Welcome to Genie's Corner. Here Draft Genie will give you all his tips and tricks to help you navigate the Fantrax season. Be on the look out for bold takes, and outside the box tips that could give you the advantage in your title race.
How to "Zag" While Everyone Else "Zigs"
Outside of the box thinking is something of my trademark. I tend to go against the classic "groupthink" in my ranks, draft strategy, and league strategies. It has led me to quite a lot of success, some failures, but always a fun ride. Straying away from the pack can offer you the greatest upside in having a fighting chance at your league title. Below, I'll give you a couple of my favourite ways to "zag", which have worked well over the past few years.
Buying High on Players that are "Surprising"
Every year a group of players will appear within the first 5-8 gameweeks of the season as the "shock" performers. A lot of managers tend to believe that they will eventually revert to their classic performances, or just can't sustain certain levels of productivity - whether it be ghost points or attacking returns/clean sheets. Sometimes you either just have a hunch or see a player is more "up for it", or being used differently in a new system that could allow him to sustain this level of productivity or even get better. Within the first 2 gameweeks is when I usually try to pounce and trade in/pick up said players. But I always consider gameweek 7/8 the point where the manager who rosters the surprise asset may just want to go along for the ride.
This season a great example is Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma. After seeing the Ange set up and the gameweek one performance, I knew he was about to be a solid MID3 or better. I did everything I could to bring him in across my leagues and now roster him in nearly every league. Despite me not really believing in him in pre-season, and him being nothing more than a streamer his entire EPL career, he brought a different vibe to Spurs this year. Ange was using him as the prime ball carrier and in a team that will have a strong attack he was one I knew could only get better.
Buying high is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it will work out even better in your favour with the player taking off. I think the risk itself will put you in an even better chance to win a league title. Why wouldn't you want to pay highly for a player with a great start to the year? The past is the past in my opinion, and each season is like a completely new book.
Selling Low on Those Superstars
Similar to above, every year some very high draft picks just turn out to be flops. Last year for me it was the dreaded Sterling. Similar to the buying high, sometimes a player just won't turn it around, and it might be better to sell him to a manager thinking they are buying low as opposed to said player costing you games. Grealish is a great example of that this year. One good performance as we enter gameweek 6 and he is injured, and probably now behind Doku in the pecking order based on form. I've discussed the concept of sunk costs before, and managers get too attached to those top picks despite them proving they just might not be the same player as the previous year. I always recommend selling them for 2-3 useable players who have had a good start or at least offer every week solid value. This is another way to not only strengthen your team, but weaken an opponents team while they sit and gamble on a superstar that has every chance of providing less value than a streaming spot.
Not "Playing it Safe"
What's the fun in playing it safe? I live for the risky trades, the big drops, the 100 FAB pickups, and of course the crazy reaches in draft. If you take risks, you go against the consensus and can really help your chances to win. Safe strategies could include the following: holding onto poor assets too long, buying low on players who just won't come good, not making trades in general, and not taking a risk in your weekly streamers. The last point is one I want to expand on slightly.
Sometimes you are in a spot where your opponents' first 2 players in the Friday game just combined for 55 points. Already you are looking likely to lose and instead of just accepting defeat and playing for the next week, this is when you make those risky pickups and "go big or go home". My favourite strategy when you are seemingly down and out is to stack 3-4 defenders/a keeper from the same team in a semi favourable matchup. I am not even talking about picking up 3 Palace defenders playing Sheffield. I am looking at those 2-3 Everton defenders when they play Brentford. Sure, the odds are that it may not pan out. If it does, however, you are looking at not only a lot of defensive ghost points but a huge clean sheet bonus that could swing the gameweek back in your favour. Sometimes planning ahead isn't always the way to go, being risky to try and win each and every week is more important. At the end of the day, it's about the team who got the most wins - and winning as many of the first 15 gameweeks as you possibly can should be the goal even if that means adopting more short term strategies.
Gameweek 6 Trade Advice
Trade Ins
Mykhailo Mudryk - Mudryk got his first start of the season in the draw vs. Bournemouth. Despite only playing 62 minutes and getting 5.5 points he was one of the bright spots for what was a very poor Chelsea attack. Mudryk needs minutes for his confidence, and the hope is Pochettino believes the same. Chelsea have just a few "easy" games left before a tough run of fixtures, and getting Mudryk on the scoresheet could really help them. Chilwell was left on the bench and not trusted to play LB over Colwill. How I see it is Chilwell, Colwill, and Mudryk fighting for just 2 spots. Against Villa I do expect Poch to try both Chilwell and Mudryk in the XI. He will be hoping two attack minded players down the left could create havoc for Matty Cash. Mudryk is worth a low-ball offer in case a manager is just fed up with him. I would start with an offer of 5-10 FAB and a more certain starter with a lot less upside such as Soucek, Tonali, or Sarr.
Luis Diaz - Diaz is going to be a key player for Klopp this season. He has already shown his flair and directness to goal, but his 45' appearance vs. Wolves showed just how key he is. While Diaz is a hit or miss when it comes to ghost points, he is almost a nailed on LW starter on a top attacking team. In my opinion Diaz is a lower end FWD1 for the rest of the season. While Diaz will face the odd rotation game, he should be in line for a fair number of shots. In Klopp's eyes he is ahead of the likes of Gakpo and Jota for that LW role. I would look to offer someone a FWD2 + a MID4-DEF3 for Diaz. Try a package such as Hojlund + Andreas for Diaz.
Jeremy Doku - Doku has already made a name for himself in his limited minutes for City. Doku has not been subjected to the usual Pep first season treatment, and should be considered a high end FWD2. He is obviously a rotation piece especially once everyone is healthy. Doku for now will see a good number of starts in the EPL, and his rest in the recent Champions League game should bode well for another start this weekend. I would look to push the news that Grealish is back soon and offer a manager a trade with a more guaranteed forward or 2 more guaranteed forwards if they lack depth. Look to package players such as: Edouard, Solanke, Hojlund, and Danjuma in 2:1 deals. In a 1:1 deal I would offer the likes of: Jackson, Sterling, or Diaby for Doku - if needed, throw in some FAB to get it done.
Dejan Kulusevski - Kulusevski keeps proving the doubters wrong. My wildcard pick for the season, Kulusevski is growing into the role Ange has carved out for him. While he may have initially struggled to play the wide winger role, he has shown he has the pace and technical ability to make it work. He will be a mainstay in this incredible Spurs attack this season, and can be considered a lower end MID1-MID2. I would look to trade him in, and maybe play on the tougher fixtures coming up. Look to offer a package with some more overperforming players such as: Rodri + Digne for Kulu.
Trade Outs
Manor Solomon - Solomon has performed exceptionally in his 2 successive starts for Spurs. Both in fantasy and reality Solomon has showed he will be a great signing for Spurs. With Richarlison getting his first EPL goal for Spurs there will surely be a lot of rotation with Richarlison/Solomon/Johnson really fighting for just one spot. Son and Kulusevski will be near locks every week. I expect Solomon to rotate to the bench in one of the next 2 fixtures at least, and now is the perfect time to trade him out. Look to target the manager rostering a Spurs forward, and try to gain a midfielder who can deliver double digit scores, but is less prone to rotation. The likes of Bissouma and Hamer come to mind here.
Jarrod Bowen - Bowen started off the season in incredible form, but has shown he could frustrate managers especially in tougher games. Bowen lacks some serious ghost point potential since the inclusion of JWP in the squad. Five or less ghost points in his last 2 games shows he will be somewhat return dependent. There will surely be a manager who believes Bowen in being a MID1, and I would look to try and get an asset such as Kulusevski in return.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - Trent has had an inconsistent start to the year, and will probably miss another 1-2 games with an injury. With just two double digit scores in his first four starts, managers who used a first round pick on Trent will surely be frustrated. I really don't think Trent is a top 10 or even top 15 asset this year. He is someone I would try to trade out on his recent score and news he has started running on the grass. I would look to trade Trent out for a high end midfielder or forward. Look to send Trent + a sweetener/FAB for the likes of Eze, Son, or Rashford.
3 "Ones to Watch"
- Ryan Christie - Christie has proven to be a mainstay in the Bournemouth XI. He is still without a return, but is really growing into this CAM role that everyone thought would be occupied by Hamed. Pick up Christie where you can, and look to see how this Bournemouth attack shakes out.
- Cheick Doucoure - Doucoure has double digit outings in 3/5 of his starts this year - all from ghosts. He has proven to be a good MID5 and should be rostered as a good backup option in your squad.
- Jacob Brown - Brown was immense in his first start for Luton, and could get another chance. If he starts, he is a must pickup and start. Unlucky to not get a goal, he could be the key to Luton finding their attacking feet going forward.
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