Your one-stop shop for ensuring that this Fantasy Football season is a major (or at least a moderate) success.
Do… come up with an incredible team name
This is the name you’re going to be looking at when you’re staring at your computer screen for the next nine months, so you might as well make it a good ‘un. When thinking of a name, it’s best to abide by a rule followed by Homer and company when they formed the band ‘The B-Sharps’ in The Simpsons: the name should be witty at first, but seems less funny each time you hear it.
Obviously, it’s preferable if you come up with said witty name all by yourself, but it’s also very easy to be lazy and just name your team after the many suggestions you’ll come across when you type ‘best Fantasy Football team names’ into Google. Baines on Toast was a personal favourite of JOE’s last season.
Don’t… be blinded by club loyalty
It’s a message we attempt to get across before every Fantasy Football season and it remains as relevant now as it ever was.
Even the biggest ABU is probably going to have to pick Wayne Rooney at some stage
If you’re going to be a successful Fantasy Football manager, you play with your head and not with your heart and if, for example, you’re a Liverpool fan but Wayne Rooney’s on a hot streak going into a United v Liverpool clash at Old Trafford, then you pick Wayne Rooney in your team.
It’s similar to – but not half as bad as – betting against your team so that there’ll be some consolation in defeat; you’ll feel a bit dirty afterwards but it’ll have been worth it in the end.
Do… your research
Some managers will get lucky, throw a team together using auto-complete and find themselves hitting the heights in the first few weeks, but the ones still standing come the end of the season will be the ones who put the effort in.
What teams have an easy-looking run of games coming up? When do the double gameweeks arrive? Who from the promoted sides might represent the ‘hidden gem’ that all managers long for? Simple stuff like accounting for injuries and suspensions is easy but a little bit of long-term planning every now and again will pay off too.
Don’t… be slow to hop aboard a bandwagon
One of the golden rules, if not the golden rule of Fantasy Football. Barring the real elite performers, the vast majority of players in the Premier League are as streaky as a nice rasher and the key to Fantasy Football success is not only identifying when an individual’s streak might arrive, but not being afraid to capitalise on it even if you don’t jump on board straight away.
Several reasonably-priced players are going to go on a run of scoring plenty of goals or providing loads of assists at some stage throughout the season and, if you don’t get them in while they’re hot and get them out when they’re not, you’ll quickly get left behind.
Do… put your faith in the big hitters
The streaky mid-ranged players referenced above are all well and good, but it is the big hitters that are worth their weight in gold when it comes to reeling in the big points.
We think there’s a big season in this guy…
Think Suarez and Yaya Toure last season, RVP the season before; we’re talking about the type of player who will likely end up being your captain for 30 or 40 per cent of the season. It’s very early to tell, but we’re thinking that the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Aguero might be those guys this season.
Don’t… give up after a few weeks
How many times have you heard mates of yours saying ‘Yeah, I’m bottom of the table but sure I gave up after a few weeks?’ Don’t be that guy.
Don’t… be sly and use your wildcard to replicate the same team as your nearest challengers in your private league towards the end of the season
The temptation is obvious. There’s only two weeks left to go in the season, you’re winning your private league but the guy in second place is putting on serious heat and has been reeling you in for weeks. He has no wildcard left but you do so you bite the bullet and do probably the most shameful thing you can do in Fantasy Football: you use your wildcard to pick the exact same team as your nearest challenger, thus virtually ensuring that victory is yours.
It’s like a team deliberately kicking the ball out of play because of an injury and the other team scoring when they’re expected to give the ball back. Sure, it’s not exactly against the rules, but it’s not really on either.
Do… be prepared to set the alarm at the ungodly hour of 10am some Saturday mornings
A Friday night transfer marathon normally suffices for most managers, but there are times when you need to put in the extra effort and do your business at the very last minute. If you’re lucky, you’ll benefit from some last-minute team news, or by changing your mind on your captain at the last minute… a tactic that can also have negative consequences, of course.
Less of your tired excuses, Fantasy Football is more important
Don’t… go on holidays between now and the middle of next May
You might think we’re joking here (we obviously are), but if you’re serious about doing well in Fantasy Football this season, you’ll either sacrifice any holidays – apart from during the international window – or ensure that the wi-fi connection in your holiday destination is absolutely bulletproof. The points lost during a week or two of Fantasy Football neglect could have a disastrous impact on your season.
Do… pay attention to the regular Fantasy Football advice on these pages
Yes, it’s shameless plug alert time but just to let you know that the Fantasy Football, ahem, experts, in JOE will be on hand to supply sage advice on a weekly basis as well as posting regular updates about the readers’ teams doing the business in the J-League.
Those experts will, of course, be subject to good-natured abuse when their advice turns out to prove very costly indeed, but for the most part, we’re looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Let the games begin.
If you haven’t already done so, meanwhile, make sure to join the J-League before the action gets underway on Saturday. Simply head on over to the Fantasy Premier League website and enter the code 712092-175555. You can find more information here.
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