The Takeaway from GW17 and a tip or two

Merry Christmas to one and all !   Santa was good to Stooshers with 90 points in GW17, and at 1001 points for the year, I've climbed to 8800+ in the world.  First in my minileague for the first time in at least 2 years, my best world position ever.  How can I f*** this up ?  We'll see. 

A late post on GW17, including a few head's up on tomorrow.

1.  Manchester United have a lot of incredible options and a schedule to boot.  Duh.  Here we go, 4-1 over Wolves, 5-0 over Fulham and a near term schedule which looks like - WIG, BLA, new, BOL. Booyah ! Aside from the obvious Rooney and Nani selections, there are a ton of options.  Best bargain: Jonny Evans.  His price has just risen, so he's not completely under the radar, but Antonio Valencia.  With A.Young injured (according to SAF, but see No. 2), Valencia seems nailed on for 3 starts of the next 4; he's started 4 games in 18 days - so I expect he'll sit one of the 4 ahead.  The only thing holding me back from bringing in Valencia for this minirun is that Valencia doesn't have great FFS/CTI numbers despite a 4 GW run of 3, 12, 8, 6 in his 4 prior starts.  I'll be up a couple more hours thinking about this one.  A lot of folks will be jumping on Welbeck but I am not confident that he'll start more than  1 or 2 of the next 4.  If you look at Hernandez v. Welbeck; Hernandez starts when he is not injured or fatigued.  And it looks like Hernandez is back to fitness.  Anyone across the back 4 that started the last game (Smalling, P.Jones (see No. 2), Evans, Evra) look like a decent short term punt.  And, I'll say this, you could do a lot worse - provided you are willing to pay ~2.0 extra for 2 GK - than the combo of deGea/Lindegaard (10.9).  Lindegaard is a bargain price and hasn't conceded in the Premier League.  Don't just get De Gea, get Lindegaard too.   Carrick and Giggs are decent punts over the short term too.  Carrick looks in form to my eye and Giggs, is, well ,Giggs.  Won't start all of the next 4  but might be worth a chance on another big week at 6.8 if it fits your budget and you can always WC out after GW21.

2.  If you believe anything out of SAF's mouth postgame, I've got a bridge in Arizona I want to sell you.  In reading FF blog commenters, I was laughing hysterically at the number of folks bailing on Phil Jones based on a stray elbow and SAF's post game comments.  The master of the jedi mind game,  I now believe almost just the opposite of everything SAF says relative to the fitness of his players post game.  I mean, if you think about it, Jones took a shot to the jaw.  It's hard to break a jaw.  But I was happy to see tons of FF managers go into sell-off mode (and buy Evans, who I bought at 4.4).  Don't know if Jones will start tomorrow, but I would not be surprised.

3.  Are there Everton players worth owning ?  Short answer: I wouldn't go out of my way.  I gambled on Royston Drenthe last week and he was worth 6 points and looked like he might grab BP points.  I am going to stay through the DGW20 but he has a lot to prove in terms of a long term contract with my side.  Osman had great FFS/CTI numbers and is only 6.7.  There isn't a lot of great value in this range, although I would argue that Walters is probably a better value, given Stoke's near term schedule.  Everton play 4 of their next 5 away, although they do have the DGW20.  I bigged up Baines a few weeks ago, and if I had him, I'd probably hang with him through the DGW20.  Jagielka has ~13% ownership, which seems insane to me, but . . . I wouldn't drop him until after DGW20.  The budget defender here is Hibbert at 4.8.  But, again, 4 of the next 5 Everton games are away.

4.  Newcastle 2 v. WBA 3.  I initially had Evans benched (away to Ful) and had Simpson in, in a game that, earlier in the year, I would have expected Newcastle to be good odds for a clean sheet.  Sanity returned, Evans came in for Simpson just before deadline, and, well, I picked up 6 points.  As a Simpson holder, I'm a little worried about Newcastle's defense. 

This week reminded us all of the force that Peter Odemwingie can be when fit.  WBA play 3 of the next 4 at home - MNC, EVE, tot, NOR - and I rode Odemwingie hard last year, so I tend to think he's a good value ahead.  If you have Ba, you might want to monitor Odemwingie for a sideways pricewise transfer.

5.  I think Wigan and Bolton will survive.  What does that mean for the FF manager ?  Not a lot.  Al-Haibsi, Moses and Gomez for Wigan.  All good rotation guys.  Bolton, not so much.  I think Klasnic is a good budget forward, but since Eagles has been benched, it's hard to see any value here.  G.Cahill is rumored to be off to greener pastures (big teams, apparently, haven't been watching Cahill's performances this year) and he may become a FF value at 5.2, but this is a guy who has 17 FF points in his last 16 games.  He makes Jonathan Woodgate look positively prolific. Maybe at Chelsea or Tottenham and at 5.2 he becomes worth a look in.  If Bolton use the money to get a credible left back or a central midfielder capable of a defense splitting pass, Bolton will be OK.

6.  Thinking about a Valencia for Silva near term gamble, crazy ?  I sent the following post to my minileague friend and rival ForzaInter:

Another bit of info, and who knows since it came out of SAF's mouth, is that A.Young sustained some sort of knee injury and is expected out for 2-3 weeks. Subject to rotation, Nani and Valencia should be close to nailed on for 2-3 weeks with each maybe getting a GW off - but probably not together. More importantly, Nani and Valencia were central to every attacking MUN move.  If there are goals, Nani and Valencia will be involved.

 

Another important point is that Aguero reminds us of the force he is [in the Stoke game].  The thing about Aguero is that he is currently only 0.6 more expensive than Silva, but has more points (108 v103); has more double figure GWs (5 v 4) and, more importantly for armband purposes has 66 points in those 5 double figure GWs (pending BPs this week) v. Silva's 43 in his 4 double figure GWs.  This tells me there is so much more upside to Aguero  - who will almost always get the armband in favorable fixtures (whereas I have been reluctant to go to Silva(c) despite his consistency).

 

MUN schedule for the next 4(6) GWs: WIG, BLA, new, BOL, (ars, STK).

 

MNC schedule for the next 4(6) GWs: wba, sun, LIV, wig, (TOT, eve).  And, as we know, 2 Carling Cup games in that mix, as well as a FA Cup game.

 

Call me crazy, but this all screams Valencia >> Silva for the next 4 GWs (2-3 weeks); after GW20, Tottenham's DGW, Aguero >> Adebayor.  And then re-evaluate with the transfer window WC, with a view to replacing Silva permanently with the steady Yaya Toure after his return from ACN (perhaps once A.Young is back to fitness and threatens Valencia's place again).

 

Late in the evening here in E.S.T., but I am torn on this one.  Dropping Silva leaves me with no attacking MNC coverage.  Valencia has scored well in terms of FF points but not in terms of the EA Sports PPI or FFS/CTI.  But I give up Silva, central to MNC averaging 3.0+ gpg.  The upside is the 2.1 I would grab off Silva makes a Vermaelen or a Clichy or a Skrtel or a P.Jones or a A.Cole available for Monk. 

 

7.  Does the 24 hour push back of the Arsenal game change your RvP play ?  I thought there was a good chance that van Persie might be rested for the Wolves game but with the game pushed back 24 hours, I think RvP is a good bet to start.  So he's my no-brainer captain selection. I am guessing he'll be rested v. QPR 4 days later with Fulham away 3 days after that.

 

The Takeaway from GW16

No sooner is GW16 in the books than we need to think about GW17 and beyond as the fixtures come fast and furious over the next 2 weeks.

1.  Christmas came early in my FF world.  When I went to bed last night, I was hoping for a nice, average score, somewhere in the mid/high50s, given my misfiring captain, Emmanuel Adebayor.  I was hoping to keep pace with others in my minileague and stay in the 30K range world ranking.  Lo and behold, Santa left me a great big, brightly wrapped, blinking green arrow !  Adebayor and my team's latest new boy, Brad Friedel jump on 3 BPs; to go with 3 for Sturridge and Silva, and suddenly a 67 point GW was under the tree !  Saw me move to within 3 points of my minileague leader and just over 22K in the world. 

But this GW was a reminder of how consistently solid David Silva is, both in the real world and in terms of his FF delivery. A goal, his first home goal in a while, and the full 3 BPs (despite Samir Nasri being named the MOM at the game) saw an 11 pointer for the Spaniard his 4th double figure haul this year.

2.  Royston Drenthe can play.   In a 20 minute cameo, he looked easily the best player Everton has in attack.  Although his assist was a bit fortuitous, coming off a scuffed shot, he could easily have had 2 goals but for good saves by Ruddy.  He was full of movement and pace and looked to take on defenders at every opportunity.  I saw him earlier in the year and thought 'meh' - but at 5.9 with a good near term schedule, including DGW20 (SWN, sun, wba, BOL/tot, avl, BLA), he looks a very decent option for a 3 week flyer if he is well and truly over his injury.  Everton's inability to keep CSs really hurts Baines' appeal at 7.8 and Jagielka at 5.4, and with a poor attack, most will be avoiding Everton despite the upcoming DGW.  Drenthe's 20 minute cameo has me reconsidering.

3.  Fingers crossed, Evans looks a steal.  No one knows what's in SAF's mind from week to week in terms of Man Utd's line-up, but for 2 straight GWs the back 4 was Smalling, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra.  With Fletcher and Cleverly out so that Jones looks a midfield fixture, this might be SAF's default back 4.  I suspect SAF would like to settle on a fixed back 4 (as any manager would, I certainly do as a coach). If that's the case, Evans is looking like the second coming of Enrique.

4.  By the way, Liverpool defense.  Skrtel's goal will shed a little light on a pretty well-kept secret, the meanest defense in the EPL.  Liverpool have conceded only 13 goals this year, 1 less than Man Utd and 2 less than Man City.  35% of managers have Enrique but Skrtel and Agger are 6.0/5.9 and Dalglish has opted for these 2 over Carragher (as a Liverpool fan, something I think that's been long, long overdue) and with a very, very good near term schedule (aside from a trip to MNC), is doubling down on Liverpool's defense the worst idea ?

5.  What to do with Suarez ?  Despite his uncanny ability to miss chances, 27.5% of managers have kept faith.  His EA PPI and FFS/ICT numbers look good (nobody creates/takes more shots), and when you watch him you see an all-action figure who creates 3-4 quality chances a week for himself but . . . he doesn't have a single double figure GW all season.  Now the Evra and Fulham finger incidents may result in an enforced layoff but if you have him, even aside from a suspension threat, you have to look at the likes of Ba, Sturridge, Adebayor, or even Yakubu, Morison, Holt or Klasnic, and say I can put the extra cash to some use.

6.  Eyewitness says Bolton are Dead Men Walking.  My good friend Bretto, manager of ForzaInter, is in London for a Christmas holiday (jealous nashing of teeth) and he was at Craven Cottage for the 2-0 Fulham win over Bolton.  He reports that Ruiz, Dembele and, especially Dempsey, were very impressive.  Ive been bigging Clint Dempsey all year and yesterday was his 3rd double figure points haul this season.  He sits tied for 4th in midfield FF points.  Tough near term schedule, but when the schedule clears he's a guy who should be on your Watch List.

Bretto gives a picture of Bolton as listless no-hopers, however.  As a Bolton fan, that's depressing, but as a FF manager I guess the takeaway is, I might want to think about the players in my squad as starters/captain material if Bolton are in the headlights.  I really, really like Owen Coyle as a manager and hope they can win at Blackburn this week which might get Coyle's head off the chopping block.  It's probably down to whether bargain price forward  Ivan Klasnic can continue his form which sees him in the top 10 of forwards for FF points so far this year, despite serving a 3 game ban.

7.  I don't think Vermaelen's 7 goals in 2009-10 were an accident.  Man City were deserved 1-0 winners yesterday, I thought, but Arsenal were within a whisker of tieing it late through a couple of Vermaelen strikes.  Joe Hart had to be sharp on 1 and another was about 6" to the left of the post from being an equalizer.  He's got 3 goals already, and on yesterday's evidence, you wouldn't bet against him doubling that this year.  At 6.9, and Arsenal's good defensive record since he came back from injury, he might be a good transition from Baines or Vidic (if you had the Serb).  With few midfielders in the ~7.0 price range Vermaelen is that 'triple threat' (attacking/CS/BP) defender it's worth looking at if you are willing to add a defender at the cost of a midfielder in your formation.

Plan Ahead

The English press charaterizes it as the 'festive period' of fixtures but it is in reality a real games glut for FF managers and it's better to start thinking about it now, rather than later. Most teams will be playing 6-8 games over a period of 20-24 days (including FA Cup, GW21,(and CC semis for the likes of Liverpool and Man City)); and from this GW16 through the midweek GW20, most teams will have 5 games in 17 days.  So a few suggestions:

1.  GWs come fast and furious.  It's very easy to blow through a GW deadline if you are prepping for a ski trip over the holiday or are stuck on some new gameboy Christmas present.

2. Look at the schedule of any prospective purchase.  Yes, Victor Moses is back from the dead and at 4.6 is a great price for a nailed on starter/90 minute guy/best FF threat in his team but . . . Wigan get started on a brutal run of fixtures beginning this week with Chelsea.  With more than 1/10 of your FF season taking place over the next 3 weeks the last thing you want to do is transfer in a player with several elite teams on his schedule or 3 out of 4 away or something similar. 

If you aren't on any FF websites (or even if you are), especially if you are looking to buy a big ticket midfielder/forward from an elite team, check the team's website for all  of their forthcoming games (FA Cup, Carling Cup, Europa League), not just their EPL schedule.  Especially with the elite teams, the FPL schedule may be complicated with extra FA Cup or Carling Cup games.

3.  I'm not going to do your homework for you.  But let's look at one guy, a guy you probably have since if you are reading this you are probably paying attention and because 46% of managers hold him, David Silva.  Here's his schedule through Jan 11, GW21:

Sun  12/18   ARS (EPL)

Wed 12/21  STK (EPL)

Mon 12/26  wba (EPL)

Sun  1/1       sun  (EPL)

Tues 1/3      LIV (EPL)

Sun  1/8      MUN (FA)

Wed 1/11    LIV (CC)

Mon 1/16   wig (EPL)

 

7 games in 24 days (8 in 28).  Anyone willing to give me odds on Silva sitting, say, 12/21 v. STK or 1/1 @ sun or 1/16 @ wig or all 3 FF GWs?

 

4.  Make sure your squad guys are starters and likely to play.  If you picked Ferguson of NWC 'cause he was dirt cheap or some other guy (hello Leroy Lita) who is dirt cheap but doesn't start regularly or is at best a 10 minute cameo guy, well, when Silva (or any of your other elite players, remember, Wenger and SAF have already promised to rotate their squads over the 'festive period') is rotated out, take your '0' or '1' pointer autosub like a man.

 

5. This is a good week to dump out that guy blinking with a red "i" or yellow "i" on your team.  For the same reason, time to get rid of a player - maybe not a priority before - who is injured and not likely to be available over the 'festive period'.  You may need all 3 squad guys.  Better 4/2 points than play with 9 or 10.

 

6.  Be sure your vice-captain (VC) is very, very likely to play.  It's those weaker games over this glut where we are  likely to see RvP, Aguero, Rooney etc. etc. rested.  Make sure your 'vice' - even if you have to drop down to a guy like Jamie O'Hara or Seb Larrson (not that these guys might not be subject to rotation but are far less likely) - it's often worth it.  I'm not sure even a Michel Vorm at home over this period is the worst pick as a VC.  An elite defender may come into play here too; defenders are far less likely to be rested.

 

7.  Think your captain's decision through if you select an elite option.   Get as much info as you can before you pick your captain.  If Rooney, or RvP, or Aguero have started 2 games in 7 days, and have a weak opponent ahead, you are taking a calculated risk that he won't be rested, and if the side is is in trouble late on, might not come on for 20 minutes w/o prodicing the goods.  Yes, RvP and Dzeko, for instance, have turned cameos into huge games for their FF managers this year, but you may be better off with a midpriced guy playing 90 minutes against a weak opponent.

 

8.  Coupe d'Afrique des nations de football.  I was all set to fire up a new post titled 'Is Silva a Must-Have?' and make the case that you could drop Silva down to Yaya Toure (in the last 10 GWs their points are similar, both have 2 goals, and 1 double figure GW in those 10 GWs, to start with the argument) and create some cash for other investment but I was reminded that Yaya Toure heads for Africa in early January for the African Cup of Nations (ACN).  The lesson here is that if you are bringing someone in for the benefit of their near term schedule, better be sure you know whether they will be shipping out for ACN and when.  I think Demba Ba will outscore Daniel Sturridge (I have Sturridge) over the next 4 GWs, but Sturrridge is staying in London all through January and February and won't be playing 3-6 matches in the summer heat of Libreville. 

 

There is nothing better than having a few days off at the holidays and between the Christmas festivities and New Year's parties watching a ton of games, but you will fall like a stone in your minileague if you lose track of GW deadlines, rotation, and injuries.

 

The Take Away from GW15

With one more massive game to go in the GW, here is what I take away from this past weekend's matches.

1.  Man United's attack has returned.  5 straight single goal league matches left many FF managers wondering if SAF had so committed to defending that the likes of Rooney, Nani, Young, and Hernandez/Welbeck  would provide returns their price tags justify.  When I (improvidently) wildcarded back in GW7, I made the determination that Nani would be my only Man Utd cover and if Rooney kept on with his spectacular run, Nani would be heavily involved, minimizing my losses vis-a-vis those who soldiered on with Rooney.  As the blank weeks mounted for Rooney (and as he was reassigned to the midfield), FF managers abandoned him and his price dropped.  But, as my league leader, the Mighty Gustavonator, never tires of telling me - patience, patience, patience.  Rooney is in a class with RvP (and, I think, Aguero) in terms of FF points scorers.  1 of these 3 is nigh-on essential (2 is even better) I think this year, so I'm not sure why anyone would have abandoned Rooney unless they were bringing in Aguero or RvP.  I have made the determination that Nani is my Man Utd guy and he will be with my side through thick and thin.  Patience.  I might be slightly worried if I held Ashley Young - Valencia was excellent on Saturday, and less well publicized I guess, is that Nani was excellent on the left side in this game.  Will SAF keep that attacking formation and keep Nani on the left ?  The question is enough to make me nervous if I own A.Young.

2. The FF upside and the downside to Vidic's unfortunate injury.  I was really, really disappointed to see Nemanja Vidic's injury in the CL loss, first because he is a fantastic defender I love to watch and second, because I had planned to bring him in next week, following up on my 'triple threat' post last week. His absence means Man Utd are less likely (my quick and dirty analysis based on a the very small sample of this year's games w/without Vidic is 30% less likely to keep CS) to keep clean sheets (query: does Fletcher get his head on the ball for the Wolves' goal if Vidic is playing?).  I moved for Evans on Friday and stressed all Friday and Saturday morning until I saw Evans in the BBC text listing the Man Utd lineup sheet  I think the fact that SAF immediately moved for Evans as Vidic's replacement is a pretty significant statement.  And I thought Evans played well, albeit against an anemic Wolves attack.  If Evans starts, say, 6 of the next 7, he looks a massive, massive value to me - on the order of Enrique at 5.0 joining Liverpool.  Constantly slagged off by Man Utd supporters, I think the Northern Irishman is good enough to help Man Utd to 3-4 CS over the holiday glut of games, given the near term schedule.  Even Smalling looks pretty good at 5.2, although his spot is at some risk when Rafael returns our SAF slides Jones to RB.

3.  Patience is one thing but then there's Ramsey.  When I originally brought him in, it was because he seemed to get in better attacking positions than Arteta.  As the season has worn on Arteta has asserted himself as the dominant attacking option in central midfield for Arsenal and Ramsey has been very much the assist to the assister guy. Meanwhile Ramsey has also missed some pretty easy chances; enough to make me wonder about his composure in front of goal.  Count this as an experiment that failed.  Stooshers will be moving on.

4. You get what you pay for.  When I saw that Vorm had saved Dempsey's penalty, I was ecstatic; I had doubled down on Swansea's defense with Vorm and Monk . . . only to learn Monk was on the bench.  Caulker's return sidelined Swansea's f***ing team captain.  If your f***ing team captain is not nailed on, who is ?  Again, you go for budget defenders, you get what you pay for.  Every time one of your ~4.0 defenders starts, it's a good day - and you should never take it for granted.

5.  Demba Ba makes me wonder if Daniel Sturridge is my best option in this price range. Nuff said.  The Senagalese will be off for ACON, and for my minileague position, it can't come soon enough.

6.  Is the Newcastle defensive dike starting to burst ?  I'm not dropping Danny Simpson now, but you wonder if the loss of S.Taylor and Fabricio (what was mom thinking?) Coloccini will be the end of Newcastle's CS form.  I actually think Coloccini is much more important than S.Taylor and so I'll hold back judgment til he is back for a few games.

7.  Stoke v. Tottenham.  This game demonstrated to me that Tottenham will not challenge Man City, Man Utided  or Chelsea for a top 3 place.  Not enough physicality to match Stoke, whereas all of the above 3 teams can grind with Stoke (and other EPL teams that get 'stuck in' as they say).  That's not to say Tottenham shouldn't have gotten a result but for an Adebayor's onside goal being ruled offside.  The other take away here was  - Adebayor on pens now.  I wonder if there won't be some clarification in the press on this, but I as I watched the game, I assumed I had missed VdV being subbed.  VdV is a terrific FF asset, and his accuracy and shoot-on-sight attitude makes him an elite FF mid, but w/o pens in his locker, Bale's price makes him a lot more attractive option as we steam toward that DGW.

8.  Stephen Fletcher, legend.  I don't know if Mick McCarthy will keep playing 4-4-2, but if he does, and your model is 2 elite forwards and a budget guy, Fletcher is your man.  He has 6 goals to Kevn Doyle's 2 in 500 fewer minutes played.  In 1395 minutes last year, i.e., essentially 15 games, Fletcher scored 10 goals, with 3 assists.  With, I believe, Burnley, in 2009-10 in 2850 min., 8 goals, 5 assists.  Great squad forward - if McCarthy plays him.

9.  Bolton fans, the torture continues.  No, it's worse.  The Reebok used to be a fortress.  It still is but now the gate's open and the guards have taken vacation.  2 goals to Villa, at home . . . are you f***ing kidding me ?  I thought I would see my favorite team outside of Liverpool  prosper under Owen Coyle but it's hard to see a team as shambolic defensively as this team pulling out of the relegation zone.  If only they had a widely sought after international center back to anchor that defense . . . oh, wait. And now, the one bright spot to the season, the guy who was actually providing the team with goals, Ivan Klasnic is stretchered off.  Faithful commenter Gummi will be in despair.

10.  Moses, 13 points.  On my bench.  Victor Moses is down to 4.6 and still has good underlying 'goal threat' stats as shown on the essential Members/FFS site.  And he scored a beauty v. West Brom on Saturday.  And picked up 3 BPs.  And I kept the aforementioned twit Ramsey in my line-up against an Everton team I knew - knew - would bunker up.  The lesson: always, always challenge your assumptions when you set up your starting line-up.  Anyway, now that my man Victor comes into some form, Wigan's schedule becomes the worst in the EPL  over the next 8 games.  I'm staying with him as my squad mid but I'll have to hope for a bit of a miracle to get another return like that when one of my starters is unexpectedly benched.

Haruspicy

Like an ancient Etruscan, I am trying to divine the bargain priced Chris Smalling's future by searching the entrails of today's lineup from the BBC's Live Text -

Man Utd: De Gea, Smalling, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Park, Giggs, Jones, Young, Nani, Rooney. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans, Welbeck, Fletcher, Valencia, Macheda, Gibson.

Does this tell us that this is SAF's favored line-up in a 'must win' (as surely the Wolves encounter this weekend is a must win) and, therefore, Smalling is nailed on as the RB on the weekend ?  Ferdinand has now started a few fair games in a row, so does this tell us that Ferdinand will probably be dropped on the weekend so as not to aggravate his back; therefore one of P.Jones or J.Evans will start at CB v. Wolves, thereby cementing Smalling at RB ?  Does this tell us that Smalling is in danger of benching on the weekend, having got 2 straight starts  - on the theory following P.Jones' recent benching - that SAF is following a '2-3 starts/1 game off' strategy, meaning Smalling is next for the bench ?  Is there some other meaning for Chis Smalling's future that I cannot discern here having no access to a manual of the ancient art ?

My kingdom for a true Etruscan Haruspex . . . ah, the lost arts.

The Takeaway from GW14

ON Friday night/Saturday morning, we drove the 10 1/2 hours to Houghton, Michigan for a long weekend, and so the only game I saw was the Monday Fulham v. Liverpool game, which included the only soccer goal my brother in law has ever seen as he indulged my soccer insanity (hockey rules in Houghton - we watched the Houghton HS Gremlins (!) win the Joe Buck tournament in an unheated hockey arena Saturday afternoon).  Luckily Sirius radio carried the Chelsea early game Saturday, then the Arsenal game.  Sturridge's late goal was met by a huge yell as we skirted Lake Superior on Hwy 28 in light snow and swirling wind.  And as we turned inland at Marquette and headed north, RvP's point haul assured a satisfying drive.  Houghton is the sort of place where 8 inches of snow is met with shrugs and tilts of the head and comments like "light dusting".  When it's followed by 4" the next day, the locals don't even blink.  It has been known to snow for 80 straight days in Houghton.

An 84 point haul - my best in a long, long time, saw me move to 2nd in my minileague and 60,000+ in the world, a massive jump.  This is not to gloat; I'm among the probable 30% + of managers who captained van Persie and had Bale in their team, so not much genius involved.  But let's get to what we can take from the weekend.

1.  Manchested United, 1-0 masters.  Manchester United's scores in their last 5 league games, since the Man City beatdown: 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-1 (dubious Ba PK), 1-0.  If you don't have a MUN defender (sheepily raises hand) you better get one because the schedule points to 4-5 more in the next 7 (WOL, qpr, ful, WIG, BLA, nwc, BOL).  The holiday glut and the liklihood that Ferdinand won't play every game, means there may be some chance for Smalling (5.2) to play a bunch of these games; Jones' (6.4 and rising) flexibility means he is good value.  I don't think swapping in de Gea/Lindegaard as your GK combo is the worst call in the world either.  But, as I am about to make the case in Takeaway No. 2, Vidic strikes me as the best value: nailed on and a triple threat(goals/CS/BP). Heck, if Ferdinand is over his back issues, and starts 5 of these games, whose to say those 5 might not all be CS ?  You pay a slight premium for Evra (only 1 great FF season in his history, although, tbf, he's on a 150 point pace).  In short, as your budget permits, at least one MUN defender seems de riguer.

2.  The case for triple threat defenders.  I have found the case for budget defenders you rotate home/away or for favorable fixtures pretty compelling the last 2 years.  My minileague leader, the Mighty Gustavonator, has made this case for years. And FPL Chris has put a numbers crunch to the analysis.  But . . . I think a case is to be made for a subset of defender, one who constitutes a 'triple threat': (i) goal/assist threat; (ii) Clean Sheet threat; (iii) Bonus Point threat - and (iv) a nailed on starter.  The initial point in the analysis is the dirth of midfielders in the midprice range (aside from Bale) who are justifying the price above a high end budget guy like Walters (who started at 6.0) or Murphy. The second point in the analysis is that there are a number of < 8.0, some < 7.0, defenders who offer a 'triple threat' whose history and threat make them pretty good value if you are willing to tinker with your FF team formation.  Based on history, I would suggest the following defenders are worth looking at - Baines, Vidic, Vermaelen, and Terry.  Baines has averaged 3G, 10A the past 2 seasons; 138 and 178 points respectively.  Not as strong a CS prospect as the others, but compare his total historical FF numbers compare pretty favorably to more expensive options like Walcott, Arteta, even Bale.  A terrific schedule through the Vidic, in his 2 seasons with 2900+ minutes has 9 goals.  Vidic is a BP magnet and MUN have a substantial CS history and seem especially committed to keeping it tight at the back since the Man City blow-out.  Vermaelen has a substantial injury history but may constitute the best of this group.  7 goals in his 1 full season (even that was a 30 game season), 3 goals this year since his return from injury; Arsenal have 5 CS this year and a good past history.  John Terry is currently the leading point getter for defenders; Chelsea have a really strong CS history and 3 in their last 4 in the EPL.  Terry has 4 goals already, which is well above his historical average, so maybe it's not fair to expect further goal returns, but there are 24 games left.  There are some 'bargains', if you will, in the triple threat category but who, maybe, lack history or are not quite nailed on just yet as guaranteed starters but who may have substantial upside.  The most obvious is Phil Jones who has seen a substantial price rise; but here are a few others who represent some risk to go with their potential: massive bargain/massive risk candidate: Chris Smalling (5.2).  Back from injury and started at RB in MUN's weekend 1-0 win; grabbed a BP too.  Got forward at RB early in the season before his injury.  Definitely not nailed on with Jones's emergence but those of us with just enough available cash might take a chance . . . . David Luiz (6.3) loves to get forward (2G in 900+ min last year) and seems part of AVB's preferred back 4 (Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole).  Ivanovic (6.7) - 4G, 5A last year, nailed on now at RB. 2 from Man City - Vincent Kompany, 2G this year, had he been appropriately categorized as a defender last year (and been given 4 points for each of MNC's 18 CS instead of 1), he would have had 149 points last year.  Micah Richards seems nailed on at RB in league (Zabalata has only 1 league start) and has 1G, 5A.  MNC are struggling for CS this year compared to last, and Richards doesn't have a history of starts but go ahead and project out his first third over a full season . . . one more, a bit of a gamble but at 5.9, a good bargain - Dalglish seems to have settled on Skrtel and Agger as first choice CBs; Agger gets forward a fair amount and scored 2 goals in his one 2000+ min season . . . 

3.  The Steady Rollin' Man.  Robert Johnson's classic blues tune fits Clint Dempsey to a tee.  A poacher's goal to kill off Liverpool on Monday gives him 4 goals on the year.  6th in FF midfielder points, 6th in the FFS/ICT index and more shots than any other midfielder.  Danny Murphy has just 3 fewer points @ a 6.2 price, so he's not even the best value in his own team's midfield; and Fulham do not have a good near term schedule (MUN, CHE, and ARS over the holiday glut).  But Dempsey had 168 points last year, and has 65 so far this year, I'll take the bet that he tops last year's number (and Murphy by 20 FF points) if he remains healthy.  Once the Fulham schedule turns favorable, I'll be looking to add the American.

4.  Chelsea.  Corner.  Turned ?  Chelsea are behind only Man City in goals scored and a 3-0 win v. Wolves on the weekend and a 3-0 win in CL tonight.  AVB looks to have settled on Mata, Drogba, Sturridge as his favored front 3; Ramires seems nailed on and occasionally can find the goal at 7.2 (with Ramsey (in particular) and other midpriced options not offering much, a flyer on a midfielder nailed on for a team scoring  2.0+ goals per game, not the worst option).  I tipped Lampard as a potential captain option this past week (and had he finished his Pen, not a bad tip) but AVB clearly has decided that Lampard's age merits occasional rotation (he started tonight's CL game on the bench).  At 11.6, no thanks.  But . . . with Drogba now clearly the favorite for the starting center forward role, and delivering on the weekend and looking unplayable tonight . . . does Drogba come back onto our radar ? 

5.  Why does Mick McCarthy hate Stephen Fletcher ?  All Fletcher did last year was keep Wolves up with 10 goals in 1300+ minutes last year, most in the winter/spring relegation fight; he has 5 goals in 7 starts this year v. Kevin Doyle's 2 in 13 starts.  Yet, Fletcher can't seem to get starts, even when healthy.  Maybe his 2 goal performance Sunday will change McCarthy's mind.  Going 4-4-2 makes Jamie O'Hara less attractive but would certainly put Fletcher - all he f***ing does is score at 5.9 - on the radar. 

It's never too early in the week . .

to begin figuring out how I am going to f***-up the armband selection.  The below is specific to my team, but there is one lad not in my team who I really like, as I'll explain below.  My general rule in picking a captain, up until the second half of last year when I simply rode van Persie like a rented mule, was (i) best midfielder in my team with (ii) a home game against (iii) the weakest opposition.  This fit my team model up until last year too; I typically had 4/5 high-priced/mid-priced midfielders, 1 high-priced forward and 2 budget forwards.  With Rooney's quick start, now RvP in my team, and MNC forwards scoring for fun, and with Nani having gone awol, VdV injured, and Silva often rotated at home v. bottom-feeders, there is no hard and fast rule.  And my team model has changed a bit too. So the analysis below is a bit perfunctory but it's always useful to go through the traps. The analysis for my team:

RvP @ Wigan.  RvP has been blanked twice this year away but has 6 goals and 1 assist away too.  Arsenal have 8 goals in the last 3 fixtures at the DW; Wigan have conceded 11 goals in 6 games at home and the only strong team they faced at home was Tottenham.  'Nuff said.

 

The other options:

 

Adebayor v. Bolton.  In 4 home games this year he has 4 goals and 1 assist.  He's been blanked at home once.  Bolton have conceded 12 goals in 6 away games.  Adebayor is really, really tempting, having scored twice in his last 2 games, and he's at home (I always prefer a home captain).

Bale v. Bolton.  Bale has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 2 homes games but has been blanked on several occasions at home. Not as tempting as Adebayor but he is up against Steinsson . . .

Silva v. Norwich.  1 goal and 4 assists at home this year, he's tallied in every home game he's started; he's been blanked twice at home - on both occasions he didn't start and was limited to 20+ min cameos.  Silva would be my nailed on captain this week as he is automatic for points at home but . . . I think it's fair to say he may again be rested at home v. a soft oppponent in anticipation of Bayern Munich's visit in midweek in a do-or-die CL match.  Norwich have conceded 11 goals in 6 away games and Silva would surely have a field day, but I can't take the chance of a 20 minute cameo.

Nani @ Villa.  1 assist since September, the player formerly known as Nani would be an automatic consideration.  There may be a breakout game coming, but there isn't much to suggest that.  Villa are tough at home; 6 goals conceded in 6 home games.  I might give serious consideration to the player formerly known as Nani, and will, if he ever turns up again.

Moses v. Arsenal.  The ultimate, let-it-all-hang-out-differentialapalooza gamble.  He earned a PK for an assist last week so he's red-hot (mordant chuckling); Wigan are not prolific at home but have scored 8 goals in 6 home games and have 6 goals in the last 3 visits from Arsenal.  I am starting him ahead of Ramsey (home v. away is my logic, such as it is).  If it was GW36 and I needed a massive differential to make up some ground I might take a flyer, but not before Christmas.

Kompany v. Norwich.  I've brought the big Belgian in early to avoid any rise/fall(Woodgate).  3 clean sheets in 6 home games; 2 goals for the big man so far this year too.  Norwich have only scored 7 goals in 6 away games.  Caveat, Norwich have nicked goals at 2 of the 3 top sides (CHE, LIV) they faced away.

 

The analysis screams RvP and whispers Adebayor.  Unfortunately, I've been wrong more often than right this year.

 

The one guy I don't have that I might take over RvP this week if I had him is Leighton Baines.  I have slowly come around to seeking savings in the back, so Baines is not in my wheelhouse but I'm a little jealous (and fearful) of those who've got him this week.  If I had him, I'd have a big, big dilema on the armband decision.  Owned by only 6% of managers, he's a massive differential.  A goal, an assist, and BPs, in GW12; a clean sheet, and BPs in GW13 and now he faces a Stoke team who've made Sunderland (4-0) and Bolton (5-0) look like world-beaters after playing a midweek Europa League game.  Stoke host Dynamo Kiev tonight.  At least they don't have to travel to the Ukraine.  But Everton v. a leg-weary Stoke says 2-0 all day and you wouldn't bet against Baines being involved in the goals.

 

2 other big-priced guys worth looking at if you have them . . . Aguero, who, obviously, should be a consideration every week if he's in your team (or you can bring him in).  But like Silva, one has to consider the potential for rotation if Mancini decides to go 'all-in' on the CL match in midweek against Bayern Munich in their desperate effort to reach the knockout stages (Man City need a shock result from Villareal v. Napoli).  Dzeko played 90 minutes in the CC win v. Arsenal, but Balotelli served his red card suspension in that game and is available.  The other guy I'd look at if I had him is Frank Lampard.  Yes, at apparent top 4 contenders Newcastle and all that, but Chelsea score goals and this is a serious statement game for Chelsea. And Newcastle's Tiote, the man most likely to monitor Lampard's runs, is still out.  Lampard played in the CC loss to Liverpool, so he may be rested ahead of the CL game next week, but if I had him, I'd be tempted to back the man with 4 double figure FF point hauls this season already.