Premier League Live: Week 14 Saturday

Hello, my fellow fantasy managers! I hope you’re all ready for the early clash between powerhouses Chelsea and Manchester City to kick off week 14! Chelsea have looked nearly unbeatable at times lately, but it’s hard not to imagine Pep Guardiola’s potent attacking side giving the Blues some defensive worries.

The Citizens have been suspect at the back, though, and will have to be equally wary of the attacking threat of the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Diego Costa (not to mention sudden assist-king Nemanja Matic).

Do you think Antonio Conte’s side will keep their place atop the Premier League table, or will their unbeaten streak come to an end? I, for one, don’t see the London club dropping all the points, but think a low-scoring draw could well be the result.

If you’ll indulge me a minor tangent, it’s good to have the chance to write a post again. It’s been an exceptionally busy few months for me, and unfortunately that’s meant I’ve had to scale back on the time I spend here at NMA.

While I am sad not to be able to be around as often as I’d like, one seemingly fortunate side-effect of the limited time I’ve got is that I’m less likely to overthink my team selections. That’s led to me having my best-ever start to a season in the Official FPL game, where I currently sit just slightly outside the top 10,000 in the overall rankings.

So, it would appear that overthinking things can have a detrimental effect on fantasy performance much the same way as not being prepared. How do you find the right balance? For me, it’s been hanging onto inexpensive, reliable performers (Allen, McAuley, Pickford) and keeping a few of the must-haves (Aguero, Costa, Sanchez), then filling the rest of the team with gut picks.

Week 14 (Official)

Pickford
McAuley, Lovren, Alonso
Sanchez, Firmino, Allen, Sigurdsson
Aguero, Deeney, Costa

I’m realizing more and more that trying to do too much tinkering from week to week, chasing form and taking points hits are to blame for my poor performances in seasons past. I suspect the same may be true of another member of our community having an exceptional season in the official format, but I’ll leave it to K M to explain the method behind his madness if he so chooses.

Has your strategy or approach to playing either the official game or Fantrax changed this season? If so, how is it working out for you?

Let’s chat!