Fantasy Football FF247 Team Gameweek 14
Following our first 4 point hit of the season we finished GW13 with 45 points and while it was six points above the average it was yet another average week, although happily it provided us with the all important green arrows. Our score was largely underpinned by our captain Sergio Aguero and recent signing Charlie Austin. Aguero provided us with 14 points and in fairness this could have been more had Mike Jones gone to Specsavers on his way to St. Mary’s. However we can’t be too disappointed with his return, particularly with other popular captain choices such as Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez failing to deliver any returns. It was the aforementioned Austin who was our star man at the weekend as he returned a goal, an assist and two bonus points giving us a 10 point return. At the back our latest signing Thibaut Courtois picked up seven and we expect a steady stream of solid returns from him over the coming weeks. Unfortunately our three defenders managed a combined total of four miserable points. Gylfi Sigurdsson was our star man in midfield as he picked up his 8th assist of the season to contribute seven points to our total. An early injury to Angel Di Maria meant he picked up a solitary point and this could turn out to be his last contribution to our team for some time! Our remaining midfielders, Cesc Fabregas & Dusan Tadic as well as Diego Costa failed to make a meaningful contribution to our total. As a result we picked up 387 places to put us back inside the top 2k and we now sit in 1,982 place.
Transfer(s) for GW14
To a certain extent our hand has been forced in the transfer market this week as a result of Angel Di Maria picking up a hamstring injury early in the game against Hull. We say our hand was forced but we actually had plans to remove the Argentinean in the coming weeks, although it would have been nice to have him amongst our ranks as United are sure to knock a few past Stoke this week. Unfortunately we did not have enough money in reserve to do a direct swap between Di Maria and any of our preferred targets, so for the 2nd week in a row we have taken a 4 point hit.
As we mentioned last week we had plans to sell Dusan Tadic so it should come as no surprise to learn that we have released the Serb in order to free up funds. The decision to let him go was quite an easy one as he has failed to pick up a goal or an assist since GW8, although he will be fondly remembered for his 23 point haul in GW8.
So that’s who we have sold, but who have we replaced them with? As we have already mentioned, it was always our intention to sell Di Maria in the coming weeks and the plan was to replace him with Alexis Sanchez and we have decided to stick with that plan. The Chilean international has failed to register a goal or an assist in either of his last two games but following Wednesday night’s visit of Southampton they have a number of tempting fixtures between now and January. We briefly toyed with the idea of bringing in Yaya Toure, who has shown signs of recapturing the form that made him a ‘must have’ last season, but we decided to stick with Sanchez who has had a number of explosive game-weeks this season making him a potential captain in future game-weeks.
Our second signing is not quite as sexy, it’s West Ham’s Stewart Downing. It was a close run thing between Downing and Crystal Palace’s Mile Jedinak, although someone who shall remain nameless wanted to sign Yannick Bolasie! Jedinak has been in decent form of late but relies on set pieces for the majority of his returns while Downing has a greater effect on a game from open play and it was generally felt that the West Ham man has more to offer over the coming game-weeks.
So to confirm our transfers we have –
Sold Angel Di Maria and bought Alexis Sanchez
Sold Dusan Tadic and bought Stewart Downing
Before we move on we should probably mention Diego Costa whom we have clearly decided to hold onto despite the fact that he is suspended for the Spurs game on Wednesday night. There has been much talk of late regarding his failure to pick up bonus points and the fact that since GW4 he has failed to score more than once in any given game-week. However as long as the goals keep coming we’re happy to hold onto him and Chelsea have some great fixtures over the coming weeks.
Our team in full…
Captain
Our captain this week is Sergio Aguero
This was quite an easy decision, in fact there was no one else even discussed! We’re well aware that Sunderland will park the bus as they did to great effect against Chelsea on Saturday and that their games with City have been quite tight affairs in recent seasons but Aguero is in such great form and City as a team are showing signs that they might be about to move up the gears. Our Vice Captain this week is Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The team pretty much picks itself this week, in a 3-5-2 formation.
In goal Thibaut Courtois will start as Tim Krul is likely to miss out once again, although Courtois would undoubtedly have started had Krul been fit anyway.
In defence we again double up with Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor and hope for better luck! Leighton Baines we hope goes radio rental at home to Hull.
All five midfielders get an outing with Costa being suspended. So time for George Boyd to step up to the plate at home to Newcastle, while new signings Stewart Downing and Alexis Sanchez get an immediate chance to impress us. We expect great things from our “assist kings” Siggy and Cesc Fabregas.
Charlie Austin and Sergio Aguero lead the line and are in great form.
The team in text format is –
Courtois
Bartley, Taylor, Baines
Boyd, Sanchez, Fabregas, Sigurdsson (vc), Downing
Austin, Aguero (c)
Bench: Krul. Hutton, Alderweireld, Costa
Hi Guys
Almost sorted out my team for tonight but should I play Wisdom or Dummett and with my FT should I sell Alderwerield for Taylor or Bartley of Swans?
Cheers
Tomo
The first one is tricky. Perhaps Wisdom in the home fixture?
Definitely Taylor if you decide that move – more secure in his position. Getting on Swansea defence seems sensible given there fixtures.
*their fixtures
*grammar police will swoop *
Cheers GP
Definitely a tricky one with those two, so I may go home fixture with Wisdom. By the way, I’m sure the Grammar Police would have a field day on most of the FPL sites!
You called?
Think what GP was trying to say was ‘A dinnae ken’ 😉
Init
It’s like putting the bat signal up !
Hello
Hi mate, all good? All set? Captain? Rooney here.
Init,
Happy with my front eight
Sanchez, Oscar, Hazard, Sigurdsson, Boyd
Costa, Aguero, Bony
Need to work on my defence for a week or two. Moore and Duff (have Heaton) are my first two on the out list . . Yun and Hutton probably.
Captaining Aguero, rather boringly . . .
Dummett and Taylor for me, if you can afford it.
Hazard or Aguero for capt?
Hi All!
My team suddenly looks like a mess, tempted to use my WC.. any suggestions on what moves i could make without doing so?
options i could come up with so far are:
without WC – di maria, ulloa, begovic, wilson out – fab, austin cheap gk and cheap def in (8 point hit)
with wc –
courtois, myhill
clichy, chambers, duff, jagielka, wisdom
fab, sanchez, siggy, wanyama, jedinak
costa, aguero, austin
(would have 0.4 itb)
current team is:
begovis, krul
chambers, jagielka, duff, wisdom, wilson
sanchez, di maria, siggy, tadic, wanyama
costa, aguero, ulloa
2FT, 0.3itb
thanks in advance!
Hi johnny, not sure it’s such a mess or one that you can’t muddle through without taking such a big hit? ADM to Fab and Ulloa to Austin not work on it’s own? You’ve got enough at the back to at least field a team even if it’s not an ideal one this week. Hits for defenders and keepers, especially cheap ones are rarely worth it.
Bear in mind that Fab is on 4 yellows and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if that 5th one popped up in a derby v Spurs.
If you do WC I’d defo try and get Baines in there and probably ditch Costa for Rooney or Bony and leave enough to get Costa back for GW16 (Hull at home).
thanks innit!
unfortunately i’m 0.6 short to make that direct switch to austin and fab. what i could do is switch to fab/hazard and kane instead. then i wouldnt need to take a hit. (who would you pick b/w fab and eden?)
Hi all, got to love a midweek GW! Here is my team before changes… I have two free transfers and was considering doing Di Maria/Costa out for Bony/Baines/Hazard for a hit. What do you think? Is Rooney a better option?
Sorry forgot to add Clyne out as part of that hit.
Hi Mark, looks like a great plan. If you consider Bony and Hazard as the freebies and Baines as the hit he should at least cover the hit with a cleansheet in theory and there are always extras with him as we know.
Captain headache
1. Hazard – plays good at home, no Costa, poor Spurs defence.
2. Aguero – on fire now, Sunderland will park bus again, tough decision.
3. Sanchez – always a threat, but Southampton will do they’re best not to loose.
4. Rooney – looks best for me, but injury concern and Stoke defence.
Give me a good reason to take one of them Thanks
You’ll find out if Rooney plays before the deadline but any one of those choices is a good shout. Just having all four in your team is an advantage as it is.
I know that, but I don’t know who to captain anyway that’s the problem