Barn Door Watch

We're back to one match per team next week and have some big clashes at the top as an added bonus.  Arsenal host Manchester United and Chelsea host Spurs.  I generally go a bit overboard in avoiding clashes at the top and given what I've seen from Arsenal at home and United on the road, I'm pretty inclined to continue that pattern with that match.  Chelsea are more attractive hosting Spurs in my mind because Chelsea are scoring more and Spurs are wilting against strong attacks as the season winds down.

In other match-ups I'll be anticipating...

• The big opportunity is Citeh hosting West Ham - I don't know if Tevez has a chance to be back for this one but seems likely that Citeh will score some goals in this one.  I'll definitely be looking at Johnson, Silva, Balotelli, etc. on the BD
• The second match-up that catches my eye is Liverpool hosting NUFC.  I'm never quite sure what to make of NUFC but you have to like Carroll's chances of terrorizing his former side.  The only bummer is that Suarez's retail price has (predictably) skyrocketed.  I'll also be watching Liverpool's kids to see if any of them are likely to a) continue deputizing and b) produce decent points.
• Birmingham vs. Wolves feels like a defensive struggle (or maybe I'd be better off putting it as "a struggle to generate any offense").  In any event, I'm very likely to scout this one for defenders and keepers.  Hennessey is of particular interest given his price.
• My final note will be for those who loaded up on Fulham (Schwarzer, Dempsey, Zamora, etc.) for the two-match week this week - I wouldn't drop those players too quickly.  With a trip to the Stadium of Light coming up next, keeping some or all of them isn't the worst idea ever.

Barn Door Watch

I don't tend to do a lot of name dropping or anything like that related to my day job but I will today because it will help explain the lateness of this post.  One of my clients was invited to demonstrate something we did for them at a Cyber Security event hosted by the White House (yes, THAT White House).  My client invited me and one of my co-workers along as well which was kind of cool.  I'm guessing most of you don't care but it was sort of fun for me to see one of the projects I've worked on get some high level recognition.

OK, enough with the excuses and on to the look ahead to the Barn Door that we'll all be contemplating over the weekend as the matches unfold and we look to optimize our teams for the next match week. 

Once again, the schedule is an odd one with everyone playing once and four teams playing twice. Here's the thing, the teams that are playing twice are going to test the skills and abilities of fantasy managers everywhere because, how to say this nicely, none of them are exactly challenging for a spot in Europe.  The other quirk is that NONE OF THEM ARE PLAYING THIS WEEKEND.  So really, there isn't much need to spend a lot of mental effort on the BD (which is nice). 

If you do want a little look ahead just to have something to read and to consider one-gamers you might want to keep amongst the two-gamers, here are some thoughts.

So, here are the two-gamers and a quick review of the value each team is likely to deliver:

Barn Door Watch

The two-gamers return next match week and as such, so does the need to be particularly vigilant on the Barn Door so you don't get shut out of some inexpensive two-match goodness.  Here's what you need to know:

Two Gamers

• Chelsea - and neither of their matches (@WBA and BRM) are exceptionally difficult.  Time to find a way to get some of their expensive players on board.
• Arsenal - but their matches (LIV and @TOT) are much tougher so I wouldn't get TOO excited.
• Birmingham - and they have a mixed bag of SUN (who are playing really badly) and @CHE which is going to be a lot tougher.

No Games

• Stoke
• Wolves
• Bolton
• Citeh
• Fulham

No huge losses among the teams that won't be playing really.  I'm not saying there aren't any good fantasy players to be had on those teams but there certainly aren't many long term keepers that you'd have to make the decision to ditch or not.  Maybe Kolarov (but I'd keep him if you've had him all season) but otherwise these are teams that you only pick on a match-up-by-match-up basis.

Players to Watch

• Drogba/Lamps/Cech/Luiz/Torres
• RvP
• Gardner
• Adam - he's only a one-gamer but he's home to Wigan
• Others if they're healthy - Zigic, Walcott, Martins, whomever from Everton turns up healthy in the attack (they're only 1 gamers but they're home to Rovers)

Barn Door Watch

As we look past this week to next week the schedule has some tantalizing options for fantasy managers.  The only downside is that the players who are likely the most interesting are already pretty expensive.  The main attraction will be Chelsea hosting Wigan.  There will certainly be doubts about who Chelsea will start at forward so that's a potential issue but you at least want to give yourself options, especially if Nando breaks out of his rut this weekend. You also want to be tracking guys like Luiz on the relative bargain side and midfielders Lampard and FloMal who are expensive but potentially worth it at home against Wigan.

With Spurs and United also at home against moderate opposition there will be no shortage of expensive options that might get more expensive that you should be tracking.  Potentially more interesting from a value standpoint will be Sunderland's attackers and specifically Gyan.  They face WBA at the Stadium of Light which means that you have the worst defense in the league playing on the road.  With Gyan under 9, you want to make room for him right away if there's any chance his prices goes up. Henderson is also reasonably priced and might be worth a look on the Barn Door.

That's about as much as I can say I'm really looking forward to on the BD but I'm sure a number of other alternatives will present themselves as the matches unfold.

Barn Door Watch

One match for everyone on the schedule right now during the next match week.  Most importantly there are a lot of good teams playing away to not so good teams.  Here's the quick list of the important ones:

• ManYoo @ WHU - ManYoo aren't great on the road but they should be healthier - I'd be especially interested in value picks Smalling and Valencia and maybe Chicharito depending on how the rotation is looking.
• Liverpool @ WBA - Good match-up for the Reds meaning Reina, Suarez, Meireles, and Carroll should be on your watch list this weekend as well as a check of the defenders.
• Chelsea @ Stoke - Finally a weekend where you KNOW you want Luiz and maybe some others as well but Luiz is definitely the bargain to watch.
• Spurs @ Wigan - Spurs good fantasy players tend to be pretty expensive these days but watching Bale, VDV, Defoe, and maybe Gomes given Wigan's deficiency in the scoring category.
• Arsenal vs. Rovers - Finally a good team with a home match against a bad team.  If Arsenal were healthier this would be the pick of the litter.  As it is, the most important thing here will be deciding if you want to roll the dice with any of Arsenal's less expensive defenders - especially if they happen to do well this weekend against WBA.

That's what I'll be watching during the Live Chat tomorrow.  Please join us during the games and we'll see if those are things actually worth watching. 

Barn Door Watch: A Quick Look Ahead

I'm going to try to bring back the BD watch in a modified format.  Here is what I'll be thinking about as soon as line-ups lock in for the current match-week:

• RSC is healthy? - how do he and Rovers look?  They're @AST next which isn't great but it isn't horrible either.
• Carling Cup Final Impact - TOT/ARS and CHE/BRM have both been postponed for the next match week due to the ARS/BRM Carling Cup Final.  They have not yet been re-scheduled.  This makes TOT, ARS, and BRM idle for the purposes of fantasy next match week.  It makes Chelsea one-gamers. 
• ManYoo Two Matches - Granted the second one is @CHE but with the first one being @WIG it seems like you'll want to shift resources from BRM/ARS/TOT to MAN.  Rooney, Berbs, Nani, and maybe Smalling if the Rio and Evans injuries persist.
• Citeh Second - If you're not convinced by United's two matches then Citeh (home against Fulham) are probably the next best bet from match-up standpoint. Tevez, Silva, and maybe one of the defenders are the highlights.
• Luiz Watch - Assuming he's going to be a great addition for the balance of the season, does he do enough on Saturday to force you to BD him for the next match week or can you wait until after the ManYoo match? 
• Liverpool Third - Liverpool travel to WHU which represents the third best match-up advantage of the next match week for my money.  Meireles Suarez, Kelly and Reina are worth looking at.

There will surely be more BD candidates as the matches unfold but hopefully this will help you organize your thoughts before the chaos starts up.

Cheers - Neal