FPL Gameweek 13
Two wins on the bounce and my time as a sub 500 team (NBA fans will catch my drift) is surely coming to an end! For once fortunes favoured me as I won by 3 points due to a 8 point transfer deduction for Kwamz FC. I was on the waiting list to receive some luck in the league, so it’s reassuring to know things do balance themselves out. To the high level statistics, the average points scored in the league this week was 48, which was slightly above the average across all FPL players at 46. Comparing last week’s average fixture differential (13 points), this dropped back down to 10 points as it was in the previous week. 9/18 of the games were decided by single digits (unchanged from last week), whilst 4/18 fixtures had a 15+ points differential, and 2 fixtures by 20+ points. There were 1 draw across the 18 games this week between CK and Yessirree FC who both scored bang on average.
Notable mentions:
Fixtures of the week: For the ‘Upset of the Week’ I predicted Vibes FC would defeat Benniehanas given her attacking options, however they failed to deliver as she posted a below-par score of 42 points. It was a comfortable win in the end for the visitors as he had handy contributions across defence, midfield and attack to see him through. For the ‘Neck and Neck’ tie between StomachRumbles vs ETHstateofmindS2 it turned out to be an easy victory for the host whose midfield and attack carried him. I was off this week with the predictions I must say- not my best week yet. With respect to the ‘Goals Galore’ game I was onto something as A Shaw Thing continued his fine form with a league topping 67 points this week as he comprehensively beat Sweet Potatoes FC by the largest margin across all fixtures (26 points). To be fair it doesn’t take a genius to predict the highest scorer to be the one who has scored the most so far, but common sense prevailed to my credit.
Top scorer: As mentioned above A Shaw Thing secured this for the first time (Mr Consistency).
Blooper: WeBackAgain earns the title this week as he succumbed to another loss via an 8 points transfer deduction that would’ve seen him win the fixture. The transfers did not bear fruit as his 3 signings yielded 5 points collectively, meaning the cost of purchasing them outweighed their points tally. Interestingly enough had he not made any signings he would’ve scored 1 point fewer but sufficient for the win.
Unlucky: IamJoseMurinho could be viewed as the unluckiest this week as his 9 points loss (albeit he only scored 37 points) saw him drop 6 places, whilst the 26 points loss for Sweet Potatoes only saw him drop 1 spot. It is a cruel game indeed but another reminder of the asymmetry in the league.
Making Moves: Movement this week across the league was muted however I climbed the highest with my 5 place ascension, whilst a few others climbed up 4 places. On the flip side, IamJoseMurinho had the steepest fall (down 6) whilst King Manny FC and ETHstateofmindS2 dropped 5. Notable mention to CK whose draw saw him slip 4 spots as the battle for the top places intensified.
Looking forward to GW 14 as the league starts to take shape, here are my predictions below:
Upset of the week: In all honesty I think only 2 fixtures have the potential to be ‘upsets’: ETHstateofmindS2 vs All or nothing V3, & Gabi Gabby Gabi vs Agueroooooooo. I believe all other fixtures will be won by the team currently placed highest in the league as it may just be one of those weeks. As such, I’ll focus on the first fixture and go for ETH to win by 5 points.
Neck and neck: DanDman419 vs King Manny FC could be a close one as they have identical records and are 21st and 22nd respectively, but the former should win it as he does have a slightly higher points today overall and much more strength in depth across his squad.
Goals galore: Gabi Gabby Gabi vs Agueroooooooo will be high scoring as they are both placed 4th and 5th respectively and one of the higher scoring pairs in the league. Anything less than a combined total of 130 points would be a disappointment with the capabilities across both teams.
As the fixtures start to come thick and fast I expect a few squads to become derelict and uncared for. Now is when we shall see who has the wherewithal to grind through the winter matches.
Until next time,
To a simpler life;