Yes, yes, we know: we are too good to you people here at Fantrax! Not only do we give you the wise words of the Kickaround Pod, the astute analysis of Genie’s Waivers, the informed insights of the Chaps Sleepers XI, and the must-read musings of Totti’s Weekly Rankings, but NOW we are providing you a preview of your very own personal league. Okay, enough of the alliteration. Hopefully, you know the score: on Monday we gave you the opportunity to win a written preview of your league’s matchups, and you got back to us admirably (by the way, a big thank you for this – we love reading all the retweets!). We chose @ChampManFPLAB as our Community Special winner this time, so here is that preview…
P.S. Even if this isn’t your league there should still be some useful tips for gameweek 8!!
Community Special: Gameweek 8
Team 50shadesofjohnoshea vs AnuragB Peculiar Titans
This squad should not be 2-and-5 and sitting 8th, but the injury to Pulisic and Jose’s reluctance to start Bale is killing the midfield. Klopp’s loyalty to Firmino is admirable (or is that foolish?), but if Jota can nab a starting spot, the forward line here has huge boom potential. That said, this (vs Manchester City) isn’t the weekend where 50shades will want the ex-Wolves man to start, as the temptation to field him ahead of Willian will be high. Dropping White for a midfield option would be the sensible move, but given the choice of team name, I’m not sure this manager does sensible very often. Having said that, remember this from the Irish Pele? Maybe that is worthy of team name status. Aside from the ‘keeper (which, btw, in a 10-team league, should definitely be streamed), this side doesn’t have a bad matchup in sight. Big score incoming. Maybe even top score.
These two squads may have almost identical records (AnuragB edging it by averaging a minuscule 4 points per game more than 50shades), but the quality of each is far from comparable. AnuragB looks set to be fielding the likes of Cash, Townsend, McTominay, and Batshuayi – selections generally not conducive to points scoring. And whilst this isn’t necessarily their fault – Azpilicueta and Traore falling out of favor and the Castagne injury were less predictable than a Pep lineup – it won’t matter when that record reads 2-and-6 come Monday. There will be a manager out there willing to take the risk on Traore, and if a good offer comes in then it may be worth taking it. I’ll throw this one out there…straight-up swap with Adam28193 for Maddison? Or Jaz for TAA? If one of these trades gets done I want a Mina Raiola-sized agent fee. Just saying.
Team 50shadesofjohnoshea 125 – 89 AnuragB Peculiar Titans
In the name of Jesus vs 11 Mechanics
A lot of league position battles this week, this time with the 9th spot taking on the 10th spot. I actually like both of these squads, and back them both to end the season in the middle of the pack. Jesus has a lot of options this week, and Thiago Silva versus Sheffield United will be very tempting, but that clean sheet reliance scares me. I’m not an Almiron fan, and going with Saka would be leaving all the eggs in the last-game basket. Maybe getting rid of Konsa and Hourihane would provide some better alternatives. There’s a lot of players here that should start, but aren’t guaranteed to (see: Saka, Praet, Almiron, Neto, Greenwood), so watching out for the lineup releases is crucial for Jesus this week.
11 Mechanics is going to come up big this week on the back of more monster hauls from Mount and JWP, which will follow McNeil’s breakout game for the season in the Friday night match. Sterling will usually be the focal point for this team, and he’s averaged over 18 points per game the last 3 times he’s faced his old club Liverpool, but even if he doesn’t return a big score, the Mechanics will have way too much on the board for this to be close. And that’s assuming Bobby Firms doesn’t start either. And yes, if you can get anything close to 3rd round value for him I’d do it…how about Semedo for Firmino? Why Always Mee needs a forward… (Side note: this is officially the worst league I’ve previewed in terms of team names – sort it out!).
In the name of Jesus 93 – 124 11 Mechanics
Gabriel Rop – Het Slotoffensief vs Team Adam28193
You’ve gotta feel for Gabriel Rop. The squad they’ve built must be one of the most stressful to manage that I’ve ever seen. Mahrez is a constant rotation risk. ASM is so frequently a doubt that his name may as well be Saint-Maximin-Red-Flag. Havertz and Abraham will always be threatened by Lampard’s attacking alternatives. And now James Rodriguez is staking his claim for Michail Antonio’s crown as biggest glass man in the Premier League. That said…if and when they all start…opponent beware. And actually, I think they all might this week. Of them all, Abraham and Havertz* have the potential to go ham as they take on Sheffield United. This is arguably the strongest bench in the league and if some reliability could be brought in (JWP or Grealish would be my targets) then I fancy Gabriel Rop for a title challenge.
Manchester City vs Liverpool as the penultimate game isn’t doing many people any favors, but particularly so Adam28193. The only person who knows if Silva and Jesus will play is Pep himself, and if neither gets the nod, he may be sticking the knife in Adam28193’s chances of victory here. Sending Salisu to his rightful spot on the FA list (he has 2% ownership…is he on this roster as a forfeit??) is much needed, as it would be preferable to not have to play Egan against Chelsea this weekend. This forward committee will give them a chance in most matchups, but the defense is holding this side back big time.
Gabriel Rop – Het Slotoffensief 107 – 89 Team Adam28193
*Note, since this was originally written, Havertz has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the gameweek 8 matchup. Tielemans is a solid replacement though, and the win should still be in the bag for Gabriel Rop.
Nasty_balls vs All that Jaz
There’s always one manager that lowers the tone with the team name, isn’t there? However, like peak Eric Cantona, they are managing to get away with the ungentlemanly behavior by their dazzling performances on the pitch. A 5-and-2 record, 3rd spot in the league, 2nd most points, and most importantly, a damn good squad, make Nasty a legit contender. In fact, I’m going to put my neck on the line and say it: this is the team to beat. There’s not a weakness here. So much so that they just dropped Haller for Che Adams.
First of all, why is Che Adams available on the FA/waiver list? Second, how has Nasty managed to grab him (particularly annoying for this week’s opponent Jaz who is in desperate need of a forward…£10 says Adams bags to rub salt into the wounds). And three, why drop Haller?? Maybe Antonio’s injury isn’t as serious as first feared (or just as likely, maybe it’s a return to Antonio’s injury troubles), but Haller has Fulham this weekend…surely keep him for that?! Coleman, Laporte, March…yeah these are decent, but they’d have all been better options to depart. In fact, I’d have dropped Schmeichel, sent a few 2 for 1 trades, and then crossed the goalkeeper problem on Friday. Anywho, these are first world problems for “Nasty”.
Stinking it up this week is All that Jaz who can bemoan some serious bad luck and some serious lack of footballing knowledge. Ings’ injury is a nightmare scenario, as combined with Martial’s final game of his suspension, it leaves just Ayew up top. Yikes. The big names of Pogba and TAA have FP/G’s of 4.2 and 6.3 – ouch! Fantrax scoring rightly elevates the value of defensive midfielders, though they are still not great, and you certainly don’t need 3 of them…especially when 2 are injured! The squad as it is can’t even field a full 11, so Milivojevic needs dropping, but whilst the manager’s there, they might as well say goodbye to Fernandez, Webster, Basham, and McCarthy too. This team almost makes Neville’s Advocaat from the Community C League look good. Almost.
Nasty_balls 110 – 58 All that Jaz
Team Atletico Bilal vs Why Always Mee?
If you thought Election night (or week/month/year, depending on how long Cheeto Jesus decides to contest democracy for) was close, wait until you see Atletico Bilal versus Why Always Me?. Granted, the stakes may be a little smaller, but Americans deserve to have their votes counted. Anyway, back to “soccer”. This is a huge matchup, and whilst they may be the top two right now, they won’t be putting up top two worthy numbers this weekend. Bilal has been hurt by the injury to Antonio and suspension to Richarlison, as well as the self-inflicted blow of dropping in-form Tom Cairney for the recently benched Nathan Redmond (seriously, what was that about?!). It might be wise to take a leaf from the Genie’s book and handcuff Doherty with Aurier. A 3rd round pick was spent on the Tottenham right back, which is perhaps one round high in hindsight, but if paired with the Ivorian free agent, could still prove very valuable. I have Jorginho being forced to start in this team, even though I doubt he will in Lampard’s. Both he and Redmond could probably hit the bin in order to ensure a full starting 11 with bench options. It should go without saying that van Aanholt is expendable too.
A really nice touch in this week’s preview has been the amount of information @ChampManFPLAB has sent over to give me the inside scoop on their league. For instance, apparently, Why Always Mee? has been trying to give away one of his kids in exchange for a decent forward. Some might see this familial negligence as a step too far, but when you’re in dire need of forwards and fighting to stay top of the league, I say it’s perfectly reasonable**. In fact, if Helder Costa were to be dropped by Bielsa this week it might even be worth throwing the spouse into a trade deal too. Anyway, some form of reinforcements is needed, and if they arrive, they could swing this matchup more than the panhandle swung Florida for Trump. Rumour has it that the manager has been keen to part way with Zaha in order to strengthen the squad, but I’m not sure why you’d do this when there is plenty of trash in the form of Pieters, Davies, and Partey that could be offloaded instead.
Team Atletico Bilal 92 – 90 Why Always Mee?
**It has since been revealed that this was a typo, and Why Always Mee? is actually trying to trade one of his ‘mids’ in exchange for a decent forward, not kids. Apologies.
Previous Editions: Gameweek 2 | Gameweek 4 | Gameweek 5 | Gameweek 6 |
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