Last week we looked at selecting players for the UEFA Championship League DFS contests. To recap: there are 32 soccer clubs involved so picking a roster could be intimidating.
Well, Championship League is a cake walk when compared to the Europa League. Not only there are 50% more teams and hence over 500 players playing in it, some of the teams are from little-known out –of-the way places. In fact, more than once while watching the highlights I have gone online to learn about a club about which I knew practically nothing other than the team’s country of origin. Of course, with obscure clubs like FK Vardar from Macedonia, FC Fastav Zlin from the Czech Republic, or Rijeka from Croatia what else is to be done.
As for the Championship League–and DraftKings features several dozen DFS contests for the Europa League–the most common, and natural, thing to do is to pick up familiar faces. Fantasy baseball players get player rankings and projections to help guide roster building, but the Europa League is no such animal.
So, what is the best path to create a DFS or fantasy soccer team for such a contest? Well, rather than using the familiar, use the FIFA club rankings. The top four European nations for club competition – not to be confused with National Teams ranking – are Spain, England, Italy and Germany. With that in mind, it is conceivable that selecting players from teams from these four countries would guarantee a DFS win.
Unfortunately, that is not true. For example, after four matchdays FC Koln from Cologne, Germany is last in its division. Everton from England is also last, with a single point.
So, as an alternative, wait for the scores of matchday 1 or perhaps, even matchday 2, for that suggests knowing the strength and ability of individual teams in relation to their division opponents, something that is an essential ingredient in roster building.
Today, after 4 matches, we have plenty of good data to build upon. Let’s take an early look at the upcoming matchday 5 scheduled for Thursday, November 23. Players are grouped under the headings of goalkeepers, defensemen and the attack, the umbrella collection of midfielders, forwards and utility. And, due to potential injury, hold off creating a roster any earlier than the Tuesday prior, giving two days to pick and plan.
Goalkeepers: Select goalkeepers from top teams facing teams that are last in their division. Lazio’s Thomas Strakosha is a good candidate, for example. FC Zenit’s goalie Yuri Lodygin, facing FK Vardar that scored a single goal this campaign is also a good choice. Both Lazio and Zenit are playing on the home turf.
Defensemen: Think about selecting defenders from match-ups that promise a fierce clash. Defenders who are under continuous attack will have plenty of opportunities for interceptions and tackles; the two main sources of defensive fantasy points. Just be careful not to go too far to the lesser teams who are on the defensive more often than not. For example, matchday 5 offers Kobenhaven – Lokomotiv Moscow and Pilzen – Steau Bucuresti as reasonable sources of defensemen.
Attack: The first temptation is to go with top names, such as the Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. However, that can pose a problem.
Top names are expensive and that can present difficulties staying under the salary cap. However, there is an issue for teams on top of their respective group tables–such as the Arsenal–there are no guarantees the stars and starters will get much playing time. And, a star who sits on the bench and eats up close to 20% of the salary allotment will not help.
With that in mind, to look for match-ups where it seems certain that both teams will put forward their best line-ups. So, teams that are fighting for that coveted second spot in the standings make good targets for roster spots.
In addition to the above mentioned Kobenhaven – Lokomotiv Moscow , matchday 5 offers several interesting battles. Partizan – Young Boys, Konyaspor – Marseille and Ostersund – Zorya all offer midfielders and forwards who are likely to be on the pitch from the first minute on.
Selecting players for Europa League matchday 6, scheduled for Thursday, December 7, will be posted a few days prior.
Follow Pasko at Twitter @varnica123. His essays about sports in ancient Roman times can be found at SportsInAntiquity.com
