£100,000 Team of the Week

[Stakesy]

I am pleased to announce a brand new promotion from Fantasy Stakes, taking weekly fantasy football into the cash stratosphere!

Fantasy Stakes is offering £100,000 for anyone who can pick the Team of the Week in one round of Premiership football. To win the Team of the Week you have to pick the team which scores the highest possible number of points in that Round. All teams must fit the usual criteria, see the website for full rules.

Often there is more than one way of achieving the highest possible score, for example, any goalkeeper who keeps a clean sheet would likely have the same number of points. If that is the case then there can be several Teams of the Week - more combinations, more chances to win. If more than one person achieves the maximum score then the £100,000 is split between all the winners.

Entry fee is……… FREE!

Well, that means it is free in that you pay nothing beyond the normal stake and entry fee for each of our regular cash leagues (but not the Mirror Super League). You can enter as many teams as you like at whatever stake you like and each one gets entered for the £100,000 Team of the Week promotion without having to pay an extra penny.

Those who play regularly will know that picking the Team of the Week is not an easy task, but then you wouldn’t expect it to be for that kind of prize! By the way, the prize is insured so not in any way dependent on the number of entries. I know some of the real pro FF players may prefer to divert their attention to the big annual prizes, but there may also be others who fancy a flutter on this just as so many do in the lottery every week. Hopefully a bit more interesting and skilful than picking numbers though!

Hopefully that’s all pretty clear. Happy to answer any questions as always.

Stakesy

[mad dog]

Nice one stakesy, I think its pretty good. Think I'll win this pretty soon, So you'd need a clean sheet from each defender and your goalkeeper and a goal from every midfielder and striker? It could be done, its unlikey, especially the teams i've been picking recently - but could happen. Think I've had a couple of weeks with all clean sheets and a few goals so I think its pretty good.


I'd like to see the jackpot league return too though

[12345678]

sounds a bit tff starting line up(ish) to me

really not too surprised it was easy to insure against

also concerned that the prize can be avoided by dodgy MOTM awards which i think is an ongoing curse to the credibility of some fantasy games

won't personally be playing but hopefully fun for those that do.

andy

[Jonathan]

also concerned that the prize can be avoided by dodgy MOTM awards which i think is an ongoing curse to the credibility of some fantasy games

Am I missing something there? There are no MOTM points in Fantasy Stakes....?

[Zarch]

also concerned that the prize can be avoided by dodgy MOTM awards which i think is an ongoing curse to the credibility of some fantasy games

Am I missing something there? There are no MOTM points in Fantasy Stakes....?

Correct Jonathan, theres nothing new been added. I think Andy has misread something along way.

Fantasy Stakes is totally stats based direct from the Press Association. (cleans, goals, assists, bookings etc).

[Stakesy]

sounds a bit tff starting line up(ish) to me

really not too surprised it was easy to insure against

also concerned that the prize can be avoided by dodgy MOTM awards which i think is an ongoing curse to the credibility of some fantasy games

won't personally be playing but hopefully fun for those that do.

andy

Hi Andy,

We don't do MOTM - agree compeletely with you on that curse! Also not too keen on captains where a single pick can outweigh the contribution of all others (e.g Defoe with 5 goals then doubled!).

We'd like to think it's a bit more interesting than the TFF comp, simply because it's weekly and you can start again each time. Then again we would say that!

DC - yep, you'd need to get all clean sheets and goals/assists from all midfielders or strikers. One major plus (also differentiating from tff perhaps) is that any players on ties can be included. So for example, if you need a clean sheet defender, anyone with a clean sheet could count - you don't have to have picked a particular one. In most weeks there are many, many combinations which can make the Team of the Week.

Stakesy

[mad dog]

Got my two teams done for this..... £100k would be nice. I take it - its the first person/s to get this and then thats it? I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

[12345678]

also concerned that the prize can be avoided by dodgy MOTM awards which i think is an ongoing curse to the credibility of some fantasy games

Am I missing something there? There are no MOTM points in Fantasy Stakes....?

that makes it much better then

still won't be playing though

well might have a go if time permits spread bet on some overseas entries or are they not allowed to enter

andy

[DrBunker]

I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

Very, very lucky. A quick question for Stakesy: in the entire history of this game has such a team ever been picked?


p.s. don't tell me you don't know as I'm 100% certain the insurers would have asked you the same question

[12345678]

a fair question dr b.

not having motm gives you a miniscule chance, would be none with it

you need to pick 3 goalscoring mf and 3 goalscoring strikers.

if you think that is difficult, try getting the highest scoring ones

then you need either a block with no goal from a defender that week or a semi block with the only defensive goalscorer.

btw you have a problem if one of your defenders gets a yellow card or gets subbed or injured too early.

on second thoughts could this actually be more difficult than the tff team of the season

andy

[Jonathan]

a fair question dr b.

not having motm gives you a miniscule chance, would be none with it

you need to pick 3 goalscoring mf and 3 goalscoring strikers.

if you think that is difficult, try getting the highest scoring ones

then you need either a block with no goal from a defender that week or a semi block with the only defensive goalscorer.

btw you have a problem if one of your defenders gets a yellow card or gets subbed or injured too early.

on second thoughts could this actually be more difficult than the tff team of the season

andy

I'm struggling to see anything valid in the criticism here. We are, after all, talking about £100,000 as a prize. It shouldn't be easy, but the odds are a helluva lot better than the millions that expect to win the lottery each week as they carefully write down the numbers watching the live draw. It's a promotion to get the game noticed, and it is in our benefit to see the numbers entering the game grow, so that things like the JL can be reintroduced over time (although I do think it was wrong to keep the JL data up on the site from last season).

I have consistently played this game from its first week last season, and I don't think I have ever scored over 100pts. But do I keep clicking the 50p GIYH promo button? Yup!

I thought Fantasy Stakes would be massive this season, but fantasy sports players are a funny bunch. FPL has such a poor prize structure, but has already passed 2 million entries. CYKI, a very similar game but without bonus points, had a much, much better prize structure in previous seasons (even I won £50 for MOTM), yet this year less than 20k have entered... I

[andye]

I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

Very, very lucky. A quick question for Stakesy: in the entire history of this game has such a team ever been picked?


p.s. don't tell me you don't know as I'm 100% certain the insurers would have asked you the same question

Hi Stakesy

If the answer to this question is yes , could you let us know how many times ?

Cheers

Andy

[Jonathan]

I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

Very, very lucky. A quick question for Stakesy: in the entire history of this game has such a team ever been picked?


p.s. don't tell me you don't know as I'm 100% certain the insurers would have asked you the same question

Hi Stakesy

If the answer to this question is yes , could you let us know how many times ?

Cheers

Andy

I don't think it is a fair question to ask.

[andye]

The fact that Stakesy has chosen not to answer the first question probably tells you the answer

Andy

[DrBunker]

When the Tele tried to increase business with their £1m bonus prize they were roundly criticised because it was such an extraordinary long-shot. I don't think it's unfair to ask if this event has occurred in any of the multitude of GWs since the game started. If I was still playing I'd want to know.

[Jonathan]

If you look carefully, Stakesy does actually give the answer in a roundabout way. Maybe on the second thread on this subject.

[DrBunker]

Yup, I just noticed that:

Naturally I understand the challenge in picking the Team of the Week. However, we only have about 600-700 teams per week and people have got 8 players right before. If there are hundreds more people playing it is not impossible for someone to get lucky and get it right, particularly bearing in mind the fact that there are many combinations which can make the Team of the Week.

[Jonathan]

Did anyone see that bloke win £250,000 on the halftime crossbar challenge in some strange shaped ball game the other week? Odds?

I am just annoyed that I emptied my account with 5 entries last week instead of this week!

[andye]

Did anyone see that bloke win £250,000 on the halftime crossbar challenge in some strange shaped ball game the other week? Odds?

That wasn't the first time someone has ever achieved it

[DrBunker]

Did anyone see that bloke win £250,000 on the halftime crossbar challenge in some strange shaped ball game the other week? Odds?

That wasn't the first time someone has ever achieved it

Slightly different I know but people do it every week on Soccer AM too.

[mad dog]

Stakesy is just trying to get a few more entrants with the huge money on display. It doesn't cost anything extra to play so I don't see it as a bad thing. I'd like the jackpot league back - but with not so many entrants or people playing it, its not going to happen. This game is a lot better than weekend dream team, as at least you get to pick your own team. But the amount of people playing SWDT is loads, obviously the 10k a major factor. If there was 1-2 or even 3thousand teams in each weekend then you'd see the prizes improve.

I personally plug this to all my mates as I think its the best game out there. Yeah its pretty unlikely that anyone has ever picked the perfect team, its always a possibility. There is normally always three midfielders and strikers who score and a couple of teams who have clean sheets.

from the weekend clean sheets for blackburn/stoke/wigan/chelsea/liverpool/birmingham

goals for mid - duff/SWP/bullard/giggs/collison/eagles/bowyer

goals for strikers - agbonlahor/klasnic/rooney/fletcher/cole/rodellega/drogba/kuyt

Obviously I only had birmingham defenders and rooney and drogba in my team - but it is possible.I just hope that when/if someone wins it Stakesy won't have to re-mortgage his house

[Stakesy]

I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

Very, very lucky. A quick question for Stakesy: in the entire history of this game has such a team ever been picked?


p.s. don't tell me you don't know as I'm 100% certain the insurers would have asked you the same question

LOVL

The insurers did ask us a similar question but it was only over this season. Someone got 8 right this season, I haven't checked back over all of last season but I doubt that's been beaten.

One thing to remember is that last season we usually had only about 200-300 teams entering until the Jackpot Leaguers went haywire at the end. That's up to 600-700 so far this season. If the promotion helps the numbers grow and we get lots more teams then the increased combinations could mean someone gets much closer than ever before or possibly even hits it.

DC - yep, once it's won it's won!

Jonathan - thanks for your comments. Although the odds are impossible to calculate accurately, and most weekends could well be over 50,000/1, it is a huge prize and maybe all the hours we invest studying who takes left-sided corners for Burnley on a Monday night may pay off....

Stakesy

[dingram041]

I think it can be done. Just need a very lucky weekend.

Very, very lucky. A quick question for Stakesy: in the entire history of this game has such a team ever been picked?


p.s. don't tell me you don't know as I'm 100% certain the insurers would have asked you the same question

LOVL

The insurers did ask us a similar question but it was only over this season. Someone got 8 right this season, I haven't checked back over all of last season but I doubt that's been beaten.

One thing to remember is that last season we usually had only about 200-300 teams entering until the Jackpot Leaguers went haywire at the end. That's up to 600-700 so far this season. If the promotion helps the numbers grow and we get lots more teams then the increased combinations could mean someone gets much closer than ever before or possibly even hits it.

DC - yep, once it's won it's won!

Jonathan - thanks for your comments. Although the odds are impossible to calculate accurately, and most weekends could well be over 50,000/1, it is a huge prize and maybe all the hours we invest studying who takes left-sided corners for Burnley on a Monday night may pay off....
Stakesy

Try well over 1,000,000 to 1 that's with football knowledge

[Synyster]

The thing is what's the bracket for a perfect team, if Dunn and Reid both score 7pts and no-one else more (except your team) - you have the other 10 perfect, do you win with either?



How much was the insurance on this for the season, less than 5k? I'd personally rather see that put to a small JL league, to keep me somewhat interested longterm, not just cherry picking my weeks.

[DrBunker]

Unless I'm missing something the other issue with the odds is the fact that it is statistically more likely that the best team of a week would be comprised mainly of top 6 team players. Obviously, if a Brum defender gets a clean sheet that's a bonus but the big scores for midfielders and strikers tend to cling to the big names so that 50k:1/100k:1 becomes much longer when you factor in the difficulty of putting together a team full of them in terms of cost.

[Zarch]

Unless I'm missing something the other issue with the odds is the fact that it is statistically more likely that the best team of a week would be comprised mainly of top 6 team players.

Like Bullard, Eagles, Fletcher, Franco this week?

Granted, Drogs, Rooney, Giggs and Cashley were the top players this week, but then Eagles and Fletcher would have featured in the top team this week too. Highlighting how hard it is going to be.

[Stakesy]

The thing is what's the bracket for a perfect team, if Dunn and Reid both score 7pts and no-one else more (except your team) - you have the other 10 perfect, do you win with either?

Hi tcf..... yes you would win with either team!

What usually happens is that there are 8 or 9 players who you must have and then 2 or 3 positions where there are alternatives, any of which are acceptable. I'll post shortly with last week's TOTW so you can get an idea....

Stakesy

[DrBunker]

Unless I'm missing something the other issue with the odds is the fact that it is statistically more likely that the best team of a week would be comprised mainly of top 6 team players.

Like Bullard, Eagles, Fletcher, Franco this week?

I said statistically

[Chrisharry12345]

At the end of the day, there has been no prizes like this for this season so far and more people than last season are playing.. I cant see that anyone on fiso will be thinking that this will be won, but if it means more prize money for me to win on a weekly bases from inexperienced fantasy football players away from fiso im all for it


Its a shame that a JL cant be offered at this point but hopefully with increased entrys that will change in the near future..


Perhaps sticking the league gaurenteed prizes up to at least 1k would be a possibility though staksey?

[PNE4PREM]

At the end of the day, there has been no prizes like this for this season so far and more people than last season are playing.. I cant see that anyone on fiso will be thinking that this will be won, but if it means more prize money for me to win on a weekly bases from inexperienced fantasy football players away from fiso im all for it


Its a shame that a JL cant be offered at this point but hopefully with increased entrys that will change in the near future..

Perhaps sticking the league gaurenteed prizes up to at least 1k would be a possibility though staksey?

Agree with you there Chris lets hope Stakesy runs a jackpot league from the New Year onwards...He mentioned there was a possibility...