Week 16 - DGers

Some of whom I consider to be good picks this week:

Doyle/Seol
McCarthy
Berbatov (especially at the pre-update price of 7.20!)
D. Bent
Camara
Darkhorses: Yakubu, Heskey

Reid
Bentley/MGP
Lennon
McCulloch
Ronaldo
Sidwell (if fit)
Darkhorses: Kilbane, Malbranque, Downing

Scharner/Baines
Shorey
Assou-Ekotto/Chimbo
El Karkouri
Darkhorses: Ooijer, Konchesky

Friedel
Hahnemann
Kirkland
Robinson
Darkhorses: Carson, Weaver

Happy shopping!

Week 16 - Schedule

Alright, it's another double week, right away. Though this time out, none of the "big" teams or many "star" players have two games, so picking will be tougher.

TEAM WITH SINGLE GAMES
Chelsea = NO MATCH
Arsenal VS Tottenham 2 Dec 12:45
Portsmouth VS Aston Villa 2 Dec 15:00
Sheff Utd VS Charlton 2 Dec 15:00
Everton VS West Ham 3 Dec 16:00
Man. City VS Watford 4 Dec 20:00

TEAM WITH DOUBLE GAMES
Tottenham = @arsenal 2 Dec 12:45 , Middlesbrough 5 Dec 20:00
Middlesbrough = Man. United 2 Dec 17:15 , @Tottenham 5 Dec 20:00
Reading = Bolton 2 Dec 15:00 , @Newcastle 6 Dec 19:45
Wigan = Liverpool 2 Dec 15:00 , @West Ham 6 Dec 19:45
Blackburn = Fulham 2 Dec 15:00 , @Charlton 5 Dec 20:00
West Ham = @Everton 3 Dec 16:00 , Wigan 6 Dec 19:45
Charlton = @Sheff Utd 2 Dec 15:00 , Blackburn 5 Dec 20:00

At first glance, Blackburn, Reading, Wigan, Spurs, have the good match-ups. I expect to see most YFF teams contained these players.

Week 16 - Initial thoughts on another double week

Double games for some teams this week, but they are not necessarily the "top" teams or stellar match-ups, so picking is a little dicey. But, once again, double-games means a great chance to make up ground.

DGers: Spurs, Boro, Charlton, Blackburn, West Ham, Wigan, Reading.

Really quickly looked it over and a couple of potentially decent double-gamers to consider:

Blackburn (FUL, @ CHA),
Reading (BOL, @ NUFC),
hell, Charlton (@ SHE,BBURN) - OK maybe only Darren Bent,
WIG (LIV, @ W.HAM),
I'd consider Spurs players are well (@ARS, MID).

McCarthy
Seol/Doyle (check his graph!!! - pencil him in for me right now)
D. Bent
Saha

MGP/Bentley
Lennon?
McCulloch
Ronny

Chimbo/Ass-Eko
Scharner!
Shorey

Hahnemann or a very solid single-game GK.

Week 15 - Shocker !!

A very early triumph for me already this weekend thanks to a SHOCKING error by the leader in my private group, let's call him Saint Andy - he got locked out with only 10 players at the deadline!!!! His roster is therefore incomplete for a double week!!!! This horrible mistake means that every point my picks register will allow me to gain on him! Absolutely stunning turn of events, especially on a double week.

Week 15 Line-up

After much deliberation all week, I went with most of my initial thoughts from early in the week.

Kuyt
Saha

Ronaldo
Barry
Jensen
Zenden
Brown

Riise
Bouma
Pearce

Sorensen

For once in a long time, I really quite like my back line and hope Sorensen can do the business for me and outscore Reina.

Splashed for Jensen in the MF; with 2 home games and as Fulham's set-piece taker, I tip him to do well. Zenden came in when all those Liverpool mids got injured midweek against PSV. I also expect the ManU duo to acquit themselves quite well in a tough game and rise to the occasion. And yes, Brown in pure filler.

Hope your YFF and real weekend goes well!

Week 14....Week 15

Apologies for the lack of posting this week. I was on training full time, which left me little free time to read up on team news and research match-ups to the depth I would have liked. Hoping all your picks went well this weekend.

That said, Week 14 is just a dot in my rear-view and it's time to look forward to the (dreaded) double week. A large number of teams, and most top teams, play twice. It's a great opportunity to score some big points and make up ground in both private leagues and in overall world rankings.

Double week for: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bolton, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Pompey, Sheff Utd.

Especially with so many teams having double games, there will be many good DGers available for selection; we aren't limited to only one or 2 games from which to pick them. This will make it a lot easier to take more of them, since many "better" picks will have 2 opportunities to score. You've gotta think that one mediocre game and one good game from a "good" pick will still outperform a good single gamer. Take, for instance (prices aside), this scenario. On a pretty good week, a midfielder will score a goal and notch perhaps 16-18 pts, a very nice return most weeks. Consider a good player who performs somewhat ordinarily and scores about 5 points (let's assume that is below his average) in one game but approx 15-18 the next game. Over 2 games, he scored a few points more - I'd take that extra few points from 6-10 double gamers. It's often been disappointing in the past when there are only been one or two double-fixtures, as people rush to select marginal DGers that you probably would not pick on their own merit for a single game. The Liverpool examples from last season are apt - great, so Luis Garcia plays one game, scores 7 points and gets benched for the next game, or Crouch registers nearly 0 points from two games, while many single gamers easily outscore them. But, when not forced to take DGers from just one or two teams, the risk is less in my opinion. All that to say, my rule of thumb is to go for as many as reasonably make sense given match-ups and don't stretch for a player that you would not normally consider, just because he has 2 games. Should not be a problem this week, as there is a wealth of excellent DGers available.

Upon early reflection, some match-ups immediately stick-out: Liverpool and Villa --> both have 2 home games against relatively mediocre opponents. Even Fulham, with two home games interests me.

LIV - POR, MID
AST - MID, ManCity
FUL - RED, ARS

ManUnited play Chelsea and Everton, both at home. Tough to know how the battle of the top 2 teams will shake out, as they are both looking very good currently. I certainly would not discount ManU players, as I would consider any points from the Chelsea match a bonus, and with their current excellent form, they could well roll over Everton. Saha and Ronaldo have been firing regardless of opposition.

Here are some initial thoughts:

Defence/GK
Starting at the back - I like both Liverpool's and Villa's chances at one and maybe 2 clean sheets in the double week, but don't necessarily fancy Fulham to keep Arsenal and Reading from scoring, so perhaps stay away from Niemi and Fulham defenders unless you are strapped for cash. Sorenson is my preferred pick, as they host two teams that really don't travel well. Reina has been less than stellar thus far, but should pick up 2 wins and is currently cheaper than Sorenson. Too often the Reds don't give up many shots on goal, so if they were to concede, Reina won't score well unless he's made numerous saves. The problem with Villa defenders is that they are expensive (Mellberg, Ridgewell, etc) and don't score that well. Bouma, if fit and continuing to start, is an option for less, as well. For the Reds, Riise naturally should figure in both games, as Aurelio has gone missing lately, LOL. Who knows, maybe John Arne slams home a trademark long-range cracker. Finnan & Carra a solid but pricey selections. I also tip Agger to get a game in there. From Fulham, Bocanegra has been starting in the MF the last 4-5 games and is cheap but may give way now that Diop & Brown are due back. Pearce, cheaper still (5.xx) and does get the odd header at goal.

MF
It would seem like a natural choice to grab Gerrard for a double week with 2 home games, but his form has just not excited me. But if he's going to get on track, it could surely be against ManCity & Pompey, but a rather expensive move. Barry is another MF that immediately caught my eye. He's Villa's PK taker and primary FK & corner man, and his stats are very good. I think he's a solid pick over two home fixtures. Petrov is a slightly lower cost alternative, but has been a tad up & down. * Also, watch Petrov's status, as he was injured and missed out on Sunday's game. Claus Jensen could be a darkhorse if you're after something a little different, but is overpriced at the moment.

Ronaldo has played well all season long and I can see him stepping up against Chelski. Young presents an interesting dilemma - he's got but the one game, but it's at home against Sheffield. Is it worth sacrificing that extra game for a chance that he goes off at Sheffield? And I think it's time to drop Ballack. He was rested this weekend and with a couple of tough fixtures and no game 2 weeks from now, I'd say his usefulness is done. In fact, I can see him collecting his fifth yellow card against ManU. Though it will be tough to replace him at 4.19.

Striker
Kuyt seems to have established himself as Rafa's #1 and he's scored all his EPL goals at home...with 2 home games, that sounds good to me ;) . I'm not loving Villa strikers (Agbo, Angel), but they are reasonably priced and sure starters. Angel, in all his greasy-haired glory, is really a target man and commits way too many fouls for a striker. Agbo has struggled somewhat since being shunted out the right wing. Saha continues his fine form and I think he will play well in the big games. I'm intrigued by McBride, too. Over two home games, I can see him bagging a goal and some SOTs.

Week 13 - Woulda Coulda Shoulda

I thought I'd post some of the picks I was seriously contemplating but did not make, just to see how they will perform. No doubt, those I left on the sideline will out-score those I selected, LOL. Seems to be the way these last few weeks.

Striker: Sheva, Kanu, Anelka (in that order)
MF: Davis, Robben
Def: Scharner, Richards, Trabelsi, Cole, Haim Tal, Ekotto

Sigh...I hope I tabbed the right picks....

Week 13 - Line-up

As the seconds ticked down, here is the starting XI I finally decided on:

Henry --> I'm keeping faith with him, expecting a brace any time now. Plus he's got a great scoring record against Liverpool, and is playing at home.
Kuyt --> a bit of a budgetary move, with an eye on Pool's upcoming double weeks. He's on fire at the moment, too.
Berbatov --> seems a sure starter with Mido injured and in good form, facing a Reading team that is starting to level off.

Ballack --> not a better cheapie filler out there who could score every week.
Barton --> home to horrid Newcastle.
Ronaldo --> is unconscious right now and I expect him to win & take numerous free kicks today against the thuggish and slumping Rovers.
McCulloch --> should start at striker in place of Heskey.

Huth --> cheap filler option; low expectations.
Montgomery --> with injuries, will start in the Sheffield MF.
Stefanovic --> good CS chance and decent attacking stats.

Weaver --> no goals conceded at home, cheap.

GOOD LUCK this week!

Week 13 Crunch Time

It's coming down to the wire and I am once more struggling with a couple of final picks:

Who to install as my 3rd striker? Berbatov? Kanu? Sheva?
And, a 3rd defender??

15 mins to go...

Week 13 - Late Injury

** Late news, Rosicky is injured - out for 2 weeks with a bad hammy! I hope this news reached my friends in time, as I know he still featured in many line-ups due to the good price...***

Week 12 - Quick review

ManU powers on with another solid display. They are scoring goals, playing cohesive, attacking football and keeping opposition off the score sheet. Rooney did SFA yesterday, but Ronny & Saha scored. Facing Blackburn next week, who have committed the most penalties in the league, Saha looks good ;)

Liverpool looked very good at home, overpowering a tough Reading squad. Kuyt - I love this guy; he's all effort all the time and takes many pops at goal. Gerrard was solid, winning several corners & 1SOT, and recorded a decent YFF score.

Arsenal, as has been their theme so often this season, fired a blank against the Hammers. Henry managed a meagre single SOT and the rest of his teammated were also profligate in front of goal. Eboue came as a late sub, so expect him to reclaim the right back berth soon.

Newcastle are absolutely atrocious. Losing at home the bottom team in the league with a putrid effort. You'd have to like any team playing against them at the moment, especially if NUFC are away from home.

Chelsea named an unchanged line-up from the midweek game at Barca. Sheva is still out injured and Mourinho continued to show faith in Hilario, and Robben started again. Hosting Watford, Blues players certainly seem like good picks next round.

Week 12 - Woulda Shoulda Coulda

Turned out to be a mediocre YFF week, where, once again, players I considered inserting into my line-up performed well (and better) than the final selections I made. To wit:

Campo -- did squat, whereas Young (17.5), Barry (18), Downing (8.50) - all in the frame until the final line-up deadline, all surpassed his pittance of a YFF score.

Harper -- surely NUFC would beat the worst team in the EPL? Wrong! My contemplated alternative, Reina, doubled Harper's score.

Rossi -- played more like Lukas Rossi (of Rock Star Supernova): total waste of space. I could have used his cost on a cheap MF or defender and done better.

Week 12 - Friday news

The uncertainty of the Newcastle midfield is somewhat worrying, as I think Duff or Parker make nice picks this week. However both missed out on the UEFA game yesterday.

Quotes SkySports: [link here]

Newcastle's cause could be boosted by the return of senior players, with Roeder leaving a number of his squad in Newcastle to nurse knocks as a makeshift side earned a memorable 1-0 win in Sicily.

Magpies skipper Parker (knee), right-back Stephen Carr (knee) and flying winger Damien Duff (groin) could all return to the starting XI if they prove their fitness, whilst Celestine Babayaro will be hopeful of reclaiming his place at left-back.

The lack of a definitive status of these players makes me hesitant to pick them. "Could" is not exactly a strong endorsement of fitness. I will keep scouring for other news.

Week 12 - Champs League II

Henry - 8 attempts (!!), none on target
Rosicky - 3 attempts, none on target
Fabregas - 1 attempt
Van Persie - 6 attempts, 1 SOT
Clichy started, Djourou benched.


Rooney - 3 attempts, 1 SOT
Ronaldo - 3 attempts, 1 SOT, goal disallowed for offside
Saha - did not play, injured knee
Heinze - started, replaced by Evra on 80 mins
Vidic - replaced by Ferdinand on 45 mins.

Week 12 - Preliminary Line-up...maybe

Right now, here's what I'm looking at:

Henry
Kuyt
Rossi

Ronaldo
Downing --> Barton or Gerrard may come in for either Ron or Stewie
Ballack
Campo-->Young, Parker, Fabregas

Riise
Moore
Mokoena --> will replace Savage in the Blackburn MF

Harper --> will become Cudicini/Hilario most likely, depending on team news.

** I'll be watching team news intently, as several Newcastle regulars missed out on the UEFA Cup match due to injuries.