BBL SuperCoach Team Preview - Sydney Thunder

PREDICTED LINE UP

1-Jos Buttler

2-Shane Watson

3-Callum Ferguson

4-Joe Root

5-Jason Sangha

6-Daniel Sams

7-Arjun Nair

8-Chris Green

9-Gurinder Sandhu

10-Sam Rainbird

11-Fawad Ahmed

TOP PREMIUM PLAYER

SHANE WATSON (BAT/BWL $166,700)

Two words describe Watson at the moment – IN FORM. Watson heads into BBL08 off the back of the recent T10 UAE tournament, where he scored 223 runs in 6 games, averaging 65 SuperCoach points per game. That was preceded by an outstanding IPL campaign for Watto, where he scored 555 runs at an average of 40, including scores of 117, 106 and 78. He is still also very handy with the ball, taking 6 wickets in the IPL. It’s easy to see why he was the number 1 ranked T20I batsman and all-rounder in the world when he retired for Australia two years ago, and since then, he hasn’t lost any of his ability. Whether you start with Watson or look to trade him in, he will be a very popular choice in SuperCoach for his round 4 double game week.

TOP MID PRICED PLAYER

JOS BUTTLER (BAT/WKP $160,200)

After a slow first half of the IPL, Buttler really found form towards the backend of the tournament and finished with scores of 67, 51, 82, 95, 94, 39. He continued that form by scoring 61 and 69 for England in T20Is. He is an explosive opener with a career T20 strike rate of 143 and will likely be amongst the runs again for the Thunder before he likely leaves on international duty midway through the BBL. The best wicket keeper option for the round 4 double game week, it might be better to have him earlier than that to get the full value of his scores before he leaves after about six games. 

TOP CHEAP OPTION

JASON SANGHA (BAT $42,000)

One of the most promising youngsters, the 19 year old batsman is often referred to as “the next Ricky Ponting”. A handy part time leg spinner, Sangha already has two first-class centuries to his name and captained Australia at the 2018 Under 19 World Cup. Sangha will be looking to perform well in his first full BBL season, and will likely bat in the middle order. Coming in at number 5 for the Thunder against the Sixers in their latest trial match, Sangha showcased his ability, blasting 60 runs from 35 deliveries. It is worth noting that with notable big hitters Daniel Sams and Chris Green lower in the order, they may be elevated above Sangha if a wicket falls late in the innings when quick runs are required. Nevertheless, the much hyped youngster should be great value at basement price if he gets enough opportunities with the bat.

POINT OF DIFFERENCE

FAWAD AHMED (BWL $152,700)

Even at age 36, Ahmed is still a constant wicket taking threat given his ability to spin the ball both ways. The recent Caribbean Premier League saw him take 22 wickets at an economy of 6.26, and Ahmed will be looking to carry that form into BBL08. A decent POD that can easily get on a run of wickets at any time, his awkward price will see him over looked by many.

PREDICTED FINISH – 6^TH

The Thunder have possibly the best top order in the competition, and also bat very deep with bowlers Sams, Nair and Green all accomplished batsman. The main problem they will face is their lack of a quality seam bowler, and they will heavily rely on the three spinners to do the job. The addition of all-rounder Daniel Sams will certainly help ease the pressure on Gurinder Sandhu. If their star batsman, Watson, Buttler and Joe Root, can put together big totals then it will go a long way to winning them games. However, losing Buttler and Root midway through the competition will certainly hurt them. The addition of England international Chris Jordan in the back half of the tournament will certainly help the bowling, but the Thunder could find themselves one or two wins short of making the finals.

By Mathew Broom and Sebastian Candido

BBL SuperCoach Team Preview - Sydney Sixers

PREDICTED LINE UP

1-Daniel Hughes

2-Jack Edwards

3- Joe Denly

4-Moises Henriques

5-Jordan Silk

6-Josh Philippe (wk)

7-Justin Avendano

8-Tom Curran

9-Sean Abbott

10-Steve O’Keefe

11-Ben Dwarshuis

TOP PREMIUM PLAYER

JOE DENLY (BAT $186,800)

The classy English opener will once again be important for the Sixers, until he potentially leaves for international duties midway through the BBL. He is listed as a batsman only in SuperCoach, but is a very capable bowler. This is evidenced by his 20 wickets in the UK Vitality Blast, and his 4/19 in his last T20i for England. The Sixers do have numerous spinners (O’Keefe, Pope, Fallins, Lyon), but expect Denly to still bowl handy overs. Bowling aside, he is a tremendous batsman, scoring 323 runs in the Pakistan Super League and then 409 runs in the Vitality Blast this season. A reliable top order play with a career T20 average of nearly 30, Denly is a consistent performer, and therefore should be a top SuperCoach asset, especially considering the Sixers’ fixture list.

TOP MID PRICED PLAYER

SEAN ABBOTT (BWL $148,300)

After taking 20 wickets in BBL06, Abbot slightly underperformed in BBL07 only taking 13 wickets. Abbott is usually called upon to bowl the death overs, which means that he has a greater chance of taking wickets and securing SuperCoach points than other bowlers. If you are going to pick seam bowlers in SuperCoach, then you generally want to pick guys who will either open the bowling or bowl the death overs as that is where there is the best wicket taking opportunities. Abbott will do that. He is also handy with the bat if given the chance.

TOP CHEAP PLAYER

JACK EDWARDS (BAT/BWL $42,000)

The Sixers are the team of cheapies, with Edwards, Philippe and Avendano all coming in at basement price. However, Edwards undoubtedly looks like the cheapie of the season. His performances in Shield cricket for NSW haven’t been very impressive, averaging only 17 if you take out his 101 vs Tasmania, but his strike rate has still been solid at 52.20. His form in white ball cricket is a different story though. In his five JLT One Day Cup games for NSW, he smashed 273 runs at an average of 54.60, striking at 97.84. Expected to open the batting and bowl some handy medium paced overs for the Sixers, Edwards will have every opportunity to score big SuperCoach points this season, and will make huge amounts of cash.

POINT OF DIFFERENCE

DANIEL HUGHES (BAT $97,800)

Following a strong BBL06 where he scored 304 runs at an average of 43, Hughes backed that up with an inconsistent BBL07 and therefore starts cheap. His career T20 strike of 112 won’t make him a huge amount of SuperCoach points. However, Hughes takes his time at the crease to accumulate runs. In fact, his career T20 average of 31 is very good. He is a player that will largely go overlooked, but I see a lot of value at his current price if he can start the BBL with some runs and will be a handy number for the round 3 double game week. He could be one of those players that goes under the radar all BBL but has a largely successful season, and therefore is nice POD if he gets going.

PREDICTED FINISH – 7^TH

There are a lot of young players and new faces in this side, so the Sixers might struggle to keep up with the top teams this season. A lack of star power and explosive batsman might see them rely heavily on Denly to make a lot of runs early on, and the youngsters to step up right away. They will need to bowl well to win games, as I don’t think they will be able to chase down or set big totals too often. A lot hinges on Denly and how well the new faces do, but I don’t see them being too successful this BBL. Instead, this is very much a top team of the future.

By Mathew Broom and Sebastian Candido

BBL SuperCoach Team Preview - Perth Scorchers

PREDICTED LINE UP

1-Michael Klinger

2-David Willey

3-Mitch Marsh

4-Hilton Cartwright

5-Asthon Turner

6-Ashton Agar

7-Josh Inglis

8-Nathan Coulter-Nile

9-Andrew Tye

10-Jhye Richardson

11-Jason Behrendorff

TOP PREMIUM PLAYER

DAVID WILLEY (BAT/BWL $194,000)

I’ve chosen David Willey over Andrew Tye here due to his role up the order with the bat. If Willey opens the batting as expected, in addition to leading the Scorchers attack with his swing bowling, then he should be a lock in for SuperCoaches in round 1. In the recent UK Vitality Blast, Willey was dominant, scoring 386 runs along with taking 9 wickets. An all-rounder of his ability being given the opportunity to open the batting and bowling is an elite SuperCoach option, and a great captaincy option for his round 1 double game week.

TOP MID PRICED PLAYER

NATHAN COULTER-NILE (BAT/BWL $125,000)

Still getting back into swing of things after a series of frustrating injuries over the past couple years, NCL will look to hit peak form this BBL. A dangerous bowler, Coulter-Nile is also a capable lower order hitter with the bat, and has a career T20 strike rate of 127. The recent three game T20I series against Pakistan saw him score 27 and 34 runs in two match, as well as take 3 wickets in his first international series back from injury. He also took 9 wickets in 4 games in the recent JLT One Day Cup. Starting at a very affordable price, he is a serious option for the round 1 double game week given his multiple ways of scoring SuperCoach points and should be a serious candidate for selection in most teams.

TOP CHEAP PLAYER

JOSH INGLIS (BAT/WKP $62,500)

Given the current injury cloud surrounding Michael Klinger (BAT $79,000), Inglis could potentially find himself opening the batting in Klinger’s absence. The young keeper is starting to climb up through the domestic leagues and recently averaged 30 batting down the order in the JLT One Day Cup. Unless he opens the batting though, I don’t see Inglis improving much on his underwhelming stats from BBL last season. Although it appears Klinger will be fit, Inglis should be monitored. Even if he doesn’t open the batting though, he should still pick up numerous points for catches playing on a bouncy Perth deck with a pace heavy attack. Cameron Green (BWL $42,000) is one to watch should he ever make the team.

POINT OF DIFFERENCE

JHYE RICHARDSON (BWL $116,700)

You could make a case of selecting anyone of the Perth Scorchers starting team in SuperCoach because they are that talented, but I’m backing Jhye Richardson to have a good BBL with the ball. The 22 year old fast bowler bowls at speeds of over 140kmph, and has already represented Australia. An every improving bowler, Richardson is currently taking wickets for fun at a very low economy rate in the Sheffield Shield, including career best figures of 8-47 against NSW at Optus Stadium. If he can carry his amazing Shield form into the BBL, then I can see him taking plenty of wickets and getting many SuperCoach points. Given the amount of talented bowlers at the Scorchers, don’t be surprised to see Richardson go under the radar for round 1 and end up being the player everyone wishes they had if the others fail. Currently bowling as well as he ever has, he will certainly be in my team.

PREDICTED FINISH – 2^ND

The most successful team in BBL history and it’s easy to see why with the amount of talent and depth in their squad. In BBL08, they should make the finals again. A formidable bowling attack that can defend any total, mixed with quality batsmen and the availability of Mitch Marsh for the start their campaign at least makes them incredibly tough to beat as always. Even if they lose several players to international duties (as expected), they have the incredible depth of talent to easily fill any role. They will be a very popular team for round 1 in SuperCoach given their double game week and the fact they don’t have a bye until round 9.

By Mathew Broom

FPL Festive Fixtures - The WFC Christmas Gifts

From now to the turn of the year, the Premier League sees an immense amount of fixtures crammed into a schedule that isn’t player friendly or FPL thoughtful as the quantity of playing minutes on players can force unforeseen rotations in squads and peculiar results that aren’t generally seen in other periods of the course of the season. Due to the mayhem that the EPL endures, there is a general shuffling of FPL rankings overall and in mini-leagues. To assist in negating the “I need to take a hit” mentality that many FPL managers get in their heads over the festive season, WFC has complied a brief list of players that are essential to FPL squads, along with players that could boast as hidden gems should the scheduling nightmare benefit their possible points returns, giving a generous leg-up to mangers.

So, we start with the must have players:

Must Haves:

Ederson

Starting every game in the league there is no reason to suggest that the Brazilian will be rotated out. With his exceptional passing ability and Manchester City’s defensive strength, there appears to be a pletharough of clean sheets points awaiting for those that have splurged the premium price on the Ederson. Already recording 8 shut-outs and grabbing an assist in FPL, Game weeks 18, 19 and 20 fixtures against Palace, Leicester and Southampton should see solid and safe returns.

Raheem Sterling

8 goals and 6 assists registered speaks for itself. One of Pep’s favourites provides assurance that getting rested won’t be an issue. Sterling’s ability to drive past players has seen him record 2.5 shots, 1.9 successful take-ons and provide 2.3 shot assists per game in the league this season. With others possibly being rotated in the City side, a lot of play will go through the young Englishman, meaning these number could increase over the festive fixtures.

Richarlison

Boxing Day Fixtures onwards in where the Brazilian could explode. Despite being able to produce against any opposition, Everton’s GW 19-24 fixtures look juicy. Already tested as a central striker throughout the EPL campaign so far, Richalison could find himself there again. Having snapped up 7 goals already and having the same shots ratio per game as Raheem Sterling, the Evertonian is well on track for a 15+ goal season. From GW19 Everton have Burnley, Brighton, Leicester, Bournemouth, Southampton and Huddersfield and is easy to think that Richalison will feature in all fixtures and likely have a hand in 50% or more of Everton’s goals over that period with their style of play and his ability in and around the box.

Felipe Anderson

West Ham’s future is looking bright and it is on big part to the exploits of Felipe Anderson this season. Over the Christmas period, the Hammers have a very tasty looking run. Anderson’s scoring output of 6 goals and 2 assists has been majorly tallied when playing low ranked teams in the league, with goals against Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Huddersfield and brace against Burnley. Over the festive fixtures, West Ham face Fulham, Watford, Southampton, Burnley and Brighton and with the Brazilian having 1.4 shots, 1.8 key passes and 1.6 take-ons it is almost certain he will add to his goal scoring involvement.

Pierre-Emerik Aubameyang

10 goals and 4 assists so far shows the prowess of Aubameyang in front of goal. With goals coming thick and fast, the man from Gabon has extreme explosive power in providing FPL returns. This was evidenced in GW8 and GW9 when Aubameyang started on the bench and then was later subbed on to grab a brace in both fixtures in less than 30 minutes on the pitch. Despite a trip to Liverpool in GW20, Arsenal have decent fixtures and have been looking solid in attack, even if their defence has been shaking. FPL comes down to individual performance and with 2.3 shots per game, Aubameyang could continue scoring and stake his claim for the golden boot.

Harry Kane

The HurriKane could be coming through over the festive period. If you don’t own him now, make sure you get him. The likes of Son, Alli and Eriksen have appeal for saving cash but Kane’s knack for getting a goal is un-paralleled. Looking to break 30 goals this season, Spur’s run of fixtures not just only the festive period but all the way to GW27 in February is looking Kane FPL scoring friendly. With the Englishman having nearly 3.5 shots per game, virtually starting every game and playing 90mins, being on penalties and a bonus machine, there’s not much more you can say other than we have seen it before with Kane being a nailed on captian.

Eden Hazard

Simple fixtures for a very solid looking Chelsea side this season, Hazard, due to the underperforming forwards that Chelsea currently possess could see him rotated in and out of the striker and wings roles. Having already grabbed 7 goals, Hazrad has been amongst the assists as well with 8 recorded and snapping up 4 in the past 3 games on his way to a steady flow of 6, 5 and 9 points respectively. Bonus has been relatively scarce recently but looking back, when Hazard is awarded bonus it is almost certain he gets the max 3 points. Unlikely to be rested return will continue to be produced.

Lukasz Fabianski

The West Ham Keeper has been instrumental as he always seems to be, wherever he is playing in the league. Having only kept 2 clean-sheets this season seems to dour his potential, however, an amazing save rate of touching 4 per game he sits second in total saves made (62). Additionally, has saved one penalty and has no real competition for his place in the side, so he is a nailed 90min player. With every fixture over the Christmas run being sides 12^th on the table or below, returns look imminent and consistent.

Honourable Mentions:

Mohamed Salah

Despite fixtures not being as easy as other clubs, Salah is hitting form and ability similar to what was seen last year. Equal 1^stin the golden boot race, fixture difficulty doesn’t seem to faze the Egyptian. 7 goals and 3 assists in his last 8 games, with only 1 blank in that run. Price-tag is the only issue if managers want Kane, Hazard or Aubameyang.

Sead Kolasinac

Kolasinac has finally gotten entrenched in the Arsenal starting side and has been a breath of fresh air for FPL managers looking for alternative options. Producing 2 returns in 6 starts isn’t extremely flashy, but his attacking involvement and willingness to get forward soon will spell more points. 2 key passes/shot assists per game should lead to more assists.

Alexandre Lacazette

An alternative to the Aubameyang price-tag, or a pairing double-up for Arsenals attacking efficiency, the Frenchman has his own case for a golden boot run. 6 goals and 5 assists already this season, while playing second fiddle to Aubameyang, Lacazette has been a penalty area machine with nearly 2 of his total 2.8 shots per 90mins coming from with 18 yards of goal. Should through balls and delivery from wide areas continue, he could explode with returns.

Jordan Pickford

A punt pick in goal, Pickford has elevated his totals to be the number 4 ranked FPL goalkeeper. Only 4 clean-sheets so far, the Englishman has potential to increase that total from boxing day forwards with Leicester at home looking like the only fixture that could pose non-cleansheet risk.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Another Everton player, Sigurdsson could play a key role in a differential pick to the obvious Richalison. Flying under the radar, Sigurdsson sits 9^th in midfielder point’s tallies (76), only a mere 5 points below his Brazilian team-mate (81) and has registered 6 goals and 2 assists. On set-piece duty and the ever appealing penalties, the Icelandic man could be Everton’s best player over Christmas.

Roberto Pereyra

A bit of a mixed bag, but some favourable fixtures and a price-tag that allows room for others, Pereyra should be highly considered over the festive period. Having picked up 5 goals and 2 assists this season, these returns have been against weaker teams, with the exception of Everton. However, with Cardiff, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in the immediate future returns look likely to come again.

Ross Barkley

Outside of Eden Hazard some rotation is expected at Chelsea over Christmas. Ross Barkley could be handy pick-up for FPL managers. Having been limited so far this season, the Englishman has still managed to return 3 goals and 3 assists at an astonishing rate of 3.1 shots and 1.5 shot assists per 90 minutes of play. Additionally, he is busy in attack with 1.6 successful take-ons over the same time-frame. Only a £5.6 price tag and a 3.6%TSB, he could be what managers are looking for.

Raul Jimenez

Fixtures don’t look the best for Wolves over Christmas but Jimenez has shown to be somewhat fixture proof in terms of who he has provided returns against. 4 goals and 6 assists in Wolverhampton’s first season back in the top flight, the Mexican provided 3.1 shots per game and is beast in the air, winning 2.5 aerial duels a match. His major scoring involvements have come against Everton (goal), Tottenham (goal + assist), Arsenal (assist) and Chelsea (goal).

Javier Hernandez

The Marko Arnautovic injury has majorly spurned this on. With West Hams fixtures being highly desirable and Arnautovic out until mid-January, the former Manchester United front man has been given the task of leading the line. Since starting he has provided 3 goals and an assist, scoring return of 13 and 9 with 1 blank. £6.4 as his current price could save a ton of money to be spent elsewhere.

Heung-Min Son

3 goals and 3 assists so far in a limited stop start season isn’t the exploits he provided last year, but, with consistency comes returns with the South Korean. Having been thrust into the starting XI over the last month Son is yet to blank, with returns of 8, 5, 8 and 14 with goals and assists starting to flow in regularly. He is the best Spurs alternative to Harry Kane as his pace and dribbling ability causes all kinds of troubles for opposing defences – 2.6 successful take-ons per 90mins. Furthermore, at 3.3 shots 90mins he is level with the scoring likes of Kane himself and at a higher ratio than leading scorer Aubameyang.