The Community Round Up

Captaincy deliberations and navigating the impending double and blank Gameweeks continue to vex the community. Our posters and community writers were on hand to offer some advice on issues ranging from long terms tactics to differentials. Elsewhere, we look at the crystal ball gazing potential of our Members tables and find that the Scout Picks are more than holding their own against some of the community’s top managers.

The Community Articles

After a disastrous Gameweek 25, in which all three of his picks failed to score or assist, The Puntmaster is hopeful that his Gameweek 26 trio can make amends. The prospects of his punts and many other key players were the subject of Matthew_1991’s detailed preview of Gameweek 26. This offers not only a match by match guide but also a handy look at the players to watch out for in the Gameweek.

Another hopeful crystal ball gazer this week is Clam-a-Ram who won this week’s Scout Picks community champion vote and will be hoping to further close the gap between the community and myself, Mark and Paul.

Don’t forget, if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article.

The Hottest Topics

It is a testament to Harry Kane’s rise in our affections that he is now ranked alongside the likes of Eden Hazard and Sergio Aguero in the top four of this week’s Captain Poll. Demi was on hand to look over the pluses and minuses of each for those still undecided as to where to place the armband.

According to our discussion on Diego Costa, who returns to Premier League action this weekend after a three-match suspension, the Chelsea striker is unlikely to be drafted in for Gameweek 26 to stake a claim for the captaincy. Even though on paper this home tie with Burnley looks tailor-made for Costa to profit, a blank Gameweek 27 and the fact that he is just two bookings shy of a ban are putting many off.

Another unlikely to gain the armband this week is Jermain Defoe. With concerns over his fitness and Sunderland’s poor recent form prompting some of his owners to look elsewhere, JK supplied this hot topic discussion for those looking to replace the former England striker.

Rather than focus on this weekend’s round of fixtures, many community members are thinking ahead to Gameweek 27’s blank fixture for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Leicester, as well as double Gameweek 28. As Perchino explained, the FA Cup is set to produce a number of other blank and double Gameweeks to contend with before the season is over.

This week also proved a time to look back over the season, with Ludo sparking an interesting discussion looking back at Gameweek 1 to find out which players are still in our squads from that first week.

This month has seen the launch of some new team analysis tools for our Members. We thought it was a good chance to ask Members and non-Members alike what other new features they’d like to see across the site. There was further chat about statistic tools in Sinik’s hot topic about the extent to which we rely on number crunching to help make decisions.

With many in the community dabbling in Fantasy Cricket during the World Cup The 12^th man started this discussion on other Fantasy sports games.  Basketball, American Football and Rugby were revealed as mong the most popular other Fantasy sports to rival our enjoyment of Fantasy Football.

Elsewhere, our partners Mondogoal brought us news of an exciting cash prize opportunity for the community this week. Full details can be found here.

The Members Tables

Crystal ball gazers are advised to check out my assist imminent and goal imminent tables to see the players with strong underlying statistics to suggest that a significant points haul is on the horizon. Doosra’s Deadly Assassins table continues to be the most popular among members and proves anther useful guide to the potential high scorers this Gameweek.

If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.

The Community Leagues

The Scout Picks march on, thanks in no small part to our community champions’ input each week. At the Gameweek 25 mark, FFScout took pride of place at the summit of @OFCProdigy’s Scout Picks Challenge where the community pits itself against our picks. In second place was Mookie, with Aliminator and Sticky Mockwell in third.