Gameweek One Chalkboard Lessons

The initial reactions to the weekend's game can be found here but here are a few more random thoughts from scanning the chalkboards today. More concrete analysis along with ideas on how to use your free transfers this week will follow as soon as the site updates all their stats.


Blackburn v Wolves

• Hunt took up the most dangerous positions out of the three potential options (O'Hara and Jarvis) and also took most of the set pieces. Jarvis grabbed the assist but on this display I might lean towards Hunt as the man to own here. I still believe O'Hara is the best player but he sat so deep that fantasy points are going to harder for him to come by.


• Formica's touches were fairly limited which brings into question how he was awarded the 7 EA Sports points. You have to think that goals are going to play a massive part of bonus points, thus suggesting that little will change from last year.

Fulham v Aston Villa

• Strange deployment of Heskey, Agbonlahor and Bent with N'Zogbia floating all the field and clearly struggling to get involved. I am a little bit down on all these players until McLeish shows that (a) he has a clear plan how to use them and (b) is willing to take the reins off a bit and let them play.


• Bent had zero shots all day but he's never the kind of player to get too involved in interplay so I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point. The formation however does concern me as I'd much prefer to see N'Zogbia and Albrighton slipping balls into Bent in the channels.


• Dempsey was pushed out to the left a bit to accommodate the two forwards and I think his value takes a hit accordingly. I much prefer him playing just off a lone front man, a position which has created fantasy stars of Cahill and Van der Vaart in the past. I'm certainly not down on Dempsey based on one game but the positioning is certainly a concern.

Liverpool v Sunderland

• Anyone who read the blog last year knows how much I like Chaz Adam; indeed he was far and away my best pre season pick. However, I did not foresee him immediately locking down a place in this Liverpool side, nevermind dictating the play. He did just that for large period (more successfully in the first half) and given his wicked set piece abilities he is very much in play at 9.0m. With so many big names flattering to deceive, Chaz might once again be a mainstay on many of our teams.


• A few commentators were down on Carroll but I thought he did okay. He isn't the most mobile forward and won't therefore come deep and show for the ball but he seemed to link up with Suarez fairly well and he took the disallowed goal beautifully. In a vacuum I like him at 10.0m but it's hard to value him ahead of Suarez who looked class again the first half.

Man City v Swansea

• With so many other options to choose from it would be easy to forget about Yaya Toure but he really is an exceptionally good player. He was all over the field against Swansea and managed to rack up 10 shots on goal. It seems inevitable that we will all own a City defender and one of Silva/Aguero very soon but if you're priced out of the market for any of that group, Yaya comes at a bit of discount but could very well present equally good value.


• It won't be the hardest game they face all year but 31-8 in shots on goal speaks for a team ready to take the next step. Handling their players in your squad will be essential for the season as they have more players that deserve fantasy consideration than any other. A separate post on this will follow later in the week.


• Be sure to check the future fixtures and monitor Mancini's comments before joining the Aguero bandwagon.


• Vorm will have won some admirers with a great first half display between the sticks but eventually he couldn't keep this side at bay. His potential save totals do make him intriguing though and he could replicate the kind of year Al-Habsi had last year, which would be great for 4.0m.

Newcastle v Arsenal

• Demba Ba had 7 touches and 0 shots in the entire first half. One game is too soon to write someone off but given the free wildcard, you might want to cut your losses and look at him again when he's shown he can settle in.


• Joey Barton took up some good advanced positions along with taking corners and set pieces. At just 6.0m, if you can live with the risk of suspension, he looks like he will continue to build on an excellent 2010/11 campaign. You never know, he may even be doing his work for Wenger. 


• Van Persie was pretty quiet throughout and the chalkboard seems to suggest this was a product of having to come too deep to receive the ball. Ramsey had a pretty good game but possibly lacks the attacking instincts to take up advanced positions with regularity. Of course, we must bear in mind that Arsenal were away from home against a pretty good side, so we shouldn't jump to any conclusions about Van Persie just yet.

QPR v Bolton

• A couple of readers took issue with my criticism of Taarabt but looking at the data, my view that he wasn't that involvedTaarabt can be a force in the Premier League in the immediate future. He remains very much on the watchlist but I need to see more before I consider buying. Unless you are convinced QPR can outscore expectations, Taarabt will need to be involved in a high percentage of their goals to justify his price tag and the inevitable 2 pointers.


• Klasnic dropped much deeper than it seemed while watching and this concerns me a bit long term. While he had a successful day with a goal and an assist, Davies tends to move laterally into the channels which keeps him involved where as it seems Klasnic might be left behind the play on occasion. 


• Eagles impressed on first look and his set piece and corner duties make him intriguing. Be careful though as the fixtures are brutal so you might want to hold back here.

Stoke v Chelsea

• Pennant and Walters are both players we have talked about in the off season, but neither really got into this game and were wasteful in possession when they did. Walters positioning here should dampen the spirits a bit about get a forward classed as a midfielder as he is only really taking up the kind of position Aaron Ramsey did, but in an inferior team.


• The signs for Torres to improve as a Chelsea player look promising as 40 touchs and 4 shots represent one of the more involved days he's had in a Chelsea shirt. I don't think we're ready to put him back in the group he once was but he's at least showing development. Perhaps this was another win for the group suggesting he and Drogba cannot coexist.


• The use of Chelsea's wing backs was good to see as Villas-Boas capitalised on one of the better attacking pairings in the league. With an advanced deployment, you have to wonder if Bosingwa will get substantial minutes rather than Ivanovic on the right.

West Brom v Man Utd

• Young was much involved than Nani with the possession flowing down his left side far more often that Nani's right. It's still early of course but in the battle of the 10.0m wingers, advantage very much lies with Young after week one. His set piece duties make even more intriguing. It's worth noting however that Nani still had more shots and of the two I would still take Nani to score more this season.


• Despite Aguero's heroics, I still feel Rooney is the safest option to hold for the immediate future and his next two games are much better than Aguero's. He looked sharp for his goal but didn't really dominate in the second half but overall I was pleased with what I saw from Rooney.

Wigan v Norwich

• David Fox was heavily involved for Norwich and only costs 4.5m. He only registered a single shot on target but this kind of play should lead to assists in the future which makes him worth considering in that very shallow 4.5m pool.


• Ben Watson was equally involved in everything Wigan did, including taking corners and converting a penalty. At 5.5m he may still be a bit pricey given the team he's on but there is certainly potential here given the fact he does at least have a couple of options (Rodallega and Moses) to play with.

Gameweek 5 Wrapup

We were treated to a great weekend of action with 36 goals and big wins for City, United and Liverpool. A huge performance by Yossi Benayoun dominated the fantasy headlines, though Adebayor was also in the limelight for good and bad reasons. As predicted, clean sheets were hard to come by with only 3 on offer all weekend. For me, the weekend confirmed something I have been thinking since the season started, and threw up a new group of players that could play into a new strategy:

Premium Strikers are for real
In previous years the consensus strategy has been to spend big on midfield and plug in mid range or budget strikers, with the likes of Carlton Cole, James Beattie, Kevin Davies etc being popular choices. This year is shaping up very differently. The six most expensive strikers available are all in the top eight at their position, with four in the top five (Defoe being the odd man out). Rooney and Defoe have five goals, Drogba, Adebayor and Bent have four and Torres has three. Only four other players have scored more than once this season and only two of these can be had for less than 8m (Kenwyne Jones and Hugo Rodallega).
Contrast this with the midfield where, although Lampard and Gerrard lead the league, twelve of the next fourteen midfielders can be had for less than 8.2m. I am not advising moving away from Lampard and Gerrard but I do think the best strategy is now to have one of this pair with two premium strikers and then fill in the midfield with mid priced players (discussed below). Defenders are simply not reliable enough at the moment and good value can be had by playing the schedule and loading up with cheap-mid range talent when an easy team comes to town. Consider that United's best defender (Evra) is t14th, Arsenal's best (Gallas) is 30th and Liverpool's best after the impressive (and expensive Johnson) is t14th among defenders this year. Chelsea have been more impressive but with Carvalho and Bosingwa both being rotated this year, and Zhirkov due back at some point to threaten Cole's position even they aren't guaranteed to give value for money.

The arrival of the mid range midfield
Last year I loved plenty of 7m range midfielders, of whom you could afford a couple to lineup alongside studs like Lampard and Gerrard. Until now all these apart from Lennon have had their question marks this season. This week three mid range midfielders either confirmed the legitimacy of their early season success or emerged as new options:

Shaun Wright Phillips (8.1m 6.7%)
I have been sleeping a bit on City this year, but their 4-2 victory over Arsenal proves that they are a fantasy force and it would be wise to get in on their goals if you can. This is easier said than done due to the likely rotation of Tevez, Bellamy, Petrov, Santa Cruz and Robinho though three names - Adebayor, Ireland and Shaun Wright Phillips - stand out as legitimate fantasy stars. I did not think Wright Phillips would play every week for Hughes' side but to date he's played every minute for the Citizens, adding a goal and three assists in the process. I generally prefer players who are involved in the action all the time for their teams (ie Ireland) but Wright Phillips' production is unarguable. City's upcoming fixtures are good but not great but this is offset by the almost certain profit you will make on SWP whose value could rise by 0.1 or 0.2 this week. Three proven wingers stand out in the league - Lennon (7.9), Young (8.3) and SWP (8.1) - and I would not like to pick between them for the season. Young has the best fixtures, Lennon is in the best form while SWP is in the best team. I'd recommend picking all three if it weren't for the two players below . . .


Yossi Benayoun (7.4m 2%)
I rate Benayoun as Liverpool's third best player and I never understand why Benitez insists on playing Riera and Babel ahead of him. His hattrick yesterday might change this and the Israeli playmaker might be given an extended run in the first team. If that is the case then Benayoun is a must buy and his price will rocket this week after his 24 point performance. A look at Benayoun's chalkbaord shows how heavily involved he was down the right flank:

For 7.4m his value cannot be beaten and I even like him if he plays in just two thirds of Liverpool's games for this value. My advice now is to jump on the bandwagon now and reap the immediate rewards (price rise this week) and if he drops back to the bench in a few weeks then Modric should be back from injury and will be a ready made replacement. If he gets an extended run in the first team then Benayoun will be this season's Ireland, so why not get on the bandwagon early? His 7 seven shots cannot be ignored and so I expect Benayoun to reach double figures for the season so long as he can start 25+ games.


Thomas Rosicky (6.9m 0.9%)
The talented Czech playmaker has been cursed by injuries since arriving at the Emirates, to the point where he is largely a forgotten man in the Premier League. However, his performance in just 39 minutes on Saturday should change this and the fact he was given a run out so soon after returning from injury shows how highly he is rated by Wenger. Rosicky contributed a goal and an assist at City, passed the ball well and looked sharp coming off the bench. Normally I would recommend waiting a couple of weeks until he establishes himself in the first team but with Arshavin out with injury I think Rosicky might come straight into the side (replacing Diaby or Bendtner) and his price will almost certainly rise to 7m this week.

Budget defenders
Okay so you might be wondering who exactly I am going to get in defense having recommended you keep Lampard/Gerrard, add a load of 7.5m midfielders and then grab the likes of Drogba and Adebayor. Well, three players stand out here and I think the drop off from the big boys to these players will be alot smaller than the drop off from the aforementioned premium strikers to the mid-range players available:

James Collins (4.5m 1.1%)
Collins slotted straight into the Villa side today and looked very composed grabbing a clean sheet and 2 bonus points in the process. He is at least half a million cheaper than his teammates and he is playing for a side that has notched back to back clean sheets and will have a double gameweek in the future due to their bye in week 2. Dunne (5m) will probably get more attention and may well keep his place in the team when Davies returns, but until then Collins is great value and will free up cash to spend elsewhere.

Michael Turner (4.5m 9%)
Turner is priced like a Hull defender but is playing for a Sunderland team that is pretty good at the back and have been unlucky to only have kept one clean sheet this season. Turner also brings an added threat from set pieces which although I don't recommend paying extra for, if you can get it for 4.5m then take it while you can. Although widely held, I think Turner's value will rise and for whatever reason he is a bit of a bonus magnet, which will continue going forward in this Sunderland team.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (5.1m 5.3%)
Due to Spurs' favourable upcoming fixtures I was all set to grab Bassong (5.2) who I rate very highly. However, Assou-Ekotto stood out on Saturday against United with his attacking play, and his chalkboard shows that he played seven balls into the danger zone. He has yet to notch an assist this year though did manage a screamer in week one, which is the reason why so many owners currently have him. In the long run I would not be surprised to see Assou Ekotto have Patrice Evra-like numbers as Spurs get their defense fit and the clean sheets start to come. Spurs face the unenviable task of going to Chelsea this week but then get Bur, @Bol, @Por, Sto, @Ars, Sun and Wig, with only the derby at Emirates looking threatening for Redknapp's team.

As a side note, Cudicini played very well against United and with Gomes due back from injury soon, it will be worth checking if the Italian can keep his place, as that schedule plus this defense would make Cudicini great value at 4.5m.

Needless to say I am considering using my wildcard to get some of the aforementioned players with my main concern as to who are the best premium strikers to anchor my revised team. I will post a new entry on this later in the week. How are your teams fairing? Has anyone used their wildcard yet and are they considering it? Why not tweet me or post your thoughts below.