Metafilter Fantasy Football Challenge 2014/2015

July 29, 2014 5:21 PM

Are your nether regions still aglow from this summer's World Cup? Have the ritual scars from last year's dread ceremony almost healed? Well, the stars have come right again and the new Premier League season is almost upon us! Prepare to light the candles, chant the chants, and come in second to Hogtown Hotspur with the Metafilter Fantasy Football League! If you played before, just log back in to your account and you'll be back in the league. New? No problem. It's easy to play, helps you learn the game (and maybe even fall in love with a team), plus will give you another excuse to drink early on weekends.

The league code is 584900-148666. No worries on setting your team in stone right this minute - you'll have until August 16th to finalize things.

posted by robocop is bleeding to MetaFilter-Related at 5:21 PM (44 comments total)

Do we get bonus points for players who tuck their shorts into their underwear?
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:42 PM on July 29, 2014

Rock Steady City FC is in. We managed to avoid relegation last year with a 17th place finish, and we are aiming for single digits this year. Actually knowing how to use my transfers should help.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:03 PM on July 29, 2014

not_too_xabi is killing me as a team name.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:04 PM on July 29, 2014 [4 favorites]

Tim Krul is wearing his angry eyes and whispering "I know who you're going to pick."
posted by Dr. Zira at 7:48 PM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

FC Spek en Bonen is back and ready to party. We started strong last year but flagged later on.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:20 AM on July 30, 2014

Someone take the keys to the boot room away from me. I can't stop this Klinsmannian tinkering with my team. I think I've been through a dozen starting XIs in the past week.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:27 AM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

The Josher 71's are in.
posted by josher71 at 6:20 AM on July 30, 2014

And I'm biased, but I think Bojan at 5.5 is worth a shout.
posted by josher71 at 7:01 AM on July 30, 2014

OK, since josher71 broke the ice for talking about players, what are people's thoughts on the Liverpool forwards sans Suarez? I'm feeling that Lambert at 7.5 is a vastly better deal than Sturridge at 11.5. Do you agree Y/N?
posted by Rock Steady at 8:31 AM on July 30, 2014

And I'm biased, but I think Bojan at 5.5 is worth a shout.

He's been a beast for me on FM2014 at Arsenal, so I'm taking a punt on him.
posted by MartinWisse at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2014

Do you think Sturridge and Lambert will partner like SAS?
posted by josher71 at 8:58 AM on July 30, 2014

not_too_xabi is killing me as a team name

that would be me.

fantasy football - the most wonderful time of the year! (and a giant timesuck).
posted by modernnomad at 10:50 AM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

josher71: Do you think Sturridge and Lambert will partner like SAS?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by Rock Steady at 11:00 AM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

No on Lambert - he'll be used primarily at the end of games or in early round cup matches, or possibly against weaker opposition in the league during weeks with Champion's League games. He will assuredly be second fiddle to Sturridge, barring injury. He is not a Suarez replacement, and Rodgers will likely return to his previously favoured 4-3-3 rather than the diamond he used last year to accomodate both Suarez and Sturridge.

So yeah, cheap at 7.5, but very far from a nailed on starter each week for LFC.
posted by modernnomad at 11:07 AM on July 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'll give it a try this year! I have no clue what I'm doing!
posted by Iridic at 11:09 AM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think Sturridge is a better buy. He'll be used more as ModernNomad said. I think it's always good to just get in people you know who are nailed on starters just in case. I always pick players like Baines, Shawcross, and even Tom Huddlestone since I know that if fit they will definitely start.
posted by josher71 at 11:42 AM on July 30, 2014

Yeah, I've got to stick to starters as I don't follow the League closely enough during the week to know who is or is not likely to get on the roster. Sorry Rickie!
posted by Rock Steady at 11:49 AM on July 30, 2014

Is it best to spend all your money straight out, or should you keep something in reserve?
posted by Iridic at 12:07 PM on July 30, 2014

re: lambert, LFC have just bought Divock Origi.

Everton are apparently signing Lukaku

And the Prem will use vanishing spray this season!
posted by marienbad at 12:10 PM on July 30, 2014

re Origi - he's being loaned back to Lille for the season, so won't be relevant for fantasy football this year
posted by modernnomad at 12:25 PM on July 30, 2014

Iridic, two schools of thought on that. When your money is invested in players, it has the potential to increase (or decrease) with the associated player value. However, if you have money in the bank, it allows you more flexibility if you're expecting to need a big swap after the first gameweek, and there's almost always a big swap to make after week 1. (Like last year, when everyone had Aguero and then he got injured, so a lot of people wanted to get Rooney. Then Rooney got injured. Oops.)

I am personally in the first camp, I think growing money early has an exponential effect on your tactical flexibility later in the season, so I tend to invest as much as possible. But the second camp certainly has merits, and if you end up with a bunch of bums and underachievers in week 1, you can lose a decent amount of money, which also has an exponential effect through the gameweeks, but you do not like that effect and do not want it (this is what happened to me last year).
posted by Errant at 12:27 PM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hmm is there a champions league or Europa+CL version for us non-EPL football fans? I had great fun with the world cup run, but don't watch English football nearly enough to truly enjoy this.
posted by xqwzts at 6:18 AM on July 31, 2014

I'll give it a try this year! I have no clue what I'm doing!

Ditto and ditto.
posted by dersins at 1:36 PM on July 31, 2014

There is a champion's league version run by the same website (plus various competitors), but I can't recall if MeFi had a private league in it last year. Certainly some could set one up in the same way as this league and share the code once Champion's League is upon us.
posted by modernnomad at 1:59 PM on July 31, 2014

Hillbilly FC is ready (though I think I'm changing to the Carolina Hillbillies and going from our traditional blue to the lucky color RED). I can't remember where I finished last year, but it wasn't terrible considering how badly I fucked up a few times.

It's fun and frustrating, so yay, dammit!
posted by Red Loop at 4:37 PM on July 31, 2014

I'm in with the STL ArchRivals.
posted by schyler523 at 5:35 PM on August 2, 2014

Priests and Paladins* will win all.

* I may have taken the 'fantasy' part of Fantasy Football a bit too literally.
posted by Skyanth at 6:01 AM on August 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Anyone interested in a concurrent head-to-head league again this year?
posted by cgk at 10:42 PM on August 8, 2014

I was just talked into joining my brother-in-law's league tonight so thought I may as well join this one too. His is for money but this one is just for the glory :) First time I've ever uttered the words "I'm looking forward to the start of the football season".
posted by billiebee at 5:01 PM on August 10, 2014

Player alerts are starting to come in. How much stock do you put in them? Should I just ignore Coleman's hamstring injury and Lukaku's problematic match fitness? Or should I be prepping for last minute transfers?
posted by Iridic at 1:08 PM on August 11, 2014

cgk: Anyone interested in a concurrent head-to-head league again this year?

Yeah, I'd be up for that.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:26 PM on August 11, 2014

Anyone interested in a concurrent head-to-head league again this year?

I joined the one you started, but there are only, like 4 of us...
posted by dersins at 9:41 AM on August 12, 2014

How do you join the head to head league?

Also, I'm going to leave this here: The Santi Cazorla Vanishing Spray Incident
posted by Dr. Zira at 1:43 PM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

cgk posted the league # for the head-to-head in the discussion forum of the classic league.

Speaking of which, there doesn't seem to be much (any) discussion. Is there a better venue for shit-talking you people?
posted by dersins at 9:50 AM on August 17, 2014

There should be. Dunno what the best venue would be.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:26 PM on August 18, 2014

Yeah, we have tried G+ and the league forum page and neither really took off, but I'd love to have a forum in which to whinge and moan about my horrible choices and my players' screaming ineptitude.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:34 PM on August 18, 2014

whinge and moan about my horrible choices and my players' screaming ineptitude.

Yeah, I'm puncheon the walls here.
posted by Iridic at 2:38 PM on August 18, 2014

I see what you did there.

Of course, what I did was leave Siggy on the bench, so fuck me.
posted by dersins at 3:08 PM on August 18, 2014

Fanfare? EPL Week 1, Week 2, etc?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:06 PM on August 18, 2014

I mean, we have Fanfare threads for weekly shows as is. Have the thread queued to go up at first kick off on Saturday, move on to the next one the following week. The World Cup threads from last month show interest, plus the 50+ fantasy players (of which I'm ranked #3 - Merseyside Zigguraut to reclaim its title from 12/13!).
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:17 PM on August 18, 2014

I think there has been some pushback to the idea of introducing sports to FanFare due to the existence of SportsFilter, but it does seem to fit.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:38 AM on August 19, 2014

Baaaaaalotelllllllliiiiiii!

This is going to be fun!
posted by Rock Steady at 9:54 AM on August 21, 2014

I guess with no Suarez this year they needed to upgrade their crazy up front.
posted by dersins at 1:25 PM on August 21, 2014

I LOVE SUPER MARIO!!!
posted by josher71 at 1:45 PM on August 21, 2014