A guide to the Overhaul in Sky Fantasy

With Sky Sports Fantasy Football’s Wildcard now enforced and the clock ticking for managers to overhaul teams however they like, let’s scrutinise the football calendar to determine the best players to select.

Sky Fantasy is a game that rewards some forward planning and fixture monitoring. This is because player prices are fixed, so individual players will never be priced out of future moves and therefore the focus can go on using the seasonal allocation of 50 transfers to maximise the number of games played.

Mid‑Gameweek transfers are critical because injured or suspended players can be removed immediately and, crucially, Sky Fantasy allows multiple captaincies per Gameweek. To succeed, managers should have a captain among their ranks on every possible gameday.

Once the game restarts after January’s transfer amnesty, the staggered layout of fixtures provides many opportunities for the armband. Active participants can use this to overtake their rivals.

Fixtures and fit-ins

The table above is a revamped version of Scout’s fixture ticker. A few caveats: Gameweek numbering reflects the more familiar FPL ones, with Sky Gameweeks 23 and 24 being merged into Gameweek 21 here. Specific to Sky Fantasy, fixtures that are unique on a given calendar day – and for which a captain can be selected in that game only – have been highlighted in yellow.

Additionally, any fixture with a confirmed date and time has a small coloured box to denote whether it is being played early (green), later (orange) or last (red) within a given Gameweek. These boxes have a black border if teamsheets will be unknown before the daily Fantasy deadline.

Using this table, Sky Fantasy players can instantly see how to hop on and off players and captains, including midweek, from January onwards. This will be important once key personnel return from injuries.

Gameweek 26 will see cancellations for games involving the EFL Cup finalists. If Chelsea fail to overturn their narrow first-leg defeat to Middlesborough it would be intriguing, as their league outing against Tottenham (a unique, captainable, fixture) would return to the schedules, following on from their unique Gameweek 24 fixture against Crystal Palace.

We also know that there are two fixtures still to fit in, namely Bournemouth v Luton Town and Manchester City v Brentford. These are quite likely to be played relatively soon.

Wildcard, riches!

With Mohamed Salah away at AFCON and injuries piling up for popular options, funds instantly become less of a concern. Yet, Erling Haaland’s bone stress has resulted in Sky Fantasy stress. Immediately, we must decide whether to include him from the get-go or wait for certainty of starts.

From the calendar, we can see that Gameweeks 22 and 23 allow us to wait before bringing in the Norwegian, with the luxury of having already seen the team sheet. Selecting an Arsenal asset for two games, or a Chelsea player for three, could briefly fill a Haaland-shaped stopgap. With an expected goals (xG) underperformance so far, maybe Erling can be swerved.

However, with Kevin De Bruyne returning to fitness and the Man City machine showing ominous signs of clicking into gear, maybe he can’t. Like serial winner Sir Alex Ferguson before him, Pep Guardiola teams usually find a higher level to reach around this time.

City’s dismal spell of 10 points in seven games around Christmas of 2022/23, characterised by constant tinkering, preceded a steadfast belief in 3-4-2-1, a return for Ruben Dias and only four points dropped in the subsequent 15 games. With this in mind, plus a generous set of upcoming fixtures that includes an early unique fixture versus Brentford and the return fixture that will result in a Double Gameweek, it’s no surprise to see Pep’s men feature heavily in my overhauled team.

As for the rest, the first Gameweek back dictates selections to some extent — we need a player on each day of Gameweek 21 as a minimum requirement. This means immediate representation from Burnley v Luton and Brighton and Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers.

We also need a plan to bring in popular options who have suffered short-term injuries.

Between the sticks

James Trafford allows us to secure Burnley coverage. Conveniently the same price as Neto, the ticker shows this is a swap that could be optimally carried out after one or three rounds — perhaps just ahead of a Bournemouth Double Gameweek that targets Luton again. Trafford is joint-second for both Tier 1 and 2 saves, while Neto has recorded 11-point hauls in three of the past five matches. So we should be making their busy-ness our business.

At the opposite end of the scale – but with similar Double Gameweek considerations in mind – is Ederson. Up until last year, he was a goalkeeper with consistently positive PSxG-GA scores. Man City are clearly capable of shutting out next opponents Newcastle and Burnley, having done so already this season. Perhaps Stefan Ortega Moreno can share some tips?

With only one ‘early’ fixture among his next six, which include a unique home fixture against Brentford in Gameweek 26, Alphonse Areola is another cheap option who can be easily switched in. He’s registered 35 points over the last three and has the same fixed price as Trafford and Neto. Therefore using a transfer to rotate between these £6.6m-priced stoppers is something to consider.

Big at the back is back

Ostensibly a defender, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been making good on having the highest price tag for his position, so a plan for his reintegration is paramount. Nobody has more avenues to success, as demonstrated by his exploits in December: 12 points against Fulham despite conceding three times, followed by 11 points at Burnley despite no attacking returns. A likely blank in Gameweek 26 is offset by the week prior’s Brentford game being one of the first, which could also become a double.

Based on the ticker, differentials Antonee Robinson and Vitaliy Mykolenko could temporarily cover him, as could Joachim Andersen if looking longer term. The latter would hit Crystal Palace’s successive unique fixtures in Gameweeks 24 and 25 (versus Chelsea and Everton). Sky Fantasy bonus monster Lewis Dunk and team-mate Pervis Estupiñán will be popular alternatives, with clean sheets no longer a distant memory.

Dunk and budget enabler Jan Paul van Hecke are Sky FF pass masters, with Ruben Dias completing the top three defenders for Tier 2 passes throughout 2023 (11 games, out of just 14). Should he feature as heavily as he did at this point last season, when ever-present for 11 undefeated games to lead Man City’s turnaround to the title, his premium price could be a snip.

The next highest Tier 2 passing defender is William Saliba. Although points have dried up recently, the early fixtures mean he can be a captain and swapped in Gameweek 22 to a Man City defender like Kyle Walker if Arsenal’s anaemic performances continue. Saliba offers a high floor in Sky Fantasy alongside a security of starts.

Middling and best

Sky Fantasy transfers will soon be finite again so in steps super glue guys Rodri and Pascal Gross. These midfielders are locked tight in the team due to strong upcoming fixtures and an ability to make a mockery of the game’s scoring system, evidenced by Rodri’s recent eight points against Crystal Palace. Though a modest return, it is notable that it included three points each for Tier 2 passing and Tier 2 tackles.

Against lesser teams, who Man City will soon face in abundance, Rodri can keep the points ticking over simply by turning up. Similarly, Gross has scored five points in each of his latest three games, which includes points for passes, tackles and an assist.

Gross’ 13.05 points per million may be big but it’s trumped by the 15.08 of Cole Palmer. His 6.5m price won’t change, making him simply too good to pass up. Nevertheless, one option for those with transfers burning a hole in their pocket could be to select Lyle Foster instead, if he’s confirmed to start for this Friday match with Luton. Opting not to be at AFCON, the forward can be captained and then immediately palmed off for Palmer, thanks to his cheapness.

Injury news permitting, Jarrod Bowen is another player who has been kind to owners, due to the six-point premium for goals in Sky Fantasy. An injury blocks his inclusion in the overhaul team but five of West Ham United’s next six games are played later on or last in the Gameweek, providing multiple opportunities to go in on Bowen whenever we see him back on the teamsheet Furthermore, he successfully registered an attacking return in all six of the corresponding fixtures earlier in the season.

While awaiting the availability of Bowen, Haaland and Alexander-Arnold, temporary options include Phil Foden and his successive double-digit hauls, having failed to register any before Christmas. It’s the kind of blistering form that currently evades Bukayo Saka, although the latter does have relatively kind fixtures and five double-digit scores for those with good memories.

You have to be nostalgic to remember De Bruyne’s hauls but his cameo cup performance against Huddersfield suggests he’s back to his best. Sporting a jazzy new barnet, he is curiously owned by 6.5% of teams in the top 1k despite an overall ownership of just 6.83%. Engaged managers have decided Kevin can’t wait.

Another player with new hamstrings who is ready to assist risk-taking owners is Pedro Neto. Wolves have two unique fixtures among the first six Gameweeks, including a home game against Sheffield United for which a captain is required. With another assist in the FA Cup to add to his league tally of seven, it could be a sound strategy to bring him in well before it becomes a necessity.

My only regret… is that he has… boneitis

Haaland has registered the highest number of points for Tier 2 shots on target (15) if you somehow still need to be convinced. Naturally, it’s a case of when to own him, not if. The games against Burnley and Brentford are played later in their respective Gameweeks so would enable an extra fixture to be squeezed out of certain temporary stand-ins, such as Saka.

Arguably just as pivotal is Dominic Solanke, who enjoyed the highest points-per-minute score of all players until Palmer’s sub-zero performance at Luton. Bournemouth have an outstanding fixture run that begins in Gameweek 27 and their Luton game is also to be rearranged. Even beforehand, looking at his next five opponents, Solanke managed to bag an impressive seven goals and an assist in the reverse meetings. A potential set-and-forget option, he’s a reliable captain even against league leaders Liverpool.

Ollie Watkins completes the team. His fixtures in the short and medium-term look promising and, although earlier on he only registered only one goal and two assists against these next six opponents (as did Douglas Luiz), his 26 points versus Brighton are a reminder of how devastating both he and differential captain picks can be.

Floating just outside the top 100 in my debut Sky Fantasy season, my own overhaul plan is to go as heavy as possible on Man City due to their fixtures and history. Subject to information and injuries, I will use the remaining 8.8m in the bank to gradually replace Foster, Palmer and Saliba with Haaland, Bowen and Alexander-Arnold. Using the ticker, I should be able to replace players that have already played and make these transfers when the returnees are actually confirmed as starting.