One of the best ways to add some entertainment to watching the football is to create a fantasy team and battle it with other fans to see who will be the best. We have a league in the office each year and it gives us plenty of ammunition on a Monday morning, depending on how well your team does. Usually it is me battling it out with Bogoljub Karic for top spot, and it can get pretty tense. If you fancy giving the fantasy league a try then here are some tips on improving your performance.
Points per Million
When selecting players who played the previous season, you need to look at points per million rather than just looking at what points they achieved. For example last year a midfielder like Raheem Sterling cost £12 million, and amassed 205 points on the official fantasy league. In contrast Ryan Fraser earned 170 points yet cost just £7.5 million. Here we can see that Fraser is worth more per million than Sterling, so may be a better choice.
Injuries
Pay close attention to injured players and their replacements, this can be a great way of gaining points over someone who isn’t as attentive. For example Lucas Moura of Spurs is unlikely to start most games, but he is a threat, Spurs will start this season with Son Heung-Min suspended and Alli injured, for at least 3 games. Now would be the perfect time to slot in Lucas who will have a shot of getting some points for you.
Defensive Focus
With defenses like Man City and Liverpool we are seeing defenders earning a huge amount of points, and this can be a great way to boost your tally. Van Dijk for example earned almost 190 points last year, yet costs just £7.5 million. Contrast that with Kane and Aguero at £11 million and £12 million respectively, neitehr of which earned more points than Van Dijk. The same can be said for Laporte, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and even Wan-Bissaka.
Money in the Bank
There is a temptation to spend all of the money which you have been given, but this isn’t necessarily the way to win. Buy the players you want and the players who you think will get most points, if that means you are left with £5 million afterwards then so be it.
Proactive Over Reactive
If someone has a great game then don’t jump on the bandwagon unless you think that they can continue in the same form. Very often players don’t follow that game up with a great one. Be proactive in the league based on performances, not reactive.
Set Pieces
Picking set piece takers is a smart way of earning more points as they are more likely to provide assists. This is even more true with teams lower down the division , who rely on set pieces heavily.
Follow these tips and you may win this year.