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Fantasy Football has once again come to Cartilage Free Captain. Our league is already getting huge, with nearly 200 competitors (info to enter here). It's time to start assembling your unbeatable squad.
As much as you may wish that you had a team full of Ledley Kings, the game restricts you to only three players from any given team. Therefore, you are going to need to pick the cream of the crop if you want Lilywhites throughout your squad.
With a new manager though and a lot of changes through the squad, it's tough to figure out who is a good buy for your fantasy team. It's not only about how many points is your player going to earn, it's about what position they do it in and how much the players costs in the first place. My general theorem has always been that every pound of cost should equal 20 points of production. So let's take a look at who is overvalued, who is undervalued, who you should wait on, and who you should not even think about.
Forget About It: (Prices in Parentheses)
Carlo Cudicini (4.5)- Never going to play in the league
Gomes (5)- Don't be surprised if he's moved before the transfer deadline
Sebastien Bassong (N/A)- Not even listed in the league... which is not a good sign.
Adam Smith (4)- A good prospect for the future, but tough to see a way where he gets league minutes.
Steven Caulker (5)- Look for him to get his chances in the cups, not the league. Price is too high for a player too low on the depth chart.
Danny Rose (4.5)- Rose's lack of pre-season and suspension for the season's first two games makes him a non-entity at Spurs this year. But if he gets a rumoured loan to a lower table side, he might just put up some good value
Scott Parker (5)- His Achilles injury has knocked him out for the first month of the season, and seems too fragile to be a consistent starter at this point.
Jermaine Jenas (4.5)- Jermaine, you are who we thought you were.
Iago Falque (5)- Yeah, not worth it for a guy unlikely to play a league minute.
Tom Carroll (4.5)- I think he gets his chances in the cups, but the league minutes just don't seem to be there.
Cameron Lancaster (4.5)- One for the future, not now.
Undervalued:
Brad Friedel (5.5)- Reasonably cheap, a consistent starter, and has perhaps his best-ever defense in front of him. As long as Llloris or Julio Cesar don't arrive, Friedel should rack up a lot of points.
Younes Kaboul (5.5)- The Frenchman seems perhaps Tottenham's most definite central defensive starter. Kaboul has more ability to rack up points than any of the central defenders due to his potential to profit on set pieces.
Sandro (5)- Somebody has to start for Tottenham in midfield. If Tottenham can rack up some clean sheets, Sandro gets a bunch of starts and sprinkles in some assists, and suddenly you have some pretty good value.
Jake Livermore (4.5)- Another profiteer of the midfield depth. Livermore played a ton of pre-season games and has shown an ability to be an adept passer. Unless a high profile central midfielder gets brought in, Livermore seems poised to rack up some points.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (9)- A huge price-tag. But the Icelandic midfielder has consistently looked like Spurs' biggest goal threat this pre-season. AVB seems to be a big fan, so look for Gylfi to rack up a bunch of minutes and goals this season.
Gareth Bale (9.5)- The price tag is pretty huge. But Bale has seemed to put the team on his back this pre-season with Luka not around. The goal scoring seems it will be there, but will Tottenham have someone to get on the end of his crosses?
Jermain Defoe (7.5)- Remember how he's our only established first team striker on the squad? Somebody's going to have to score the goals.
Overvalued:
Kyle Walker (6.5)- Could have a great season, but price tag is too high right now. Could have the potential to attack a lot in AVB's system, but unless he has targets for his early crosses and matches last season's health, he may have trouble living up to the cost
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (6.5)- Was criminally underrated for many seasons, but his new price tag might be tough to match for Benny. If he stays healthy the whole year, he could easily live up to the price. Could be a boon for those who stick with the Cameroonian.
Jan Vertonghen (6.5)- Central defenders who aren't major goal threats struggle to live up to the potential in fantasy. Vertonghen may be a stud this year, but those stats seem unlikely to show up that live up to the price.
Michael Dawson (5)- Just does not seem to be a big enough part of AVB's plans to warrant a buy.
Rafael van der Vaart (9)- Rafael van der Vaart has not seemed to endear himself to AVB yet. Featuring just as much as a super-sub this preseason as a starter, Rafa seems less likely than ever to go 90 minutes in a match.
Aaron Lennon (7.5)- A phenomenal player on his day, but has never been a fantasy scorer. The lack of a target man makes his value even more diminished.
Wait and See
William Gallas (5)- Has played a lot this pre-season, but also has been rumoured for a departure from Spurs. If he sticks around and a couple of injuries hit, the Frenchman could put up some big numbers.
Kyle Naughton (4.5)- Seems to be an injury away at either fullback position from being a full-time starter. Not worth it yet, but pounce at the first sign of injury
Tom Huddlestone (5)- Still recovering from last season's devastating ankle injury, but if he regains his past form, could become an absolute lynchpin for Tottenham midfield.
Andros Townsend (N/A)- Not even listed for some reason. But has impressed mightily in pre-season, and a winger injury could find him racking up major minutes.
Giovani dos Santos (5)- Looked brilliant at the Olympics and has the potential to fit perfectly into AVB's system. Will he get a chance? Who knows.
Harry Kane (5)- Hasn't seemed ready for primetime yet this pre-season. But if he does well with the youngsters and cup and we see some forward injuries, he could get a huge chance.
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