All posts by Aaron

The name is Aaron and I am an avid viewer of AJ-League soccer. Writing for Fantasy Tipsters on the Fantasy J-League game. Hailing from Ireland, here we go!

World Cup Fantasy: Round of 16 Preview

Just 16 teams progress to the knockout stages of the bigger football tournament in the world, including some favourites and some unexpected teams that fought their way through the group stages. In this article, tipster Aaron shares his thoughts on each of the last 16 games in World Cup Fantasy.


With the matches in the group stages having wrapped up. I would know like to look ahead to the games to come. The Last 16 matches. I’ll take a look at these games through the eyes and eyes of Gaffr.

 

🇳🇱 Netherlands vs. USA 🇺🇸

From the Netherlands, the standout performer was PSV attacker Cody Gakpo. In Gaffr Gakpo, will only cost you 6.5M. I believe he is worthy of outlaying that amount of cash for a player who will undoubtedly move after the World Cup. Other than that, I would like to pick out the back line for some praise. Daley Blind, Denzel Dumfries, Virgil van Dijk, and Nathan Aké all made the difference as the Netherlands came through the group stage with minimum effort.

From a USA point of view, points are spread evenly around the group. Timothy Weah, on 17 points, is their forward of choice. Christian Pulisic is their man in midfield, while at the back, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson have been mainstays at the backline for the Americans. This game will be interesting as the USA, I see, is building to the next World Cup and will be looking to go as far, but if they go out to the Netherlands, it’ll be how they go out.

 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs. Senegal 🇸🇳

Gaffr points are very much spread around the England side ahead of the Last 16 match vs. Senegal. Up front, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane almost share the points: 23 – 19. In the English midfield, there are three standouts, just like the forward line. Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, and Raheem Sterling share the points between them. 19 points and 17 apiece for all three players. England will more than likely be favourites going into this game, but the Senegalese will be up for the task.

Ismaïla Sarr has been the main man for Senegal heading into this game vs. England at the weekend. 22 points from the midfield maestro. Iliman Ndiaye is closest to Sarr in Gaffr on 11 points. Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Yousseff Sabaly are the duo at the back, the Chelsea man scoring the all-important goal against Ecuador to secure a last-16 spot.



🇫🇷 France vs. Poland 🇵🇱

Starting with France and in the defensive end, Theo Hernandez has been Le Bleux’s main man with 22 points in Gaffr. The two obvious picks are Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Greizmann, who are both sitting on 32 and 22 points, respectively. Only six points behind Griezmann is Olivier Giroud, or ‘that sexy Frenchman’. Heading into the Last 16 game against Poland, the French are obvious favourites.

Poland though will be looking outside the olive cart. If you watched the match vs. Argentina recently, you’d have noticed big time that they were all about defence. That bears itself out in Gaffr, as the majority of Poland’s points all come from their defenders. Bereszyński, Glik, Cash, and Kiwior have all come away with 14+ points so far. I doubt they can continue past the French in the next round.

 

🇦🇷 Argentina vs. Australia 🇦🇺

There is only one player for Argentina: Lionel Messi. 35 points to date in Gaffr. Between the midfield and defence, points are more or less shared around. Enzo Fernandez, Angel Di Maria, and Alexis Mac Allister are the differentials for Messi to pick from in the midfield. The same goes for Nicolas Otamendi and Nahuel Molina in the Argentine backline. Messi and Co. now move on to face surely the surprise package of the tournament: Australia after getting a little fright against Saudi Arabia.

Moving onto the surprise package of the tournament: Australia. Much like Argentina, points are shared around the midfield and defence for Australia. If you are looking for a differential pick from the Aussies, then look no further. Other than Mitchell Duke on 6.0M, it’s 5.5M and under for these Australians. Matthew Leckie, Riley McGree, and Craig Goodwin in midfield will allow you to spread the cash around. Stoke City defender Harry Souttar from Hearts, Kye Rowles, and Aziz Behich are our picks for Australia.

 

🇯🇵 Japan vs. Croatia 🇭🇷

What a match on Thursday night, Japan secured qualification to this stage with a victory over Spain as they head into the game against Croatia. Their heads will be high, and they will be confident of getting through. In Gaffr their points are evenly spread throughout the team. Kou Itakura and Maya Yoshida have been the Samurai Blue’s top dogs at the back. Ritsu Doan was the hero against Spain (21) along with Junya Ito (15) and Ao Tanaka on 12 points. Much like Australia, Japan will be classed as differentials come the next round.

The same goes for Croatia, in that points are spread around the team in Gaffr. Ivan Perisic in midfield sits on 20 points, but three follow on 10 points apiece: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, and Marko Livaja all currently sit on 10 points. Celtic FC defender Juranović and former Liverpool defensive line Dejan Lovren are both doing well on 19 points. Not too far behind are Joško Gvardiol, and young Borna Sosa sit on 18 points. All four will cost a max of 5.5M in Gaffr.



🇲🇦 Morocco vs. Spain 🇪🇸

Morocco have to be again, one of the surprises of the World Cup so far. Also, they have to be seen as differentials, such as Japan and Australia. Achraf Hakimi and Romain Saïss of Wolves at the back have been stalwarts, along with Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea in the midfield have helped to carry Morocco to the Last 16 stage. On a personal level, Youssef En-Nesyri of Sevilla has really come to the fore for Morocco this tournament, with one goal in three matches so far.

It is all about ‘the pass masters’ of Spain then, all across the board. Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon starts us off on 14 points so far. FC Barcelona defender Jordi Alba follows on, who stands on 26 points. Over double digits ahead of his closest colleague Cesar Azpilicueta on 12 points. The same is said for Dani Olmo on 22 points, with Gavi being a little bit closer in terms of points at 13.

 

🇧🇷 Brazil vs. South Korea 🇰🇷

Again for Brazil, much like the last couple of teams. Points are shared throughout the team. Marquinhos and Thiago Silva are the two main defenders on 19 and 12 points, respectively. In midfield, it is where it is at, though, with points shared throughout the side. Richarlison leads the way with 19 points, closely followed by Vinicius jr with 17. Casemiro is not too far behind on 16, and Raphinha is bringing up the rear, so to speak, on 12 points.

Much like their AFC counterparts in Japan, South Korea are one of the darlings of this tournament. If you are looking for differentials for the next round, South Korea or Korea Republic are the team to look towards. For example, In-Beom only costs 5.0M but has scored 10 points to date from midfield. In the defensive line, Young-Gwon and Moon-Hwan are costing people 4.5M and 4.0M, respectively, and currently reside on 17 and 14 points overall.

 

🇵🇹 Portugal vs. Switzerland 🇨🇭

For Portugal, the only man in midfield is Bruno Fernandes on 27 points, absolutely bossing things. Up front, other than Ronaldo, things are pretty even amongst his striker counterparts. Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, and Braga winger Ricardo Horta are sharing points getting responsibilities, with all three on 10 points so far.

For Switzerland, Breel Embolo is the standout pick if you are looking for some attacking coverage now that players like Jordan Ayew have left proceedings. Other than that, once again, points are shared, and the price output isn’t too much for the Swiss players. Xherdan Shaqiri leads the way with 21 points, with Remo Freuler, Ruben Vargas, and Djibril Sow all clustered on 14, 13, and 12 points, respectively. 

Finally, how do you think these teams will fair?


You can find additional World Cup Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

Gaffr World Cup Fantasy: Looking Ahead to the Last 16

Tipster Aaron takes a look at the players to consider that could come good in MD3 as well as the knockout stages of World Cup Fantasy.


If you are reading this, then fair play to you. You have managed to reach the last matches of the group stages and are just on the horizon of the round of 16 matches. In this article, I will look ahead to the Last 16 and what my team is shaping up like ahead of the knockout stages.

If we take a look at my side, the majority of players will more than likely be heading not just to the Last 16 of the World Cup, but to deeper into the tournament as a whole.



Gaffr Team

I’ve brought in Costa of Portugal instead of Onana who has been sent home by Cameroon. Seemingly, it was down to his goalkeeping style, which wasn’t ‘traditional’ enough. I’ve also brought in Ansu Fati of Spain, perhaps just for this upcoming third game, we will see how Spain gets on in their final game against Japan.

Other than those players, my two Brazilians in Marquinhos and Neymar will stay put. Thoughts are that Neymar jr will be back for the next round of matches. After these fixtures, with Canada gone Alphonso Davies will make way for a midfielder. Who is that, as of now I do not know who it will be.



Ghana looks on the safe side to qualify for the next round, so Jordan Ayew will stay put also. Then, it’s the ‘could qualify’ players such as Ali Karimi of Iran, who sit second in Group B and will qualify at the moment. Brendan Aaronson and Antonee Robinson of the USA, face an uphill task to qualify for the next round. Although, heading into the last day of the group stages today. We will see come 3 pm GMT, how the groups start to play out.

My next article should come out ahead of the World Cup Last 16, where I showcase my updated team in Gaffr.


You can find additional World Cup Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

A-League Fantasy Primer For Fantasy Tipsters

Welcome to your new favourite Fantasy game: Official A-League Fantasy for the Isuzu A-League in Australia. In this article, I will aim to provide an overview of what the Fantasy A-League game is all about. Just a reminder, before we begin, we are heading into Round 7, so the season and League are well and truly underway.


SELECT YOUR COMPLETE TEAM

  • Your first task is to select a squad of 15 players who will carry your hopes for season 2022-23. Remember, you MUST select a squad of 15 players before the beginning of the next upcoming round in order to be entered into the competition and score points.
  • You’ll not score any points if your team is incomplete, and you’ll not be entered in the public and private league games. Your team will be removed from leagues if it’s incomplete at the start of the upcoming round.
  • All players are available for selection to all participants.
  • Note that some teams may have ‘byes’ or not play for various reasons in some rounds – you’ll not score points in that particular round from those players. Other teams will be scheduled to play twice – you’ll receive points from ALL of their performances in any given round.
  • Your team will comprise a starting line-up of 11 players and a bench of 4 players. Once you’ve entered your team, you’ll be able to make transfers (trades), and substitutions and set your preferred starting formation.


SELECTION RESTRICTIONS

  • Every player from each of the 12 teams is available for selection. The only selection restrictions are:a) Your $4,000,000 salary cap; and
    b) You’ll select the exact number of players required in each position from the FOURposition groups, which are:2 x Goalkeepers
    5 x Defenders
    5 x Midfielders
    3 x Forwards
  • These restrictions are automatically enforced. You’ll just need to ensure you’ve selected and entered a complete squad.

HEAD-TO-HEAD LEAGUES

  • You can create or join and be a part of up to 10 private or public mini-leagues with your single team entry, where you’ll compete ‘head-to-head’ against friends and relatives or a small group of other participants in the competition.
  • On joining Official A-League Men Fantasy (unless you followed an invitation), you’ll automatically be added to a Public League. You can then create or join additional Private Leagues (where you can compete against friends) or enter more Public Leagues.
  • Your league will have its own “fixture,” where your team is matched up against other teams in that league each round. You’ll score a WIN and 3 points if you get a higher fantasy score than the team you “play” against (or 1 point for a draw). Your league ladder ranks your team based on your win/loss record as well as fantasy points difference or total fantasy points scored by each team.
  • Joining a new PUBLIC LEAGUE will automatically add you to a new Public League that will be auto-filled to form a head-to-head league of 12 teams. You cannot invite others to join Public Leagues.
  • If you create a PRIVATE LEAGUE, you’ll be able to invite others to this league (via the League screen). As ‘Administrator,’ you’ll also have the ability to REMOVE teams from your league until your league is finalised.
  • Click on the CHAT icon to open the Activity Feed. You’ll be able to chat and communicate with your league competitors live and direct. You can chat with your league competitors from any screen.


LEAGUE SETUP OPTIONS

  • 12-TEAM LEAGUES (Private & all Public):
    – Begin in Round 2;
    – All teams play each other once, Rds 2-23.
  • CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM LEAGUES:
    – Set your league size – from 6 to 20 teams;
    – Set your league’s starting round.
    – Pick the format of your own final – Top 4, Top 6, or Top 8.
    – Percentage of team total points for secondary league ranking.
  • All leagues will play a three-round Finals Series over Rounds 24-26 (irrespective of whether it is a Top 4, 6, or 8 format) to find the overall league premiers. In some instances, and dependant on league size, the bottom half of the league may also play a minor Finals Series.
  • Depending on any custom league settings, or if joining the game in a later round, your team may produce an UNEVEN draw, where some teams may play against each other once, others twice, etc. – or not play some teams at all).

I’ve taken the liberty of creating a League for you to join as well: The Fantasy Tipsters League is open to join also. Please take a look around and join at: https://play.keepup.com.au/a-league-men/fantasy/?action=join-league&code=920001

Join in the A-League banter!


You can find additional A-League Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

Gaffr: World Cup Fantasy Team Reveal Gameweek 1

Tipster Aaron shares his favourite players for matchday 1 of Gaffr’s World Cup Fantasy game, including some differentials to set his team apart from other managers.


Here we go, the World Cup is just upon us, and it is all about to kick off this coming Sunday. Hosts Qatar begin the latest installment of the ‘Festival Of Football’ for the next month against Ecuador.

People are quietly going about tinkering with their fantasy teams in Gaffr ahead of the Gameweek 1 deadline on Sunday at 14:30 pm GMT. If you are an avid player of Fantasy games, such as the Fantasy Premier League game, you’ll be well aware of deadlines and having your team set ahead of time.





Gaffr World Cup Fantasy Gameweek 1 Team

I’ve had a look at my personal squad, and on Sunday, Qatar vs. Ecuador for myself is purely a ‘watch for fun’ game. There are no players in this game and for me, it all kicks off on Monday. Luke Shaw in my backline and Harry Kane as vice-captain up top as England kick their World Cup campaign off against Iran (qualified first time in 1978). Brenden Aaronson of Leeds and Antonee Robinson for the mighty USA are on our bench.

In those two games, I expect an England win against Iran and USA and Wales to be involved in a high-scoring draw. Benjamin Pavard and Raul Jimenez are on my side for Tuesday. Mexico and Poland, for me, are to play out a draw as the two sides are an even match for each other. France takes on Australia, who I see as a bit of a dark horse to get out of the group, but France will have too much in the locker and will keep the Aussies at arm’s length.

I’ve picked up Alphonso Davies of Canada for their first World Cup bow against Belgium since 1986. Wednesday at 19:00 GMT sees their game kick off. Much like Australia, I see Canada as a dark horse. Unlike Australia, though, I believe Canada has a better chance to come out of their group and onto the elimination rounds.

I have picked quite a bunch of players for the final day of Round 1. Alex Telles and Neymar jr of Brazil. João Cancelo of Portugal and Heung-min Son of South Korea are lodged in my side. Gareth Bale and Mathew Ryan round off my side, heading into the first round of the World Cup.

There you have it. My side has been picked. I would like to advise that this side is subject to change and may be different come kick-off on Sunday. Once again, I would like to invite you to join the Fantasy Tipsters League on Gaffr.io by entering the join code: FYrjLC8QXkW4CjR8n6Srsw





You can find additional World Cup Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

Gaffr World Cup Fantasy Preview

The 2022 World Cup is just around the corner, and in this blog, tipster Aaron previews the Gaffr Fantasy World Cup game, including the rules and his chip strategies.


What exactly does that mean?

It means you can now pick your favourite World Cup stars in your favourite Fantasy Football game. The likes of Neymar jr, Son Heung-min, and Harry Kane have all touched down in Gaffr Fantasy. You used to be able to pick these players in the Gaffr Super League, now you can pick them for the FIFA World Cup.





Gaffr World Cup Fantasy Rules

The following rules changes apply to the World Cup 2022 game:
  • During group stages, a maximum of five players can be selected from a single FIFA Confederation.
  • After the Group Stages, an additional 5.0M will be added to the bank.
  • Unlimited transfers will be available between group stages and Round of 16.
  • After the Round of 16, an additional 5.0M will be added to the bank.
  • After the Round of 16, five players can be selected from a single team.
  • After the Round of 16, five free transfers will be available per gameweek.
  • After the quarter-finals, six players can be selected from a single team.
  • After the semi-finals, seven players can be selected from a single team.
The following boost pools will be available:
  • Gameweek 1: Select any one of three.
  • Gameweek 2-3: Select any one of three.
  • Gameweek 4-6: Select any one of three.
  • Gameweek 7: Select any one of three.




GAFFR Fantasy World Cup Chip Strategy

We would definitely recommend that you use one of your three boosts available in Round One:
UEFA Boost is an x2 multiplier applied to players from UEFA countries. No captain multipliers are applied for any player or position.
CONMEBOL Boost is an x2 multiplier applied to players from CONMEBOL countries. No captain multipliers are applied for any player or position.
Globetrotter is an x2 multiplier applied to starting 11 if the team includes players from five different FIFA Confederations and players from 15 different countries. No captain multipliers are applied for any player or position.
Please come and join the Fantasy Tipsters World Cup mini-league today. The code to join is as follows: FYrjLC8QXkW4CjR8n6Srsw.
At the minute, you’ve got three days to pick your sides and get ready for the latest installment of the Festival of Football. Sunday at 4 PM GMT kicks things off with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in their World Cup debut.

You can find additional World Cup Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.