Thursday 13 August 2009

Week 1 Picks



We have just 2 days until the 2009/10 Premier League Season kicks-off. Watching the above video reminded me of what a great season we had last year & I'm now even more excited!

I did an Early Week 1 Player Picks feature 3 weeks ago, so I won't write an extensive one again.

However, after looking at injuries & suspensions these are the Top 30 available players I feel you should be considering. You will notice they are all players due to play 2 games & I imagine they are all players that were already in your thoughts...

Strikers
Rooney
Torres
Drogba
Anelka
Berbatov
Defoe
Rodallega
Ebanks-Blake
Bent

Midfielders
Lampard
Gerrard
Malouda
Valencia
Modric
N'Zogbia
Milijas
Gomez
Larsson
Richardson

Defenders
Evra
Bosingwa
Johnson
O'Shea
Bassong
Wilkinson
Carr

Keepers
Foster/Kuszack
Kirkland
Cech

Barring late injury news, you should now be armed with all the information you need to pick your Week 1 team. Please feel free to post your team or ask any question in the comments section below - i'll do my best to reply/answer them all.

Good luck to everyone!

Cheers,
AM

60 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, just wanted some feedback for my team. This is probably final now barring any injuries.

Foster
Bassong, O'Shea Alexander**
Milijas Lampard Gomez Modric
Drogba Rooney Ebanks-Blake

**I read on another blog that he's actually a defensive midfielder who takes penalties and the odd free kick.

SR said...

I am struggling withe Milijas/Gomez and Rodellega/Ebanks-Blake combination which is harder to pick than a broken nose!

What are your thoughts on Foley as a defender?

SR

Assistant Manager said...

@10:43am - Very well balanced team, I expect you to do well.

@ SR - I'd go Milijas & Rodallega if you can afford it. As for Foley, I know he's a decent full back but I'm finding it difficult to confirm he'll start both games as Wolves have many options & McCarthy has changed things around quite a lot in pre season. If he plays he's a good pick - I'm not sure that's too useful though!

Dave said...

Here's a strategic YFF question for you AM - is week 1, the first week of the new Yahoo season, too early to employ the strategy of using a cheap filler in order to stock up on big-name players??? In my current draft, I actually have Roon, Drog, Torres, Lamps, Valencia/Malouda, Milijas/Gomez, Foster and shite defenders. Is that too reliant too few players, is it a needless gamble right now? Any thoughts are appreciated, thx.

Assistant Manager said...

Hi Dave - there's nothing wrong with using cheap fillers at any point of the season. It's a gamble but it's worked for me on numerous occasions over the years. However, it's a slightly different story in double weeks. I wouldn't encourage the use of more than 1 filler in double weeks as the filler is losing you 2 games' worth of points instead of just 1. You're therefore asking your big name players to make up for 2 games.

It's really upto you though, if you take the gamble and it pays off you could be laughing all the way to the top of the Blog League ;)

Anonymous said...

no cana expected?

SR said...

I realise that there is a tendency to go for bargain defenders however are there any defenders from the promoted teams that are generally more attacking, take set pieces, SOTs etc?

SR

Assistant Manager said...

Steve Carr will get forward for Birmingham (he picked up a couple of assists in pre-season) & Foley will do the same when he plays, but in terms of set pieces nobody stands out for the promoted teams. Frank Queudrue (when back from injury) can certainly strike a ball & Craddock is good dangerous in the air from corners. Some others who watched more Championship football may be able to add to this list.

Anonymous said...

I've gone for Kirkland, Hutton, Bassong, O'Shea, Valencia, Lamps, KRich, Milijas, Rodallega, Drogba & Bent, all subject to final tinkering, injuries etc. What do you think?

Assistant Manager said...

I like it, but watch out for Hutton's starting status with Corluka & Naughton battling for the same position. Maybe swap him out for a more certian starter? Other than that I'd say you're good to go.

Anonymous said...

Foster
Hreidarsson, Alexander, Wilkinson
Lampard, Milijas, Gomez, Valencia
Drogba, Torres, SEB

Held on to both Lampard and Torres until today....not sure what to make of the injury worry. I'd rather have Rooney than Torres, but can't afford him unless I get a filler. Also thinking of dropping Valencia for Richardson to free up some cash

Assistant Manager said...

I believe Hreidarsson has been struggling with a hamstring injury so keep an eye on that as he was tipped to miss the start of the season. Other than that I can't really fault it mate...& if I were you I'd stick with Valencia.

Anonymous said...

Hello AM,

This is only my second season on YFF, I finished decent last season in the top 10,000. Here is my team:

Foster
Edgar, Alexander, Sonko
Lamps, Malouda, Valencia, Milijas, Gomez
Drogba, Rooney

All comments would be appreciated! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I currently have:

Foster
O'Shea, Evra, Wilkonson
Lamps, Gomez, Milijas, Eagles
Drogs, Rooney, Ebanks-Blake

I am toying with 2 other options. One is using a filler, Sonko, for Evra, and switching Ebanks-Blake for Berbatov. Also probably have to switch O'Shes.
The other is switching to a 3-5-2:
Foster
O'Shea, Alexander (Takes PKs but also on Burnley), and Bassong or something
Lamps, Gomez, Milijas, Eagles, Lawrence (takes set-pieces for Stoke)
Rooney, Drogs

Any thoughts? Am I putting too much faith in Chris Eagles? Is Foster gonna start for sure?

Thanks, I'd appreciate any help, hard to get up to date EPL info here in the States.

GO SPURS!

Anonymous said...

@ 5:59
It's funny! We have exactly the same team, only one different player and I'm not going to tell you which one:P, as it seems that he'll differentiate us...My team is not definitive though, yet...!!!

Greaaaaat team indeed :D:D:D...!!!

Assistant Manager said...

@5:59pm - Looks good, Sonko wont play but I'm sure you know that as he's a filler.

Spurs fan @6:27pm - I prefer "Team 1" because I like the Evra pick and prefer Ebanks Blake to Lawrence. I also think Foster will play. In terms of Eagles, is he a hunch pick? There are more obvious options, but if he is a hunch pick I won't tell you to trade him out. I have 1 hunch pick that I haven't seen many others with & even though I have doubts, I'm keeping him.

How do you think we'll do vs. Liverpool on Sunday?

Anonymous said...

From Spurs Fan @6:27,

Yeah, Eagles is a hunch pick and I just can't trade him out, even though I know there are better options, but not too many other options in my opinion, at that price.

Thanks for you're advice. I joined ur 2nd blog league as well. I am BSC Ginger Kids.

I think we have a shot to get 1 point against Liverpool, but kinda think we might be able to steal the game, 3-2. If Gerrard doesn't play then I think we have a legit shot. Plus I have a friend here who is a diehard Liverpool fan so bragging rights for a couple of months would be great!

Anonymous said...

Hello...

Nice blog.. I'm from Malaysia and this is my 2nd season in YFF..

I've been reading this blog for a few weeks and now i think i'm ready for my final team.. :P

Foster
Bassong O'shea (is he really gonna play for both games?) Wilkinson
Milijas Lampard Fletcher (hunch) Malouda
Drogba Rooney SEB

What do you think? Thanks in advance...

-Fikri-

Assistant Manager said...

Hi Fikri - thanks for reading! Good team, and I'm glad you've got a hunch pick :)

I think O'Shea will play both games, Ferguson may rotate his midfield & attack options, but he tends to keep his defence consistent when he can.

Everyone else looks good, best of luck!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reply AM

I think i'm gonna stick with the team, given that foster will start the game.

Last season i kept changing my team during saturday morning (the games start at night in south east asia) and found out it was really very bad idea as the new selections always be the worse. :(

Anyway.. Thanks again.. And sorry for my bad english.. haha..

-Fikri-

Anonymous said...

Hi i'd quite like peoples opinions on which striker i should go for as i've got 8.43 points left over..

I'm between Rodallega, Doyle, Fuller and Ebanks-blake.

Thanks in advance for the advice

Assistant Manager said...

I'd go with Rodallega from those 4

Anonymous said...

What are people's opinions on Malouda, I have positives and doubts. In a game where he clicks he can get those good 16-18 pts, but he can go missing (as any player) for 1.5-2.5 pts. Against this weaker side I almost feel Bosingwa has a better chance to pay his price back. But if Malouda can score he might pay almost double his priceback (at 10.55mil I want 20pts out of him for two games). Thoughts?

mudwalkerz said...

I dont think it will be an issue yet for this weekend, but with Da Silva being cleared now.. I wonder whose place he'll likely be taking..?

Anonymous said...

2nd year fantasy player.. lost my private league on the final gameday last year.. finished top 2500. Good start but lots to learn about this version of fantasy football.
Early line up

Given/Foster/or Kirkland???????
Bassong, O'Shea, and Wilk
Lampard, Modric, Gomez, Lucas, N'Zogbia (Milijas and Fletcher also considerations here)
Rooney Drogba

would welcome any comments... especially the midfield and keeper situation. I love Given this year but the lack of two games week 1 hurts

Anonymous said...

Milijas over Lucas if you can perform the switch, possibly consider either Malouda or Valencia sacrifcing Modric or N'Zogbia as United and Chelsea have completely winnable games.

Good luck

Kellz

Anonymous said...

Word to the wise, according to SkySports.com Edgar will have to serve a 1 match ban following the start of the season, meaning he misses a possible 0-0 game with Stoke to face a possible 4-0 game vs United. Stay away.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5489246,00.html

Aren't I nice?

Kellz

Anonymous said...

Any thoughts on John Utaka as a cheap two-gamer this week? I know I'm going on a limb but he's giving me room for Rooney, Drogba, Lampard and Valencia. And he could score, couldn't he?

Anonymous said...

Great blog! am very happy to have come across it. I wanted to know the fellow football fanatics' opinion on this: what are Deco's chances to have a productive season in Chelsea? Is he a good outside pick for week one? Thank you for your time.

Dan in Detroit said...

awesome blog ... my team mirrored most of the posts up here so far, but i'm considering making some ;ast minute changes ... before i finalize, i'd like to get your take on what you think. Thanks!

Foster
Bassong Alexander Evra
Lampard Milijas Jordi Valencia
Drogba Berbatov Kitson

Dave said...

@ 1:01AM - Re: Utaka - I kind of love that pick as a really good sleeper. If you're looking for a sub-5 unit MF that is better than a pure filler like Moko, I think Utaka is worth the risk. He should be playing a stiker role, as Pompey don't have much else besides Piquionne (Nugent on the way out/possibly not preferred after that bust up). Good gamble IMO, especially if it allows you to fit in those 4 big guns you mentioned.

Anonymous said...

Foster 6.34
Wilkinson 4.73, Foley 6.01 - Danger Here, Bassong 5.5

Lamps 19.72, Gomez 5.55, Milijas, 5.55, Mokoena 1.22 - Filler to get full on strike force

Drogba 10.66, Rooney 17.26, Torres 16.86
.6 Units Left

As you can see i'm fully loaded up front. I couldn't decide between Torres & Roo so i said screw it i'll get both!
I could downsize one of them and upsize Mok to Valencia but then my team would be the same as a million other ppl.

What do you think?

Starky.

Anonymous said...

I freakin love Torres but he is possibly sidelined with a slight knock. As a Reds fan keep him. But from a fantasy standpoint drop him. You can bulk up your midfield without him. Just for weak one drop and BD him. Its all about matchups game week 1

Cheers

Kellz

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kellz

I've changed Torres for Banks, Mok for Mordic & Foley for Bosingwa leaving 0.09 units.

That makes my team a bit more, level throughout.

Cheers,
Starky

Assistant Manager said...

Hi guys - I see Kellz has done a lot of the replying for me & I'd agree with everything, thanks Kellz!

RE: Edgar - I was aware of the ban (which is why i didnt list him in my "Top Picks") but forgot to mention it. Sorry, and thanks again Kellz.

RE: Malouda - He's a great pick, could easily pick you up 20-30 points if he plays both games.

RE: Deco - no I don't think he'll get too much game time, Chelsea's midfield is already too packed.

RE: Utaka - could be a very good "enabler", 2 seasons ago he did amazing for me and has since trailed off, but as Pompey's squad is depleted he could find himself starting.

RE: Lucas/Keepers - I don't like the Lucas pick, and I'd got with Fosters. Pick up Given for next week.

Dan in Dallas - Cheers! I like you team except Kitson as I'm not sure he'll start ahead of Beattie and Fuller.

RE: Torres - I think he'll play, but I feel the money can be spent better elsewhere, and you've done exactly that Starky!

I think that's everyone!

Anonymous said...

lol i figure you must hate sunderland, as questions about sunderland seems to get ignored...

Anonymous said...

I have a problem choosing between two line-ups...

I'd go with either:
Foster
Bassong, Evra, O'shea
Valencia, Milijas, Richardson, Modric
Rooney, Drogba, Ebanks-Blake

or:
Foster
Bassong, Alexander, Wilkinson
Valencia, Milijas, Utaka, Lampard
Rooney, Drogba, Ebanks-Blake

The first team feels more safe, but the second one has deff got some potential.

The other problem is. Regardless of which team I pick, I get over 1pt left to spare. Any suggestions for a switch?

Assistant Manager said...

@ 9.06am - Sorry, I'm doing my best to keep up with all the comments! I've just noticed you must mean Da Silva...I have no idea how Steve Bruce plans to line his team/defence up so I would avoid Sunderland until we see a couple of games.

Assistant Manager said...

@9:37 - I think Lampard is a must have this week, although I do like the balance of team 1. It's really up to you, I think both teams would do well.

mudwalkerz said...

Thanks, but too late.. no friday changes!
Ill stick with what i have.

Foster
Bassong, Alexander, Collins (to be replaced with Da Silva maybe at barndoor)
Lampard, Milijas, Gomez, Cana
Rooney, Drogba, Bent

Assistant Manager said...

Looks good mate, best of luck! Agreed about no friday changes :)

Fidan said...

No Friday Changes Rule...I love it...Does that include even Edgar being suspended for the Stoke match. Blame me for being superficial but I've lined up more reliable defense with Evra as premium and Foley as a cross-finger-about :D...
I had to let Malouda go and believe me I am tooooo faaaar from happy about that.

My ex-team:
Foster
Bassong,Edgar,Sonko
Lamps,Milijas,Gomez,Valencia,Malouda
Drogs,Roo

My existing team (no more friday changes, I hope):
Given
Bass,Evra,Foley
Lamps,Milijas,Gomez,Valencia
Drogs,Roo

Ratings...???

Fidan said...

...and I forgot. Moko is my enabler (sad, sad, sad choice). Edgar spoiled my confidence in my team...I hope I didn't rotate to much...:S

Anonymous said...

What do you mean by "No Friday changes rule?"

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the replies to my Utaka pick. He disappointed me early last season but I'm hoping he'll do better in what could be his make-or-break year. He certainly has the raw talent to succeed in the EPL.

Here's my lineup:

Kirkland
O'Shea, Wilkinson, Bassong
Valancia, Lampard, Cattermole, Utaka
Ebanks-Blake, Rooney, Drogba

Again, thanks for a fantastic blog. One suggestion -- as a systems analyst by nature (and an American) I'm always trying to find patterns in a player's performance. But it's frustrating because of the nature of the game itself. Good players like Agbonlahor can spring for 30 points one week and then go silent for a month. And when Stephen Ireland is held up as a model of consistency, well hopefully you get my drift. What I'd like to know is -- what are the best predictors of a player's future performance that can be found in their previous matches (current form, home vs. away, past record against the same side, etc.). A discussion along these lines would be very helpful.

Assistant Manager said...

@2:50pm - "No Friday Change Rule"...it's not a real rule! :) it's just if you settle on a team by Tuesday/Wednesday and then make a last minute change on Friday/Saturday before the deadline, it almost always backfires!!

I remember last season I took Anelka out on Friday night after having him in my team all week. He scored a hattrick the next day. I cried.

It's even worse for Week 1 as many of us have had our team settled for a weeks!

@3:18pm - Nice team & good ideas, I may well discuss this in a post in future.

Cheers,
AM

Anonymous said...

The "No Friday Trade Rule" is always suspended if a player is certain to miss the match through injury, suspension, or bench time :D

Kellz

Anonymous said...

Uhhhg! I hate the Yahoo fantasy site game analysis with quotes like "while ex-Swansea winger Jordi Gomez is likely to be on the bench." Where on earth do they get the idea he will be benched? If anything given the fact that "ex-Swansea" manager Martinez is in charge and who publicly stated he wanted Gomez to control the midfield play why make such a comment? Anyone have any thoughts on his playing time?

Kellz

Assistant Manager said...

Hi Kellz...with N'Zogbia, Gomez, Koumas, Watson, Brown, McCarthy & Sinclair as options to Martinez in midfield there is a chance he could start on the bench for a tough away game. Just like Valencia there is a small doubt. All I can say is go with your gut instinct. I think he'll start.

Anonymous said...

Kirkland
Carr, Alexander, Insua
Lamps, Milijas, Mokoena, Valencia
Drogba, SEB, Rooney

Not feeling too confident about Foster so I went with Kirkland. Not a big fan of a filler like Mokoena..but a lot of sites are saying he's starting in a double week, and I can't deny the option of both Drogba and Rooney up front.

B.

Anonymous said...

What do people think of Belhadj of Portsmouth as a defensive option. Could potentially be playing on the wing 2moro and is only around 7.5 points.

Anonymous said...

I think that given O'Shea at a similar price is only likely to get you 7.5-8pts that IF pompey can somehow get a clean sheet against Fulham or Birmingham, Belhadj is a worth while risk. Hes on my radar aswell for a last defender as I have 7.89mil to spend.

Kellz

Anonymous said...

My team:

Foster
O'Shea,Bassong,Wilkinson
Lamps,Malouda,Gomez,Milijas
Rooney,Drogs,SEB

I'm still uncertain about Foster & O'Shea status,
thoughts anyone..

Gabriel

Anonymous said...

Foster and O'shea will start, Wilk is probably benched behind Shotton
Good Luck

Kellz

Anonymous said...

fletcher?good?

Unknown said...

I still have a slot of stiker. I wanted to choosw between Berbetov and Defoe. Who do you think is better?

Assistant Manager said...

Gabriel - team looks good, but look out for Wilkinson.

Fletcher - Wouldn't be someone I'd choose.

SK - Defoe for me.

Unknown said...

This is my line up

Foster
Alexander Belhadj Bassong
Lampard Benayoun Gómez Mokoena
Kuyt Drogba Defoe

how do you think??

Assistant Manager said...

I like it SK, you have some different picks to other people but a solid team overall. I think you are ready to go...good luck!

AM

Unknown said...

Thanks for you comment AM.
I have use 2 days to figure it out...
Hope that I can get high point!!

Cheer..!

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