Welcome to the Gameweek 8 Fantasy Cricket Preview. The Hazey Hitters climbed back to the top of the leaderboard, and The King also climbed off last place. 8 teams passed the 2000 point mark last week, with a further 18 teams above 1500. It's very tight at the top, and one fantastic captaincy pick or team haul could easily see you rocket up the rankings. Sam Yeates topped the tables last week, with a huge 696 points as he had only 1 player score below 20 points. The Gameweek average was 433 and 11 players all scored over 50 points. Ollie Cheeseman (£7.1m) led the way with a brilliant 5 wicket haul for 124 points as the 1st XI beat Great Baddow. Liam Jones (£6.7m) returned his second 50 in as many weeks and gained another price rise as a result. While Jess Pugh (£2.1m) took four wickets which saw her rise in price for the first (and probably not the last) time this season.
Looking ahead to Gameweek 8, selection could prove extremely tricky. There is no League game for the 3rd XI and so lots of highly owned assets like Jack Ridge (£5.5m); Jacob Slater (£3.6m); Tom Wheeler (£3.6m); Jess Pugh (£2.1m) and Tim Logue (£2.9m) will not score points. This week could be an excellent shout for a wildcard, but with a significant amount of rain falling on Friday, Saturday's games are beginning to look doubtful. Leaving transfer decisions as late as possible this week could prove a wise decision, but in the meantime I'm going to give you my thoughts on who to Buy, Sell and Captain this weekend.
BUY
Batsman: Very few batters who are due to play this weekend have low ownership, and those that do have low ownership Josh Chadwick (£5m) and Rob Mutton (£5.5m) haven't scored 50 points between them so far this year. Rob Hewer (£5.5m) sits on 26% ownership and returns to lead the 1st XI this week. Can they make it 3 wins in 3? Runs from the skipper will certainly make it more likely & he has scored 4th most points of the batters so far this year.
Bowler: A similar story with the bowlers, however, George Davis (£5.5m) has returned twice in the two league games he has played this year. A 5 wicket haul on T20 Tuesdays means he could be one to look out for this weekend as he makes the step up to the 2nd XI against Great Wakering.
All Rounder/Keeper: Liam Jones (£6.7m) has just scored back-to-back 50s and was the main factor in both the 1st XI wins this year. Yet to bowl in 2021 may put some captains off, but at just 21% ownership & form on his side, he could prove a vital source of points this weekend.
BUY: Liam Jones (£6.7m)
SELL
Batsman: Quite an easy one this week, with no 3rd XI game you should look for a replacement for Jacob Slater (£3.6m). You'll need to find some cash too, unless you have some spare as there are no cheaper alternatives playing this weekend. Tom Hawkridge at only £1.5m more may be the popular choice.
Bowler: A Tom to James Wheeler swap (Both £3.6m) makes the most sense with Tom unavailable this weekend. Finding a replacement for Jess Pugh (£2m) will be difficult for the same reasons as Jacob. Issey Croft (£4.5m) the nearest cheapest player due to play this weekend.
All Rounder/Keeper: While I'm third in the All Rounder list for points scored. I've not had the best season so far and given that I'm taking up £7.6m of budget - I'm definitely on the chopping block this week. Joe Davis (£7.5m) returning from uni offers a nice straight swap, I'd be tempted to drop to Liam Jones (£6.7m) or Barry Mays (£4.1m) to free up some budget for the rest of the team.
SELL: James Pook (£7.6m)
CAPTAIN
Two tough, but winnable games for the 1st & 2nd XI this weekend. The 1st XI has the form so I'm backing them as most likely to win this weekend. From a captaincy point of view, it's difficult to look past Ollie Cheeseman after last weeks heroics with the ball. I'm sure Harry Cooper will be desperate for runs after letting the Groom score all the runs last week. The 2s do look very strong & should be much more athletic in the field this weekend. Barry Mays would be my choice for captain here, but Dan Quartermaine (£5.9m) lengthened his run-up at training on Wednesday and came through with an extra yard of pace, he would be my dark horse for a haul this weekend.
CAPTAIN: Ollie Cheeseman (£7.1m)
Good luck all this weekend, lets hope the rain stays away & enjoy I wish you success in both your real & fantasy games of cricket!
