Premier League Fantasy

[Trofo]

I know this is not exactly gambling but since lots of these leagues are sponsored by bookies... I am a member of Sportsbet and Stake leagues this season and some of the private leagues are also paid to enter I guess it qualifys. I decided to make dedicated topic since there is some interest in the forum and then we are always writing in the wrong threads. Hopefully we will have a nice discussion here.

@icopress

If my memory serves me, Pickford was selected based on the results of Euro 2020, but I also have a spare goalkeeper from the Spurs.

That is even worse, it means you have what 10.5M tied up in keepers? My pair costs 8.5M and I am sure we have about the same points from them. As I said it is more feasible to save on keepers and spend money somewhere else. There is always great value in cheap keepers.

I have a full squad including a bench ... by the way I tried to save money on this but found that you cannot complete transfers if you have an empty bench.

Of course you must have full squad per fantasy rules. I just wanted to point out that your bench should not be expensive. Maybe something like 4M keeper, 5-6M rotation player, 4.5M player who will play 90 min every week, 4M bench fodder who will never play.

Well, I only added Grealish a week ago, and the other two City players are gaining a lot of points among the defenders.

City players are great until schedule becomes congested and all of them end up on the bench. All three of your players played in CL during week. If this was end of the season I would take you on a bet that at least 2 of them will not play tomorrow. Since it is beginning of the season and players are still fresh maybe you are in still in luck.
I'll hazard a guess and say:
Cancelo not playing - Walker in, maybe Cancelo has a chance for LB but he is much better on right side
Diaz - should play
Grealish - 50/50 for me, started all the games will be rested soon

[icopress]

I'm still booking a place so that notifications will come in the future ... I will answer a little later.

That is even worse, it means you have what 10.5M tied up in keepers? My pair costs 8.5M and I am sure we have about the same points from them. As I said it is more feasible to save on keepers and spend money somewhere else. There is always great value in cheap keepers.

After the close of the 5th game week, I will take your advice and change my goalkeepers to free up 1.5m.

City players are great until schedule becomes congested and all of them end up on the bench. All three of your players played in CL during week. If this was end of the season I would take you on a bet that at least 2 of them will not play tomorrow. Since it is beginning of the season and players are still fresh maybe you are in still in luck.

These two played in today's match, but a similar situation happened to Alexander-Arnold ... he was absent from today's match after the Champions League games. Most likely I'll just pick the defenders who spend the most minutes on the field, (I think it would be wise).

[DIA7]

Been playing FPL for 7years this is my 8th
.
Last year was my strongest finish I was in top 90k and concure whith Trofo advices.
Having two goalkeepers regular that worth 4.5m is advised as you can rotate them one when have a difficult match and the points for goalkeepers have been always close to each other so no need to buy a 6m keeper not going to give you a lot benefit better use it in Midfield.

Or just one premium that is no more then 5.5m.
Last year I rarely had a defender that is worth more then 5m most of them were 4.5m that helped since a lot of cheap defenders delivered on points.
As for City I  only got KDB last year and sold him for Gundogan when he was injured and when he got back I belleive I didn't had any City player after a game when Pep benched both Gundogan and KDB.
This year I'm not planning on buying any of Man City players.
Also best way to use chips are on double gameweeks try not to use them on regular gameweeks or using free hit on a gameweek that have 5 matches is not recommended just play with what you got and use the free hit to bring players that play double games in one gameweek.

[Trofo]

Having two goalkeepers regular that worth 4.5m is advised as you can rotate them one when have a difficult match and the points for goalkeepers have been always close to each other so no need to buy a 6m keeper not going to give you a lot benefit better use it in Midfield.

Or just one premium that is no more then 5.5m.

That was my keeper strategy in all the past seasons. This year I just took Sanches and Foster, together 8.5M. I must say I am very happy with my decision. Don't know how it works for you but rotating 2 x 4.5 keepers often leaves me with more points on the bench. Save points and especially penalty save points have a way of screwing my choice. Just one game when keeper who plays against strong team and manages to keep clean sheet eats up all those good choices since that usually means a couple of save points plus 3 bonus points.

I git foster since I need Watford player to participate in one of the Stake sponsored leagues.
This year I was around 200k before last week and now around 500k, Antonio captain 

[icopress]

Also best way to use chips are on double gameweeks try not to use them on regular gameweeks or using free hit on a gameweek that have 5 matches is not recommended just play with what you got and use the free hit to bring players that play double games in one gameweek.

I haven't quite adapted to the fantasy interface yet, so I would be very grateful if you could point out where you can read about it and learn more. I would also like to know about the captain's points, is it possible to change the captain from match to match? Let's say the captain Lukaku, but after the Chelsea game, the game of Liverpool follows and it would be wise to transfer the powers of the captain to Salah. Or is it not foreseen?

[Trofo]

Also best way to use chips are on double gameweeks try not to use them on regular gameweeks or using free hit on a gameweek that have 5 matches is not recommended just play with what you got and use the free hit to bring players that play double games in one gameweek.

I haven't quite adapted to the fantasy interface yet, so I would be very grateful if you could point out where you can read about it and learn more. I would also like to know about the captain's points, is it possible to change the captain from match to match? Let's say the captain Lukaku, but after the Chelsea game, the game of Liverpool follows and it would be wise to transfer the powers of the captain to Salah. Or is it not foreseen?

You can change your captain only between gameweeks, same time when you can make subs or transfers. Captain choice is maybe most important decision you will make any gameweek since that player points are doubled. Just to show you how big difference it can make:
Last week - my choice Antonio got red card and finished with -1 point, he was my captain which doubled the points so I got -2
This week - my choice Salah got 10 points and he will get another 2 bonus points, so double that and I get 24 just from him

This page is was great source of info for me in the past, I find myself using it less and less since more articles are written just for members but it should help you anyway:
https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/
You can find some real gems in comments bellow and get the feel of fantasy mindset

When you have trouble with something ask here and we will help.

[icopress]

So guys ... as far as I understand, the best thing you can win is 5mBTC, and  need to try very hard to get the highest weekly ball among 150 people. For week 6, I chose Antonio as the captain (since he returns after disqualification, and Salah made the vice captain). In the PL pool, I bet on Manchester City to win, so in fantasy I made the opposite choice with Christensen and Lukaku. I also really count on the victory of Tottenham, so I also made the opposite choice in case something goes wrong (taking Tierney and Ödegaard). And finally, took Willock, Ronaldo and Gray in attack and Pereira, Livramento and Duffy in defense.

Highest points score for the week receives 5 mBTC. [...]

Weekly highest climber collects a 1 mBTC Free Bet [...]

What do you think, will I score at least 75 points with this line-up?

[Trofo]

What do you think, will I score at least 75 points with this line-up?

How many transfers did you make? Are you on wildcard?

You know there is only one free transfer granted to you every week? Every additional transfer is costing you -4 points. All those minus points are removed from your weekly score. And you only have one wildcard (unlimited free transfers) per half of the season.

I am contemplating wildcarding this week, but I'll probably wait for next week and Chelsea fixture swing.

[icopress]

How many transfers did you make? Are you on wildcard?

You know there is only one free transfer granted to you every week? Every additional transfer is costing you -4 points. All those minus points are removed from your weekly score. And you only have one wildcard (unlimited free transfers) per half of the season.

I am contemplating wildcarding this week, but I'll probably wait for next week and Chelsea fixture swing.

Well, after the fourth week I didn't make such a mistake anymore, without looking at the counter I lost 16 points, (from now on, I make transfers of players when I see the inscription "unlimited"). But if I understood you correctly, then it turns out that I activated this function too early? Although it seemed to me that after the end of each game week, you can make as many transfers as you like, (but I do not regret that I took it because I changed almost the entire team). Anyway, knowing this, before starting the games this week, I will think again what placement of players will be effective until January.

[Trofo]

How many transfers did you make? Are you on wildcard?

You know there is only one free transfer granted to you every week? Every additional transfer is costing you -4 points. All those minus points are removed from your weekly score. And you only have one wildcard (unlimited free transfers) per half of the season.

I am contemplating wildcarding this week, but I'll probably wait for next week and Chelsea fixture swing.

Well, after the fourth week I didn't make such a mistake anymore, without looking at the counter I lost 16 points, (from now on, I make transfers of players when I see the inscription "unlimited"). But if I understood you correctly, then it turns out that I activated this function too early? Although it seemed to me that after the end of each game week, you can make as many transfers as you like, (but I do not regret that I took it because I changed almost the entire team). Anyway, knowing this, before starting the games this week, I will think again what placement of players will be effective until January.

This game would have been much easier with unlimited transfers Unfortunately you only have 1 free transfer between game weeks. Yes you can make more, but each additional transfer means you are loosing 4 points. There is nothing like "best time" to activate first wildcard, yes it is better to save it for later but I had great seasons when wildcarding in 2nd week and one bad one when I used it just before it expired. It all depends on how good your initial draft was.

Fantasy is all about value per point and getting on those budget players that have great seasons on time. If you already activated your wildcard you can continue to make transfers until deadline for free. My advice is that you choose players for at least 5 game weeks in mind, and plan transfers ahead of time. For instance, if I had Ronaldo I would probably swap him for Lukaku next week and tried to capitalize on Chelsea fixtures. Some other budget friendly teams that have great fixtures are Leeds and Southampton. Too bad Raphina is injured he would be my hands down best pick for next 5 game weeks.

Wolves and Norwich also have great fixtures but they are so bad that I am afraid to pick their players. Maybe somebody like Semedo or Marcal could find way to my team. Jimenez for sure if he starts scoring again.

[Trofo]

So what is your strategy guys for this week and future, made my research and I agree with most FPL "experts" that for next 2 weeks Sarr is excellent option and that Antonio is essential. I made just one transfer Torres -> Sarr since Torres played in the cup and City is against Chelsea. That should be enough to get me trough this week and then I am planing on wildcarding and getting at least 2 Chelsea players maybe even 3. Lukaku and Alonso are must have for me after City game. I am also looking to ditch Coufal, Jota, Greenwood, Jimenez and Toney. Grey looks like great option to cover Everton attack at the moment but it will have to wait for that wild card or next free transfer.

Here is my team, as it stands at the moment. Maybe I'll give the band to Antonio, still brainstorming on that one. Leeds is without whole defense, Bamford and Raphinha. This one could be walk in the park for Hammers. That will be my main bet this week as well.

[icopress]

Trofo I will answer you a little later ... after I have dealt with one incomprehensible situation. The fact is that on the "Point GW6" tab I see one thing, and on the other tabs "transfers and pick team" I see something completely different. It is not entirely clear to me what is happening, because at the beginning of the week I completely changed the composition of my team and at the end of today's matches I got 35 points. But at the same time, it seems that everything has rolled back, since the erroneous tabs show the composition of my team, which I chose the week before last. I will be very grateful if you explain what the matter is.
 

[Trofo]

@icopress
It is difficult for me to properly check your screen shots while I am on mobile but even without that it sounds like you used free hit chip.

Free hit means that you have unlimited transfers, but your new squad is only available for one game week. After that it goes back to what you had before using the chip.

But on the last screen I see that you have bench boost active which is another chip that gives you points from players on the bench.

Don't know if you are using your real name in FPL but if that is not a security risk for you, let me know your team name and position in Sportsbet league and I'll check what you have done and explain properly. You can do it over PM if that has less impact on your security.

[icopress]

Thank you for explaining, your answer has put everything in its place. For some reason I thought that the use of "unlimited transfers" implies a change in the composition of the team for all subsequent rounds. As for the "bench boost", I've already figured it out, but as they say, you won't know until you check it.  

• F*ck Only For Fun / 120 rank: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/2989061/event/6

But I confess what you said came as a surprise to me because when you explained that it is worth choosing players for the next 5-6 rounds, I definitely thought that "unlimited transfers" was intended for this (change of the entire team).

[Trofo]

Thank you for explaining, your answer has put everything in its place. For some reason I thought that the use of "unlimited transfers" implies a change in the composition of the team for all subsequent rounds. As for the "bench boost", I've already figured it out, but as they say, you won't know until you check it.  

• F*ck Only For Fun / 120 rank: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/2989061/event/6

Wildcard is the chip that gives you unlimited free transfers and they stay for the rest of the season. Never crossed my mind you could use free hit. It is fairly new chip, introduced just last season and the least useful one for me. I used it in last game week in previous season just to change 3 players instead of 1

You used free hit in this game week. You also already used your wildcard in game week 3 and you used your triple captain in game week 1. I guess you activated your bench boost chip for next game week but that I can only see from your screen shot. I can check only past game weeks in actual game, would not be fair otherwise.

That means you already used all your chips which is very bad from strategic point of view. Now you are stuck with changing one player every week or paying 4 points per transfer. You will get another wildcard chip in second part of the season but those other chips are gone for good. Too bad since bench boost and triple captain chips should always be used on double game weeks. They will happen towards the end of the season and there will be game week where half of the teams will play 2 games. That means more points and better usage of the chips. This is your first season so now is the time to learn and then conquer in the next one

[icopress]

Tomorrow starts a new game week, but the temptation is so great to change a couple of players to the detriment of points. In general, this week will pass unchanged for me, I also canceled the activation of the function "bench boost". After all, it is unlikely that Manchester United will not score a single goal against Everton, Origi is one of those substitutes who never enter the field, and Alexander-A and Maguire are injured and will return to duty in at least two weeks.

[Trofo]

Definitely good choice to cancel bench boost, there will be much better opportunities.

I would change Maguire for another top defender like Rudiger for -4 without regrets. United has awful fixtures and I would not like to keep their defenders.

Arnold is another story and I would keep him without problems until he gets better. Origi is dead weight and I would change him first chance I get for some cheap 90 min player.

I am on wildcard this week and still not set on final squad. I know my 2 big hitters are Lukaku and Salah, Ramsdale on goal and Raphina in first 11. Rest is still up to change but I will probably take 2x Chelsea defense, Saka and Antonio. I want some City exposure but I am afraid of Pep Roulette.

[icopress]

How about the ratio of price to minutes played? Thinking about how I can save a little, I stumbled upon a Liverpool defender who is surprisingly often on the field and earns a lot of points while costing only 4m. To that I would add Cash, Aston Villa's defender who is surprisingly consistent in his high scores, (and of course a couple of Chelsea defenders).

As for the midfielders ... I would think about changing Antonio to Benrahma as he has the same potential as Antonio (in this case you will make room for either Vardy or another top striker). In this case, hypothetically, in attack, you will receive points from Liverpool, West Ham, Leicester, Leeds, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City (if you choose Jesus).

[Trofo]

Tsimikas is a trap, I had him from week one and sold him for Liveramento immediately after Robertson recovered. He is great player but he will not get minutes while Robertson is healthy. That is good example of staying ahead of the curve and casual players.

I also had Benhrama from week 1 but got rid of him when they bought Vlasic. I feel like he has enough competition on his spot to start losing minutes. Antonio is also on penalties which is always great and he is much better captain option since he always plays 90 minutes.

Cash is legit option and he could end in my squad. I am just not sure if I want any player from villa. Don't like them this season.

[icopress]

Okay, what if you play with three forwards in the future? At the same time, take Tsimikas as a permanent reserve player, because he really seems to me to be a good defender on whom you can save money. I also have no doubt that Antonio is an excellent striker and a good candidate for the captain's position, but he is unlikely to keep that pace for a long time. In addition, today I turned my eyes to the standings, I see that some teams that did not start the season as well as we would like, sooner or later will start winning, (we will still see a long streak of victories from Leeds or Leicester, so I'm thinking of taking Vardy and Bamford).