Melbourne Victory’s FFA Cup clash against the Glory in Perth proved to be more taxing than they ever would have feared, with 3 players succumbing to injury either before the game or throughout the game, not to mention the 2 players who will miss their upcoming match in the A-League with Wellington.
Of the players injured, Thompson at $274k and with a 3.9% ownership (274, 3.9) and his hamstring injury is not really fantasy relevant, and the two suspended and another injured (Georgievski, Leijer and Delpierre) can all be covered as they are in the defence, of which most people sit two on the bench each week.
It is the fifth casualty on the night that is of the biggest concern to the fantasy player, Albanian striker Besart Berisha. Berisha (327, 54.9) is owned by over half the total fantasy players and is often the man with the armband for many top scorers each week. His massive 19 points last week, received against Melbourne City in a game in which he scored 3 of the team’s 5 goals, shows just how important of a player he is in fantasy, and non-fantasy, terms.
Berisha limped off with a groin injury on Wednesday night, and while it may not have seemed too bad at the time, Muscat took no risks and subbed him immediately. Berisha has been named in the squad for Monday night’s match against the Phoenix, but as yet there is no word on how likely he is to play, but for a soft tissue injury like that, it would certainly be a risk to play him.
This being said, you have two choices, ride out his injury and take the risk that he won’t miss much action, or trade him out now and ensure you have someone who is fit for the upcoming round. If you choose the later, here are a few options I can recommend for you.
Of the players injured, Thompson at $274k and with a 3.9% ownership (274, 3.9) and his hamstring injury is not really fantasy relevant, and the two suspended and another injured (Georgievski, Leijer and Delpierre) can all be covered as they are in the defence, of which most people sit two on the bench each week.
It is the fifth casualty on the night that is of the biggest concern to the fantasy player, Albanian striker Besart Berisha. Berisha (327, 54.9) is owned by over half the total fantasy players and is often the man with the armband for many top scorers each week. His massive 19 points last week, received against Melbourne City in a game in which he scored 3 of the team’s 5 goals, shows just how important of a player he is in fantasy, and non-fantasy, terms.
Berisha limped off with a groin injury on Wednesday night, and while it may not have seemed too bad at the time, Muscat took no risks and subbed him immediately. Berisha has been named in the squad for Monday night’s match against the Phoenix, but as yet there is no word on how likely he is to play, but for a soft tissue injury like that, it would certainly be a risk to play him.
This being said, you have two choices, ride out his injury and take the risk that he won’t miss much action, or trade him out now and ensure you have someone who is fit for the upcoming round. If you choose the later, here are a few options I can recommend for you.
Down-grade & upgrade your def or mid
If you have two strong strikers already, like Keogh, Brosque, Cirio or Villa, it may be worth swapping Bes for a cheaper option up front, like Gameiro (216, 24.3), Janko (201, 8.4), Mabil (172, 4.6) or Maclaren (200, 0.7) and putting more money into a better midfielder or defender, or perhaps buying a better keeper if you are stuck with Young and another non-starter with the 100k odd the sale of Berisha would give you. I’d recommend this if you have two free trades and have a weak midfield or defence, or a player scoring 0’s in those positions.
Trade Sideways
Berisha’s class means there are few limited options to trade him with someone in his scoring and price bracket. Keogh (263, 29.2), Cirio (301, 5.1), Juric (296, 4.4) and Brosque (275, 5.1) are all worth considering here. I would trade sideways if you only have the one free transfer and the rest of your team is set.
Keep your Victory cover
Having one of the most potent attacks, and scoring the most goals so far, in the A-League leads you towards making sure you have at least one Melbourne Victory player in your team in the front half of the field. Thompson is a risk considering his own injury, but Barbarouses (227, 9.6) and Pain (170, 3.2) are the other options you have in the forward position, while Finkler (326, 17.9) and Khalfallah (200, 4.0) give you players from midfield to cover Victory if you decide to use the first option and downgrade Bes and upgrade a mid.
Listen out for more news on his injury before lockout and, as always, good luck for the round ahead.
Listen out for more news on his injury before lockout and, as always, good luck for the round ahead.