Thursday Thoughts

Is that the worst title for a post ever? Alliteration aside (Oops... I did it again), there's just no excuse for it. So let's forgo the usual long preamble (sorry, Neal) and just get into it, shall we?

The "Seven Premier League matches then your price jumps" theory was born out last night as Szczesny's price doubled from 5.67 to 11.28. He scored 12 points on his second consecutive clean sheet win. But that alone wouldn't justify the jump. And while 6% of fantasy managers bought him last week - a huge increase - surely that would have manifested itself after the Wolves match, his sixth in the League.

So now I'm left with a dilemma. Do I hold Szczesny at a now-significant discount, or do I move for another keeper playing this week? My instinct is to sell for Van der Sar, the 2-gamer. Surely this is the cue for Kuszczak's entry music (h/t @sportsguy33) against Wigan. Regardless, Van der Sar is the logical move and thinking two weeks ahead, it makes more sense with Birmingham and Everton having two matches apiece (they play each other, @Everton, on March 9). So for $5 I get one game from Szczesny (home to Sunderland), or for $11 I get 4 matches from Van der Sar/Foster.

On the Birmingham-as-two-gamers note, David Bentley played his seventh and eight League games this week and saw his price go up by 3.5. #QED. Even at 11.72 he'll still be the go-to guy for everyone coming off Giggs after Manchester United's two games.

All these moves... Spending big coin on a keeper. Avoiding the enabler in midfield, as my current four (Nani, Meireles, Giggs, Kuyt) cost double-digits. How is it that I find myself with enough money for all this extravagance? Then it hits me. I'm still holding John Carew at $2.

I hate John Carew. At least for fantasy purposes. He doesn't score enough - one goal in 15 games this season, though most off the bench. He, along with Kevin Davies, is consitently the most fouling (?) player in the League. But at that price...

This week, in his two matches, he had three shots on goal and committed 6 fouls. That was good enough for 8 points - 4 points per match, and double in points/match what I paid for him. He seems to be Stoke's first choice center-forward, with Kenwyne Jones falling to fourth in the pecking order behind Walters and Fuller. And Stoke's upcoming matches include West Brom, at West Ham, and then Newcastle. None of those clubs with your "One-nil to the Arsenal" type defences.

So maybe, just maybe this will all work out.

(Who are we kidding?)