Play your (wild)card right

Four weeks in and I'm already ahead of last year's team. I played my wildcard in week 3 last year after picking too many risk-reward players that didn't pan out. The season turned out okay and I ended up 7,000th overall, after briefly flirting with the top 100 in mid season. The lesson being of course that playing your wildcard early in the season isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let's look at a couple of strategies you might want to consider for your wildcard:

Play it early on
It is essential in fantasy football to be near the top of your league early on as it becomes increasingly hard to make up ground on the opposition as the season unfolds. Teams tend to converge and often employ 5-8 players that seem to be present on most teams (see Ronaldo, Lampard, Gerrard, Vidic, Bosingwa and Schwarzer in 2008-09). It therefore makes sense to get your team right early on before it is too late.
A further advantage to playing your wildcard early on is that you can buy the hot players now before their price rises too much. Assuming your team is currently still worth 100m, you will be able to buy more for your money now than in 3 months time.
The disadvantage of course is that if you pickup injuries or your players lose form later in the season it will take you several weeks (or alot of points) to rectify the situation.

Play it when the injuries start to mount up
So far, not too many fantasy quality players have been injured, with Modric and Fabregas the only big names to pick up injuries so far (though the likes of Ferdinand, Zhirkov, Santa Cruz and Arteta have yet to feature for their respective teams). It is inevitable that some injuries will come and it is useful to have your wild card stashed away to rescue you in this situation.
The Champions League starts on 15 September, with the group stages running until 09 December. This is prime territory for injuries and rotations so the wildcard might be well played during this period. This is definitely the safest option and the one that will likely be used by most players.

Save the wildcard for a late season push
If your team is in contention by, say, week 25, the ability to repick your team and get all the form players could tip the league in your favor. You will be able to ride teams with something to play for and avoid those who are just playing the season out. For example, right now we would consider Villa defenders a fairly poor choice but come February when the new signings have settled in and the team might be pushing for Europe, they could be a great option.
The risk here is that your team is so far behind and that teams all look so similar that the wildcard's value is diminished.

My advice
The more I think about it, the more I think that playing your wildcard early on is the way to go. I'm not saying pull the trigger in week 5 if your team is okay but if you get a couple of injuries over the international break and a couple of your squad players aren't panning out then using your wildcard to get players such as Shawcross, Lennon or Adebayor will be beneficial before their price rises further. I am aiming to use mine in approximately week 8-10 when we have a good idea of how teams are shaping up after the transfer window, as well as the rotation consequences of the champions league.
Remember, when you do decide to play the wildcard, especially if you take this decision early, you must make long term decisions and not be too concerned with a favourable game that week. Many get overly concerned with double gameweeks and easy matchups and therefore make short term decisions which cripple their flexibility for the future. Good luck making this important call and let me know how your cards fall.

Pulling the Strings from the Cheap Seats

It is a well established fantasy principle to stock up on premium goalscoring midfield talent like Gerrard and Lampard but can we get these kind of players for less? Lets look at the midfield maestros pulling the strings for their respective teams who can be had without sacrificing cash that can spent elsewhere:

Tom Huddlestone (5.1m)
2 assists, 2 bonus points, 13 shots

I for one did not envision Huddlestone playing every week in Redknapp's lineup but recent talks of Jenas leaving for Villa suggest that Huddlestone is going to be a fixture in the middle for Spurs this year. The arrival of Palacios last season has transformed Huddlestone's role from a holding player (think Yaya Toure) into a probing 'quarterback' type player, whose long passing and consistent touch allow him to control the game in front of him (think Xavi). Last week's chalkboard shows that Huddlestone is often operating in an advanced role and managed to play a couple of key passes, one of which resulted in a goal. A look at the past 4 games shows that Huddleston has had an incredible 13 shots, more than all the other players discussed below put together, and more than fantasy leaders Lampard (12 shots), Arshavin (6) and Lennon (9). In the sub 6m category, Huddleston currently trails Hunt, Diaby, Palacios and Elliot but these players' points have come from goals which are unlikely to continue all year with perhaps the exception of Hunt. At 5.1 Huddlestone is great value and could well be one of the league leaders in value when all is said and done.


Danny Murphy (6.3m)
1 bonus point, 1 shot

Murphy had a wonderful 2008-09 but has started slower this season and missed last week's game against Villa with a calf injury. This slow start have caused his value to slip which could lead to a bargain for other owners. The week 1 victory over Portsmouth show Murphy's influence over the team with consistent passing demonstrated all over the field. They key to Murphy's success last year was his 26 bonus points and as Fulham haven't added any stars but still look like a decent side, these bonus points should continue to flow in future weeks. Murphy should still be on penalty duty and takes the majority of corners and free kicks so it is reasonable to expect another 5 goals and assists this year. The key is that Murphy will play every week and this makes him a useful player to hold alongside stars such as Gerrard and Lampard.



Barry Ferguson (5.0m)
4 bonus points, 1 shot

Having once been rated the star of the SPL, Ferguson has bounced around of late and hasn't really delivered the goods south of the border. However, a successful start to the season, including a man of the match performance against Portsmouth, have given the Scottish midfielder 4 bonus points already. Ferguson didn't contribute in the two games against good sides (United and Spurs) but added 4 and 6 point hauls against Portsmouth and Stoke. He therefore looks to be a great bench option who you can rely on to bring in when your mid level players have tough fixtures or are benched/injured at the last minute. Ferguson is a given to start and Birmingham's decent defense and his bonus point ability should ensure plenty of 3 and 4 point games.





Mark Noble (6.2m)
1 goal, 1 assist, 3 bonus points, 3 shots

I think Jimenez (5.0) might be the better player when the season is finished and I certainly think he has more talent, but Noble's consistency (see his incredible passing performance against Wolves to the left: 37 of 38 passes completed) and decent shot should ensure that he contributes a steady inflow of points and if the matchup is right he will be a good play. At 6.2m he isn't a steal and his lack of shots are a concern going forward. West Ham's fixtures are also terrible with Liv, @MNC, Ful, @Sto and Ars on the horizon. Probably stay clear for now but if Noble can continue this form then he is a genuine every week player for a bench player price.

Transfer Day Deadline Deals

No huge deals happened but a couple of lower profile trades could have significant fantasy impact:

Michael Turner (4.5)
Turner has joined Sunderland in a 6.5m deal which certainly has some fantasy value. Turner led all defenders with 4 goals last year and now he the chance at some clean sheets he looks to be good value. Ferdinand and Bardsley can be had for the same price but Turner's attacking ability and bonus point potential make him excellent value and possibly the biggest winner in the window's final dealings.

Niko Kranjcar (6.9)
I am a big fan of Kranjcar's ability and his 2m deal to Spurs comes at the right time with Modric out with a fractured leg. At 6.9m he was overvalued at Pompey but playing opposite Lennon and alongside Huddlestone and Palacios should breath life back into the Croatian's career. The natural replacement for Modric is Lennon (7.8) but for those wanting to save a bit of cash, Kranjcar looks like a great bet at 6.9. In the long term (when Modric returns) his value will be limited as he won't be an every game starter but until then he will be a nice temporary option.

Johnny Heitinga (unknown)
David Moyes continues to do good work in the transfer market bringing in the experienced and well rated Heitinga for 6m, making 16m after Lescott's move to City. With Distin (4.9) arriving too Everton's defense are a buy, especially considering their next 6 fixtures. Unless listed at a bargain price, Heitinga is unlikely to offer better value than Distin or Baines (6.3) whose penalty this week showed that he could hold great value going forward.

Danny Collins (5m)
Not quite sure what to make of this as with the arrival of Huth (4.5) and Stoke holding on to Shawcross (4.8) it looked as if the centre back pairing was set. Perhaps Collins will share time with Higginbotham (4.5) on the left but either way at 5m he is overpriced compared with his new teammates and so is not worthy of fantasy consideration.

Ivan Klasnic (unknown)
Klasnic has joined Bolton on a season long loan arrangement from Nantes and should bolster the Bolton forward line that has managed just 1 goal this season. The Croatian arrives with an excellent scoring record in Europe (Bremen and Nantes) though Elmander's record was equally impressive and he has been the definition of bust since arriving last summer. Klasnic will probably be priced in the 6.5 range (like fellow Croatian Kalinic) and is probably worth monitoring as he could become a decent rotation option if he can hold down a first team place.

James Collins (4.5)
If you believe the revamped Villa defense can return to last season's form when they ranked 5th in overall defense, Collins will be an absolute steal at 4.5. The arrival of Collins, along with Dunne (5.0), Warnock (4.9) and Beye (5.0) earlier in the summer mean that O'Neil could be fielding a totally new back line on a weekly basis. If Collins can establish himself as a regular then he is good value as only Warnock's attacking ability suggest he should be priced higher than Collins. The presence of Curtis Davies may limit of these new arrivals but if Collins establishes himself then add him to your shortlist of players to watch.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (6.5)
The arrival of Bilyaletdinov for 9m didn't register much on the transfer news wires but the tricky Russian has plenty of skill and a sweet left foot and could contribute this season. Ex-Premier League players Andrei Kanchelskis and Dmitri Kharine both suggest that the winger could be slow to settle in and I would therefore echo this sentiment and hold off purchasing him too soon. However, he could be worth a look once he settles in and for 6.5 would fit nicely in a rotation of other similarly priced players (Malbranque, Jimenez etc).

Play Profile: Emmanuel Adebayor

Is Adebayor ready to join the ranks of the fantasy elite? Is he worthy of not just a roster spot but also the captain's armband? Let's take a look at the facts . . .

Today's goal at Portsmouth maintained Adebayor's 100% strike record for the season and thrust him forward in the argument for the league's best fantasy striker. I have said previously that this is going to be the year of the big name striker and for the first time in memory, you might want to invest upwards of 20m on front men rather than defenders and midfielders from the big four (or six as the case might now be). Five top strikers are starting to distance themselves this year, namely Torres, Rooney, Drogba, Defoe and Adebayor. In terms of value (points per million spent) Adebayor (.867) is currently top of this list ahead of Drogba (.816), Defoe (.811), Rooney (.746) and Torres (.554). Lets look at how his future production compares with his fellow strikers:

Goals
The five strikers noted above have all scored either four (Defoe and Rooney) or three goals (Adebayor, Drogba and Torres) so far this year. They have all played 4 games except Adebayor who has only played 3. Based on last year's defensive records, Adebayor has had the easiest schedule to date (1.41 goals per game) with Torres facing the toughest (1.29 GPG). Defoe and Rooney also bring some extra value here due to their penalty taking duties. I think there is a possibility of all five strikers reaching 20 goals this year and the difference between them may come in the other scoring categories.

Assists
The key difference between Adebayor and Drogba comes in the assist category, of which Drogba has 3 and Adebayor has none. This trend is likely to continue all season as Adebayor is the focal point of a 4-3-3 system where as Drogba has a partner (Anelka) to square to for valuable assists. A look at their week 4 chalkboards shows the situation nicely (Adebayor: left, Drogba: right)

While Drogba is being played into the channels to then cross for Anelka or pull back for Lampard, Adebayor is holding up the ball a bit deeper to then play in runners such as Wright Phillips and Ireland who will then cross to someone else for the goals. Adebayor's assists will therefore be limited all year long unless Robinho or Tevez are pushed alongside him into a more natural partnership role. Rooney, Defoe and to a lesser extent Torres are also affected by this and so Adebayor only really loses ground to Drogba here.

Bonus points
I would have crowned Rooney king of the bonus points (9 in 4 games). but with Ade's 3 points today, he now has 8 in just 3 games. Points when a player gets a hattrick or dominates a game are one thing, but the key is those that are given in games when no-one really excels. Ronaldo and Lampard were the kings of these phantom points last year and Rooney appears to have taken Ronaldo's crown. Whether or not Adebayor can be added to the list is yet to be seen, but for now he is certainly as good as anyone in this category. Drogba and Torres suffer the most here as they is competing with Lampard and Gerrard though Defoe's 4 points are also a bit worrying.

Upcoming schedule
No massive differences here with each player facing a number of easy and tough games. After the next two weeks (Arsenal, @Man United) City's fixtures looks great until weeks 13-15 when they face Liverpool and Chelsea. Rooney faces the toughest schedule as trips to Spurs, Stoke, Liverpool and Chelsea look unlikely to give him too much joy.

Conclusion
Overall I think that Adebayor is a great pick for the upcoming season and he has proven that he will be legitimate star for City this year. The question is when to bring him in as the next two games look tough but his price looks set to rise immanently as he has net transfers in of 20,000 in week 4 and another 6,000 already in week 5. I plan to start the cogs in motion (freeing up cash) to get the Ciy hitman and wouldn't hesitate to advise the same for anyone who has faith that the former Arsenal man can continue to repay City for the hefty transfer fee they paid for him.

Gameweek 4 Diary

14:40 I haven't been able to tune into the Chelsea game today but having just checked the scored I am absolutely delighted. Two assists from Lampard (who will surely add bonus points later) as well as a goal-clean sheet combo from Ashley Cole have given the Juice a great start to the weekend. The other goals were scored by Anelka and Ballack with Malouda the man to miss out in the midfield rotation this week.

14:45 All over at Stamford Bridge and that's a great result for Ancelotti, Chelsea and most importantly Pure Juice. Well done boys.

14:50 New arrivals Huth and Tuncay are both on the bench this week for Stoke as Shawcross has been passed fit. The assumption is that Wilkinson will be the man to miss out going forward but this situation is worth following. Huth has been added to the game at 4.5m which looks like a good price for a defender is a unit that is excellent at home, and whose height should make him a threat from set pieces. Perhaps more interesting is that Tuncay has been listed as a midfielder and at 6m could be a decent price. Hopefully he will come on today so we can see what kind of position he will play but considering Fuller, Beattie and Kitson have yet to score in the league this year, it wouldn't be a stretch to think he might get some games up front.

15:03 GOAL Geovanni opens his league account for the season after a great assist from Hunt. Stephen Hunt (5m) is looking like a genuine fantasy threat with two goals and an assist to his name already this year. There are a good selection of midfielders available for 5-6m and a developing strategy might be to hold two premium talents and then rotate 2 of 3 guys available at 5m.

15:15 Quiet start elsewhere on a day in which I was struggling to pick too many clean sheets. Slow starts for Spurs and Liverpool who are both expected to win handsomely today. Stoke-Sunderland looks more likely to be a 0-0 but hopefully things pickup in the next few minutes.

15:25 Bolton sitting back at home with one man up front. Expect a one or two nil away victory here. When sides are so unambitious at home its often just a matter of time before the away side gets through. I hope I don't jinx things but I am very happy to have Insua in my team right now.

15:30 Both Sky Sports and BBC suggest that Luka Modric is 'running the show' at White Hart Lane' so it will be interesting to see if he can get any fantasy points. I mentioned that this is a week to see if Modric can be a real fantasy contributor and so far the answer is an unfortunate no.

15:34 GOAL Bolton take the lead and I totally jinxed the Reds. Bolton's first real attack of the game results in a goal for Kevin Davies, his first of the season. Liverpool's inability to contribute suggest to me that they are should not considered alongside Chelsea and United until they can put this run of awful form behind them. As for Davies (a blog favourite) its great to see him on the scoresheet as he is one of the last 'old school' forwards around these days. At 7m he is probably overpriced but he can get on a streak and is a decent plug in if the fixture is right. Elmander is credited with the assist.

15:41 GOAL Goal from an unlikely source as Dave Kitson manages to do something he couldn't all last year: score a Premier League goal. Although not worth fantasy consideration, the goal does have wider implications as in form strikers will limit the amount of time Tuncay - a potential buy - plays up front. No assist given for the goal.

15:42 GOAL Equaliser for Liverpool at the Reebok and Glen Johnson has got another, suggesting he could be the best 'premier' defender right now. Liverpool's inability to keep clean sheets worries me though and I won't pick defenders based on the goalscoring record. Last year no defender scored more than 4 goals where as United had 24 clean sheets. His forward play does lend itself to assist though and if Liverpool can get their defense on track, the former Hammer looks like better value than the likes of Vidic and Terry. No assist was given for the goal.

16:03 GOAL Just as Hull took the lead after 3 minutes in the first half, Wolves hit right back at the start of the second. The goal has come from Stearmon to put McCarthy's men on level terms.

16:04 Nightmare scenario for Spurs as both King and Modric come up limping from early challenges in the second half. King has gone off while Modric will try and continue. This could answer my question as to whether to hold onto Modric or not.

16:05 Bolton score against the run of play again, this time through Tamir Cohen. After stating my confidence in Insua this week I am starting to doubt the Liverpool defense more and more as the day goes on. Davies gets the assist to give him a very nice day indeed. Meanwhile Modric has had to be taken off and that might be the incentive I need to move the playmaker on for the next few weeks.

16:13 SENT OFF Sean Davis sent off for Bolton which gives Liverpool a glimmer of hope to save this game. Sky Sports suggest it was a touch unfair and that Lucas was asking for the card which is a shame, especially in light of the midweek controversy. Liverpool almost hit right back as Gerrard thunders a shot against the bar.

16:15 GOAL Liverpool are level and its the Pure Juice combo or Kuyt to Torres which has caused me to scare the girlfriend with an over the top fist pump. I was about to suggest betting on Liverpool to win this one but I fancy the odds aren't that great anymore.

16:25 US fans will be pleased to see blog favourite Jozy Altidore on at Molineux and will hope he can have the kind of impact he had last week at Bolton. Not sure how Brown can possibly rate Caleb Folan ahead of the former Villareal player though if this continues I will have to look elsewhere for my budget striker.

16:29 GOAL Second half substitute Peter Crouch opens his account for the season nodding in a Tom Huddlestone cross. That goal was always on the cards and its only a shame that Modric had limped off and so could not be involved. Keane's early season form has limited Crouch's appearances but as the season goes on I can see Defoe-Crouch being the first choice partnership for Redknapp.

16:31 Liverpool want a penalty after a Gerrard shot strikes a Bolton arm but Wiley is having none of it. Liverpool had plenty of late wins last year and you feel another is coming here which could give the Reds the lift they need to get their title challenge back on track.

16:33 GOAL To borrow a quote from Chris Kamara - unbelievable. Lee Bowyer has equalised for Birmingham which shatters the hearts of many fantasy players who will have banked on a clean sheet in this one.

16:35 Team news from Old Trafford is that Berbatov will start on the bench with Giggs playing off the lone striker Rooney. Bit of a surprise that and the ultimate mark of respect for Wenger's side. Its Evra, Vidic, Brown and O'Shea at the back as Jonny Evans and Neville miss out. Arsenal look to be 4-4-2 with Eduardo dropped to the bench with Arshavin and Van Persie backed up by a solid lineup of Song, Diaby, Denilson and Eboue. Not sure if there is enough craft there but they certainly look ready for a battle.

16:42 GOAL As predicted Steve Gerrard looks to have got the winner at the Reebok, smashing a long shot into the top corner of the net. If ever there was a way to make easy money it was backing Liverpool at 2-1 down today. BBC suggest the assist belongs to Torres but I will confirm when the Premier League site starts working.

16:42 Tuncay is on for Fuller at Stoke but won't get enough time for us to see what his role will be this year. Keep watching him in the next few weeks.

16:45 Torres did indeed get the assist for Gerrard's winner which could give him double figures if the 'experts' give him any bonus points.

16:50 Stoke grab their third clean sheet of the season and are yet to concede at home. They have only suffered one defeat in 2009 at the Brittania.

16:52 GOAL Late late goal at White Hart Lane and its that man Aaron Lennon who has done it again as if to well and truly end the Modric-Lennon debate. The final whistle goes and Lennon's goal did indeed prove to be the winner. Liverpool have also won thanks to goals from Torres, Gerrard and Johnson.

Great afternoon of action so far with the best game yet to come. Check back during the United-Arsenal game and then later tonight for all the fantasy analysis of today's events.

Transfer Market

A few interesting transfers have gone through in the past day or so and so lets have a quick look at the potential fantasy impact:

Sanli Tuncay
Tuncay was okay last year for Boro (7 goals, 4 assists) and looks like a decent capture for Stoke who are lacking firepower up front. He is a bit of a poor man's Tevez though, and like the Argentinian is a better real life player than fantasy asset. If added for 6m he could provide value but I think 7m is more likely and hence he would be overpriced.

Sylvain Distin
Distin has moved from a very poor defensive side to one that is underachieving but has potential to improve with his arrival. At 4.9m Distin looks like good value and is significantly cheaper than teammates Baines (6.3), Jagielka (5.9) and Yobo (5.9). Everton have a great fixture list and don't play a red light game until week 13 when they go to Old Trafford. Distin therefore looks like a great buy and could get off to a good start this week with a decent fixture against Wigan.

Robert Huth
I'm not sure how Huth fits in the Stoke lineup, with my guess being that Faye slides to right back to make way for the German international. The Stoke defense are a good unit, and Huth is an experienced centre back who will certainly improved Stoke's depth. If the price is right then his heading ability from corners make him as attractive as Faye and Higginbotham but probably a touch below Shawcross.

Richard Dunne
Villa desperately need help at the back though at 5m Dunne is no better value than Beye (5) and Shorey (4.9). Until this unit can prove it can rediscover the form it showed when Laursen was around, better value can be found elsewhere.

Stephen Warnock
Like Dunne above, Warnock's value is limited by Villa's poor defense. If the paid can improve them then Warnock's attacking ability and free kicks/corners make him decent value at 4.9m though as noted above, I would wait until we see how much better this experienced pair make the Villains.

Pascal Chimbonda
I am not convinced Chimbonda will be an every week starter, though if he is then 4.4m looks like decent value. Blackburn haven't been great this year though so watch this space and see how they develop over the coming weeks.

Tommy Smith
Smith is a proven Championship goal scorer who gets another chance in the Premier League having struggled with Watford in 2006/07 with just 1 goal in 33 games. Even if his price is 5m the likes of Altidore and Jerome provide better value so I cannot see Smith being worth consideration at this time.

Kevin Prince Boateng
I don't know a great deal about Boateng and the fact he isn't even listed on the premier league game show how far down the Spurs depth chart he was. He's worth looking at over the coming weeks but not worth a flyer just yet.

Michael Brown
Even at 4.5m Brown carries little fantasy value as high tackles and late shoulder barges don't attract too many points in the fantasy league.

Jamie O'Hara
As with Boateng above I haven't seen enough of O'Hara to recommend buying him though at 4.5m he could be worth a look in this weekend's game with City.

Alessandro Diamanti
Diamanti scored 18 in 37 last season for Serie B Livorno and if the price is right (5.5 or less0 he might be worth monitoring providing he can settle in quickly. With few other fit options up front to partner Cole, Diamanti might get his chance sooner rather than later.

Paul McShane
Hull's defense is poor and the addition of McShane isn't likely to turn things around. Stay away for now.

Stay tuned for more transfer news and all the fantasy fallout.

Gameweek 4 Defensive Rankings

One area I have neglected a bit this season is to help to answer one of the key questions we face each week: who looks like a better play this week between player A and player B. With forwards and midfielders this is hard to do as intangibles such as form and fitness play a huge role and I therefore find it better to pick offensive players based on a 3-8 week period rather than for a one off game. Defenders however rise and fall with their unit and matchup plays a huge factor in determining who is best to play. It is also important to consider where the game is being played as I'm sure we'd all consider Stoke at the Brittania a tough matchup but are we all aware that they conceded the most goals of any non-relegated side on the road last year. Equally, Spurs ranked 1st in home defense last year but 18th when away from the Lane.

I have therefore compiled a list which I will update each week of the best plays for this week only. I do not advise buying players on this basis unless you are totally happy with the rest of your squad as the following rankings places no emphasis on the upcoming fixtures a team faces after this week (eg. a team still would get a good rank if they play Birmingham at home this week followed by trips to United, Chelsea and Arsenal).

Without further ado then, here are the defensive rankings for week 4, with a few words of explanation where a team is lower than expected (such as the loss of a major player to injury).

1. Chelsea (Burnley H)
2. Tottenham (Birmingham H)
3. Stoke (Sunderland H)
4. Aston Villa (Fulham H)
5. Liverpool (@Bolton)
6. Man City (@Portsmouth)*
7. Fulham (@Aston Villa)
8. West Ham (@Blackburn)
9. Blackburn (West Ham H)
10. Man United (Arsenal H)
11. Everton (Wigan H)*
12. Hull (@Wolves)
13. Portsmouth (Man City)
14. Wolves (Hull)
15. Sunderland (@Stoke)
16. Birmingham (@Tottenham)
17. Bolton (Liverpool H)
18. Wigan (@Everton)
19. Arsenal (@Man United)
20. Burnley (@Chelsea)

*The ratings are based on a rolling defensive record including this season and last and so adjustments have been made to City and Everton's position. City have upgraded their defense significantly and have already equalled the number of away clean sheets they notched last season (1). This combined with Portsmouth poor form means they are upgraded for the week. Everton have suffered the opposite fate (with Lescott being the linking factor) and are downgraded accordingly.

As the ratings illustrate, home field advantage is a major contributor to clean sheets as illustrated by last year's results where 144 home teams kept clean sheets compared to 100 teams on the road. While this illustrates that good teams can get clean sheets on the road (the big four contributed 37 of the 100) it is sometimes better to back a decent team at home than a good team on the road and not just blindly stick by your high priced investments. no matter how hard it is to bench a 6.5m defender (see Clichy, Gallas and co this week).

I hope these rankings will prove useful and I will continue to monitor their effectiveness to see if they are leading us to make smart decisions. As always thanks for reading (and posting) and you can follow updates to the blog and other fantasy news on Twitter.