The Bargain Hunter - Week 7
I was somewhere around the University of North Carolina, on the edge of the campus - when the game began to take hold....
(Cue late 60's psychedelic rock tune)
Hello friends, good to be back here in the inviting confines of the Rotoworld Premier League department. I know many of you must have been feeling frantic when you noticed my column went missing last week. That was because your reporter was off to do some investigative journalism...to play the pulp out of FIFA 15 which was released one week ago here in the United States.
I decided the only way to do it was to go from being the Bargain Hunter to channeling Hunter himself...Hunter S. Thompson that is, and go on a FIFA 15 bender, playing session upon session until either my retinas burned out or I could manage Scunthorpe United all the way to the top flight and a Champions League spot. It would take endurance, it would take commitment, it would take courage. It also took about three cases of energy drinks. I won't mention which drink by name, but let's just say the effects of said drink is supposed to last somewhere in the vicinity of 4-6 hours. I turned my phone off. I shut down social media. I blocked the sun coming through my window with a series of washcloths and duct tape. I was taking this assignment seriously.
I attempted to take notes through the process of my experience with FIFA 15. These notes started out detailed and articulate. As time went on though, they became the scribblings of a delusional madman. It started off innocently enough. For whatever reason, I chose to play with Stoke City in my first match, and wouldn't you know I defeated Aston Villa with a tidy 2-0 opening day win. First ever FIFA 15 goal belongs to - Stephen Ireland. What do I take from that? Well, he is coming back from injury. Perhaps FIFA 15 is some kind of oracle. Keep an eye on Ireland. The player and the country. Other notes worth mentioning in my earliest experience with the game - the broadcast presentation is even better than before. If you play a Premier League match, you now get the graphics and music you come to expect from a real PL broadcast. I am also very pleased with how they managed to keep the in-game clock running continuously whereas in previous seasons, the clock would stop whenever there was a dead ball. The gameplay itself takes a brief time to adjust, players can't turn on a dime anymore, it almost feels when you first play that everyone is sliding on ice, but once you adjust to it, the dribbling, tackling, passing are all impressive and lifelike.
In fact, it is too real. There no longer seems to be a clear portal between fantasy and reality anymore. Play FIFA 15 long enough and you may find yourself wondering which side you are on. At one point, I actually thought Joey Barton reached through the screen and punched me in the gut. Then I realized that my stomach was hurting from a steady four-day diet of cream soda and Gummy worms. Anyway, I promise I am as lucid as I can possibly be right now, so let's do some bargain shopping for Week 7 while we can, shall we?
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Goalkeeper
Allan McGregor (Hull City) The Tigers' defense has been getting steadily worse since the start of the season. After keeping a clean sheet on opening day against QPR, a game in which McGregor was a fantasy stud, Hull conceded one goal in Week 2, two goals each in Weeks 3-5, then were clobbered last week, coughing up four to Manchester City. This steady decline in production has seen McGregor fall to a dirt cheap 4.07m in the Yahoo game, and this is the week I see the Tigers turning it around as they host Crystal Palace in the early Saturday game. I am still a Steve Bruce believer and this recent poor run of form will not sustain itself. They say all good things must come to an end, but in fantasy, usually the same can be said about bad things. While Michael Dawson has not been a beacon of light yet on their back line, he should be settled in now having been with a new club for a month's time. I expect him and his defensive partners to step up this week after getting somewhat embarrassed by Manchester City.
Other Options for Goalkeeper
Lukas Fabianski (6.69m, home to Newcastle) , Kasper Schmeichel (4.13m, home to Burnley)
Defender
Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) Oh, Mr. van Aanholt. I am afraid this will be the last time I will have the pleasure of mentioning you in this column again. Your price is now at 8.03m in the Yahoo game, and based on the returns you have given faithful managers thus far this year, this week should mark your exit from the bargain realm and off to the land of the rich. Consider this a final plea to any who have not put faith in this young man yet, to do so this week as Sunderland host Stoke City. van Aanholt is averaging 10 points/game in Yahoo. Last time I checked, the Black Cats weren't leading the league in clean sheets, and I wouldn't rank them as a club with one of the better clean sheet odds this weekend, but whichever way this match goes, I am confident that PVA will contribute with some fantasy production. He is just too involved in bombing forward to help the attack and a clean sheet at home to Stoke, while not a certainty by any means, is at least a reasonable possibility.
Other Options for Defense
Aaron Cresswell (3.07m, home to QPR) , Liam Moore (2.36, home to Burnley)
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Aaron
Midfielder
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) It is with a bit of trepidation that I utter the name Chadli around these parts. The young Belgian was a major disappointment in his first season at White Hart Lane, to the point where it looked like he may not see much pitch time at the Lane this campaign, let alone be considered for fantasy purposes. Well, there was a time early into last season when Aaron Ramsey begin to boss the pitch and it took a long time for people to give him respect for that and anoint him a fantasy stud. We tend to forget that before last season, Ramsey was about the 13th most talked fantasy midfielder ON HIS OWN TEAM, let alone come anywhere close to a manager' fantasy XI. Now please, put the torches and pitchforks down, I am not comparing Chadli's talents to Ramsey's. They are two different style of players and I think Ramsey is easily a more complete player. But what we are finding out this season is that Chadli has shown some growth under Mauricio Pochettino, and he IS a fantasy prospect after all, especially if his price tag is so affordable, as it is in the Yahoo game. Right now, he costs 6.80m, and while that is still considerably more than teammate Erik Lamela, it is still a value for the production he is showing.
Other Options for Midfield
Jack Rodwell (2.92, home to Stoke City) Aiden McGeady (4.51m, away to Manchester United)
Forward
Leo Ulloa (Leicester City) Leo "the Lion". Boy, would I have felt like a master of bargain shopping had I put my faith behind him in this column before now. He has been easily the most productive forward to emerge from the promoted sides, having scored five times already in half a dozen matches. Compare that to promoted Burnley side, who's entire squad has combined for one goal in that same amount of time. Ulloa is the focal point of the Fox attack and if Leicester are in the mood to score, odds are he will be the man. Hosting the aforementioned Burnley this week, this seems to perfect time to put faith in Ulloa as your third striker. He's the second highest scoring forward to date in the Yahoo game, costs only 8.60m, and is home to the worst club in the league.....seriously, what more do you want? If his name was Obvious, I would tell you to captain him. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to getting Scunthorpe to the top of the global soccer ranks.
Other Option for Forward
Enner Valencia (6.36m, home to QPR)
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Aaron
