Yahoo Focus – Gameweek 2

Friday’s articles continue with the Gameweek 2 picks for our partner game Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football and there’s also news of a brand new Beat The Scout contest on offer.

The idea is simple – finish above our selected XI and you’ll be given £5 in reward points to enter in future contests.

Entry is £1, with the top 10 splitting £100 between them. More on the Beat The Scout contest later in the article.

Driven by Opta data, the Yahoo game boasts a scoring system that looks ideal for members of our community on the search for a Daily Fantasy Sports offering.

To get started, you can sign up and claim a free £50 in credit to your account when you deposit just £5.

It’s also worth checking our Strategy Guide, which assesses both the mechanics of the Yahoo game and the type of players who tend to profit.

Taking in all 10 fixtures, Gameweek 2 gets underway with Swansea City vs Manchester United at 12.30pm on Saturday and ends on Monday evening when Manchester City entertain Everton at the Etihad from 8pm.

My Strongest XI

Asmir Begovic -£11m
Ryan Bertrand – £15m
Harry Maguire – £13m
Trent Alexander-Arnold – £12m
Christian Eriksen – £25m
Mo Salah – £25m
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – £21m
Robbie Brady – £15m
Aaron Mooy – £14m
Gabriel Jesus – £26m
Jamie Vardy – £23m

As Yahoo allows late swaps up until each kick-off, our listed line-up could be subject to change.

The Key Picks

Bournemouth’s Asmir Begovic is one of the cheapest starting goalkeepers available and has a home encounter with Watford. Ranked second for saves (five) in the opening round of fixtures, we’re also selecting the Cherries’ summer signing due to the Yahoo ruleset, which awards keepers points for wins and draws – the Hornets lost 13 of their 19 road trips last season.

Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand looks a profitable pick at both ends of the pitch at home to West Ham. The Saints claimed a clean sheet in their first match under Mauricio Pellegrino and conceded a mere four shots on goal against Swansea – the least of any side. Bertrand’s raids down the left provided three successful crosses, while four key passes suggest he was unlucky not to earn an assist.

Ranked second top among defenders for shots inside the box (24) in 2016/7, Leicester’s summer signing Harry Maguire is called up for a home clash with Brighton. The former Hull City man’s threat in the box earned him an assist away to Arsenal last weekend and he’s up against a side that struggles for a cutting edge on the road – the Seagulls scored just 28 times in 23 Championship trips in 2016/17.

We’re keeping faith in Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for a plum home clash with Crystal Palace. The youngster’s midweek free-kick in the Champions League win over Hoffenheim highlighted his attacking potential, while he was also handed a share of corners at Watford last time out. Five successful tackles and three interceptions furthered his chances of Yahoo points.

Liverpool flier Mo Salah retains his place on our team in light of a goal and assist away to Watford in Gameweek 1. Cheaper than fellow wide man Sadio Mane (£27m), the Egyptian international registered five shots inside the box – more than double any team-mate – and now hosts a Palace outfit that shipped three at home to Huddersfield.

Christian Eriksen is our preferred source of Spurs coverage for the home encounter against Chelsea. The Dane’s six shots on goal and pair of assists against Newcastle helped him top the ranks for Yahoo midfielders in Gameweek 1. With the visitors hit hard by injury and suspension, Eriksen will be looking to maintain momentum – he provided both assists in a 2-0 win over the champions in the corresponding match in 2016/17.

With Romelu Lukaku coming in at a lofty £28m for Man United’s trip to Swansea, we turn instead to his more budget-friendly team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Also priced cheaper than Paul Pogba (£24m), the Armenian international’s five chances created and two assists in Gameweek 1 highlights his growing form. He also produced three shots on goal last Sunday, although failed to find the net.

In order to balance the books and accommodate a number of big-hitters, we turn to Huddersfield and Burnley’s set-piece takers for home clashes with Newcastle and West Brom respectively.

Aaron Mooy’s all-round contribution in the centre of the park is encouraging. He produced three interceptions and four tackles away to Palace and was granted seven of their nine corner kicks. A total of three successful crosses helped the Australian claim an assist.

The Clarets’ Robbie Brady was unfortunate not to profit from a 3-2 win at Chelsea. Having supplied more successful crosses (five) than any other midfielder, the Irishman also chipped in with four shots and a pair of successful tackles in the opening day upset at Stamford Bridge.

A double away to Arsenal on Friday evening ensures Jamie Vardy’s place in our starting line-up. At home to promoted Brighton, the Foxes’ frontman will be looking to maintain his excellent form under Craig Shakespeare – he delivered a goal or assist in six of his seven home outings with the new man in charge last term.

We call upon Man City’s Gabriel Jesus for similar reasons of consistency. The Brazilian returned a goal or assist in all four of his starts at the Etihad in his debut campaign and was unlucky not to profit away to Brighton in Gameweek 1, having fired four shots on goal to striker partner Sergio Aguero’s two.

Beat the Scout Contest

As mentioned above, Yahoo are offering a Beat The Scout contest, which is just £1 to enter.

Finish higher than our chosen XI and you earn £5 in reward points to enter in future Yahoo contests.

You are guaranteed a win-back of £1, with the top 109 sharing a £200 prize pool and £25 going to the first-placed manager.

This contest is guaranteed to run even if it doesn’t fill. Only Rookie users are allowed to join this contest, thus allowing beginners the chance to compete against fellow less experienced managers.

This Week’s Contests

Last week, Yahoo launched their Premier League £1,000,000 Perfect Lineup Cup, which takes place over Gameweek 1-19.

There’s £40k in prizes on offer, with £30k shared among the top 5,000 and £10k going to the winner. The Yahoo Cup also has a “£1,000,000 challenge”, which gives away £1m to any user who selects the perfect line-up in any given Gameweek to score maximum possible points.

And there are plenty of other contests on offer over the upcoming round of fixtures.

You can select the ten-match option, which takes in the entire Gameweek 2 schedule and gets underway at 12.30pm on Saturday.

There’s also a six-fixture option for Saturday that consists of the matches from 3pm onwards, while a third contest incorporates the two Sunday fixtures as well as Monday’s match – that contest kicks off at 1.30pm on Sunday.

The biggest payout is the Premier League £10k Saturday, which costs £5 to enter a team. This is guaranteed to run, with the top 450 places earning cash and £2k going to the winner.

The Premier League £5k Saturday costs £10 to enter a team, with the top 125 in the money. Guaranteed to run, this one offers at least £100 to the top ten.

The Premier League £2k Sunday costs £5 to enter a team and is also guaranteed to go ahead. The top 100 all pick up at least £10 cash, with the winner bagging £200.

You can open an account and get started immediately.

If you register and deposit £5 or more, Yahoo will also give you a £50 bonus to be used as cash to enter paid contests.

Register here to claim the bonus.

You must be over 18 years of age, resident in the UK, and of legal capacity to register with Yahoo Daily Sports and open an Account. If you sign up, please always play responsibly.