The Fantasy Football First Site Team

Fantasy Football First 2016/17 Site Team for Game Week 27

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My team was nominated as the official Fantasy Football First team. My job is to tell you how and why I have picked certain players and formations for the Fantasy Premier League, and explain my reasoning behind any changes along the way. This article explains the changes I have made to my team and why.

How did I do in game week 26?

For game week (GW) 26 I created a transfer plan for navigating the blank game weeks of GW26 and GW28. If you are unsure what the impact of the FA Cup is on our FPL Team, read this helpful guide. My plan was:

  • GW26: Sanchez to Mane
  • GW27: Holebas to an Evertonian or Alli to a City player
  • GW28: Costa to Lukaku and the other remaining move

I scored 69 points and my rank rose 41K to 145K. Even though this is a good score, I am still kicking myself for changing my captain from Kane to Costa while writing last week’s article.

Game week 27

As expected, Manchester City have beaten Huddersfield in the FA Cup, meaning the game week 28 fixture of City vs Stoke is brought forward from Saturday 11th March to Wednesday the 8th March, in order to accommodate the FA Cup game against Middlesbrough. This means City have two fixtures in game week 27, Sunderland away and Stoke at home, as confirmed by the official FPL twitter account.

Therefore, working through my plan of selling Alli for a City player, I now have to choose a City player. The candidates for me are not:

  • Silva because his goal scoring dropped off last season and his assist potential seems to have dropped off this season.
  • Yaya because he is playing as a box-to-box midfielder and therefore not getting into many shooting positions (although he is on penalties).
  • Nolito nor Navas because of erratic game time

To me the only options are KDB, Sterling and Sane. Yet City have six hard games in 15 days, and therefore are bound to have some rotation against these lower-ranked Premier League teams:

  • Wed 1 Mar v Huddersfield Town (FA Cup – Fifth Round)
  • Sun 5 Mar v Sunderland (Premier League)
  • Wed 8 Mar v Stoke City (Premier League)
  • Sat 11 Mar v Middlesbrough (FA Cup – Sixth Round)
  • Wed 15 Mar v Monaco (Champions League – Round of 16)
  • Sun 19 Mar v Liverpool (Premier League)

Tough games, despite City not playing last weekend.

I am tempted by Sane, and if I was chasing a big lead in a mini-league, I think he would be my choice because he has impressed.

However, I feel Sterling is the better choice. Sterling has scored 3 goals in the 5 games before tonight, and has played nearly every important game this season, with the exception of when he was injured in early December. Therefore, Sterling is my choice because I think he is less of a rotation risk despite playing 90 minutes tonight.

This has an implication in that Sterling has no game in game week 28. So while I have planned a move to take advantage of the double game week, I am not helped in my aim to field 10 players in game week 28. Indeed my situation is worse in that I had planned for Grant to cover the absence of Mannone, and now I find myself without any goal keeper. If I stick to my plan I will have only McAuley, Everton Defender, Phillips, Mirallas, Mane, Snodgrass, Lukaku for game week 28; 7 players! If I swapped Sterling for someone else, like Sigurdsson, for game week 28 then I would not be able to do the Costa move or the Holebas move without incurring a hit.

Of course, I could just ignore the City game and go Alli to Sigurdsson immediately. Or I could stick to my plan of Holebas to an Everton Defender and then do Alli to Sigurdsson in game week 28. So the question is, which will earn more points:

  • Sterling (vs Sunderland & vs Stoke) + Sigurdsson (vs Hull)?
  • Sigurdsson (vs Burnley & vs Hull) + Everton Defender (vs West Brom)?

As you can see, the double game week confers no advantage to me over the 2 weeks because either way the result is 2 players and 3 games.

Ah, but there is one key element missing. What happens if we captain Sterling? In effect, we give Sterling 4 games. The maths is more like:

  • Sterling (vs Sunderland x2 & vs Stoke x2) + Sigurdsson (vs Hull)?
  • Sigurdsson (vs Burnley & vs Hull) + Everton Defender (vs West Brom)?

That looks more attractive, and to a large extent makes up for the missing players in game week 28, especially if the game week 28 captain works out. In the words of the late Victoria Wood, “let’s do it”.

To confirm, I have sold Alli and bought Sterling, and my transfer plan is now

  • GW27: Alli to Sterling
  • GW28: Costa to Lukaku and Sterling to Sigurdsson

The site team this week is as below and my captain is Sterling. I am tempted to use my Triple Captain chip. If I do I’ll confirm it in an article.

Lastly, if you are unsure what to do with your team, and have found it hard to repeat my planning from the last two weeks, then the team at FPL have done a very good twitter video on the DGW.

Best of luck this weekend. Post your team below, tell me your GW28 plans, and I’ll take a look.

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ChorleyRocks

Site founder, first used stats to try to win his work mini-league. Now helps other managers win theirs.

956 thoughts on “Fantasy Football First 2016/17 Site Team for Game Week 27”

  2. Does the fact Pep played aguero for the full 90 today mean he´s not planning to start him against stoke?

    • @Kumast

      Well, I had said that City would rest key players for both games.
      KdB was rested for all bar the last 13 minutes, so I would expect him to start against Stoke.
      I am sticking with my guns and reckon Aguero and Sterling will start the Stoke game on the bench. I wonder if anyone (bar Kralin) will agree with me though :question:

        • @IvanTheTerrible

          I stated that key players would be rested. KdB was rested, is that not a correct prediction?
          btw, I got 2 perfect scores today :nahnah:

        • @IvanTheTerrible

          Is there any reason why you are making posts which simply read
          @IvanTheTerrible ?

        • @Kumast

          So, do you think that Wenger is immortal and will still be managing Arsenal (and wearing the coat) in 50 years time? :lolflag:

        • @OldGoat He might struggle to last another 50 years, but i certainly think he will be at arsenal until he dies. And anyway, Klopp is not a coat man. His style is more tracksuit top. Beer rather than wine. Sausage rather than cheese.

        • @OldGoat No, he might eat bratwurst in germany but in Liverpool he orders good old english bangers!

        • @OldGoat I think Jermain Defoe is immortal. He always seems to have been around. He never seems to age.

        • @Kumast The Guardian has reported an alleged bust-up at Arsenal’s training (before their defeat yesterday) where Sanchez stormed out. That may partly explain the bizarre decision not to start him yesterday.

        • @Kumast Thing is Kumast (I hope you got a good point’s tally today, by the way), I’m thinking of Defoe to Llorente this week, then Lallana to Sanchez the week after.

          Obviously though I don’t want to pick a player in open revolt.

          Hopefully his price will plummet then they’ll kiss and make up.

        • @Kumast That is what I meant, but apologies for the lack of tact as I remember you own him. I was thinking, selfishly, of picking him up on the cheap.

        • @Kumast I do have a near-obsessive regard for the value of my team and watch the pennies like a hawk.

          Defoe falling and Llorente rising tonight is making me feel edgy.

        • @Kralin Oh dear, I sympathise. I’ve been there many times. And I too am careful with the cash. Thats why I have a high TV, which is giving me a lot of wiggle room. If you’re absolutely sure thats the transfers you want to make then maybe go ahead tonight. Do you have anyone playing tomorrow that could get injured? Costa? (Or sent off !)

        • @Kumast Alonso tomorrow, who I’m keeping (along with my Spurs trio and the dependable Pieters). I’m toying with the idea of a rare hit this week to replace Amat with a (GW28) playing defender who can turn into bench-fodder after. Someone like Mawson.

          Annoyingly both my goalies play in week 28 – I wish there was a double goalies chip.

        • @Kralin Not sure if thats worth a hit. He will probably will get 2 points. I’m with you on the double goalies. Id rather one of mine was out and another player eligible.

        • @Kumast You’re probably right. It’s just I’ve had Amat festering on my bench for weeks. I’ll assess after Wenesday as Kun could cause me damage yet in my league and I won’t want to be -4ing.

      • @OldGoat Rest?Why?They r top profesionals players,who make big money 2 play 90 min.WTF! They must play bcs i have TC on Aguero,and i have Sane and Stones 🙂

        • @zmajevi well then, maybe they will play – Pep I’m sure has been briefed that the hopes of thousands of fantasy managers across the land – across the world, in fact – rest in his hands.

          I’m sure at the very least they will come off the bench. Kun is perfectly capable of causing mayhem in a short space of time.

        • @IvanTheTerrible ? don’t understand what you mean. Do you mean, ‘let us submit a petition to Pep to start Kun and Sterling’?

          It would be a grand thing to see Parliament debate that.

        • @Kralin and Sane and Stones!!!Make petition NOW!! :highfive:

          PS.
          I m nr 2 in m league.Nr 1 make no TC on aguero.Hi have 1445 pts,i have 1433.Hi have Grant-Sterling-Aguero like capt.Me Stones-Sane-Aguero TC,Next GW hi wil have i think 8-9 players,i wil have 9 with -4 pts.

        • @zmajevi Stones you may be safe with and hopefully Sane will play some role.

          I have Sterling in my b-team, so have some interest here.

          Let’s get it rolling, get a few signatures and a bit of celebrity backing. Who knows, one day they may make a film about how a few plucky fantasy managers changed history.

        • @Kralin Yeaa lets make history!! Haaha

          Somthing new abt Ibra?I must make some changes for gw28.Ibra-Lorente,Sane-Sigi.

        • @zmajevi Llorente and Siggy works ok for a week or two but longer term I’m not sure. After I may get Jermain back or Gabbiadini from week 30. If you don’t have Lukaku then I’d get him in for Ibra.

      • @OldGoat Pep said after the game today that he ´wants more goals from city´. So aguero starts?

        • @Kumast

          We will all have to wait until kick-off on Wednesday.
          I have stated my opinion over the last few days. Nothing to add now, especially as the deadline has passed

        • @OldGoat How are you doing points wise this week? OK if you captained Kane, which presumably you did.

          I’m on 73 with Alonso and the great Pieters to come.

      • @OldGoat I would be amazed if they didn’t start on the bench, given the fixture pile-up and the closeness of the two games. But hopefully both will slide off the bench at some point to raise spirits and points’ tallies in the fantasy world.

  3. I’m on 67 points with Azpi, Pieters and Sterling to play. I triple captained Sterling so hopefully he starts or at least gets some minutes in the next game, maybe a goal or an assist. That would be beautiful.

    • @SergioSammut Fingers crossed. Sterling is well-capable of that. Pep can’t start with an entirely new XI on Wednesday. Hopefully Chelsea will keep a CS tomorrow as well. Pieters has been my best-performing defender this week so far – the rest let me down for once.

      (67 is a good tally so far.)

  4. On 70 points with TC Aguero, Sterling, Pieters and Grant to go. Should I transfer in Lukaku for Aguero or Costa in GW28?

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