Gameweek 4: Chelsea v Crystal Palace

[Finisher1]

Why would anyone bring in Walcott, Ramsey, Özil or Cazorla unless some of them does something today.

They are all dropping. Well yes, if you are wildcarding then you can bring some of them in with bargain price, but at this point every blank will basically mean another 0.1m drop for any of those players, so you just take a risk that you have a dropping player in your squad.

[Stemania]

Why would anyone bring in Walcott, Ramsey, Özil or Cazorla unless some of them does something today.

They are all dropping. Well yes, if you are wildcarding then you can bring some of them in with bargain price, but at this point every blank will basically mean another 0.1m drop for any of those players, so you just take a risk that you have a dropping player in your squad.

Because we want to pick the players that will score the most points from now on rather than those who have scored the most so far? The same point about price dropping is true of almost every player - Depay has had 8000 net transfers out today alone, Payet 4000. They were both all the rage 3 days ago, but blanked.

[Notned]

Ah, I see. You're not happy with/can't afford Hazard-Silva-Ramsey-Mahrez-(4.5m) in midfield with Kolarov-5.5-4.5-4.5-4.0 in defence (and 4.5/4.0 in goal) alongside that attack?

Frustratingly, I'm 0.1m short of that!

One way around it would be to forego the 5.5m and instead have something like Naughton and Gomez as the second and third defenders. I'm not sure I would be comfortable with a non-playing fifth defender in that case though. Kolorov/5/5/4.5/4.5 is what I was ideally looking at, but if I want an upgrade on Shaqiri something has to give somewhere..

[Finisher1]

Because we want to pick the players that will score the most points from now on rather than those who have scored the most so far?

Actually I think this year's bandwagons will generally score more than hipsters' favourites such as Ramsey, Özil etc.

Some members here try to be too smart, thinking that they can pick players under the radar who will then score more than expected, not able to admit that knee-jerkers may be right in most players (even if their reasons for picking them are knee-jerking).

In the early stage it is good to "knee-jerk" rather than trying to be too smart. At least "knee-jerking" will lead to rising team value. If you try to be too smart and fail, you just score worse than knee-jerkers and lose team value too.

The same point about price dropping is true of almost every player - Depay has had 8000 net transfers out today alone, Payet 4000. They were both all the rage 3 days ago, but blanked.

In some extent yes, but some players are more vulnerable than others. It needs some skill to know this aspect of the game too.

[Stemania]

Frustratingly, I'm 0.1m short of that!

There might be options if Arsenal fail tonight - Mert might get to 5.4 by the weekend if you did want the 5.5 slot, or Ramsey to 8.3m. Francis' assist at the weekend was disappointing as he was dead set to be 4.4m otherwise. Huth still has a chance of being 4.4m. Are you not riding Kompany for a possible double price rise?

[Stemania]

Because we want to pick the players that will score the most points from now on rather than those who have scored the most so far?

Actually I think this year's bandwagons will generally score more than hipsters' favourites such as Ramsey, Özil etc.

Some members here try to be too smart, thinking that they can pick players under the radar who will score more than expected, not able to admit that knee-jerkers may be right in most players (even if their reasons for picking them are knee-jerking).

I don't think that's even vaguely going on. Just about everyone is still going with Mahrez and/or Wilson and Kolarov etc - just picking and choosing the good bandwagons.

Players like Ramsey/Ozil/Benteke are hardly under the radar, and neither is the expectation that they will do well expecting them to 'score more than expected' - it's expecting them to score exactly as expected, they're quality players. Expecting the likes of Ayew/Payet/Gomis etc to keep up with the best players in the bracket 1.5m above is on the other hand expecting them to 'score more than expected' - they might do, but all they've done so far is put in a couple of good performances.

The list of top scoring players will look nothing like it currently does come the end of the season.

[Monsignor]

Because we want to pick the players that will score the most points from now on rather than those who have scored the most so far?

Actually I think this year's bandwagons will generally score more than hipsters' favourites such as Ramsey, Özil etc.

Some members here try to be too smart, thinking that they can pick players under the radar who will score more than expected, not able to admit that knee-jerkers may be right in most players (even if their reasons for picking them are knee-jerking).

I don't think that's even vaguely going on. Just about everyone is still going with Mahrez and/or Wilson and Kolarov etc - just picking and choosing the good bandwagons.

Players like Ramsey/Ozil/Benteke are hardly under the radar, and neither is the expectation that they will do well expecting them to 'score more than expected' - it's expecting them to score exactly as expected, they're quality players. Expecting the likes of Ayew/Payet/Gomis etc to keep up with the best players in the bracket 1.5m above is on the other hand expecting them to 'score more than expected' - they might do, but all they've done so far is put in a couple of good performances.

The list of top scoring players will look nothing like it currently does come the end of the season.

Except the mighty Mahrez, naturally

[Notned]

Frustratingly, I'm 0.1m short of that!

There might be options if Arsenal fail tonight - Mert might get to 5.4 by the weekend if you did want the 5.5 slot, or Ramsey to 8.3m. Francis' assist at the weekend was disappointing as he was dead set to be 4.4m otherwise. Huth still has a chance of being 4.4m. Are you not riding Kompany for a possible double price rise?

Yes a drop somewhere would be nice. Any one of the four you mention would be helpful, as they are all in my thoughts. Of course on the flipside any poor Arsenal performances leading to price drops tonight may encourage me to look elsewhere anyway, although new, STO is is obviously a different proposition than Liverpool. I guess it all depends on the game tonight.

I did think about riding Kompany, but will Kolorov not be rising at the same rate? If this was the case would riding Kompany for the rise but then shipping him for Kolorov not just cancel itself out? Excuse my naivety here if I am confusing myself.

In a way, Hazard dropping would be ideally, assuming no counter-productive movements elsewhere.

[Stemania]

I did think about riding Kompany, but will Kolorov not be rising at the same rate? If this was the case would riding Kompany for the rise but then shipping him for Kolorov not just cancel itself out? Excuse my naivety here if I am confusing myself.

Oh, do you already own Silva? I'm only getting him in this week at 10.1m and he doesn't look like he'll rise so am holding Kompany & Kolarov (& Aguero) until Saturday morning before transferring him in. Yes, if you bought Silva at 10m then the Kompany price rise ride option was always closed to you.

Pretty sure Hazard will drop this week so I'd have him out your team for now at least.

[Notned]

I did think about riding Kompany, but will Kolorov not be rising at the same rate? If this was the case would riding Kompany for the rise but then shipping him for Kolorov not just cancel itself out? Excuse my naivety here if I am confusing myself.

Oh, do you already own Silva? I'm only getting him in this week at 10.1m and he doesn't look like he'll rise so am holding Kompany & Kolarov (& Aguero) until Saturday morning before transferring him in. Yes, if you bought Silva at 10m then the Kompany price rise ride option was always closed to you.

Pretty sure Hazard will drop this week so I'd have him out your team for now at least.

Yes I already have him! Still unsure over whether Toure would be the better option; would render all of this discussion obsolete and solve the problems! Massive fan of both, to be honest.

Yes, I think for now I will just take Hazard out and replace with Sanchez or another likely riser in the hope of a bit of a value swing before putting him back in at the weekend. Hope for the best, in essence

[gooberman]

Archy and goober;

I'm going with Pedro, Sanchez, Silva and Aguero and funds are incredibly tight. Where is the 2m for Hazard coming from for you two?!

For me, cheap strikers - Wilson and Defoe who will also rotate with Hoolahan. So 2 out of the 3 of them will be in my first 11 depending on who has the better fixture/form.

I find that rotating those kinds of players is a dangerous strategy, though. If that was you plan in GW3 for instance, surely you would have played Hoolahan and benched Wilson, thus missing out on 15 points?

Yes I would have played Hoolahan and lost 15pts. However, in the absence of a crystal ball, all you can do is pick the player who is statistically more likely to get the most points. Obviously as would have been the case here, there will be times when this backfires, however if you always go with the odds, you are likely to be rewarded more often than not over the season.

Anyway, this thread appears to be going way off topic so back to the question at hand which is whether we should have Chelsea players for the Palace game. I will almost certainly have Hazard. It would be nice to be able to crowbar Costa in too but that would mean chopping the legs off 3-4 other players!

[The Ace]

Sako. Everyone will have him by Christmas.

[gooberman]

Sako. Everyone will have him by Christmas.

Isn't his place under threat from Bolasie?

[Carlos Kickaball]

Sako'd by Christmas.

[sstaffsw]

Sako. Everyone will have him by Christmas.

Sako was excellent for Wolves

[Notned]

Sako. Everyone will have him by Christmas.

Isn't his place under threat from Bolasie?

Not if Bolasie moves to Spurs. That rumour seems to be picking up pace.

Also, apologies for the part I played in the thread deviating off topic slightly, although it was linked tenuously... I am also most likely holding Hazard, subject to any interesting developments tonight. They were showing signs of coming back into some sort of attacking form yesterday, with the attacking midfield three and Costa all linking very well. I'd have to back them for a decent result this coming weekend.

[Archy]

Archy and goober;

I'm going with Pedro, Sanchez, Silva and Aguero and funds are incredibly tight. Where is the 2m for Hazard coming from for you two?!

I Wildcarded after GW1 and have a number of base, or near-base, priced players, including Gomez, Oxford, Wanyama, Muniesa,

Wilson, Mahrez & Sakho are cheapies in my first XI, which free up just enough cash for the 4 premiums (if I go ahead and do it).

I agree with others that lack of rotation options (particularly up front) forms the biggest concern with this strategy.

I'm not convinced that Costa is a better choice than Hazard though - Hazard was superior by some margin last year, and he is the one who will gain from Chelsea being awarded penalties. The only thing Costa seems likely to get awarded is a card from the referees pocket.

[Notned]

Frustratingly, I'm 0.1m short of that!

There might be options if Arsenal fail tonight - Mert might get to 5.4 by the weekend if you did want the 5.5 slot, or Ramsey to 8.3m. Francis' assist at the weekend was disappointing as he was dead set to be 4.4m otherwise. Huth still has a chance of being 4.4m. Are you not riding Kompany for a possible double price rise?

Interesting to see Mertersacker miss out tonight. Doubled edge sword really; a good chance he might drop now, but also a chance he may not feature in the next game if they impress in his absence. Bit of a catch 22 situation.

[Innes]

Went with Costa-Wilson-Aguero on my wildcard last week. Saved a horrendous start, languishing in 2.8m in the world.. (!) to 1.4ish. Also have stuck in Silva, Depay, Mahrez and Sanchez... suffice to say all my defenders and my gk are 4.5m. Felt it was a gamble worth taking... for now.

[Blaze]

I played my Wildcard last week and have a front 7 of

Sanchez / Silva / Depay / Mahrez

Aguero / Gomis / Sakho

Does anyone think this week it would be worth doing this for a -4 point it?

Depay (Swansea, A) Pedro (Crystal Palace, H)
Sahko (Liverpool, A) Wilson (Leicester, H)

[RidleyMTB]

Tempted by the Depay to Pedro move for a hit myself

[Mister Talons]

The list of top scoring players will look nothing like it currently does come the end of the season.

Except the mighty Mahrez, naturally

And that Toure bloke - the one who plays for City (in case he's gone under the radar).

[thebillfella]

Have to say i've also toyed with the idea of triple (C) Aguero for the Watford game but will probably hold fire on it.

Possibly the best non-DGW opportunity there will be for it, but still not worth considering imo.

Not sure it is to be honest. Watford looking not that bad defensively ATM; would prefer Sunderland at home right now tbh.

[gallus]

Have to say i've also toyed with the idea of triple (C) Aguero for the Watford game but will probably hold fire on it.

Possibly the best non-DGW opportunity there will be for it, but still not worth considering imo.

Not sure it is to be honest. Watford looking not that bad defensively ATM; would prefer Sunderland at home right now tbh.

The way Watford is playing I'd probably prefer Stoke at home.

[gooberman]

Just have a feeling that Chelsea are gonna start firing now particularly with Pedro in the team. I would also expect them to start tightening up defensively so I have gone with Azpil, Pedro and Costa in my wildcard team.

[Stemania]

Just have a feeling that Chelsea are gonna start firing now particularly with Pedro in the team. I would also expect them to start tightening up defensively so I have gone with Azpil, Pedro and Costa in my wildcard team.

Presumably you've avoided Sanchez then goobs?

4.5/McCarthy
Azpili/Kolarov/Francis/Gomez/Targett
Silva/Pedro/7m/Mahrez/Westwood
Aguero/Costa/Wilson

[ctibbits]

Ah, I see. You're not happy with/can't afford Hazard-Silva-Ramsey-Mahrez-(4.5m) in midfield with Kolarov-5.5-4.5-4.5-4.0 in defence (and 4.5/4.0 in goal) alongside that attack?

Actually considering this Stem but it comes down to this. I can get Costa but not without losing Azpilicueta. Simple on paper you might say, Chelsea's defence is in shambles, there are good options in the 4.5 price bracket etc. But it all comes down to a gamble right? Chelsea's defence has been shambolic but it is still Jose at the helm and it is the same back 4 as last season. The fixtures turn favorable in short order also. So I have that to consider vs seeing Costa not looking very impressive out of three matches thus far. But just like it is Chelsea's defence I am discussing I have to admit that it is Deigo Costa and there is no chance last season was a fluke. So Costa and cheap defender vs Gomis and Azpilcueta...tough one indeed.

[Sutter Kane]

Ah, I see. You're not happy with/can't afford Hazard-Silva-Ramsey-Mahrez-(4.5m) in midfield with Kolarov-5.5-4.5-4.5-4.0 in defence (and 4.5/4.0 in goal) alongside that attack?

Actually considering this Stem but it comes down to this. I can get Costa but not without losing Azpilicueta. Simple on paper you might say, Chelsea's defence is in shambles, there are good options in the 4.5 price bracket etc. But it all comes down to a gamble right? Chelsea's defence has been shambolic but it is still Jose at the helm and it is the same back 4 as last season. The fixtures turn favorable in short order also. So I have that to consider vs seeing Costa not looking very impressive out of three matches thus far. But just like it is Chelsea's defence I am discussing I have to admit that it is Deigo Costa and there is no chance last season was a fluke. So Costa and cheap defender vs Gomis and Azpilcueta...tough one indeed.

There's 2.5mn missing somewhere in that!

If it's a straight comparison, it's the Costa option easily for me but 2.5mn is quite a bit. But then that's the premium players, they are very much bad value.

[ctibbits]

Of course its not that straightforward but essentially that is what it comes down to.

[HQ Manoeuvre]

Sako. Everyone will have him by Christmas.

Christmas just got moved to GW5.