PLFantasy

Two weeks is a long time in both fantasy and reality. If it goes well you could being talked about as title contenders with the world at your feet (Mancini) but if things go wrong, even the strongest of resumes will be ignored (Wenger). Hopefully you find yourself in the former camp, but if not, don't panic, decide who needs to go then start trying to rack up some points, starting with this week. Clean Sheet Rankings It's always tricky at this point in the season to determine how much attention to pay to prior year and how much to focus on the current season. I have avoided the tough decision by simply adding/averaging the data to give hybrid values. The GPG conceded will therefore be over the 19 home/away games from last year plus this year's single game while clean sheets/ failed to score numbers are simply added together: [Defensive Pick vs Opponent - goals per game conceded (clean sheets kept - opponent failed to score)] Liverpool vs Bolton - 0.93 GP (9 - 7) Ast...

We are all prone to a bit of overreaction but normally after GW1 you have but one transfer to help rectify those moves you have already cast into history as monumental mistakes. Perhaps you ditch the benched Drogba for the penalty taking Luis Suarez or switch your mid-price Villa defender for Smalling who suddenly looks like he's guaranteed to play. The unlimited free transfers for the week messes this dynamic up and it's going to make many teams very similar as managers around the world react to the GW1 events. Gameweek one is very useful. It gives us an indication of who a team's strongest lineup is (though this is by no means guaranteed) and hints towards tactics a manager might use for the season. I think we can derive more negatives than positives tough, perhaps suggesting that Drogba's value has taken a hit as he suddenly looks droppable or Dempsey's deeper role makes him overpriced at 8.5m. Where most managers look though is who performed well, and this ...

Looking back at last season One of three sides (with Newcastle and Man Utd) to average over 2.0 GPG at home. Also one of three sides (with Arsenal and Man Utd) to average more than 1.5 GPG at home and on the road Failed to score a goal a surprising 9 times, equal with West Brom and once more than Blackpool 15 clean sheets ranked second only to Man City with 11 at home also second in the league (again, Man City led). Averaged just 1.05 GPG conceded on the road, a league best mark, but yet only recorded 4 clean sheets away from Stamford Bridge. Started the season with 7 clean sheets in the first 9 gameweeks; adding just 8 more over the next 29. Goalkeepers as a unit ranked 2nd overall in points (after Man City) but ranked just 16th in value for money ( P$ 0.621) Defenders were the best unit in the league with 683 points. Even with their high prices this still translated as the second best value around ( P$ 0.715 after only Fulham). At home the defensive unit was formidable, ...

With Torres' disappointing comments as he left for a ' top level club ' ringing in their ears, the mood of the Liverpool fans seems to that of genuine hurt and defiance. There will be a lot of chest beating about how the club is bigger than any player but make no mistake, this one hurt. Newcastle fans seemed more disappointed but accepting, and the majority were quick to point to the money they received as a silver lining. I'm not sure what the story is here: loyalty is dead in football, or that we're crazy to expect any (after all Torres is not exactly a local lad). I'm sure the blogs will all have their say tomorrow, but for now, I'll leave it to the fans: Fans feel the club is bigger than any player Money is talking for the Magpies

There have been justified rumblings lately about whether Drogba is, gasp, on the chopping board. I do not hide my admiration for the Ivorian legend and the fact he has recently played games while suffering with malaria (presumably caught while doing his extensive charity work ) only increases Drogba’s legend. However – perhaps unfortunately – there are no points awarded for bravery or good deeds and so we must brush aside our personal feelings and look at the cold hard stats (cue half the readers screaming that I am unable to do this Fabregas on a weekly basis . . . and me having no response). First things first, Drogba has really had two separate seasons already this year, or for the cliché lovers he’s been a ‘game of two halves’. The first five games were all quality starts (6 points or more) and he amassed an insane 55 points, including 5 goals 5 assists and 11 bonus points: perhaps the best 5 game run of any fantasy player in history (cue Ronaldo looking up suddenly from his tan...

Here's a quick run around the World Cup teams including goals, injuries and who will miss the final squad cuts: Van Persie scored twice for the Netherlands in their defeat of Mexico. I am really high on the Netherlands and Van Persie becomes a legitimate option to start from week one (vs Denmark). Michael Essien will miss the World Cup which is a huge blow to Ghana's chance. I like Serbia to progress from Group D after which they will likely meet a relatively strong England side. Philip Lahm has been handed the German armband guaranteeing his place in the starting XI and making him one of the most valuable defenders around. Like fellow ex-teammate Essien, Lassana Diarra will also miss the tournament . The injury should pave the way for PL Fantasy favourite Abou Diaby to play alongside Jeremy Toulanan, as they did on several occasions in the qualifiers. Okay it was against Canada but Argentina finally put on a display that matches their talent levels. Goals for Tevez, Aguero...

Firstly, apologies if anyone used my awful defensive rankings to select their team this week. There were only four clean sheets for the week and none of them were in my top five (though City are yet to play). My captain rankings fared slightly better ranking backing third top scorer Torres, though this was hardly rocket science with his home game to Hull. I am therefore working on new ways to evaluate these predictions to try and do better in the future. A few trends continue to present themselves this season, as discussed below: Year of the striker Without wishing to sound like a broken record, the strategy of picking top scorers paid dividends again this week with Torres (17 points), Van Persie (9), Drogba (6), Berbatov (8) and Keane (21) all having productive weeks. Of strikers valued at over 8m, everyone who played gained at least 6 points apart from Rooney, Defoe and Anelka. Based on matchups only Defoe and Anelka were disappointments here. Of the midfielders valued at over 8m, on...

If your team is based around 11 7m guys then this article isn't for you. If however, like most fantasy players you like to have a premier player or two, then read on for some thoughts on how to pick your lynch pin. The main advantage in my eyes of bringing in a premier player for your team is the fact you can captain him and bring in a unrivalled amount of points. For example, last year Lampard scored 226 points, which would give you 452 points if you captained him every week. Even at his steep price tag of 12.5m this season, a similar level of production would lead to a 0.952 PPMS and almost 12 points per game. This kind of production is just not possible from 2 or even 3 mid level players, even if you strike it rich with a cheap superstar like Stephen Ireland. Factor in the chance to find a bargain to play alongside your stud (perhaps Larsson, Jimenez or Muamba) and the choice to grab a star player appears to be made for you. But who do you take? With over a tenth of your whole b...

I am a huge fan of the system implemented in US sports such as the NFL, where players are given official ratings as to how injured they are ranging from probable to questionable to out. Unfortunately we do not enjoy such a system in the Premier League, so I will try and implement one by collating all the varying info available on players and assessing their status accordingly. Note that this list is not exhuastive and will not include (a) long term casualties unless they occurred recently and (b) players will zero fantasy impact (such as Sunderland's third keeper etc. I will try to keep the list updated right through to 11:30 tomorrow when the transfer deadline passes. Gameweek 16 Status (updated 10:28am Saturday) Sources Physio Room Fantasy Football Scout BBC Sport Goal.com TheFA.com Suspension List