Gameweek 23: Win Money Playing Fantasy Premier League
This weekend our daily fantasy football partners Bet4theBest will be hosting another five contests for gameweek 23, with prizes ranging from £100 to £600. Bet4theBest is a website that allows you to create a new FPL team each week and enter it into £2.50, £5, £7.50, £10 or £15 leagues. These entry fees are totalled up and split between the managers who scored highest during that gameweek. The game is one that I feel you guys will learn quickly and could profit from. The website boasts budget-free team selection, top-heavy payout structures and smaller, more competitive, contests. Fplbet's self-confessed Daily Fantasy expert NaturalFootyFan is here to help first timers create a team and give more experienced players further tips and strategy ahead of the midweek Premier League action.
Can I take advantage of the scoring system?
Yes. Although your chances of winning are determined by points awarded for goals and clean sheets, similar to FPL's season-long game, there are a few tweaks implemented by Bet4theBest to freshen things up.
First of all, there are no bonus points given, so the overall leaderboards are less variable, which means a better opportunity to claw back if you have lost ground, and in turn, you might not be as safe as you think at the top!
Attacking defenders are highly prized as they receive 8pts for a goal and 5pts for an assist, compared to a midfielders 5pts and 2pts and a strikers 5pts and 1pt respectively.
Defenders bank additional points for securing a clean sheet (3pts), for every couple of offsides provoked (1pt), and a further point over midfielders and forwards for every three corners won and every two offsides provoked. This all adds to their attractiveness.
Another thing worth noting is that midfielders and forwards are deducted two points for every three shots off target, so steer clear of players with a poor conversion rate or those who waste opportunities by shooting from anywhere… *cough* Coutinho.
What formation should I use?
Well there's no constraints in Bet4theBest, you can choose anything from a 3-4-3 to a 6-3-1, yes that's right, you can go full Tony Pulis and play six centre-halfs… may as well buy a cap while you're at it!
My tip is not to allow yourself to be drawn in by either a heavy goal scoring gameweek or a clean sheet flurry. I can tell you from experience that the outcome which unfolds will not be the one that you or the statistics decided to back.
With this in mind, and taking into account the defence-heavy scoring system we mentioned earlier, a 4-4-3 or 4-4-2 formation is my recommendation and the way to go to provide a stable mix of attacking and defensive returns.
Personally I've seen my fortunes take a turn for the better since ditching the back three, and looking back at the previous tournament winners, it seems that others have encountered the same success.
Are there any must-have players?
In my opinion, there are never so called ‘must-have' players in Bet4theBest, instead I rather use the term ‘widely owned'. These are the individuals who are expected to be in the majority of teams and you're choice between selecting or ignoring them could be the difference between winning and losing.
50% of daily fantasy is about predicting your opponents picks and then taking the necessary steps to cover their choices with your own. Although it's extremely important that you don't get carried away and lose focus of your own gut feelings.
For example, Alexis Sanchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Harry Kane makes up the ‘widely owned' frontline for gameweek 23. The trio have favourable fixtures and are all ranked inside the top four for goals-scored this season. Top-scorer Diego Costa will be less popular with his trip to Anfield.
Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen will be the most ‘widely owned' midfielders, having contributed with 16 goals and 16 assists between them this season. Their potential is aided with an attractive fixture against bottom of the table Sunderland.
Now you have a handful of ways to approach this. You can include all of these players in your squad and fill the gaps with differentials (players with a low ownership) or you can overlook them all in an attempt to leave the majority of your competition red-faced.
I would recommend the former strategy this week. It's the safer option and it's not worth ignoring massively explosive players with excellent fixtures who could easily rack up ten plus points. It also makes choosing your captain a much easier process.
My Provisional Gameweek 23 Team:
-Select ‘widely owned' attackers Sanchez, Ibrahimovic, Kane, Eriksen and Alli - use De Bruyne and backline as differentials.
-2x Man United and Arsenal GK/DEF as clean sheet favourites with home fixtures vs. Hull and Watford.
-3 fullbacks offering assist/crosses won potential and 1 centre-back with aerial threat and offsides provoked potential.
-Captain Sanchez. He is the highest scoring player across all fantasy formats and has scored two or more goals on four occasions this season.
Thanks for reading!
Bet money on your Gameweek 23 FPL team
