Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 1 2017/18
Welcome to Fantasy Football Captain Picks Gameweek 1. “The First Cut is the Deepest”. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. First come, first served. Love at first sight. Make a good first impression. The first US President, George Washington. The first Tour de France champion, Maurice Garin. The first winner of ‘The Voice’ in Lithuania, Julija Jegorova.
To truly leave your mark or carve out a legacy you often need to make that first step count. Just like Neil Armstrong did in some 1969 Kubrick movie I saw.
Your first FPL captain of 2017/18 has a lot to live up to. Last season Philippe Coutinho topped the GW1 charts with a 15 point haul, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 9 points proved that FPL new boys can hit the ground running. Those of us swerving players from promoted teams may do well to recall Alvaro Negredo’s goal and max bonus point haul on day 1 against Stoke. Oh come on, you must remember him. He played football. Y’know, for that team.
Onto some of the prime candidates for this weekend then. A new face, some familiar old friends, and a huge Belgian who traded blue for red, but I won’t spoil the tension by revealing his identity just yet. First up…
ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE (ARSENAL vs Leicester City)
£52 million. Do you remember when that used to be a lot of money? Arsene probably still remembers, marking as it did a rare splurge for the Gunner’s record-busting marquee signing. Allegedly, Frenchman Lacazette used to skip English lessons at school to play football, and who can blame him. I used to skip geography class and it never did me any harm. Though there was that one unfortunate episode where I had to flee from Parisian cops across the sand dunes of Machu Picchu.
Just the two pre-season strikes against Sydney FC and Sevilla doesn’t give us too much insight into the impact he’ll have at home to the Foxes, but he showed promising glimpses at Wembley in Sunday’s curtain-raiser and was unlucky not to score. His 28 goals in 30 Ligue 1 matches leaves little doubt about the former Lyon hitman’s pedigree.
HARRY KANE (Newcastle United vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR)
Kane polished off the final two games of 2016/17 with a ridiculous 7 goals to become the first player to win the Golden Boot in consecutive years since Robin van Persie. Another goal in last week’s convincing 2-0 friendly win over Juventus at Spurs’ new Wembley home suggests more of the same to come.
An away trip to a newly promoted team, however, ranks as one of the trickier ways to start a campaign. St. James’ Park will provide its usual pulsating atmosphere, surely amplified even further by a return to the big stage after a brief hiatus; and Rafa’s boys will be keen to prove they’ve learned from the mistakes of yore.
But this is Harry Kane, and if you’ve thrown 12.5m of your FPL budget at him to make him ‘one of your own’, then you’ll probably want to give him the armband.
ROBERTO FIRMINO (Watford vs LIVERPOOL)
21 goals and 19 assists in his two seasons at Anfield thus far make the Brazilian an irresistible FPL option for many, spearheading a Klopp team that’s been set up to go for the jugular. Firmino’s productivity can surely only blossom further with the likes of Mane, Salah and (at the time of writing) Coutinho criss-crossing around him like the Red Arrows on methylphenidate.
Watford’s difficult season reached its nadir with a 6-1 thrashing at Liverpool, signalling the start of the end for former boss Mazzari. The Hornets scraped home in 17th, culminating in a 5-0 humiliation at Man City, and their fans must surely be apprehensive about the coming campaign. If both teams carry on where they left off in May, expect the odd Bobby dazzler.
GABRIEL JESUS/SERGIO AGUERO (Brighton vs MANCHESTER CITY)
The phrase ‘to hedge ones bets’ was first used by George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, in his 1672 satirical play ‘The Rehearsal’. I don’t know why I brought that up, but there you go.
It’s likely that you’ve got one of Jesus or Aguero. It’s unlikely that you’ve got both. If you have? Well then I can only… umm… OH LOOK OVER THERE! *runs away*
A look at their average points per 90 from last season shows that maybe it IS worth having both Jesus (9.26) and Aguero (6.55). Both have had their injury problems though and City’s squad depth exposes even these two to occasionally being ‘Pepped’. Is that a thing? No? Sod it, it is now. We should be able to enjoy the two of them sharing points aplenty at least until the Champions League rolls into town.
ROMELU LUKAKU (MANCHESTER UNITED vs West Ham)
£75 million. Do you remember when that used to be a lot of money? Nope, neither does Mourinho who had already set the precedent for this summer’s monstrous displays of profligacy with his 2016 purchase of serial woodwork abuser Paul Pogba. Our boy Romelu however, doesn’t need to re-calibrate his shooting accuracy as he’s already shown with a few goals in pre-season.
Being pipped at the post for the Golden Boot by Kane may give him even more fire to reach the 30 goal mark this time round. Starting against Joe Hart will help, a man who should perhaps concentrate less on his head & shoulders, and more on his hands & arms.
West Ham, to be fair, have bought well during the summer and look like an exciting prospect. They’ve been leaking goals for fun in pre-season however, and one would expect Lukaku to make a big impact on his debut.
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Gameweek Tracker GW1-11
Anyone know much about Richarlison and how he will fit in at Watford? Impressive record at Fluminese.
AT
They spoke about him on the World Football Show on BBC’s at the weekend but I can’t honestly remember how Tim Vickery spoke of him so that probably means he isn’t the next Neymar just yet.
Anyway, he’ll probably need some time to settle in any event so I wouldn’t jump in on him straight away.
AT – quality player, but very young and the typical Brazilian shy player who is not very expansive but speaks on the pitch (like Willian for example). Having a manager that speaks his language will be a major boost if he is to accomplish anything in EPL. Not that you should buy him from the off of course. He’ll be eased in surely.
Right, that’s it i’m done. My worry is going without Spurs attack, but i’m just gonna go with it.
Nice looking team AnttL! I like the Sandro pick as they have looked lively in pre-season. As they begin to click in their new formation they may score a fair share of goals.
if you’re worried about no Spurs coverage you could always get Davies/Toby/Vert in for Luiz as Chelsea have a tough opening run at it.
I really like this team Anttl. Only thing I can think of if you want Spurs cover is to downgrade Ritchie to a 5.5 and upgrade Pickford to Lloris. Or you could do what Pancho says as an option too.
So, let me first say that I am a HUGE fan of FF247 and the results from last season’s site supporters compared to other sites and the pedigree of the admins and others here speaks for itself! So my question is more of a philosophical one. Would love your opinions!
It seems that at times we may fall victim to a bit of group think, which we call “template”. It feels like there is a gravitational pull that makes 90% of our teams end up looking almost identical. This is great if we get it all right, but when we miss someone who explodes we end up seeing post after post stating (and I’m as guilty as just about anyone) “I had (insert player’s name here) in so many drafts but I just couldn’t stick with my gut”. Which is followed by advice to follow one’s gut, but quickly squelched with more group think all in the same direction. This has nothing to do with this site in particular, just an observation of the format of RMTs and group chat boards.
I wonder what it would look like if we all really went with our gut for GW1? Some of us (probably me) would get it woefully wrong, but others would likely kill it! Don’t get me wrong, the critical advice is absolutely helpful (even necessary for me) but there comes a point when we may be RMTing ourselves right out of wonderful differentials and just plain dumb-luck points. Curious how we balance taking advice and going with your gut. Anyone care to weigh in on this?
As usual, thanks a million to all those who do pour themselves into the site here, admins, regulars, and fresh faces alike. This may feel like an oxymoron after the above but please take it as genuine praise and just the mental wrestling of an FPL fanatic.
This is brilliant Pancho! I think exactly this sometimes and only thing I can really think of in reply is that yes we do tend to move in this group and create templates but a lot of the time these template players are the premium lads. I would say the RMT’s work great for those who get terrible benches because they want the big names in the starting XI but forget they might need atleast 1 if not 2 lads on the bench to help in those sticky situations. We all need help with those things sometimes so that is where the group thoughts work. As for the gut feelings I would say go for some of them but try not to have a whole team of gut feelings. Like in my own team I have Walters as I feel he could have a brilliant season but I have been told to go with Fraser, so some gut feelings are needed and it’s basically people just needing to be stronger, braver and believe in themselves more when it comes to certain players. This may sound like complete rambling but hopefully it makes some sort of sense.
Ah one of my draft teams surely proves your point mate
:smiling:
Pancho, interesting observation. We all eventually will gravitate towards the performing players but GW1 is indeed an opportunity to test out a crazy theory or two.. The one thing that sticking with the ‘template’ does, however, is prevents us from losing ground on the pack.. If we fail, we all fail together-ish.. and if the ‘template’ is right, then, well.. it justifies itself.
Think I’ll rework the entire team based on my gut as of right now..
I guess what I was trying to say is that, if winning your ML is your goal, you’ve got to cover your closest rivals’ teams. So by playing the template, you’re kind of covering the field’s teams as best you can.. I’m not entirely sure that people think that they are doing this from a strategic standpoint though… more likely they’re just humans who are influenced by the masses..
Pancho, interesting thoughts mate. I was actually considering writing something similar this morning. The thing that triggered similar thoughts for me this morning were the ‘pick best attacker, top goal scorer’ etc. threads being bandied around on Twitter this morning. I find it hard to believe that the people posting them care, instead looking for affirmation that their choices are in sync with others and if they are not they persuade them to adopt another viewpoint.
However, I think there is more to it than simple affirmation and persuasion that elides people’s teams. Every time an Everton player is picked one is deterred by the inevitable ‘bad fixtures’ comment, or ‘rotation’ when Martial or Mkhitaryan is picked. It is true that they are differentials, but they are differentials because they do carry a risk-factor. I like to think of it along the lines of betting. A good bet can lose, and a bad bet can win. I could research the hell out of two sides and yet the bet might still lose, yet I could equally lump on something I know nothing about and it win. What makes someone a good fantasy football player is not necessarily coming first in the world, but the research they put into it.
So, does it make someone ‘wrong’ to follow their gut? Sometimes it might. I personally think any Everton players this earlier on is foolish, and therefore I would bring that to the any manager’s attention who posts a team with such a player in their team, but at the same time Sandro could score a brace on opening weekend, or they might keep four clean sheets. Consistency for me comes from looking at fixtures and at form, which is why we all come to similar conclusions, because the quality of fixtures/form is – to an extent – an objective concept.
Coming back to what you said though, about working as a team, I restrain myself from imposing my views on one player onto others. If they want to go for Wijnaldum, for example, I will highlight why I think it is unwise, but I would never tell them not to use that player. I guess it comes down to how much you are set on a player. For example, I don’t think anyone could deter me from Kane right now, even if every person on the site suddenly fixated on last season’s August form.
Perhaps we have an innate tendency to follow because it’s safer.
Yeah sometimes this happens. What I find is an obsession to gain coverage from every team like you need Spurs coverage or no United cover etc. When sometimes someone has doubled up on another team e.g Kane and Alli which could pay off. There are a fair amount of different teams it’s a shame Everton have a tough start as think that would have been more helpful
Also J Rod is in a lot of teams on here but his ownership overall is pretty low
Smash, totally agree on the Everton bit! Would be some great cheaper premium defenders to be found there!
I think preseason form is tough to judge because they’re mostly playing international opposition and it’s just different. For example, playing teams in the CL at Wembley is tough when they are used to more expansive playing styles, but the directness of most PL teams may prove a little easier for Spurs to adapt to this year. What you reckon?
Yeah I’m not sure. I agree that the bigger pitch should help Spurs against smaller sides though think Kane is better suited to small pitch as he’s not quick. Confidence at Wembley for Spurs prob ain’t great but now they have beaten Juve there already.
Guys, thanks for the responses! I agree with absolutely everything you all said. Strategy or goals (ml vs overall ranking) plays into it, as does ownership percentage of players. It’s a great point that the template is template for a reason. I think it might just be the natural gambler within me that wants to take a punt and see others taking them as well. It is true, though, that the advice of others is invaluable, thus the success of a site like this with such an involved and knowledgeable participant base. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge. Currently removing Rooney from my team! Just Kidding, I’d never have him in…
Haha, the gambler inside you should take those risks if you’re acting on information that backs it up. I guess the stronger that evidence is the more likely that pick will become template, e.g. Firmino wasn’t in many teams until the prospect of him being on penalties was made known.
Good to see ya Pancho. I’ve thought the same thing many times but never managed to write a thesis here on it
This pre-season, I’ve found that little tidbits of info from this site and random twitter posts, etc. have stuck with me and I’ve based ownership on them. My “go with your gut” moments usually come later in the season and for me, are based largely on fixtures. If I see a fixture that many are underestimating, I may pick up a player that may be under the radar. (Picking up Gray the night before his hat-trick last year come to mind). But normally those backfire for me!
Long story short, in FF247 I trust!
Cheers Colriles! Strong advice right here! Thanks and GL with those inspired gambles! PS – based on preseason I’d be starting with Gray if their fixtures weren’t so rough :/
Hey Pancho this is an interesting subject & I could do with more time to read all the replies
My thoughts are RMT is a very useful tool most people pick there team on teams players they like first of but it is useful to get someone to look over this.
There are members on here who put a lot of effort into stats , form rotating pairs , fixtures & pre season & will give advise on this I do not concern myself with the following or template teams if I did I would have Luk my sole reason for not have him was stats for Kun & Kane where far better although this might back fire on how Utd started.
My point being pick your team maybe your core & stick with it , then try to prise information out of everyone on here try & have 1 differential in your side , I take your put & it’s very well put but fixtures , teams will dictate most of your team good stuff 😉
hi,
I am so happy and excited that the season has started again. Week after week exciting games and helpful articles from you folks. Have 3 out of the 5 players mentioned as captains pick.
Any suggestions for this lot.?
Abhi, the Phillips pick in MF is really intriguing! I’ve heard his name thrown out a few times but not seen him in any teams yet. I like it! He’s shown consistency when he’s healthy and WBA have a great schedule to start the season. If I didn’t already have JRod in my squad I’d be leaning toward him now!
How do your defenders rotate? Have you played out the first 5GWs or so to make sure you’ve got decent CS potential from them?
I too would check you have three decent defenders each week out of these.
I’m not sure on how Palace will line up defensively and they have also just added two new defenders so maybe shop around to see if there is a better guaranteed starter from another club to take his place.
Thanks for the suggestions.
All 3 defenders aren’t playing the top teams in the initial 5 GW.May look at upgrading the defence after the initial GWs.
Abhi, that could work but then you are going into the season knowing that you have your free transfers locked up for a few weeks. I think there are some options out there with good rotation where you can hopefully stick with the defenders you start with until your first WC (barring injury and random rotation). If you settle on this crew and are comfortable with it then that is great. Let us know what you find as you explore teams whose defenders rotate well!
Hi guys, can’t wait for the new season to kick off.
I’m trying to have the top 6 cover on my front 7, which causes the team to be front loaded. Plus I didn’t really follow pre season much so I’m not even sure if they are going to start. Any thought is greatly appreciated, thanks and good luck everyone
Shawn, the front 7 look good. Many are questioning whether Willian starts. I’m on the fence with him and it’s the only thing keeping him out of my team at the moment. Also, I don’t know much about Watford. Will Prodl start?
Hi Shawn,
I’m not convinced Holgate is assured of 90 minutes very week with two other players battling him for the RB spot until Coleman returns.
I would downgrade Tadic here to Ince of Huddersfield or Ritchie of Newcastle who we believe are both penalty takers for their clubs and play. this would allow you to upgrade Holgate to someone who is guaranteed to play such as Dunk (Brighton) or Dummett (Newcastle). You could also consider winging it with Fabianski and downgrading Foster to a 4.0 to allow you to bring Prodl up to Dawson allowing you to use the WBA defensive coverage.
I’m not sure if Holgate starts but others should
Brilliant guys! Thanks
hello everyone, been a while. I decided to be more active this year i hope to actually do it. Hope everyone is well and teams almost ready.
i went with a low budget defence to start strong midfield and attack. My only doubts are to go with willian/rodriguez or ritchie or phillips/chicharito
what you think ?
Dadinho if you base it on preseason returns then I think Willian and JRod, but Phillips and Chicarito is awefully tempting. I believe someone above said “go with your gut”
my gut tells me willian jay rod for first gameweek and then definitely get chicharito. Ritchie ince or phillips?