Sky Fantasy Football: Best Players Before Overhaul

Firstly, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! Last season I finished 39^th OR in Sky but hoping to better it this season. I genuinely loved playing the game and encourage anybody who’s thinking of giving it a go to dive right in and try it!

My plan is to release my Sky Fantasy Football article on the first Wednesday of every month! So if this article helps you in any way, make sure you tell a friend and come back next month!

 

Important Note

For those playing SkyFF for the first time, it’s important to understand that GW5 will show up as a blank GW on the app, this is because it’s the SkyFF ‘overhaul’.

The overhaul in the SkyFF game enables you to make unlimited transfers for free, similar to FPL’s wildcard

So, this first article is going to guide you through only the first four-game weeks until we hit the overhaul! Make sure you check out the article below explaining the rules and scoring of this exciting season-long format.

Read more: Sky Fantasy Football Explained

GW1 – GW4 Fixtures

As it stands now, we only have the television fixtures for the first three game weeks. Within these weeks there are only two single match days that we need to navigate, these being Wolves Vs Man City (Monday of GW2) and Liverpool Vs Arsenal (Monday of GW3). It’s very likely that most of us will have at least one player in each game to give the captaincy to, therefore not presenting too much of a headache early on!

We will get the GW4 television fixtures no later than September 11^th, so keep a close eye out for them!

2019/20 Sky Football Records

Highest scoring GK: GK: Henderson (SHU) 218 points, £6.4m

Highest scoring DEF: Van Dijk (LIV) 268 points, £10.5m

Highest scoring MID: KDB (MCI) 273 points, £11.2m

Highest scoring FWD: Salah (LIV) 253 points, £12.2m

MOTM Awards: Traore (WOL) and KDB (MCI) – 10 times

Level 2 Passing: Van Dijk (LIV) – 21 times

Level 2 Shooting: Salah (LIV) – 7 times

Level 2 Tackling: Wan Bissaka (MUN) – 8 times

Level 2 Saving: Dubravka (NEW) – 13 times

 

Fixtures First 4 Gameweeks

	GW1			GW2			GW3		GW4
12.09	13.09	14.09	19.09	20.09	21.09	26.09	27.09	28.09	03.10
FUL    vs    ARS	WBA vs    LEI	BHA  vs  CHE	EVE  vs WBA	SOU vs  TOT	WOL vs   MCI	BHA  vs MUN	SHU vs  LEE	LIV   vs  ARS	ARS  vs  SHU
CRY   vs   SOU	TOT  vs  EVE	SHU  vs  BHA	LEE   vs   FUL	ARS  vs WHU		BUR  vs SOU	FUL  vs   AVL		AVL   vs    LIV
WHU vs  NEW			LEI    vs   BUR	AVL   vs  SHU		CRY  vs  EVE	MCI  vs    LEI		CHE  vs  CRY
LIV     vs   LEE			MUN vs  CRY	NEW vs  BHA		TOT  vs NEW			EVE  vs  BHA
				CHE  vs    LIV		WHU vs WOL			LEE   vs   MCI
						WBA vs  CHE			LEI    vs WHU
									MUN  vs  TOT
									NEW vs  BUR
									SOU  vs WBA
									WOL  vs   FUL

 

Team by Team Rundown

Arsenal

Fixtures: ful, WHU, liv, SHU

• Arsenal’s away trip to Fulham is the first match on the opening day of GW1 meaning we will get to see how Arteta lines up before finalizing our teams.
• Aubameyang (£11.4m) is Arsenal’s talisman and the opening fixtures look so inviting for him.  He’s priced at just £0.1m less than Kevin De Bruyne so offers an easy move to the Belgian following Arsenal’s GW2 match against West Ham (H).
• Saliba (£5.6m) could offer incredible value. If he is confirmed to start against Fulham in GW1, he could have some huge ownership numbers post overhaul! I also think Tierney and Bellerin offer decent value at £8.1m.

 

Aston Villa

Fixtures: Blank, SHU, ful, LIV

• With a blank in GW1, I’m not going near any Aston Villa players until after the overhaul.

• Last season Grealish (£8.5m) finished Villa’s top point scorer with 170 points ahead of McGinn (£7.8m) in second on 109. Both could come into my considerations post overhaul but I will probably go for Grealish who is Villa’s talisman. This is reflected in his 9 Man of the Match awards last season!
  

Brighton

Fixtures: CHE, new, MUN, eve

• It’s a tricky start for Brighton with Chelsea at home on the Monday of GW1 followed up with a trip to Newcastle, Man Utd at home, and Everton away. For me, that’s enough to avoid and re-assess Brighton assets at the overhaul.
• The only player that really catches my eye is Lamptey at £6.0m. He will certainly be in my thoughts for the overhaul, but with those early fixtures, I’m going to give him a miss.  

 

Burnley

Fixtures: Blank, lei, SOU, new

• The blank in GW1 puts me off Burnley ownership for the early stages of the season.
• However, once the overhaul arrives, Pope (£6.7) will be on a lot of people’s radars I’m sure. Last season Pope scored 215 points (second highest of all goalkeepers) with 15 clean sheets and 15 Tier 1 save points

 

Chelsea

Fixtures: bha, LIV, wba, CRY

• Despite the tough GW2 fixture against Liverpool, I think that trips to Brighton and West Brom plus the Crystal Palace home game at Stamford Bridge are so inviting! They are definitely a team that I will be targeting!
• Werner (£11.1m) feels a little unproven for the price but given the inviting fixtures, it will be difficult to go without him! Thiago Silva at £9.2m also feels pricey but I envisage him hitting the passing tiers regularly this season so worth consideration! I have both in my current draft!
• When Pulisic (£9.1m) returns from injury he will most definitely be worth keeping an eye on. He’s so direct and absolutely loves a shot so we could see him hitting the shooting tiers this season!

 

Crystal Palace

Fixtures: SOU, mun, EVE, che

• An awful opening run of games. I’m not going to try and gloss Palace assets up, avoid them. Come back at the overhaul and we’ll have another look!

 

Everton

Fixtures: tot, WBA, cry, BHA

• I’d love to trust Everton a little more with what, on paper, are really not bad fixtures at all. But I’m not sure I do trust them!
• Richarlison (£10.3) has had a position change over the summer and now finds himself classified as a striker. The Brazilian scored 202 points last season and was the second-highest scoring midfielder behind De Bruyne. I’m sure there will be a few looking at Calvert Lewin at £9.3, he scored 162 points. Personally, I will be avoiding both!

 

Fulham

Fixtures: ARS, lee, AVL, wol

• I don’t actually hate those fixtures as much as I should, but I will still be avoiding Fulham through the first four GW’s I think.
• From the three promoted teams, Fulham have the players with the best tackle and passing averages in the Championship last season. Ream (£6.7m) averaged 63.8 passes per game whilst Bryan (£6.9m) averaged 2.7 tackles per game. This could be something to keep an eye on moving forward. Mitrovic could also be worth considering at £8.7m.

Leeds

Fixtures: LIV, FUL, shu, MCI

• Liverpool and Man City in the opening four games is enough to put me off jumping on a Leeds asset until at least the overhaul. Come back for the next article and we’ll look at Leeds assets a little closer post overhaul!

 

Leicester

Fixtures: wba, BUR, mci, WHU

• Leicester assets would appeal a lot more if they actually had a full squad available. However, with them being a little thin on the ground, they do throw up a few potential bargains to consider for these early GW’s!
• With Ricardo Pereira still recovering from injury and Chilwell having joined Chelsea, both Justin (£6.3) and Thomas (£4.6m) offer great enabling options!
• Vardy ended the last campaign as the second-highest scoring forward on 238 points! I think Vardy offers the perfect route to De Bruyne provided managers are able to keep aside the £0.7m to make up the difference. This means you could get Vardy against West Brom and Burnley before jumping off to KDB prior to the WOL/MCI match and only use one transfer. Worth mentioning that Vardy also provides you with a great captaincy option for Sunday in GW1!

 

Liverpool

Fixtures: lee, CHE, ARS, avl

• I’m not convinced we need to jump the gun and overload on Liverpool assets early doors. There are question marks over Trent’s fitness and fixtures are okay but not great.
• My advice is to get Van Dijk (£10.9m), he should be the first name on your team sheets! If you want an attacking asset, then obviously Salah (£12m) or Mane (£11.6m) will fit the bill, but I for one will only be getting Van Dijk until the overhaul!
• It’s worth noting that Van Dijk finished as the games second-highest scorer last season, just five points behind KDB. He hit level 2 passing tier 21 times and this is why he is so essential in my opinion!

Read more: FPL Points per Million: Team of the Season

Man City

Fixtures: Blank, wol, LEI, lee

• The early blank for Man City really shakes things up this season. But as discussed earlier in this article, I think the safe play might be to start with no Man City GW1, make the most of a two for one in somebody like Vardy or Aubameyang, then move them on to De Bruyne (£11.5m) once the team news is released for City’s away tie to Wolves in GW2. Obviously, if you already own a Wolves asset, you might choose to go without City and stick the captaincy elsewhere.  

• It’s difficult to predict Pep’s starting line up’s after De Bruyne and Ederson (£7.9m), but I think it’s worth keeping an eye on Foden at £8.2m. If he gets a run of games early doors, he could represent good value at the overhaul. I personally like to play it safe, I focus on nailed starters, which is why I don’t tend to own many City players in this game!

 

Man Utd

Blank, CRY, bha, TOT

• Another Manchester club with a blank GW1. There will be a lot of managers making moves for Bruno (£10.9m), Martial (£10m), and Greenwood (£8.7m) before the Crystal Palace game in GW2. However, I’d suggest, if this is your intention to just put them in your team from GW1 and accept the blank GW1. You won’t be able to benefit from any two for ones to get United assets in so it feels a wasted transfer.

• Provided he’s not locked inside a prison cell in Greece, it’s also worth mentioning Maguire (£9.5m) is good for passing tiers whilst Wan Bissaka (£9m) regularly hits the tackling tiers
• My plan is to avoid United assets until the overhaul but I absolutely will be jumping all over them ahead of GW6

 

Newcastle

Fixtures: whu, BHA, tot, BUR

• Dubravka (£6.7m) was the goalkeeper who hit tier 2 saving bonus the most last season, however, he’s now injured and will miss the start of the season. Back up keeper Darlow is available for £6.2m but doesn’t really interest me. There are better-priced goalkeepers around at that price!
• The only Newcastle asset I have my eye on is Saint-Maximin (£8.1m). When he gets going, he is incredibly eye-catching, therefore more likely to get man of the match bonuses.

 

Sheffield United

Fixtures: WOL, avl, LEE, ars

• Fixtures are not too bad for Sheffield United whose main strength is obviously at the back. I fancy them to keep a steady ship again when the season starts so really wouldn’t be averse to owning Ramsdale (£6.7m) or one of the defenders in Baldock (£8m), Stevens (£7.9m) or the cheaper Egan (£7.2m), but I’d be avoiding any attacking assets for sure.

Southampton

Fixtures: cry, TOT, bur, WBA

• The Saints fixtures could be glorious if they can continue the form that they left off in. Granted Spurs at home might be a little trickier but I’d fully expect them to get goals in all four of their opening fixtures.

• For that reason, I really like Ings (£9.9m) who finished last season on 227 points. Obviously, the striker slots are very competitive this season, so I’d also suggest looking at Armstrong (£7.1m) or Redmond (£8.2m) as differential alternatives to Ings

 

Spurs

Fixtures: EVE, sou, NEW, mun

• It’s not a bad set of early fixtures for Spurs, but not great either. The Everton match on the Sunday of GW1 and Newcastle match in GW3 stands out as possible captaincy days for Kane (£11.7m) and Son (£10.1m), but I don’t think I will be going with either as I don’t have room for any more forwards. As a compromise, I’m considering Alli as a £9m Midfielder

• One other player I’m interested in keeping a close eye on is Dier (£7.2m) who is down as a midfielder in the game but likely to play center-half. I could see him hitting the passing tiers for fun this season.

Read more: FanTeam €1 million season-game explained. FPL and FanTeam comparison.

West Brom

Fixtures: lei, eve, CHE, sou

• Very difficult start for the Baggies. I really would avoid them until at least the overhaul and even then, the only player I’d contemplate owning would be Pereira (£7.7m) who is likely to pick up man of the match whenever West Brom get three points.

 

West Ham

Fixtures: NEW, ars, WOL, lei

• The Hammers don’t have a pretty run of fixtures early doors, however, given the form they finished the season in, they might be decent differential options.

• Antonio (£8m), Bowen (£7.9m) and Soucek (£7.3m) might come into people's thinking post overhaul but there’s no need to own them for the first four matches. Step back, review at the overhaul.

 

Wolves

Fixtures: shu, MCI, whu, FUL

• Finally, Wolves. Man City aside it’s not too bad a start for Wolves. However, without Jonny and Doherty we don’t know how they’ll set up and for that, I think I’m willing to hold back on owning any defenders.

• Traore (£8.7m) matched De Bruyne with 10 man of the match performances last season and without a doubt will be a popular pick this time around too. Other than Traore, Jimenez (£10.3m) is probably the only other player I like the look of right now.
• Keep an eye out for Podence who, if given a run in the team, could be incredible value at £6.6m come overhaul.

 

My Favourite Match Day Captaincies GW1-GW3

GW1

Saturday: SALAH vs Leeds (H)

Sunday: VARDY vs West Brom (A)

Monday: WERNER vs Brighton (A)

 

GW2:

Saturday: BRUNO vs Crystal Palace (H)

Sunday: AUBAMEYANG vs West Ham (H)

Monday: DE BRUYNE vs Wolves (A)

 

GW3:

Saturday: WERNER vs West Brom (A)

Sunday: DE BRUYNE vs Leicester (H)

Monday: VAN DIJK vs Arsenal (H)

 

Good Luck

And that’s that! If you got this far, thank you for your time! Just remember these are only my thoughts and ideas, the luxury with SkyFF is that it enables you to have your own unique way of approaching the game. My advice is to enjoy the game as much as possible and always go with your gut instinct!

Good luck for the opening four game weeks,  see you again in October where we’ll have a little more data to go off!  

Remember, if you have any advice or questions, I’d be more than happy to help! Message me on twitter @CorfFpl