What if...Today Fantasy League have started?

2 weeks in Barclays Premier League, and there's been lots of goals and controversies to talk about....but Today Fantasy League is only kicking off 1 month after the start, on 15th September.

So instead of waiting at the sidelines, why not take a look at the on-form players of the current season based on the Today Fantasy League scoring system? Some are pretty obvious if you have been following the games...

Note: Stats are obtained from Fantasy Premier League. Assists determined by TFL may differ from FPL.

Top Goalkeepers (What if...) - 12/13

Michel Vorm & Petr Cech topped the charts with 10pts each, thanks to their 2 clean sheet, though Chelsea have played 1 extra game in the midweek. 9 other keepers managed to obtain 4-6 points for their team, thanks to 1 clean sheet.

Interestingly, the 2 highest priced keepers, Joe Hart & David De Gea, are not found in the Top Goalkeepers chart. With their team's leaking goals, they would have gotten 0pt and 1pt respectively. Man Utd are able to lay the blame on their central defencer crisis, but it might be worrying for some to see Man City's 1st choice defence allowing 2 goals to Southampton and Liverpool.

Nevertheless, most of the top team tend to concede less from mid-season, so fantasy managers need not panic too much into this small sampling size.

Top Fullbacks (What if...) - 12/13

Chelsea's fullbacks Branislav Ivanovic & Ashley Cole occupy the 1st 2 places due to their extra game played, while Swansea's goal scorer Angel Rangel is at 3rd place with 12pts. With his price at 3.4 combined with the Swans easy fixtures, his ownership looks likely to increase before TFL commences.

One thing to note about the scoring system: unlike other fantasy games which rewards defenders more points for scoring, TFL awards 4 points for all players, regardless of position. Even though Tottenham's Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Man Utd Rafael scored, they ain't featured in the Top Fullback list. Hence for this game,

OBTAINING CLEAN SHEET should be your main consideration while choosing Fullbacks & Centrebacks. Goals and Assists are a sweetener.

 Top Centrebacks (What if...) - 12/13

With John Terry out of the Newcastle match due to injuries, no Chelsea centrebacks played more than 2 games. Instead, Arsenal and Swansea's 2 clean sheets with no cautions meant that Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker & Ashley Williams are tied at the top with 10pts.

Just in case anyone's wondering, any selection of QPR defenders would cost managers -3pts! Another reason why not to scrimp on the defence...

 Top Midfielders (What if...) - 12/13

As mentioned in my Midfielder's analysis, there's bargains galore at the moment, with 5 of the top 6 midfielders costing 4.0pts or less, and 3 from the rampaging Swansea (Pleased to Michu, Nathan "I'm not Kieron" Dyer & Wayne Routledge)

Juan Mata & David Silva had a vigorous summer due to Euro & Olympics (even though both didn't play much), and have only 3 & 2 appearance points so far.

A word of caution for those being tempted by Frank Lampard: Yes, he is appearing in the Top Midfielder list, but both his goals are from the penalty spot, and he only managed 1 other blocked goal attempt in 3 games...and he came off the bench against Newcastle. Unless Chelsea get awarded with a penalty every other game, Lampard's gonna be pretty quiet, especially with their current hotshot....

 Top Strikers (What if...) - 12/13

...Eden Hazard. If only he was classified as a midfielder....then his price would likely be similar to Mata's (5.3)....sigh.

Remember I mentioned Rooney & Aguero injuries meant less headache for fantasy managers? Well, it does push Robin van Persie & Carlos Tevez to the forefront, which shows in the Top Strikers chart. But can you afford to leave out Chelsea's duo of Hazard & Fernando Torres? How about cheapies Mladen Petric & Bryan Ruiz, after looking at Fulham's upcoming schedule? Their on-form teammates have been scoring quite well, so shouldn't it be Everton's Nikica Jelavic or Swansea's Danny Graham turn to fire up?

Uurgh, even more decisions....

Player Analysis - Strikers

Now comes the meat of where the fantasy points comes from - the strikers. Based on last season's statistics, only 3 players (Dempsey, Silva & Evra) are able to get 3-digit scores. As for the strikers...

2011/12 Season - Top Strikers

* Yakubu is no longer in Premier League, while Fletcher has moved to Sunderland this season.

...6 strikers made at least 100pts, with Robin van Persie (8.5) leading the way with an amazing 176 points. Wayne Rooney (8.0), Sergio Aguero (7.8) and Emmanuel Adebayor (6.9) lead their teams to a top 4 finish, while Demba Ba (6.4) finished 5th with his early season exploits. Despite his goal scoring exploits, Yakubu couldn't keep Blackburn in the Premier League with his 17 goals and 2 assists.

It might have been a surprise to see Edin Dzeko (7.0) & Graham Holt (6.0) just bubbling outside 100pts, as Dzeko had 14 goals in only 16 starts & 14 subs appearances, while Holt had 15 goals in 24 starts & 9 sub appearances. Even though they may not be frequent starters, but they're deadly enough to be considered top fantasy prospects.

So, who should I select?

I'll split the selections into the following tiers: $$$ (7.0 and above), $$ (6.0 - 6.9) and $ (5.9 and below)

i) $$$ (7.0 and above) aka Top Scorer Favourites

Man Utd fans rejoiced when they signed the top striker from last season, Robin van Persie (8.5). Fantasy managers would have groan in unison as they have to decide whether partnering with Wayne Rooney (8.0) will cause both players to score less fantasy points than last season. 

Same issues are faced on the selection of Man City players. Sergio Aguero (7.8) was the main man for Man City while Carlos Tevez (7.4) became a golf caddy for half season. With Mario Balotelli (7.1) and Edin Dzeko (7.0) waiting in the wings, Aguero could too have a diminished output compared to last season.

Perhaps it's of good fortune that both Rooney and Aguero are out for at least a month, but once both players are back, there'll be a selection headache for all fantasy managers...

...or one can ignore both, and go for more safer first team options like Fernando Torres (7.2) or Luis Suarez (7.1), who are seen as the cornerstone of the attacks for Chelsea & Liverpool. If they can managed 15 goals this season, they are likely to break the 100 pts barrier.

ii) $$ (6.0 - 6.9) aka Reasonably Priced

One can make a case for any of the 6.9 priced strikers:

- Olivier Giroud is touted to take over RVP's scoring boots, but has pleaded for time to adapt to the fast-paced Premier League. A tougher upcoming league schedule doesn't help.

- New manager Paul Lambert's attacking philosophy should enhance the scoring potential of Darren Bent, but like Arsenal, he has yet to get off the mark.

- Papiss Cisse was the midseason sensation last season, with 13 goals in 13 games.

- Emmanuel Adebayor has finally made his permanent move to Spurs, and with Jermaine Defoe (6.4) unlikely to be used often in a lone striker role, Adebayor looks to cement his place in the starting 11.

- Danny Welback....ok, maybe not.

The hottest player at the moment has to be Eden Hazard (6.8). 3 games, 1 goal, 6 assists = 25 fantasy pts. Extrapolate that, and he's likely to finish the season with....316 pts!! :P

Now, let's assume his output slows down, and with Champions League in mind, he finishes with 32 appearances, 7 goals and 15 assists...that's still more than 100pts. He would have been a much better choice if he was placed as a midfielder, but if you still don't trust Torres but want a Chelsea attacker, Hazard's your pick. 

Lucas Podolski (6.6) has subbed out in both Arsenal's games. Compared to Giroud (yet to be subbbed) & Cazorla (greater attacking threat displayed), I don't really view him as a bargain. On the other hand, Everton's hot start have placed Nikica Jelavic (6.6) in my radar. With no midweek Europe travels to worry about, he's one to look out for when the Toffees have a good run of fixtures.

Demba Ba (6.4) is another potential bargain when based on the 1st half of last season, but he was moved to the wings once Cisse came along, which reduces his scoring opportunities. The jury's still out for Fabio Borini (6.2), whose Liverpool team is having a tough run of fixtures.

With the new boss Chris Hughton, Norwich's Grant Holt (6.0) is likely to feature for more than 24 games, though the team isn't performing as well as expected. Last but not least, Romelu Lukaku (6.0) is another to consider, if he can force his way into the 1st team.

ii) $ (5.9 and below) aka Bargains Galore...well, depends.

Looking at last year's scoring, a 10-12 goal striker will net your team about 80pts. But would you take one of them as your 2nd striker in a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2 formation?

Hence, this tier of players are likely to be chosen for a 4-3-3 formation, and are likely to be rotated when there's a good run of games. Loads of starters from the mid-table/bottom teams to choose from:

5.9: Steven Fletcher, Danny Graham, Peter Odemwingie.5.7: Djibril Cisse, Bobby Zamora, Rickie Lambert, Jon Walters, Carlton Cole, Ricardo Vaz Te.5.6: Mladen Petric, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Arouna Kone, Adam Le Fondre.

Most of them have the capability to score more than 10 goals (or 10 Row Zs for Zamora). If you plan to rotate them, make sure they have a good schedule of 5 or more games in a row, as you only have 30 transfers in a season.



So here concludes my analysis of all the players in Today Fantasy League. Hope it has been useful to you, and if you have yet to sign up, there's still 16 days left....Register Now!!!

Player Analysis - Midfielders

Today, we're analysing on the section is a place which bargains can be found, the Midfielders. Why so? Take a look at last season's statistics:

2011/12 Season - Top Midfielders

* Jarvis has moved to West Ham this season.

Unlike the goalkeeper & defence departments, the top midfielder isn't from a Top 4 team. Fulham's Clint Dempsey (5.2) topped the 2011/12 charts with 121 points, with 17 goals scored & 6 assists. He have yet to appear in a game this season, sitting out while pushing for a move to Liverpool.

Man City's David Silva (5.7) was the only other player who crossed the 100pts mark, with Tottenham's Gareth Bale (5.4) just under the mark with 99pts.

Moving down the table, you can find Sunderland's Stephane Sessegnon (4.2), Ex-Swansea's Scott Sinclair (4.0, on a move to Man City) & even relegated Wolves' Matthew Jarvis (3.9, transferred to West Ham) as one of the top midfielders last season, which shows that there can be gems found from mid-table and bottom teams.

So, who should I select?

I'll split the selections into the following tiers: $$$ (5.0 and above), $$ (4.0 - 4.9) and $ (3.9 and below)

i) $$$ (5.0 and above) aka Wah, so Ex?

First off, why are Frank Lampard (5.9) & Steven Gerrard (5.8) the most expensive midfielders in the game? Lampard is no longer a nailed-on starter (even though he already scored 2...penalties), while Gerrard haven't scored in double digits in Premier League since 2008/09. There are better value-for-money choices besides these 2 Englishmen.

Gerrard, David Silva (5.7), Gareth Bale (5.4), Juan Mata (5.3, but due for a break due to his Euro & Olympics commitment) and perhaps Samir Nasir (5.1) are the only nailed-on starters in this group. Everyone else is likely to be rotated by their managers, which will result in headaches for fantasy managers.

1 notable player missing from this list is Eden Hazard, who have played a part in 7 of Chelsea's 8 goals....and is classified as a Striker in Today Fantasy League.

ii) $$ (4.0 - 4.9) aka Reasonably Priced & Bargains

Shinji Kagawa (4.9) may have scored his 1st goal this weekend, but he came off the bench, so he isn't assured of a 1st team spot. Yaya Toure (4.8) is the cheaper option from Man City, and he has a pretty decent record despite playing deep, scoring 6 goals with 6 assists last season.

Mikel Arteta & Santi Cazorla (both 4.4) are the creative engines for Arsenal, though whether their strikers can finish remains to be seen, with 2 goal-less draws so far, and tougher fixtures to come. I would have touted Gylfi Sigurdsson (4.3) to be a bargain, but with him and Rafael Van der Vaart (5.3) tussling for the same spot, I'll wait till the end of transfer window to get a clearer picture on the first 11.

Stephane Sessegnon (4.2) has proved to be a Premier League sensation last season, though there is one other Sunderland player which is a better bargain in the lower tier.

At 4.0, Marouane Fellaini & Steven Pienaar have been impressive in both Everton's victories, while QPR's captain Ji-Sung Park is finally handed a starting role, though his team may struggle in the season. If he can squeeze into the starting 11 in Chelsea's crowded midfield, Victor Moses will be a huge bargain.

ii) $ (3.9 and below) aka 'Pleased to Michu'

Undoubtedly, his performance from the 1st 2 weeks & Swansea's great matchups till end October is likely to cause fantasy managers to jump onto the Michu-choo-choo (3.9) train. Other notable choices in the 3.9 pack includes Damien Duff (2 goals in 2 games), Adel Taarabt (creative spark for QPR, but benched last game), Adam Lallana (bad fixtures for Southampton), James McClean (half a season, 5 goals 3 assists), Kevin Nolan (double digits goals in last 3 season, Big Sam) & Ryo Miyaichi (With Moses going to Chelsea, he could be the main creator for Wigan).

At 3.8, fantasy managers can consider Stephen Ireland (playing in the hole for Villa, though 1st 2 games have been disappointing), Wayne Routledge & Nathan Dyer (great attacking performance for Swansea), Mark Noble (top assist for West Ham last season) & Shaun Maloney (injury-prone).

Below 3.8 are all high-risk picks. Alexander Kacaniklic, Ryan Taylor & Zoltan Gera (all 3.7) isn't assured of the starting role in Fulham, Newcastle and WBA respectively. Joe Allen (3.6) is one of the top players for passing accuracy, but it doesn't translate to any fantasy points. Jean Beausejour (3.6) made 5 assists after joining Wigan in January, but have yet to figure in this season due to injuries, while Danny Guthrie (3.5) could be a key player for Reading this season.

Lastly, I'll round up the analysis with the priciest players in Today Premier League: Strikers.

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Player Analysis - Centrebacks

The spotlight today falls on Central Defenders. Depending on the formation chosen, you will either be picking 2 (4-4-2 or 4-3-3) or 3 central defenders (5-3-2). Based on the scoring system, it is advisable to go with a back 4 instead, which I'll explain in the following sections:

2011/12 Season - Top Centerbacks

* It is ASSUMED that Defenders Games Played = Starts, and Clean Sheets is based on another website statistics. Goalkeepers are easy, as very few are substituted during a game, but trawling through all the data to determine if a defender played 75 minutes, was he on the pitch when a goal is conceded, etc. isn't my cuppa tea...

As expected, 4 of the top 5 players are from Manchester, while Thomas Vermaelen & John Terry are a serious goal threat in addition with their clean sheets, with 6 goals in the whole season.

On closer notice at the P column (games played), the top 8 players only managed at most 31 games. Therefore, fantasy managers are likely to find themselves using transfers to rotate among top central defenders.

So, who should I select?

I'll split the selections into the following tiers: $$$$ (4.5 and above), $$$ (4.0 - 4.4), $$ (3.5 - 3.9) and  $ (3.4 and below)

i) $$$$ (4.5 and above) aka Wah, so Ex?

Similar to the Fullbacks selection, this tier is made up of Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea & one of the top scoring defenders, Vermaelen (4.6). 

Now, let's make the comparison between the top Central Defenders and top Goalkeepers:

Comparing last season's statistics, the standout in Man City's defence is Joe Hart. With a lower value of 4.6, his output of 98pts is higher than the 1st choice Central Defenders of Kompany & Lescott. Hence, if you want to take a Man City player in Defence, Hart should be your best choice.

For Man Utd, it remains to be seen. As mentioned in the previous article, if De Gea played all 38 games, he would have scored 98pts, which makes the situation similar to their Manchester neighbors. Nemanja Vidic (5.1) is left out from the statistics above, as he only appeared in 6 Premier League games last season, so fantasy managers may have to take him into consideration too.

On the flip side, Chelsea's John Terry (5.0) & Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen (4.6) performed much better than their goalkeeping counterpart Cech & Szczesny, due to their high scoring record. The lesser amount of games also 'boosted' Vermaelen's score. Arsenal conceded 25 goals when Vermaelen was on the pitch, and 24 goals when he was off the pitch.

Fantasy managers must also consider whether Terry and Vermaelen can continue with their strong scoring record in order to be a better bargain than their goalkeepers.

ii) $$$ (4.0 - 4.4) aka Reasonably Priced

Similarly, this tier is made up of Champions League hopefuls Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Everton's Phil Jagielka (4.0). Unlike their fullbacks, even though they're reasonably priced, but I won't really recommend any of these players.

Arsenal: I'll rather risk an additional 0.3mil on Vermaelen than Koscielny (4.3), due to his high scoring ability.

Tottenham: Who is their actual 1st choice centreback partnership? Gallas (4.0) didn't appear in any of the friendlies, but was made captain in their 1st 2 PL games. Kaboul (4.1) started the 1st game, but was replaced by Vertonghen (4.1) due to injuries. Until this is resolved, none of the Centrebacks are worth the risk.

Liverpool: Price-wise, Reina (4.0) looks more value-for-money compared to Skrtel (4.2), and neither him nor Agger (4.2, injury-prone) are goalscoring threats to be worth the risk.

Phil Jagielka: Similarly to Liverpool, Howard (3.7) is a better bargain, but if you really want an Everton defender, there's a slightly cheaper choice in the next tier...

iii) $$ (3.5-3.9) aka Possible Bargains

.....which Sylvan Distin (3.9) appears. When fit, he's a 1st choice selection for the Everton's backline, and their team performed well in the 1st 2 games of the season.

Other notable standout in this tier includes Brede Hangeland (3.7, if he can relive his 2010/11 goal scoring record), Aaron Hughes (3.5, if Hangeland can't relive his scoring record, but you want a Fulham defender),  Fabricio Coloccini (3.7, ever present in Newcastle's defence, though he doesn't provide much goals or assists), Robert Huth (3.6, goal scoring threat, but very bad schedule till end-Oct) & Carlos Cuellar (3.5, possible double-gameweek due to postponed game against Reading, and able to operate at right-back).

iv) $ (3.4 and below) aka Scraping the Barrel

And we end off the article with the 'cheapies', After watching the 1st 2 weeks on how the goals were conceded, I'm not sure if it's worth picking up any of them at all, except Swansea's centre pairing (Chico (3.3) & Ashley Williams (3.4)).

Next, we're moving up the field to analysis on the guys who play in the middle of the pitch aka the Midfielders (duh). 

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Player Analysis - Fullbacks

Today's analysis will be on Fullbacks. In the modern era, Fullbacks/Wingbacks are tasked to support both defence and attack when in need. Similarly, when choosing the fullbacks in our fantasy team, we are to look for players with clean sheet potentials, in addition to possible attacking results.

No matter which formation fantasy managers choose (4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2), 2 fullbacks will have to be chosen for each team.

2011/12 Season - Top Fullbacks

* It is ASSUMED that Defenders Games Played = # of starts, and Clean Sheets is based on another website statistics. Goalkeepers are easy, as very few are substituted during a game, but trawling through all the data to determine if a defender played 75 minutes, was he on the pitch when a goal is conceded, etc. isn't my cuppa tea...

Taking a glance through the table, Patrick Evra justifies his £5.0mil by being the top scoring fullback last season. Even though he didn't score any goals, but 4 assists combined with 19 clean sheets meant that he's the only Fullback who scored more than 100pts*.

Leighton Baines, who is currently the most selected player in the game (31%), is the top scoring fullback last season with 4 goals, while Ashley Cole & Micah Richards (despite the low minutes played) are the top assisting fullbacks with 5 each.

Basically, the best fullbacks are from teams from the top half (with the exception of Swansea) & contribute a few goals (with the exception of Danny Simpson).

So, who should I select?

I'll split the selections into the following tiers: $$$$ (4.5 and above), $$$ (4.0 - 4.4), $$ (3.5 - 3.9) and  $ (3.4 and below)

i) $$$$ (4.5 and above) aka Wah, so Ex?

This section is made up of fullbacks Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea & the ever-favorite Baines. However, only Evra (5.0), Ashley Cole (4.9) & Baines (4.5) are assured of their places in the starting 11. 

Barnislav Ivanovic (4.7) seems like an attractive pick, especially with his 2 goals last week, but Chelsea has been shopping for a rightback for a while, and they finally managed to get Cesar Azpilicueta during the week. If Ivanovic performs poorly in the weeks to come, his place could come under threat.

As for Man City, manager Mancini has tinkered with his championship winning team, and opted for 3-4-1-2 in recent matches, prefering Kolarov (4.7) as the wingback. If he opted for 4-4-2 instead, Clichy (4.9) would be used as the leftback role instead. Rotations aplenty, I feel....

ii) $$$ (4.0 - 4.4) aka Reasonably Priced

12 fullbacks, comprising of Champions League hopefuls Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, and fringe players from Chelsea form this tier.

With AVB's penchant in playing a high defensive line, Tottenham's Kyle Walker (4.2) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto (4.1) looks to be the best options in the group. I consider Glen Johnson (4.2) to be a gamble, as he has never played more than 30 games in a season. Only 30 transfers allowed in the entire season, and I rather consider Jose Enrique (4.1) to be a more viable option, even though he missed last week's game due to a knee injury.

iii) $$ (3.5-3.9) aka Possible Bargains

Next, we have the possible Europa hopeful teams (Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland, Stoke) that form this tier. The 2 picks which stands out, John Arne Riise (3.7) & Phil Bardsley (3.6), are currently out with injury, while Newcastle's fullbacks aren't much of an attacking threat.

I'll steer clear of Stoke players for now, till their schedule gets easier.

iv) $ (3.4 and below) aka Scraping the Barrel

Lastly, the 'cheapies', including last season surprise package Swansea (Angel Rangel & Neil Taylor (3.4)). WBA may have the next best defensive record, but none of the fullback selections are nailed on starters.

Besides the Swansea duo, other picks I would recommend in this tier are Fabio (3.3, offensive-minded but QPR isn't defensive sound), McCartney (3.2, West Ham player of last season, Big Sam) & Danny Fox (3.2, 9 assists last season, corner kick taker, but same issues as QPR).

We're done with the Fullbacks, and will proceed to the next group of defenders: Centrebacks.

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Player Analysis - Goalkeeper

Let's begin our analysis from the back, where each manager will have to pick 1 Goalkeeper. Even though most of our fantasy focus will be on the attacking end, but one must not neglect the defensive aspect, especially when you will lose a point for every goal conceded by your goalkeeper.

2011/12 Season - Top 10 Goalkeepers

Note: TodayOnline Dream Team 11/12 stated Hart obtained 43pts in the last season. Based on my estimation, the score shown is based on last season scoring system, where 1 clean sheet is 2pts, and no defender game points (DGP). The figures shown in the above table is based on this year scoring system.

Manchester City's Joe Hart lead the GK chart last season with a score of 98 points. Participating in all 38 games for the 11/12 champions & keeping 17 clean sheets, Hart scored 21 more points than 2nd placed Brad Friedel.

Everton's Tim Howard was the only other keeper who managed 70+ points. Manchester United may have the 2nd best defence last season, but David De Gea is ranked 4th due to Ferguson's preference for Anders Lindegaard at times.

Despite having lesser appearance and clean sheets, Liverpool's Jose Reina scored more points than Newcastle's Tim Krul due to goals conceded. Swansea's Michael Vorm is 7th in the ranking, with Szczesny, Cech & Mignolet rounding off the Top 10 list.

So isn't this easy? Just pick Hart!

Well....not quite. Even though Joe Hart is cheap (Hart £4.6mil is cheaper Kompany / Lescott / Clichy...which I'll discuss in the Defenders analysis), but the lowest priced striker is already worth £5.0mil, and if you're planning to use 4-3-3 formation, you will need to find much cheaper players in other position.

There is also another disadvantage:

Select a maximum of two players from any one club

Not only Man City have the best defence, but they also have the best attack in the Premier League last season. By selecting Joe Hart, you'll be left with 1 slot for Silva / Yaya Toure / Nasri / Aguero / Tevez.  Hence, do you want to overload on their attackers, who are likely to score more points, or spread across both defence and attack, but possibly less points?

So what are the other options?

If you're confident that De Gea (4.5) will cement his place in the 1st team this season, he'll be a contender for the Top Goalkeeper this season. If assuming De Gea played all 38 Premier League games last season, he would have scored the same amount of points as Hart.

For sub-4.0 goalkeepers, Friedal (3.8) & Howard (3.7) stands out as great options, though Spurs are rumoured to be shopping for another goalkeeper, and Everton often starts the season with a whimper (though they did beat Man Utd last week). If you believe Newcastle & Swansea can maintain their form this season, then Krul (3.5) & Vorm (3.2) are viable options too.

Managers who are in need of searching for the cheapest available option (2.9) who will start, there's Norwich's John Ruddy, Reading's Adam Federici and Southampton's Kelvin Davis. If I'm forced to pick among the 3, I'll go with Federici, as Reading has the best defence among the promoted sides last season.

Next up, I'll analysis on the guys that usually hug the touchlines of the pitch: Defence - Fullbacks.

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Introduction

What is this blog about?

This blog will focus on news,tips & strategies with regards to the 2012/13 TODAY Fantasy League which starts on 15th September 2012.

Why, of all Fantasy Football Games in the market, focus on TODAY Fantasy League?

It is a made-in-Singapore game, which winners must be based in Singapore to win the prizes.

& no, I have no affiliations to the organizers. I'm just as eager as everyone to win $$$.

What are the prizes?

The Manager of the Season will win S$5,000, and the Manager of the Month will win S$500 each.

Wow! Wait, how do I play the game?

- Each manager will be assigned £55m to select 11 Premier League players.

- A maximum of 2 players can be selected from a club.

- You can choose between 3 formations: 4-4-2, 5-3-2 & 4-3-3

- The Captain of the team will score double points for that gameweek.

How is the scoring system?

Please visit the points clarification page for further explanation.

Can I change my team every week?

- Unlimited transfers are available until official scoring begins on September 15.

- Once the season has begun, you can make a total of 30 transfers.

- A maximum of five transfers are permitted in a month.

30 Transfers in Total?? Isn't there more than 30 games in a season?

Yea, this is a game that doesn't require too much time, as there's a limitation on the changes you can do to your team once the game starts. Hence, don't blow up team if it doesn't do well in the 1st week. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

How do I register for the game/create Private Leagues?

Please read the FAQ for more details.

So what are you waiting for? Register Now for your chance to win $$$$!