Here at The Draft Society we're an inclusive bunch. We love the incredible community of Draft Premier League Fantasy Managers that is building week by week. And this is why we offer members of The Inner Circle the exclusive benefit of submitting their very own Fantasy EPL articles for publishing! You send it, we publish it! Have you got something to say? Try your hand as a fantasy football writer.
Thank you to @SnakeDraftFPL for submitting the below Community Submission. This article has been subject to minor edits to the formatting, but the written content remains almost untouched.
Click here for full details on how to join The Inner Circle so that you can publish your own articles too! There are also heaps of other exclusive benefits for members!
GW8 Preview for OFPL Scoring Draft
This article is based on the OFPL Scoring System made famous by the Official Fantasy Premier League game. Bonus points and Kante Points (1 point for every two tackles or interceptions) are also included as per Draft Fantasy Football. Much of this insight will be applicable to OFPL Draft and Fantrax/Togga style too.
A tricky GW7 has come to a close, with one of the most thrilling second halves of football I’ve ever seen played out at Anfield. Now we roll on to another international break. While you might think this is a time to rest on your laurels, it most certainly is not. Now is the time to get ahead of your league-mates with astute pick-ups during the break. By keeping an eye out for any injuries that may occur, this will give you a good opportunity to pick up their replacements!
Fixture Swings
The following teams have a good run of fixtures coming up and should be targeted for trades or free agent pick-ups.
Southampton
Next Four Fixtures: Leeds (H), Burnley (H), Watford (A), Villa (H)
Saints currently sit 17th in the table; winless, with just four points on the board. They desperately need to start picking up results, and now is the perfect time with four winnable games on the spin. They start off with Leeds at home, a fixture they should be capable of winning. Southampton have arguably performed better than their point tally would indicate, with hard fought draws against both the Manchester clubs, and a good performance away to Chelsea until the silly Ward-Prowse red card.
When looking at who to pick up from Southampton, there are two stand out options in my opinion. The first is Adam Armstrong. He’s the only nailed on attacker in the front four and looks like a talent. With easier defence's coming up I can see him performing well over the next four. The next best option is James Ward-Prowse who is annoyingly suspended for the next two Premier League fixtures. I would expect his replacement to be Diallo but he is far less attacking than JWP and doesn’t possess his delivery. Stuart Armstrong is also worth a look after he returned to the match day squad at the weekend. I think defensively Saints are rather mediocre, but with these fixtures they could pick up one or two clean sheets in the next four. My pick of the defenders is easily Livramento, who plays very high on the right and has good attacking stats for a full back.
Arsenal
Next Four Fixtures: Palace (H), Villa (H), Leicester (A), Watford (H)
Arsenal had a bit of an off day against a very good Brighton side in GW7, but that is to be expected with their incredibly young first eleven. The next four fixtures for them could prove to be very fruitful indeed and they possess a range of options that may have been overlooked.
With Aubameyang certainly picked in every league, it is the midfield I would look to target - especially in the trade market. The four main attacking midfield options are Smith Rowe, Saka, Odegaard and Pepe. In my opinion, that is the order in which I would rank them, although I do think it’s close. Smith Rowe for me is the best option, he is absolutely nailed on for minutes, he is the one that is arriving in the box to finish chances, and he is the one that I think will outscore the rest. Saka is a very close second and I wouldn’t argue with someone if they prefer him to Smith Rowe. He is the technically superior footballer, but in this Arsenal side he serves more as a creator. Next up is Odegaard who plays a more reserved role than the other two, but supplements his threat with set piece delivery. Finally, I think Pepe is the fourth best pick, simply due to his uncertainty over minutes. If all four were guaranteed minutes Pepe might actually be the highest scoring, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he misses out in the majority of the next four, so if you go for him make sure you have a robust bench.
One Week Pickups
Goalkeeper or defenders with a bad fixture? Attacker with a potential short-term injury? No worries, I’ve got a smattering of players that could serve as good one-week punts to fill a void.
Goalkeepers
Sanchez - My weekly ‘who’s playing Norwich’ pick.
Guaita - Will probably concede vs Arsenal but as a brilliant shot stopper I could see him racking up save points this week.
Defenders
Livramento - Could get some attacking joy vs Leeds this week, and Saints may have more midfield protection that normal with JWP out.
Semedo/Marcal - Defensively Wolves look very assured and I can see the wingbacks getting some joy vs Villa this week.
Duffy - Incredible attacking stats from a man that many thought would never play for Brighton again before this season. He could get a massive haul this week if things go his way.
Midfielders
Groß - The main creator in Brighton’s ranks will have fun vs Norwich this weekend, who aren’t great at defending set pieces. This is where Groß excels.
Lookman - I don’t think Leicester have been particularly good so far this season, but I think they look better now with Iheanacho back in the side. United have been leaking the odd goal this season so don’t let the fixture put you off.
Almiron - Newcastle are a rather attacking outfit at the moment and I think they could cause a bit of a surprise to Spurs, and Almiron may well be on the waivers in most leagues.
Forwards
Sargent - Looks to have cemented himself in the Norwich side and with forwards thin on the ground in this format, he could be an okay third choice forward.
Adam Armstrong - Good fixtures for Saints and he’s their most nailed on attacker. No brainer pick if he’s free in your league.
That concludes my picks to look out for in the free agent pool, as well as players to try to trade for. I hope you found this helpful, if so a follow over on Twitter would be much appreciated @SnakeDraftFPL
For all the latest from The Draft Society, follow @Draft_Society on Twitter!
