An Abbreviated Schedule...

Here we are - after a week of rumor an inuendo here's what we know...

1) There doesn't seem to be any truth to the rumor that Yahoo is closing down the game in mid-season;

2) They haven't done anything to correct the double counting that went on for ManYoo and Pompey (and don't you love the fact that no one has mentioned a single Pompey player when they've been complaining about the scoring errors - does this tell you something 'arry); and

3) There are only two games this week and they feature four teams that have only modestly interesting fantasy players.

What does all of this mean? It means that managers are going to have to make some difficult decisions between keeping players they have on the cheap vs. going after players who are going to play this week. Here's how I'm thinking about it...

First and foremost, there are a couple players that I have for a lot less than current market value that I think are going to stay at their elevated price (Ronaldo, Downing, Ashton, and Del Horno). I'm keeping them and would advise any of you to do the same because these are the players that will get you points while allowing you to buy other premium players for the rest of the season. I'd recommend keeping between 4 and 6 of these players on your roster if you're happy with them and are likely to keep them for the rest of the year. Otherwise, time to say good bye to your current roster and hello to...

(Recommendations in order of my preference by position)

Striker - Mido (should play now that he's back from Africa), Darren Bent (should be fun to watch against a sluggish central defense at St. James' Park), Marcus Bent (ditto), Shola Ameobi (Charlton's defense doesn't get too many people excited either).

Midfielder - Carrick (still the engine for Spurs), Camara (assuming there's no news that he's out of favor after his walkabout), N'Zogbia (nothing wrong with a winger playing at home against a mediocre-at-best defense), Murphy (still not sure how he fits with Spurs but if you have a good feeling, he could move up the list)

Defense - Chimbonda (if you can afford him), Dawson (he's been good to me this year), whichever of Charlton's outside defenders looks likely to play (they've all been better than you'd expect)

Keeper - Given (probably no clean sheet, but he should make a lot of saves), Myhre (has been piling up the fantasy points despite mediocre results at the Cottage), Robinson (not having the greatest fantasy year and Wigan don't seem likely to be shut out), Pollitt (I'm worried that Spurs might score a few now that they have their preferred "big-little" grouping up top and Murphy in midfield).

So, there you have it. A bit of an unconventional entry but it's a strange week.

Happy shopping...