Captain Picks Fantasy Football Game-week 34 – Fantasy Premier League 2015/16
When a toddling infant hears the hoover starting in another room, the bell for last orders in the pub rings or whenever ‘pizza’ is brought in to my vicinity, some things in life stop you in your tracks. They may set your heart thumping, offer sobering clarity or fill you with excitement, anticipation or even fear (it could be Hawaiian urgh). For a range of such emotions in the fantasy world we have double game-weeks. If you are new to the game, this is where teams play two matches within the same game-week and offers your players double chance to score points. Imagine that multiplied by ten, add in the fact some can tailor their squad to suit via a wildcard or can utilise the Bench Boost chip meaning all FIFTEEN of their squad could play two matches. There’s more . . .
The cherry on top of this many-tiered beauty of a cake that would leave Mary Berry with a soggy bottom, is that one of your players could have their score doubled (or even trebled, a little more of that later) by calling your favourite comrade cap’un for the week.
Eyes down for a captain, then?
First off, is it even worth my while mentioning players with just one match, no matter how solid in form or point-scoring brilliance as a serious alternative to a ‘doubler’?
Well I will anyway, so let’s get the three singletons looking for your love dealt with first:
Harry, 22 from Chingford.
Harry likes socialising with his many friends (‘one of their own’ as they like to call him), is a sporty type who liked to lead from the front and due to the nature of his work travels regularly (to Stoke this week), WLTM a Premier League winners medal (or failing that a European Championship one).
GSOH (Glorious Son of Hotspurs).
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Riyad, 22 from Sarcelles.
Riyad only came to this country with work in 2014. Loves French food, mesmerising friends with his wizardry and hooking up with his best friend Jamie, 29 of Sheffield who he doesn’t mind sharing with (check his own ad!) and WLTT to Barcelona which has always been his personal dream destination although also currently happy at home (welcomes West Ham United this week).
Seeks MOTOS (Midfielder on the Opposite Side)
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Gyfli, 26 from Reykjavik.
Icelander Gylfi is a quiet unassuming type who doesn’t need to be the centre of attention but is appreciated greatly by those who know him.
Works very hard at his craft and can be relied upon to inspire or in some cases even carry those around him. Loves to travel (Newcastle is his next city of choice) and seeks similar for NSA (Newcastle Swansea Alamo) fun.
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I’ll now look at the four types who I believe have the best chances of being your captain of those playing two matches*
*Does not guarantee that these players will play every minute of both their matches. (Sorted ed? *clasps hands behind head*)
Alexis Sanchez
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[/three_fourth]Arsenal play at home both times in this game-week and find themselves meeting Crystal Palace in a London derby and then West Bromwich Albion four days later. The Chilean maestro is my tip here based upon his last four scores in the fantasy game being 6, 6, 14 and 7. That’s an 8.25 point average in those matches and now that Arsenal have given the league away (again), the pressure is off so they should be well placed to open up and play freely. Mesut Ozil for those who have him could be considered but the explosive factor means Alexis is the man for me. Remember that explosive for of last season when he bullied the small teams? Palace and West Brom are there for the taking – the Eagles will have one eye on their Cup semi final at Wembley while the Baggies have nothing else to play for. It really could be a Chilean masterclass just waiting for you.
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Anthony Martial
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[/three_fourth]Like Arsenal, Man United are at home twice in this game-week, an already-relegated Villa (the lunchtime fixture is between Norwich and Sunderland where Norwich need only a point to mathematically doom Lambert’s/ Sherwood’s/ Garde’s/ Black’s men) visit the Theatre of Yawns and then King Louis and his swingers welcome Lord (of the jungle) Pardew and his Palace panthers (I’m struggling) for part two of a United six point, double clean-sheeted and multiple goal-scoring . . . OK, I’m kidding myself now. So United probably will win both, could conceivably keep two clean sheets and they may score a couple and if they do, I’m having Anthony Martial as the man to put the basement-dwelling opponents to the sword. He has seen 90 minutes in his last five matches and with the impending return of Wayne Rooney seemingly causing a threat to Marcus Rashford’s game time, consider that Martial’s 112 point haul so far isn’t bad when balanced with being in an attack-blunted team. Eight goals and five assists could be added to and he could hardly hand-pick better opposition.
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Dmitri Payet
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[/three_fourth]I put him in here because it is he who I consider as a potential captain for my team. Fair enough, I am chasing in my local mini-league and I may need a differential but it is hardly outwith the realms of all reasonable possibility that the Frenchman scores very well across this coming week. He carries his Hammers to the home of champions-elect Leicester City and before you readily dismiss this as a blank score in waiting, you should bear in mind that West Ham have recorded six away victories including those at Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton. Payet has nine goals and nine assists so one of each this game-week puts him to double figures and I’d bank on him getting these across the Leicester game and the home clash with Watford three days on. Bear in mind the maestro is the designated corner-kick taker and free-kick taker and he has a big lad called Carroll to aim for now as well. Those assists could tot-up nicely.
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Sergio Aguero
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[/three_fourth]Lastly, Aguero is on a double game-week so he is in the reckoning automatically. It’ll be away to Chelsea and then away to Newcastle. The Citizens have hardly been impeccable away from home this season but it is that second leg of their double that must have some salivating. The reverse fixture of course was where the Argentine striker scored TWENTY FIVE points with a 5-goal haul and Newcastle have hardly improved much since. Providing the marksman is fit after the European Cup
Quarter Final second leg against Paris St Germain, then a goal or an assist at Chelsea would set him up nicely to go northwards and effectively send the Toon ‘doon’.
Quick mentions, although not recommendations in my personal captain’s log, go to Liverpool and Everton. The Mersey neighbours meet in the second match of each of their doubles in the 226th Merseyside Derby – the weekend before that Liverpool are off to Boscombe to meet Bournemouth and Everton welcome Ronald Koeman’s Southampton to Goodison. Everton will have had the extra day’s rest before this match and The Reds will know by then whether or not they are facing the prospect of a Europa League semi final which might mean game management for some of Klopp’s charges. Everton though will meet either West Ham United or Manchester United at Wembley in the F.A. Cup semi final just three days after the derby so they have their own extra-curricular activities to factor in.
It is for reasons of rest, rotation, prioritisation or even fatigue that I would be wary of captaining the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge or Lukaku this Game-week.
As mentioned earlier, there could also be the potential to use your Triple Captain chip this week. This chip which unfortunately cannot be activated if you are using your Wildcard or Bench Boost at the same time, means that your captain’s haul for the week is multiplied by three and so getting a player who could play 180 minutes and get two good scores in each match could send your score stratospheric!
So that’s it from me. I wish you good luck in however you play this coming game-week. It is a remarkable time for fantasy football with many of you probably expecting 100-plus scores, quite legitimately I guess. But remember to enjoy it and take what you can get, you won’t get them all right or will you?
Mine’s a double.
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Thanks for reading Captain Picks Fantasy Football Game-week 34. This article was written by The Gallant Pioneer
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Ladies and Gentlemen, our Scot with the lot brings you some blind dating, triple captaining and double game-weeking – it’s all in this week’s Captain article and it’s superb.
Many thanks GP.
Hey up Cookster, did i read earlier that the Mrs + little fella are back in Blighty this week ? Get yerself down to Barca, thats where i’ll be Friday to Monday. Barca v Valencia on Sunday aswell.
Nice article GP.
Yep that’s right Elle. Thanks for the invite, gonna catch up with your old mate Bitey?
Yeah, catch up with him, see how hes doing. Oh and Mascherano aswell.
If you make it down we’ll blag you into the hotel. :shake:
A lot of thoughts I agree with here. I am very tempted to bring in Martial for Vardy. Are people generally WC’ing followed by BB? Or is anyone TC’ing? I’m sure the trend is the former.
Personally I’ve held my WC for GW36 with all chips remaining. Looking at people’s scored this week so far chasing DGW players hasn’t paid off. But as we all know things can change very quickly.
Thanks for the articles guys and keep up the good work.
Hi niknak
I think those with Wildcard and Bench Boost will be doing those moves.
I will be TCing this week and building a squad for Bench Boost for the next big DGW.
Hi GP
I’ll more than likely TC this week then save my BB for when I WC as I think that combo works best.
For my TC I’ll probably play safe with Kun as I’m top of my ML. Although the Payet option is tempting.
niknak
There are a number of decent options for TC this coming week.
You are very restrained in having all these chips remaining so well done. I think a WC/BB combo in preparation for the next DGW will do you very well. Just remember you can’t play them both in the same week so you need to ‘prep’ the week before with your WC.
Hi GP
As the chips were new I wanted to get the most out of them and haven’t had a need to pull the trigger yet. I’ll be TC this week then WC GW36 then BB GW37. I don’t see the value in the AOA too much but my options are limited to GW35 or GW38!
Cheers for this GP. Great read mate. I think I’m going with the Chilean this week I just think he’s going to explode. I will probably change my mind at some point during the week but who knows haha
evening all,i wild carded last week and like everyone paid big time with the squad rotations, was planning on BB this gameweek but do i need to change my plans or am i just panicking to much, this is my team, cheers all
DDG robles
bellerin sakho gabriel moreno delaney
KDB coutinio sanchez mahrez payet
aguero lukaku rashford
Canu, i think the only problem you have, so does everyone else by the way, is Gabriel.
Sanchez TC for me
Anyone else who WC’ed last week to BB this week, getting closer to using TC on Sanchez this week instead?
Hey OR, I can’t take another week of back and forth agonizing so I’m sticking with the BB/hold FT plan.
Then again, I’m too far back to worry about my ML or ending up with a half decent ranking.
Had a good look at my squad last night Rambo with this in mind. I should have 13 DGW players. I won’t come near in GW37.
I’m thinking of selling Gabriel and Lennon for Dawson and Iwobi. Then just going for Bench Boost and saving TC. Essentially sticking to my original guns with a -4.
Something I’m looking at also Rambo. Depends on the press conferences and whether it looks like my 15 all do play. If not then TC does look more enticing on this one and I can still achieve 13 for 37 with no hits. Much to ponder.