GW1 Bench Boost Team

[Droughton]

I think there are pros and cons and a lot of strategy short and long term to consider and also do you cover the most selected players do you go for a few differentials which would give you a lead... a lot of this has been covered..... if you are going to use it then you've got to back yourself and load up on players from a few teams who you think will score a lot in my opinion.

Stats do back it up.... In general the opening GW seems to be higher scoring than the season average

17/18 Season average 2.68 per match ||| Opening weekend average 3.1
16/17 Season average 2.8 per match |||| Opening weekend average 2.8
15/16 Season average 2.7 per match |||| Opening weekend average 3

17/18 Opening weekend most goals
Arsenal - 4
Man Utd - 4
Liverpool - 3
Leicester - 3
Watford - 3
Huddersfield - 3
Burnley - 3

16/17 Opening weekend most goals
Liverpool - 4
Man Utd - 3
Arsenal - 3


15/16 Opening weekend most goals
Leicester - 4
Man City - 3
Crystal Palace - 3

[Football Hero]

So let me get this straight, part of the logic of playing an early BB is it avoids coupling it up with your late season wildcard, (which some see as bad as it hurts the freedom of that wildcard with the BB dominating your thoughts too much with regards to your player selections over the late DGW's).

However playing it in GW1 and then using your early season wildcard shortly after in GW2 or GW3 as an exit strategy means that you are in effect then coupling your BB with two of your three wildcards instead of the normal one. That seems like it is inhibiting your freedom even further to me, you're merely just changing what WC's you couple the BB with.

Why does it need to be coupled, why are you assuming a gwk1 bb team needs exiting?

It will need exiting due to the abnormal team structure that you would be employing, (which I'm assuming is the whole idea about doing it GW1 so that you can have a more expensive than normal bench), plus you are still coupling it with your GW1 WC anyhow, (meaning your team will have an over-focus on GW1 for your 15 players, at the cost of being less optimally set up for GW2, GW3 and GW4.

You assume incorrectly, i posted a team above to demonstrate have you seen it? Nothing abnormal about it

Here's another , why would this need a WC?

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Firstly I said that you would be coupling it with your GW1 WC so you are still coupling it with a WC and your squad will be very GW1 focused to the slight detriment of following weeks, (whereas non-BB teams can have four bench players that will be useful in GW2 and GW3).

Secondly, if you have a cheap as eggs bench, then you are just getting 4 cheap SGW's instead of 4 cheap DGW's later in the season so I don't see where you are gaining the points doing this, you are literally just giving up about 15 points doing that. You also won't know starting eleven's with certainty in GW1, nor will you know which teams are in form for the season. Late season rotation can hurt you but it's not as much of a problem if you are choosing teams that have something to play for, (like Southampton and Swansea last season), where you don't need to worry about rotation as much.

[Sutter Kane]

Looking at the opening fixtures, I can see multiple options of a decent looking GW1 bb with following fixtures decent too. You don't need great fixtures for all xv (or 14 exc GK), just some decent rotation which looks straightforward. And you have transfers too.

It depends when you WC normally doesn't it? If you end up WC'ing fairly early anyway then there is close to zero detriment imo. It's all about pre-season once again. Need more information to make it viable or not - but I'm not sure why it will be tough to get xv starters in the beginning. You've lots of info in very close proximity to the BB.

Like Bongo says and I mentioned ages ago, it's not possible to put a 'detriment' value on it now or later on in the season but I am 99% sure of one thing, that detriment is greater during the hectic DGW portion of the season. Obviously a BB during a DGW has more potential. That's its main draw and why I've always waited.

[Billy Bongo]

I dont understand, players are cheaper now than they are later, your point has bypassed me there sorry

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[Stemania]

Example, why would this team need a WC?

I look at your proposed 'regular'-bench-spend-and-no-immediate-WC example, and it strikes me as just swapping an effective short term bench rotation system for a GW1BB, no? By week two, 5 of the back 6 would be playing away from home and the other is playing Liverpool, then by GW4 you'd have to pick four from (lei, SOU, pal, che, che, TOT, TOT). Plus your 5th mid would not cover your two cheap playing mids particularly well because their H/A fixtures also coincide early on by design, rather than dovetailing.

So I do wonder what the point is if it's just to pick a week with good defensive fixtures for a cheap bench. If set on not trying to save it for the DGW period, why not just wait until a point in the season where it happens naturally, when you can be more sure of starters/which teams are actually good defensively? Seems better to me than trying to manufacture good bench fixtures at the point of the season with the least knowledge available, especially if it does turn out to be detrimental to your bench for the next few weeks.

More generally, I do see some reasonable arguments for GW1 BB if

1) A GW2/3 wildcard is concretely preplanned;
2) A full team of 15 fit sure starters can be picked with confidence, based only on preseason;
3) Which defence/attack looks good can be determined with reasonable confidence just from preseason; and
4) The best starting eleven for GW1 uses a couple of million or so less than budget.

Unfortunately, it seems to me (2)-(4) are reasonably unlikely to all be the case, but that's for each end everyone to decide for themselves. And for (1), I tend to find the first WC is most effective when played more reactively at the tipping point between being able to confidently guess the 'right' long term players vs early season price changes and/or desirable transfers slowly create pressure - and this tipping point varies from manager to manager and season to season, more often than not reliant heavily on how fortunate each of us has been early doors.

[Billy Bongo]

I never go for a defence rotation system, I've been playing 4 years and never seen one that works. In fact they only seem to be of value to give fantasy managers something to do in the Summer. They get abandoned instantly

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[Billy Bongo]

Ps just a quick one , I want to bb gwk1 just to get rid of a pretty weak chip that is commonly over egged in fantasy places.

I'd prefer to have a clear mind when preparing for double weeks and to have as cheaper bench aa possible. That's it really everything else is periphery

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[blahblah]

It also depends how you calculate it, re who would be benched if it wasn't played as little\no thought is put into the bench....

For this GW (assuming mid season): would people bench Arse players?

The problem is concentrating on GW1 fixtures and leaving a mess for the GW's straight afterwards eg Spurs could well be very weak due to the WC, and play at Newcastle, but their fixtures absolutely stink for a few GW's afterwards.

[Billy Bongo]

Everyone keeps saying that, the team will be a mess and you'll need a WC etc, without actually looking at the teams I'm posting. It's the visual equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting lalalalala

Here's another, what's a mess about this ?

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[blahblah]

Soton, Watford, Daniels are far from my radar, tbh - so haven't commented ditto the total lack of Arsenal who have a tasty run from GW3.....

[Billy Bongo]

It's no tastier than Citys run, and remember you do get a transfer each week

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[blahblah]

And you only have Kun....

[Billy Bongo]

Salah and Kun. Dont need anyone else.


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[gallus]

Soton, Watford, Daniels are far from my radar, tbh - so haven't commented ditto the total lack of Arsenal who have a tasty run from GW3.....

Exactly, GW 3. Helf the managers use their first wildcard by then. Planning weeks in advance is useless at the start. You'll be tearing your optimal structure apart when Sanchez scores a brace in GW 1 and Kun is subbed with a one pointer in the 58th minute.

[Zimmerman]

Everyone keeps saying that, the team will be a mess and you'll need a WC etc, without actually looking at the teams I'm posting. It's the visual equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting lalalalala

Here's another, what's a mess about this ?

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Because there have been several other mentions of Wildcarding immediately after, you yourself said you were going to wildcard early (how early is early).

So maybe thats what is drawing those comments?

[blahblah]

Soton, Watford, Daniels are far from my radar, tbh - so haven't commented ditto the total lack of Arsenal who have a tasty run from GW3.....

Exactly, GW 3. Helf the managers use their first wildcard by then. Planning weeks in advance is useless at the start. You'll be tearing your optimal structure apart when Sanchez scores a brace in GW 1 and Kun is subbed with a one pointer in the 58th minute.

I am seriously pants at GW squads and injuries - one season I was down to 7 or 8 starters after GW1

[blahblah]

As above though: would people bench Arse\Citeh players?

The Toon thing is my big problem with seriously thinking about it, tbh.

[LamebrainEddy]

I think I'm pretty sold on this - as protection against the uncertainty at the start of the season you have basically spread your risk over more players (albeit some slightly cheaper players). If it goes catastrophically wrong then it likely would have been the same with a normal GW1 squad (As long as the selection of your key premiums remained the same, as mine have). GW1 always throws up a few surprises and having a larger playable squad may put you in a better position to play GW2 onwards; both in squad selection and points gained.

The optimal use would of course be a DGW, however with players rested around those fixtures they tend to not be as fruitful as you think

I'm going to give it a crack, good thing about it is you won't know the damage done till everyone else uses theirs

[blahblah]

DGW's are usually a rancid whatever.....

I'm far from against this idea, and it is a way to have Arse and Citeh players in from the start....

But unless paired with a premeditated early WC (so no different to later in the season?) then setting it up for GW1 fixtures alone is a tad daft, imho. Surely the WC's this season will be played when the WC players are back? Hopefully it will be known what Pepe is doing this season, by then.

[Billy Bongo]

Everyone missing the point. Gwk1 fixtures are irrelevant, I want to burn the chip anyway it's over valued by many, soils thinking later in the season and soaks up funds away from the first 11.

I just want rid of it

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[Mav3rick]

I don't think people are missing the point Billy, soaking up funds is true (if you spend more on bench players to play it) and has been highlighted above by a few as a potential benefit to the early chip use.

The argument about clouding your thinking has never held any water with me, it's a non-issue. If you are aware enough that it affects your thinking then you're aware enough to not let it.

What I would be asking myself is if playing with a regular bench structure then what are the advantages and disadvantages of going now Vs going in a SGW some time after the wildcard?

I'd say:
1) able to react to team news
2) beneficial for those who intend to play with a non playing sub keeper.
3) potential for greater spread of funds if there is genuinely budget going spare due to world cup players not returning.

And disadvantages:
1) very little idea what constitutes a good fixture
2) very cheap bench assets may be unknown/risky or unavailable. Same with general starters.
3) potential to force your early wildcard even earlier if badly planned.

I think if you are trying to avoid the BB affecting your thinking then the first question you need to work out is your wildcard plan. Pick a team for that (with no thought at all to BB picks) and then decide if the BB fits and/or what compromises you come to in order to BB. You could plan to BB in GW2 or 3, afterall, it doesn't have to be in GW1 if the shoe doesn't fit.

Ultimately, if you're sure that the chip adversely affects your judgement in an inescapable way, my choice would be to completely ignore it and just play FPL as if I had no BB. Then, when I happen across a few favourable fixtures by circumstance, play it.

Droughton posted earlier a very interesting snippet about average goals in GW1 compared to the rest of the season, higher average goals is very interesting but if you BB a keeper and 2 defenders is it a good or bad thing?

Your intended formation and boosted players might even come into thought then and may change whether a BB is more beneficial for you now or later.

[Billy Bongo]

Yeah but no one does that , they wait for a dgw

Thing is I dont want to soak up funds waiting for these favourable fixtures. I can have 4 players at home on the bench and I'll take my chances

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I'm also not quite sure that 'no idea what constitutes a good fixture ' entirely holds up.

We know Bournemouth Cardiff is decent dont we?

[Mav3rick]

Why are they soaking up funds? Only if you let them! And if you're aware that you're doing it solely for the BB, then why are you doing it?

The BB is no reason to pick anyone over base price on the bench unless you want to, and no reason to damage your GW2 or bake in a GW2 wildcard if you don't want it.

Plan the start first and forget about BB, append that in later once you're happy with your plan.

Don't let the BB drive your strategy, as you said, it's not worth compromising a team over, so understand the compromise first by planning the start without it.

[Zimmerman]

Everyone missing the point. Gwk1 fixtures are irrelevant, I want to burn the chip anyway it's over valued by many, soils thinking later in the season and soaks up funds away from the first 11.

I just want rid of it

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So just keep it and throw it away randomly when you happen across some nice fixtures. It’s almost like it’s a rock of crack and you HAVE to let it dictate actions around using it. So you’re just flushing it away because you don’t have the will power.

Ultimately any week is a gamble, so you could argue it doesn’t matter. But I’d rather use it when I feel it’s opportune. That could be a week post European fixtures and there’s a risk Salah, Aguero and Eriksen might be rested.

[Pirlo's Beard]

The argument about clouding your thinking has never held any water with me, it's a non-issue. If you are aware enough that it affects your thinking then you're aware enough to not let it.

Nail. Head.

If you can't trust yourself to make a good decision later in the season regarding BB then how can you trust yourself to make any good decisions at all?

[Pirlo's Beard]

But I’d rather use it when I feel it’s opportune.

I will keep myself hardy until the Bench Boost is opportune.

[Billy Bongo]

Each to their own

It's feeble, I'm getting rid,

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[DonTanTilla]

Each to their own

It's feeble, I'm getting rid,

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I'll have it if you are getting rid?

[Sutter Kane]

You should have the option of swapping your chips for points. Probably have to be 15 for the BB. (25 for the WC, 15 for TC, 25 for free hit)

For 15 points, I'd probably swap.

Just a point with regards a BB making your decisions slightly different towards the back end of the season - if you have a plan of when to BB (After 2nd WC), then you are picking players who have a good DGW and may have trash fixtures elsewhere, thus being of little use. Most of us have some rotation going on so that is not ideal and also you are reasonably likely to spend 0.5mn more on a goalie who may also have trash fixtures elsewhere bar the DGW. These are not big deals in terms of points but they do constitute an advantage when you can plan purely and even decide to Free Hit on a DGW instead. However I can't argue with an opportunistic BB sometime, just that I'm of the feeling I can guarantee 15 starters before GW1, and with transfers, be able to last out without WC'ing, with options to get in who I want to get in. And those additional BB players will be playing against 'weak' opposition in gw1. At any point in the season, on a one-off game, a team can change its form, or play a blinder or a stinker.

[Billy Bongo]

I never use rotation plans, mainly because I'd get to see one work, and if s 4m player starts everyone loses their sh1t anyway and hes straight in

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