Chaos Reigns...

In the nearly two years we've been doing this blog, there are weeks where I've been uncertain as to what I wanted to write. There have been weeks where I didn't necessarily feel THAT strongly about the picks I made. In some cases, it was because I didn't like that week's matchups, in some cases it was because I liked too many of them and couldn't focus my thoughts down to a managable set of things for our readers to consider. Usually, I feel pretty good about what I put up here being sound advice capable of helping someone plant themselves firmly in the top percentile or two of the Yahoo overall standings. This week, I have to admit that I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to say. Why?

ManYoo theoretically play twice this week (Sunday and Friday) but after advertising this week as a "two-gamer" for ManYoo for most of the week, the Sunderland match has been pulled off the board amid speculation that it will be included in next week's fixture list where pretty much everyone has two matches.

Arsenal's rained out match with Pompey has been rescheduled for Wednesday but that has yet to be added to the Yahoo schedule for this week. That fact combined with the lack of any credit for Bolton's match with Birmingham makes me worry about loading up on Gunners.

In the absence of certainty related to Arsenal and ManYoo's 2nd matches this week, we're left with those two clubs playing each other in a fixture that is rarely gold for fantasy managers. So what to do?

Basically, you have to take a leap of faith one way or the other related to the two-gamers. Finding a way to load up on Henry/Rooney plus Adebayor up front (with perhaps Todorov as a CHEAP 3rd striker who will be playing two matches). In the midfield, Cesc is still relatively inexpensive and in fine form recently. Pires, Ljungberg, Flamini, Fletcher and D'Allesandro are also potential two-gamers who are priced to move.

The back is much more troublesome - van der Saar and (new German #1) Lehmann are both through the roof expensive as are pretty much the full complement of Arsenal and ManYoo defenders.

If you don't believe that Arsenal and ManYoo will get credit for their second matches this week, then the most attractive players out there are from Fulham, Everton, and Spurs. Beattie, Keane and Collins John are of particular interest up front. Malbranque, Carrick, Arteta, McFadden, and Cahill are the favorites in midfield. Niemi is back and should be relatively cheap for his match with Sunderland in net. The back is more problematic but I'd go with Everton's defense (Naysmith being the most interesting).

I'd write more but I'll be spending the rest of my afternoon trying to figure out what the hell to do with this mess. In the end, I'm guessing my strategy will involve getting Henry on my squad. In uncertain times, you can't go too far wrong with that TH on your side - if he gets two games, all the better.

Happy Shopping...and good luck containing your outrage when you find out that your guess about the two-gamer thing turned out to be wrong.

14 comments:

  1. Going for EVE? When was the last time Charlton allowed a goal? Or scored one themselves for that matter?

    As much as I love Faddie (playing striker, but listed as a middie), I'm staying away from this one.

    j

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  2. Anonymous2:06 PM

    Adebayor, Fabregas, and D'Alessandro for me. As well as sticking with Rooney, Ronaldo, and Vidic for lack of any particularly interesting alternatives. Also taking C. John, Malbranque, and Bridge for the Sunderland match.

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  3. Anonymous4:37 PM

    ADVICE NEEDED - have saha at +2 and giggs at +1.22. question is should i sell one of them to get cesc and which one... or should i just leave both of them on my team. cheers

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  4. Anonymous4:50 PM

    I would sell both of them. Giggs will be outmanned in the center of midfield and will most likely be marked out of the game. Saha will probably not even start against Arsenal.

    The more important question is, which Pompey players are hurt?

    There is a rumor that one of them is O'Neil.

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  5. Anonymous4:45 AM

    what about wigan at home to birmingham? wouldnt that be a good match up for camara?

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  6. Anonymous6:22 AM

    I've always been the strongest defender of yahoo when people have moaned and whined in the past, after all we pay nothing for the game and it has always been the best fantasy football game around (imo).

    However, my patience is wearing very thin with the constant mistakes with points/fixtures etc...i'm sure i'm not alone when i say i've spent a good hour or 2 each week over the past 8 months sorting my team out, only for the mistakes yahoo have made now making the game close to a farce.

    The game had always rewarded fantasy manager with a high knowledge of football, astute tactics (when to pick 2-gamers and when not to) and those willing to take a risk, but this seasons game is now coming down simply to luck, entirely dependent on how reliable decide to be on a weekly basis.

    It's become very annoying, and I, along with the majority of the players in my private league who have played the game for years are quickly losing interest.

    Such a shame

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  7. Anonymous11:06 AM

    sunderland vs fulham match abandoned due to waterlogged pitch! must be hard on McBride and concerned fantasy managers because he scored.

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  8. Anonymous11:33 AM

    Oh you've got to be kidding me! Goodbye week.

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  9. Anonymous12:09 PM

    I got Whitehead, Lawrence and Bridge from the abandoned game. This suxs for me now.

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  10. All 3 of my defenders were from this game... so I'm not sure whether or not the abandonment is a positive or not. ;-)

    Either way, I'm glad I sold John for Todorov. Just had a hunch that Coleman would really go for it this week and use Helguson from the start, even though he's hurting and Todorov is a sub. But he got the goal! Which cancelled out Neal's goal from Samaras. So all square today.

    And the best part is... Neal has to root for Manchester United against his beloved Arsenal tomorrow! Please give him stick for that.

    J

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  11. Anonymous12:23 PM

    yahoo has not been unpredictable this season. the only mistake they have made is when ronaldo was credited with 4 goals and rvn with 2 in the game against pompey.

    this week there was no confusion at all. i was certain that arsenal and portsmouth would have 2 games and that manu and sunderland would have 1. i ended up taking 6 por players. kiely, stefanovic, allesandro, davis, lualua and todorov and it's done very well so far. anyway, back to the point i was making; if you go on http://www.myteamtalk.info/index.php?act=idx you can find out all the fixture information and what yahoo is going to do. also, the points for the bir vs bol game are going to be updated.

    and henry didn't start today! good news for me. anyone know why? it must be because he got injured - he is on the bench though

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  12. Anonymous2:43 PM

    that is not yahoo's only mistake. they also didn't credit points for brm/bol last week.

    i'm losing faith. i doubt yahoo will add in ars/por this week.

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  13. Anonymous1:11 AM

    TH on the bench...for one of the biggest matches of the year...are you kidding me? between canceled games, abondonment, and now this...it is killing me

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  14. Anonymous3:36 AM

    Tell me about it. In the last 2 weeks I've gone from 90 points clear at the top of my league to 20 points behind in second. I guess I'll be spending the rest of the week nervously hoping that Yahoo will be giving out points for the Ars/Pompey fixture.
    On recent form I'm expecting one of the following scenarios to happen:

    A 0-0 bore draw woth no chances and Yahoo to award meagre points

    OR

    Arsenal demolish them, Henry bags a hattrick and Yahoo ignore the game completely

    Place your bets....

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