In this week’s insider, JOE recommends picking a very much in form Javier Hernandez and casts its eye over the movers and shakers in the Champion J-League.
(Fantasy Football in association with Champion Sports)
Gameweek 29 review
As a reflection of what’s going on in the Fantasy Football world as a whole, the prestigious and highly competitive Champion J-League on our own fine website is normally a good starting point (ranked #301 out of more than 220,000 leagues on the official Fantasy Premier League site, if you must know).
A quick glance at the scores at the top of the table, then, with pitiful scores like 23, 34 and 35 being registered in the top five, reveals that Gameweek 29 was not exactly a points goldmine, something which is backed up with a look at the Dream Team this week, which features a host of players that aren’t exactly in the highest scoring players bracket so far this season.
Kevin Doyle and Damien Duff both struck braces in Gameweek 29, an encouraging sign with Macedonia coming up next weekend
Refreshingly from an Irish point of view, both Damien Duff (15 points) and Kevin Doyle (12) made the cut thanks to two goals apiece against Blackburn and Spurs respectively, while the main man was unfashionable Dutchman and Sloth from The Goonies lookalike Dirk Kuyt (20 points), who claimed one of the easiest hat-tricks in living memory as Liverpool trashed bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Three other players that scored twice – Frank Lampard (18), Gary Cahill (16) and Jermain Defoe (13) also featured prominently, Birmingham’s Jean Beausejour (14) and Everton’s Phil Jagielka (10) were the best value of players that had a double gameweek, while the rest of the dream team was populated by the unlikely figures of Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet (10), West Ham defender Manuel da Costa (15) and West Brom midfielder James Morrison (13).
Champion J-League
As mentioned previously, it was a poor showing from the top dogs in the Champion J-League this week and despite a dismal return of 23 points in Gameweek 29, Shane Halligan’s Hal’s Allstars continue to lead the way and hold a comfortable 60 point lead over Keith Donnelly’s UpDown FC in second, who didn’t do much better with 34 points.
Stephen Fox’s Makin Up D Numbers put the heat on a little bit with a 57-point total, while Donal Barrett surged back into the top five with a pretty solid 58 points.
The malaise that affected many a fantasy manager didn’t escape JOE’s Journeymen this week and our boys slipped five places to 24th after a disappointing 39 points.
With both wildcards played, it will be down to sheer managerial ability between now and the end of the season, but peaking around Easter and making a late surge was always the intention at the start of the season and we see no reason why our strategy won’t pay dividends with nine gameweeks remaining.
Champion J-League Top 5:
1. Hal’s Allstars – Shane Halligan: 1679 points
2. UpDown FC – Keith Donnelly: 1619 points
3. Makin Up D Numbers* – Stephen Fox: 1604 points
4. Sultans of Ping FC – Mark Dinan: 1595 points
5. Sinking like a stone – Donal Barrett: 1594 points
What to look out for this week and JOE’s Fantasy Football picks
What to look out for this week
fter his two goals in the Champions League clash with Marseille helped seal a stuttering Manchester United side’s place in the quarter-finals during the week, people are starting to realise – if they hadn’t done so already – just how good of a player that Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez is.
An absolute bargain at a reported £6 million (€7 million), Hernandez has already bagged 16 goals in 33 appearances for his new club, form which has gone some way to disguise Wayne Rooney’s mediocrity and Dimitar Berbatov’s propensity to blow hot and cold. In the Premier League, he has ten goals to his name, or for the more pedantic among you, ten in 968 minutes, which averages out at about one per game.
What makes that statistic more impressive is that a lot of his appearances in the league have been cameo ones as a substitute, with little time or opportunity to make a lasting impression. In recent weeks, however, Hernandez has been rewarded with starting berths against Chelsea in the Premier League, Arsenal in the FA Cup and Marseille in the Premier League, which suggests that Sir Alex is ready to unleash him on a more permanent basis.
Although Fergie will be tempted to recall Dimitar Berbatov against Bolton this weekend, Hernandez should remain in the starting XI as United look to get back on track in the league after two consecutive defeats and three in their last five.
Elsewhere at the top, Arsenal need to recover quickly from their Champions League and FA Cup exits and will probably welcome a trip to a West Brom side with only one win in their last five. Robin van Persie (£10.4 million) seems to be showing little ill-effects from the injury sustained in the Carling Cup Final and, given his form prior to that game, could be worth a punt.
The game of the weekend, meanwhile, Chelsea v Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, may well be best avoided from a fantasy football point of view, although apologists for Fernando Torres (£11.5 million) might keep telling themselves that he’s going to break his Premier League duck sooner rather than later.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Frank Lampard (£12.1 million). With two Italian managers in charge when Manchester City come to Stamford Bridge it could be a tight affair, but Lampard has scored four goals and 44 points in his last five games as Chelsea have staged something of a mini-revival in the race for the Premier League title.
Mid Range: Javier Hernandez (£6.4 million). As elaborated upon above, Hernandez is on a hot streak for the Premier League leaders at the moment and just like he was when United signed him in the summer, is an absolute bargain at just over £6 million.
Bargain Basement: Thomas Hitzlsperger (£5.0 million).
Ze German with ze fierce shot has started two league games for the Hammers since returning from injury and has already contributed an assist and a goal against Stoke that somehow managed not to go through the net despite being struck at hundreds of miles an hour.
Look closely and you’ll see the ball shudder a little as Thomas Hitzlsperger prepares to strike it
The Hammers are fourth in the form table with 11 points from their last six games and could upset Spurs in a London derby at White Hart Lane. If Hitzlsperger manages to find some space around the penalty area, he could do damage.
Irish Pick: Damien Duff (£6.1 million). ‘The Duffer’ is on fire at the moment and back to the sort of form that made him one of the most dangerous wingers in Europe. He’s scored four goals in his last five Premier League games and picked up 43 points along the way.
With Macedonia just around the corner, Duff is hitting form at just the right time and could be up against compatriot Seamus Coleman when the Cottagers go head to head with Everton at Goodison Park this weekend.
Captain’s Pick: Javier Hernandez (£6.4 million). Given Fergie’s penchant for rotation, the prospect of Hernandez being left out despite his sterling run of form is a possibility, but if he starts, we fancy Hernandez to be amongst the goals against Bolton at Old Trafford.
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