Gameweek 3 – The luck of the Irish

Who to pick for fantasy premier league gameweek 3?

Well in honour of my mates wedding in Ireland this weekend I have pulled together the “It’s all about the bonus points” best of Irish.

Shane Long
The first name on the list has to be Shane Long. The ex-Reading man is on fire for Roy Hodgson’s Baggies with 2 goals and 1 bonus points in the first 2 games of the season. At £6million (and rising) Long has to be an option if you are looking for a new striker. If he can get 2 goals against Man Utd and Chelsea you would back him to do the business at home to Stoke.

Kevin Doyle
Long’s old striking partner “Big Kev” is a funny fantasy premier league player. On the one hand he is a guaranteed starter and takes penalties. But on the other hand he misses penalties and doesn’t shoot much. Last season he was pretty average with only 5 goals and 8 bonus points and I expect more from him this year.

Stephen Hunt
The angry Irish winger is a bit of a fantasy premier league legend and has had a solid start to the season. Despite no goals or no assists the Wolves wide man did get 2 bonus points at home to Fulham. I am a big fan of Hunt and he used to be a regular in my team in both his Reading and Hull days – he even made it on the watchlist last season, for gameweek 18 – however this year he is overpriced.

Do you have any Irish boys in your fantasy premier league team?

Let me know in the comments section of the blog or on twitter @mjmaxwell.

Gameweek 2 – The Watchlist

So the 2^nd week of the fantasy premier league season is upon us – with unlimited transfers – but who to pick for gameweek 2?

Michel Vorm
The Swansea stopper made 10 saves against Man City last week.  I can’t see Swansea getting many clean sheets this season but Vorm looked decent both in shot stopping and kicking.  At £4.0m he is also cheap and at home to Wigan in gameweek 2 is a decent shout.  #hands

Stephen Fletcher
I had the balding Scot in my first team for last season.  And he was very disappointing.  It took the former Burnley man a while to get going but Fletcher scored 10 goals last season and has now scored 6 goals in as many games for Wolves.  #receding

Chris Eagles
I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky.  That is Chris Eagles moto.  Another former Burnley man, Eagles is a bit of a fantasy premier league legend.  When in the premier league with Burnley the ex-Man Utd winger got 2 goals, 3 assists and a whopping 18 bonus points.  18.  He started off his Bolton career well with 2 assists against QPR and I can him building on this.  #wings

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Gameweek 1: Winners & Losers

So gameweek 1 in fantasy premier league has come and gone.  We had unbelievable debuts, lots of clean sheets, site crashes and even extended transfer windows.

Here is a piece I wrote for www.footyplace.com looking at the winners and losers of the first week of the season?

You can also follow me on twitter @mjmaxwell.

Gameweek 1 – fantasy premier league #FAIL

For me fantasy football is all about the last minute gamble.  You can have the perfect team planned for weeks; all positions validated and you are ready for the start of the season.  Content with your team.

But all that can change -and quickly.  All it takes is one article about; Stephane Sessegnon having a free role in training, the pre-season form of Victor Moses or finding out that Matt Jarvis is on corners for Wolves.  Suddenly you begin to question your line up – do I have too much cash in defence?  Can Scott Sinclair cut it in the Premiership?

The last minute changes based on information you will only get at the 11th hour is what fantasy football is all about and is the difference between a good and a great gameweek.  Sort it out fantasy premier league and get the site up and running. #FAIL

Gameweek 1 – It’s back

After a long summer of discontent fantasy premier league is finally back.  Having changed my team 13 times in the past week – who are the must have picks for Gameweek 1?

Jonathan Woodgate
This one is a bit of a gamble.  I have it on good authority that when fit, Woodgate will start for Stoke this season.  And when he does he will get points.  The only problem – how often will he be fit, having not played one minute in the Premier League last season and only 193 the season before.  Chelsea at home and Norwich away is a tough start but at £4.5 his value with surely rise. 

David Silva
Shoooot. Last season Man City’s Spanish maestro scored four times and claimed nine assists. I really rate Silva.  Technically he is second to none but he suffers from the worst attribute for a Fantasy Football player. He is generous. Instead of shooting at every opportunity ala Nani, Silva sees the pass and gets more pleasure from an assist than a goal. At home to Swansea in gameweek 1 – Silva could be a good shout. 

Grant Holt
I asked a Norwich fan at work about Grant Holt. I thought: a tough, old fashioned, centre forward coming up from the Championship, Holt could be the next Andy Carroll. His response: “He’s a good finisher but he is a bit fat.” Doesn’t really fill you with confidence, does it? However, Holt scored 21 goals in 45 games in the Championship last season and with a George Elokobi square physique he will likely rattle a few cages in the Premier League.  With Wigan away and Stoke at home in the first two gameweeks I see goals!

Get involved and join the “It’s all about the bonus points” fantasy football league. Here’s the code; 12865-6176

 

You can follow me on twitter @mjmaxwell.

Fantasy Premier League 2011/12 – who to pick?

In the build up to the start of the new Premier League season I have been previewing the pick of the bunch for www.footyplace.com across all four positions; gk, df, mf and fw.  With Gameweek 1 nearly upon who do you need to get in your fantasy football team?

Goalkeepers is a pretty easy choice if you ask me.  Shay Given. Done.

Choosing the right defence is a bit more complicated.   There is a lot of value in the £4,5m bracket.  Have a look here and let me know what you think?

Midfield is also tricky with the death of the galactico but there is good value in the forward positions.  I have picked out a few players for each position on footyplace. Have a look and let me know what you think?