Below is my first draft team for the Barclays fantasy premier league format. I’ll give you a low down on all the players selected and the reasoning behind it.
The first thing you will notice is that there is no RVP. That doesnt mean I’ve definitely decided not to, like you this will be my first of many drafts. My next article will be on the RVP choice, but essentially its a trade off of captain security vs the effect on the rest of your team. The team below wont be my final team by a long chalk but at least it gives you some idea of where I am and hopefully triggers some thoughts for your own.
Firstly I’ve started with 3-4-3 which is reasonably normal. As I’ve said I dont have any pre conceived ideas about formations its about the right players not formations for me. The extra money from RVP and the double gameweek dominate my choices. In defence this ended up with me going against my advice of not having 3 elite defenders. The reasoning being that Cole was essential for the DGW, Dawson is just great value at £5.0m in a team that I believe will improve their clean sheet record this year significantly. Although Arsenal are a little more expensive at £5.5m I decided that was worth the extra money and downgraded my other defenders to £4.0m rather than the £4.5m I would have done if relying on rotation.
In midfield the extra money allows me to go for 4 quality midfielders rather than 3 so I’ve taken no gametime risk with the 5th. In the forwards it was a case of the right players with one cheap player to fill in the money gap. I’m still thinking about Benteke for the DGW as the one thing Lamberts team will do is attack but at the moment he’s not in.
- Mignolet (£5.0m) plus Davis (£4.0m) as a back up
- STK (H)
- For £9.5m last year there were 16 clean sheets for Liverpool which is pretty good going considering this year the cheapest rotation pair will be £9.0m for 2 keepers of teams for far less quality. Mignolet has no serious competition and apart from any injury should play every fantasy premier league game. A non playing back up is a risk but for me the saving of £0.5m is worth having to do a transfer if Mignolet gets injured. The first game, unfortunately, would have to be against Soke though so lets hope that lunatic Shawcross doesnt injure him at one of their set pieces
- Cole (£6.5m)
- HUL (H), AVL (H)
- Chelsea clean sheets last year 14. Time per point scored last year: 23 mins . Rotation risk: Low. fixture ease ranking: 17
A Chelsea defender for DGW1 is essential as there is a good chance of 2 clean sheets. Cole is the ony player with low rotation risk as Bertrand will be limited to the domestic cups in my view.
- Koscielny (£5.5m)
- AVL (H)
- Arsenal clean sheets last year 14. Time per point scored last year: 19 mins . Rotation risk: Medium. fixture ease ranking: 3
I’ve changed my allegiance from Sagna because although I believe Vermaelen is more of a threat to Koscielny than Jenkinson is to Sagna, Koscielny has a better attacking record for the same price. I still think Sagna has great potential and it wasn’t easy and I would support either
- Dawson (£5.0m)
- CRY (A)
- Spurs clean sheets last year 9. Time per point scored last year: 28 mins . Rotation risk: Medium. fixture ease ranking: 4
Spurs didnt get the clean sheets that their good defensive underlying stats deserved and at £5.0m this is still good value for a club pushing for the top 4. With Gallas moving and Caulker gone the rotation risk is far lower.
- Mata (£10.5m)
- HUL (H), AVL (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 11 goals 18 assists. Time per point scored last year: 13 mins . Rotation risk: high. fixture ease ranking: 17th. Consistency 83%
2nd top points scorer only to Bale last year but who knows how Mourinho is going to play it when he’s got Hazard, Oscar, Schurrle, Moses and De Bruyne as attacking midfielders. Consistent returner. Only worries are rotation and the theory that Mata will slow down Mourinho’s pressing and fast counter attacking style. Isn’t going to Ecuador so will definitely line up in 1 game. Hazard was my first choice for captain and Chelsea and although I wanted to have Lukaku this gives me the option of going with Silva (who is going to Ecudaor) in GW2 as I’m nervous aout Dzeko leading the line consistently.
- Hazard (£9.5m)
- HUL (H), AVL (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 9 goals 16 assists. Time per point scored last year: 14 mins . Rotation risk: high. fixture ease ranking: 17th. Consistency 55%
Great debut season and sure to be better for it this year. Underlying stats, returns and consistency behind Mata who had a more central role but still very strong. One of the leading candadates for the double gameweek 1 captains armband.
- Walcott (£9.5m)
- AVL (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 14 goals 13 assists. Time per point scored last year: 12 mins . Rotation risk: low. fixture ease ranking: 3rd. Consistency 83%
4th top scoring midfielder in fantasy premier league despite playing less games than most. Also excellent shots in the box stats. Nailed on to play every game in an advanced position and also often drifts in centrally. Great fixtures and is a consistent returner no matter what the opposition. Will definitely be in my final team
- Coutinho (£9.0m)
- STK (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 3 goals 7 assists. Time per point scored last year: 13 mins . Rotation risk: low. fixture ease ranking: 6th. Consistency 58%
You can see from his points per minute proximity to Walcott how he performed after joining Liverpool in the transfer window. Will be given a lot of attacking freedom and Rodgers has talked about him being at his best centrally. Great fixtures. Only Mata, Walcott and Bale midfield wise beat him for consistency of returns last year. This was no fluke either. His underlying stats were fantastic.
- Dzeko (£7.5m)
- NEW (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 14 goals 6 assists. Time per point scored last year: 14 mins . Rotation risk: high. fixture ease ranking: 2nd. Consistency 80%
Has had a lot of pre-season time playing and alot of good words said about him by Pellegrini. Funnily enough I know alot of City fans who go to games who think he’s hopeless but stats are stats and his whether they be actual returns or underlying shooting stats are fantastic. Will he play as the lead striker in 4-2-3-1? Its a big risk but at £7.5m as a City player with great fixtures and with a track record of scoring as a sub its very tempting to put him in my fantasy premier league side.
- Soldado (£9.5m)
- CRY (A)
- Goals and assists least year: 24 goals 4 assists (La Liga). Time per point scored last year: N/A . Rotation risk: low. fixture ease ranking: 4th . Consistency N/A
- 5th top goal scorer in La Liga and certain of starts and being the main striker in a team with great fxtures to start. The best option to replace Bale. William Hill yesterday had him at 14/1 to be top goal scorer only behind RVP and Aguero. That in itself shows his quality. A great pick in my mind
- Anelka (£5.5m)
- SOU (H)
- Goals and assists least year: 24 goals 3 assists. Time per point scored last year: NA . Rotation risk: high. fixture ease ranking: 10th. Consistency N/A
My first choice was Cardiff’s Cornelius but he’s an injury doubt for GW1. Anelka though has been tearing up in pre-season but frankly his recent goal scoring record isn’t great but at this price its worth the risk to see if he can roll back the years to 2008/09 when he got 19 goals and 5 assists in a far more defensively competent era. Rotation mad Clarke increased the risk by signing Vydra yesterday
BENCH
- Davis (£4.0m)
- WBA (A)
- Jedinak (£4.5m)
- TOT (H)
- Probably the most secure of the £4.5m midfielders but one of the least scoring options. at least you wont have the pain of him scoring a hat trick while on the bench.
- Ward (£4.0m)
- TOT (H)
- Probably the £4.0m defender most guaranteed to play. Unfortunately he’s in the worst defence in the league in a team managed by someone who thinks defence is a lazy way of talking about the thing that divides your property from the neighbours house. Still he is only for the bench
- Chester (£4.0m)
- CHE (A)
- Cheapest possible filler who should play. I’m backing Bruce to bring the tight defence to the team as he did for Wigan
Here’s the link to my GW1 fixture ease schedule:
http://www.fantasyfootballgeek.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-fixture-ease-schedule-gw1/
