FF247 Fantasy Football Site Team GW18
Welcome to the FF247 Fantasy Football Site Team GW18. There’ll be no fancy poems here. Or 12 days of nonsense, no lovey dovey Christmas puns and no general glad handing. Why? Well firstly because it’s bidness time. It’s time to get your heads out of Christmas and get back to the things that matter most – FPL.
Secondly, because your Site Team panel here aren’t all young, foot loose and fancy free like your previous writers this week. Au contraire, they’re a bunch of long in the tooth, hard bitten grumps who’ve probably stood in one more long Christmas queue than is healthy for any man, especially knowing that they are about to lavish a month’s wages on gifts that will be discarded by New Year. And all in exchange for tantrums. And 8 pairs of socks. Get within 6 feet of one of them with a sodding cracker and they’ll probably rip your arm off. It doesn’t help that we know for a fact that two members of the panel would actually sell their 90 year old Grandmother on Christmas Day in exchange for a Boxing Day hat-trick from their captain.
Right then, after that cheery start, let’s go see who else we can inadvertently upset this week!
Before we begin explaining this week’s decisions we should point out that nobody is obliged to follow our lead and our advice is only that in so much as we have to take decisions as we see them, as does everybody else. Some we get right, some we get wrong. Some spectacularly wrong (see Salah, etc!). If you agree with them then great, if you don’t then that’s absolutely fine too. Just don’t take it to heart either way…
And so we fast forward to Saturday morning and find that one particular site member (who shall remain nameless), who had clearly taken our decision last week (to sell Lacazette) very badly, was so disturbed by it they were still up at 1am threatening to Triple Captain Lacazette, just to spite the Site Team’s decision to immediately jettison him (in light of him starting Arsenal’s Europa League dead rubber against Carrrier Bag). Chill your beans Frenchie! Oops.
Last week’s result…
This past week we got a fairly healthy 60 points, 17 above the overall average and 8 above the top 10k, a green arrow and a jump of 20k in the rankings to leave us at 59,519th. Patricio and Doherty held our defence together with 13 between them putting the more premium end of Robertson and Alonso to shame who managed just 3 combined. Wan-B looked on wistfully from the bench with his clean sheet under his arm. Our ‘double City mid’ plan finally started to bear fruit as Sane and Sterling brought in 16 but Fraser and Richarlison let us down with 2 apiece. Wan-B looked on wistfully from the bench with his clean sheet under his arm… Our forward line actually brought us the biggest slice for once with Jimenez grabbing 9, Kane 10 (as captain) and Chica with 5, which was one more than Lacazette.

We go in to GW18 with one free transfer and £3.5m in the bank and all of our chips intact, including this periods Wildcard, surely the time is nigh for that bad boy….?!
This weeks transfer decision(s)
The elephant in the room was indeed mentioned, but mainly just because we are fast approaching the deadline for actually ‘using or losing’ it (2pm 29th Dec – before GW20 begins). So basically we have to use it in one of the next two GW’s. Which bearing in mind what they both cover in terms of ‘festive days’ may be a challenge in itself!
The trouble we seem to have every week is that we are always reasonably happy with our lot, and again this week we couldn’t really see a whole to get excited about changing. As such we have gone from the possible extreme of a WC to the ridiculous, and actually used a transfer on a goalkeeper of all players. Let us explain though, before you get either angry or confused (looking at you Frenchie! 😉 )…
As we stood we were facing the prospect of playing double Wolves at the back against the league leaders. And we didn’t much fancy that, funnily enough. And West Ham have a very favourable run of fixtures over the Christmas (*spit) period. Sometimes it just doesn’t have to get more complicated than the obvious.
To confirm then – we have SOLD Patricio and BOUGHT Fabianski.
Our Captain is Raheem Sterling
Fairly black and white this one. The question was posed and the answers came back – thud, thud, thud, thud and thud; all within about 20 seconds –
Sterling (C), Kane(V)
And so young Raheem carries our armband, perhaps for the first time ever. It’s got 4-0 written all over it this game and had Kun been fit and starting regularly in the run up he’d have been carrying approximately 100% of his owners armbands this week. Given that he hasn’t been then Raheem seems the obvious go to replacement in anticipation of a thoroughly typical City rout. Although he probably won’t be on any pens anytime soon judging by midweek!
Should Pep suddenly go full Pep and actually rotate him (is it still rotation if somebody hasn’t started 2 in a row?!) then ‘Arry gets it.
Our team in full…

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Mitro
Morning
Which do you prefer:
A. Roll over FT
B. TAA to Luiz
C. Salah to Sane
D. Salah to hazard
Smash
A
Mitro
Cheers smash 😉
What about the other 3 options?
Rosco
They’re ones he prefers less than A 😉
Smash
Well now you need a defender
Smash
Dinnery has ruled out Kolas so think that’s the bigger issue
Mitro
If I do kola I would have 5.6 any suggestions?
Smash
Might have to be Luiz in for Trent then
Rosco
I would do B by the way!
Mitro
Cheers rosco
AT
Think I’d be making a defensive transfer there, Mitro. Some tricky fixtures for your starters!
Mitro
Any suggestions AT?
AT
Looking at your defenders’ fixtures, I think you’ll want someone with a good fixture at least in GW18, 20 and 22. Comes down to Chelsea and City really! Huddersfield probably the pick of the cheapies.
As such, probably Luiz as I’m not too sure on Delph’s game time and the others are all out of reach!
HL****** [Dr. Hannibal Lecter]
Hey Mitro
B for me…
Having 2 yellow(orange) flagged players at the back, the only logical solution is option B .
Wouldn’t recommend C and/or D, as I have been burnt by removing Mo too early…as many others have…
So, B.
Mitro
How about TAA & Salah to Robertson and hazard?
nauj
Wc activated, what do you thnk about my team? Any advices?
Smash
Prob safer to captain Sane but I like the team
AT
Can’t see Aguero starting this week. I’m not sold on Alonso.
Rest looks good.
nauj
With chelsea’s fixtures,alonso can win a lot of points.. do you thnk tht i need to trsfr agueor out?for who?
AT
Umm, not sure whom I’d take him out for. I’d have said Lacazette a few weeks ago but his rotation is doing my head in as an owner!
I’d be concerned about Peltier on the bench given the packed fixture schedule and certain rotation
Smash
Yeah I think Jesus starts this week as well
ohyesali
Very strong to my eyes. How you’ve got Haz, Salah, Sane, Kun & Alonso and managed to keep general strength is very good.
nauj
What about double up on whu with chicha and snodgrass,isnt it a big risk?:s
ohyesali
Any thouughts on this? Am probably gonna roll the FT, but anything I’m missing (other than Pool attack)
1FT 0.4itb
inittowinit
Yep that’s a roll, good luck ohyesali.
Smash
Can’t have everyone looks fine
HL****** [Dr. Hannibal Lecter]
Roll…
Although, that’s too much $$ tied up in defence.
I would probably downgrade Laporte to (say) Doherty and use the money to upgrade Torreira…
branchy
Really not sure what to do with this one this week?
1FT – 0.9 ITB
Sorry for the repost. But thinking Auba should be nailed on against Burnley surely?
Smash
I don’t think he’s nailed on. Played a lot of minutes recently and has stopped scoring. Could easily start though
inittowinit
If you 2 FT’s I’d sell him and get Hazard for the reasons Smash has stated but given as you don’t I’d keep him and hope for the best. He’s posted decent scores from the bench too so don’t despair if he doesn’t actually start.
branchy
Roll the FT?
DMC
Unless you are couting on WB scoring at City, I’d play Digne ahead of him surely?
I’d keep your FT, yes, and reassess with 2 valuable ones ahead of Boxing Day.
branchy
Lovely cheers
HL****** [Dr. Hannibal Lecter]
Agree with DMC…
+1
Smash
Is this worth the wildcard
Rosco
Beautiful!!
Smash
Don’t think I’m going to do it though
daboyo2
Id not want Robertson and Lovren tbh so apart from lovren I think its a good squad.
Smash
Think I prefer this
DMC
Too unbalanced imo Smash. Rock solid midfield, but too light in attack and double pool exposure at the back is too risky. Well, Lovren exposure is anyway.
Chica may well lose his spot come January with Arnie back and you don’t have the cash to then upgrade him. I can live with two cheap-ish forwards marshaling a heavy hitter (Kane, Auba, Kun when available) but not go all the way to 2 cheapos and one enabler. That doesn’t warrant the necessary flexibility to buy an inform premium striker when he shows himself. Also, if you are going that strong in midfield I’d be looking at spreading the love to one spurs mid instead of 2 city.
I look at your team right now and I don’t think it warrants a WC at all. I know you want/have to use it but perhaps after boxing day. It’s a tricky period to do it because there’s every chance the ones you choose then get rested in one of the next 4 gws but them the breaks. Do it ahead of GW 20 with a view to january/february instead of now with a look at xmas/january. Maybe!
Smash
Good advice DMC thanks. Thinking it will be most likely used be used in last week
Zed Leppelin
Good point on the premium striker getting into form, I have been thinking of 2 cheap strikers in 3-5-2 with heavy midfield, because the PPM favors that, all the premium midfielders have been better than the premium forwards thus far, and I’d prefer Sterling instead of Aguero for instance… You could say that the premium forwards are better captaincy candidates, but Aguero for instance only has 2 double-digit hauls this season (the rest quite average 6-8 point hauls), Auba has 3 double-digit hauls, whereas Sterling has 4 double-digit hauls and Hazard has 5 double-digit hauls! In PPM, Sterling, Hazard and even Salah beat ALL of the strikers thus far! Hence I’m thinking of 3-5-2 with 2 cheap strikers, they can get into form too
constantine
Agree with Zed here
DMC
So you are saying you won’t want Kun when he gets back and banging?
Smash
I think there is an decent argument on both sides. You can rotate the cheap strikers. Aguero has been forgotten a bit and after this week I think he’s an option again.
constantine
not if banging means what he’s done till now..
Zed Leppelin
Sterling has outscored Aguero by 30 points thus far, and Points Per Match Sterling is 8.0 and Aguero 6.3, and as I said Sterling has 4 double-digit hauls to Aguero’s 2, so I don’t really what’s the fuzz about Aguero? You could equally, and indeed more plausibly, ask why you don’t want Sterling when he is banging them in? Sterling gets more points for goals, and so on, and add in that Aguero is way more injury prone!
All I’m saying is the stats seem to say Aguero is overrated as an alternative for Sterling, or Hazard, or perhaps even for Salah, the mids are better! Also, the only cheap midfielder outscoring in PPM the likes of Wilson and Ings is Fraser, so the cheap strikers are actually better value for money!
HL****** [Dr. Hannibal Lecter]
Don’t think so Smash…
Just being honest…
Smash
Thanks HL I’m going to hold off. I prefer the Aguero team I think
Zed Leppelin
That’s what I’m thinking of long-term after the Xmas period I think, cheap strikers Ings/Mitrovic/Jimenez/Wilson and possible Rashford later so there’s plenty of choice there, with Haz/Sterling/Salah, would be lovely!!! I prefer Sterling over Aguero because Jesus is back in the fold!
DMC
That’s not sustainable in terms of team balance imo. Many mid priced mids scoring points (and more points than the mid priced forwards). I tried that 3-5-2 with two cheapos up top last year on 1st and early WC and I immediately regretted it.
Zed Leppelin
“Many mid priced mids scoring points (and more points than the mid priced forwards)”
It’s not that simple, it depends whether you include Richarlison and Martial in the mid priced mids…. Ings at 5.5m has PPM of 4.8, same as Jimenez at 6.2m, and they are only outscored by Richarlison, Martial, and Fraser! But Ings is a lot cheaper than those guys, and so is Jimenez (bar Fraser), but Richarlison and Martial would be in my 3-5-2 team anyway, so it’s not like I would be opting against them, so Fraser is the only mid priced mid who thus far has had better PPM than Ings or Jimenez that I would be opting against. So there aren’t many mid priced mids outscoring the mid price forwards actually, and Ings is actually cheaper than mid priced, he’s cheap as chips!
Just trying to create an objective picture here!
AK47
Afternoon all. What to do with this lot? I was thinking of upgrading Wan-Bissaka?
1 FT £1.3 ITB
Smash
I’d play Rich over Cairney
AK47
Was also thinking of switching the armband to Bilva with Hazard as vice. Too risky?
daboyo2
Id go Hazard over BSilva as captain if between those two.
Otieno
I’d think about changing Duffy rather than Wan-B so that you got a full playing bench especially with the flag on Kola. Bring in Holebas or Digne maybe?