazette, and Pepe all have very good value for me. Perhaps Auba and Lacazette’s prospects are diminished slightly due to a risk on their playing time, but overall it’ll make Arsenal a better side!
All three should be drafted by the 2nd or 3rd round depending on league size!
Also, it makes the Arsenal defence one to avoid even more with those three attacking players (hopefully) on the pitch at the same time!
Inner Geek
Like we need more reasons to avoid the arsenal defense!!
Okay, final thing before answering the Twitter community’s questions:
Anyone worried about Liverpool’s preseason??
Chap 1
Not for me. We’ve predicted them to win the league this season in our Team Previews. They have the quality to do exactly what they did last season – run wild on the Premier League!!
Perhaps they will have a slow start to the season… a short pre-season due to the Champions League Final, and African Cup of Nations/Copa America. But they will find their stride after a few games.
Chap 2
As a big Norwich City fan, I’m hoping Liverpool take their poor pre-season into the first GW.
But I can’t see it happening. Unfortunately.
Inner Geek
Whilst I don’t think the preseason matters, in terms of the season I can only see regression occurring tbh. I like Liverpool and wanted them to beat City to the title last year, but I can’t see how they can keep the front three consistently healthy like last season. Especially given the summers they’ve each had.
I mean, they’ll still beat Norwich, obviously. But after that….
Chap 2
Mane, Salah, and Firmino vs Pukki, Buendia, and Stiepermann…lovely stuff!
Questions From The Fantasy EPL Community
Inner Geek
Okay, so a couple of questions from the FPL community on Twitter. First, from N e i l – o:
“What positions should I focus on with my first 3 picks in a 12 team draft? My first round position is 4th and we’re using Togga rules.”
Chap 2
My strategy would be to go high end forward in the 1st round, then the best midfielder available in the 2nd. 3rd round, get straight into the best defender going!
The forward/mid could be swapped around. High-end midfielder, followed by next best available forward…I wouldn’t sweat too much on that call.
3rd round is key. Get yourself a point-scoring defender. Digne, Robertson, etc.
I feel the chaps might back me up on this one…Inner Geek and Chap 1, what we thinking?
Inner Geek
Yep! Pretty much my thoughts!
Chap 2
You love an early-round defender don’t you Chap 1?
Chap 1
Spreading the first three picks across all three positions is a good strategy to get an even team…
Kane, Anderson, Digne or De Bruyne, Vardy, Alexander Arnold.
Something like that would be my ideal first three rounds in a Fantrax Togga scoring league.
Inner Geek
So it sounds like we’re all advising the same then?
FWD-MID-DEF or MID-FWD-DEF
The only caveat I’d add for Neil-O is that if there’s a defender run before his pick in the 3rd (i.e., if Digne, TAA, Pereira, Robertson, and VVD have all gone), perhaps move to the next best FWD/MID. I think there’s a big gap after those five, and taking a Chilwell/Doherty in the 3rd is probably a reach – they’d likely still be there in the 4th round or later.
Chap 2
This is a very good point.
Imagine blowing your 3rd round pick on Chilwell because we said go with a defender!
Chap 1
I do like Chilwell this season, but yeah not until the 5th or 6th round.
Certainly agree with the caveat there. A defender in the 3rd round, as long as it’s Alexander Arnold, Digne, Robertson, or Van Dijk for me.
Inner Geek
There’s one more question from Chris Koenig, and it’s like he’s teeing me up to promote my latest article… players who could vastly outperform their current ADP.
“What are some players that could vastly outperform their current ADP?”
I’ve given my takes already, so what do you chaps think?
Chap 1
From your Starting Eleven of Sleepers, I really like Matt Targett and Emi Buendia. Their ADP’s are both above 100, and they should perform well. Targett showed good form at Southampton last season when he was given a chance, and Buendia is a special little player who should suit Togga Scoring really well.
Inner Geek
Any recommendations for Chris that I missed out from the article?
Chap 1
Looking further afield, players like Barkley, Gudmundsson, and Benteke are worth mentioning. One player that has really caught my eye based on the current ADP rankings is Shelvey. His ADP is currently 152, which puts him ranked 193 overall. Shelvey will surely be installed back into the Newcastle side this season under Bruce, and his passing game is well suited to Togga Scoring!
Inner Geek
Yeah, great shout. He scored well in the limited game time he had last year!
Chap 1
Indeed he did… do you happen to have his Points Per 90 stats to hand Inner Geek?
Inner Geek
Yep. 14.21 PP90….ahead of a whole bunch of big names…Milivojevic, Gross, Alli, Jota, Tielemans, Townsend…and 21st highest of all midfielders with over 300 minutes.
Chap 1
Nice! We’re expecting Newcastle to be in and around the relegation zone, but hopefully Shelvey can provide some decent scores nonetheless!
Chap 2
He’s pretty hot right now. I think he’s a real Steve Bruce kind of guy!
Chatting about Shelvey; my second favorite chat.
Chap 1
What’s your favorite chat?
Chap 2
Chattin’ about Buendia.
Chap 1
Ah. Thought gardening might have been your favorite type of chat.
<long silence>
Inner Geek
And on that note, I think it’s time to call it a day! Thanks guys!
Chap 2
Lol – nice ending there.
Check out our Fantasy EPL Draft Rankings: Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Top 100 |
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