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Now that we have gotten to know each other (that was great cuddling last night!), I thought now would be a good time to let the beginners know how EPL fantasy scoring works. Luckily, EPL scoring is not nearly as difficult as the offside rule to understand. Just as in life, playing well gets you positive points and playing poorly will get you negative points. Easy as that.
I am playing on the Premier League's official site and therefore using the point system there. You can still join at http://fantasy.premierleague.com. I have started a league for you all to join on there so we can compete each other. Here are the details:
- League Name: Fake Teams
- Code to Enter: 572171-575691
If you have any trouble joining, let me know.
Let's now take a look at some of the scoring rules:
- Clean sheets (fantasy definition: not giving up a goal while playing over 60 minutes) are a big deal when it comes to defenders and goalkeepers. Every clean sheet gets you 4 points. Therefore, when choosing a defender, consider the other defenders playing alongside him and the goalkeeper in net. In the same way, take a look at the defenders in front of a goalkeeper when choosing your net minder. It is not wise to pick a defender/goalkeeper playing Manchester United or Manchester City. With Jose Mourinho now in charge, it IS wise to pick a Chelsea defender/goalkeeper.
- Fitness is a key. This might seem like an obvious thing but a player playing 60 minutes or more can be the difference between achieving 2 points or getting stuck with 1 point. Each point matters in the close competitions. (In one league, we have already had a tie this year.) Make sure each week that your players are fit and ALWAYS check the lineup before matches start.
- Like every sport, scoring is the key to the game. I don't have to tell you that having Robin van Persie on your team would be a major plus. Not only does he score often, but he also is involved in a lot of goals by assists. An assist will get you 3 points.
- We can skip over the negative points for a missed penalty because we are covering the EPL, not Serie A. (ZING!)
- Know a player that is extremely aggressive? You might want to stay away as a yellow card is -1 point and a red is -3. Let's just say that Steve Sidwell goes into matches with -1 points. (Sidwell, as you will learn, is my beating horse.)
- Scoring an own goal will cost you 2 points and your life in most of South America.
I could go on but all of the information, including bonus point ruling, is available at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/rules/.
If you have any questions, tweet or email me. I am up early in the morning, all during the day and then enjoying watching my Jessica Fletcher solve murders late at night. "Murder, She Wrote" is now on Netflix! I am set for the next month.