Jerv have been the team to target in Eliteserien Fantasy, and rightly so. They are on a five-game losing streak with relegation all but confirmed, and to make matters worse; they have conceded 18 goals in the same period. So it is no surprise that Fantasy Tipster’s Jacob Silkstone has three HamKam players in his TOTW.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW23 Recap

Welcome back for the home stretch of the Eliteserien season, following an international break that most Norwegians will be happy to forget in a hurry. In the last round of league games, Molde tightened their grip on the title and now sit a probably-unassailable 13 points clear of Lillestrøm. Rosenborg have taken full advantage of Bodø/Glimt’s mediocre recent form to move into third place, while Jerv and Kristiansund look doomed to relegation barring an unlikely run of wins.

Our Fantasy Tipsters selection had another strong week, although David Datro Fofana was a disappointing captain pick, somehow emerging from a 3-0 cruise against Aalesund without a single attacking return. Frustratingly, Fofana’s biggest haul in the last ten gameweeks came when he was reported sick and flagged before the match against Jerv.

We had more luck with Sarpsborg’s Tobias Heintz, who hit a hat-trick, and Rosenborg’s Ole Christian Sæter up front. Our keeper pick, Magnus Smelhus Sjøeng, also made it to the overall team of the week, and provided us with one of our three clean sheets. Our total score of 75 points was only a better captain pick away from managing to double the gameweek average (42).

Eliteserien Fantasy GW24 Picks

Goalkeeper

Jerv have put up a fight in recent weeks, but shipping four goals away at Sarpsborg last round must surely be the nail in the coffin. In theory, this is a good time to be facing a team low on morale and seemingly destined for relegation. Rumours also suggest that HamKam’s Lars Jendal (3.9M) might be set for a first start of the season, offering us a one-week-only bargain option. Although not without some relegation concerns of their own, HamKam have been very solid at home, keeping four clean sheets and never conceding more than twice.

Defence

Despite significant sales and a price drop while he was out with a short-term injury, Martin Linnes (7.3M) has been by far the most consistent defender in the fantasy game this season. He ranks second among all defenders for expected assists and, as Molde’s captain, he should be a regular starter until the title is secured.

Rosenborg have their sights set on a top-two finish now, and defensive prodigy Leo Cornic (5.9M) has started each of the last three games. Sitting in just 0.2% of teams overall, his attacking threat has already yielded an assist and he represents a great differential pick for the run-in.

Not for the first time this season, we’re gambling on double HamKam defence, with goalkeeper Hagen joined by club captain Aleksander Melgalvis (5.1M). We mentioned earlier that Martin Linnes ranks second among defenders for expected assists; only Melgalvis is ahead of him…

Midfield

Molde’s Ola Brynhildsen (10.2M) was part of the national team squad over the break, and should be brimming with confidence after scoring in four consecutive games. Tromsø away can be a tough fixture, particularly if the weather takes a turn for the worse in northern Norway, but Molde will be looking to get the title wrapped up as soon as possible, and Brynhildsen looks like the key man in attack at the moment.

With Osame Sahraoui forced off early due to a hip injury, Amor Layouni (8.1M) stepped up to secure the points for Vålerenga against Sandefjord. Layouni’s form has been patchy this season, but a closer look at the numbers reveals he has five goals in his last seven starts. Expect him to be given significant minutes again this week, especially if Sahraoui isn’t fully fit.

Having been rewarded with one of the highest individual hauls of the season last round, we’re continuing to back Sarpsborg’s Tobias Heintz (now up to 7.7M) ahead of a visit to Sandefjord. Heintz has six goals from his last six games, while Sandefjord are in dire form — they’ve won none of their last eight.

Haugesund’s Mads Berg Sande (5.4M) is our budget midfield pick this week, making his first appearance in our team. Haugesund have been strong at home lately, with a narrow defeat against Molde the only blemish in their last five games in front of their own fans, and Sande has nine attacking returns over the course of the season — giving him the highest fantasy points total at his price range. Additionally, all of his attacking points since GW10 have been at home.

Attack

Casper Tengstedt (10.0M) is close to an automatic selection, having blanked just once since joining Rosenborg in the summer. With strike partner Ole Christian Sæter struggling to return to full fitness, Tengstedt’s contribution will be vital against Kristiansund this weekend. A record of 68 fantasy points in seven games speaks for itself, and Tengstedt takes the captain’s armband for us this gameweek.

Moses Ebiye (7.2M) has been thriving since moving south from Tromsø to Aalesund, racking up four goals in his last four games. This week’s opponents are Viking, who had a great start to the season — briefly threatening a title challenge before drifting down towards midtable mediocrity. They’ve conceded 13 in their last five away games, and their defence continues to be affected by a combination of injuries and suspensions.

Completing our line-up is a striker who has scored just once in his last thirteen games, sits in 3.9% of teams, and almost definitely won’t be featuring in our picks again this season. Pål Alexander Kirkevold (6.4M) is the final part of a HamKam triple-up against Jerv. Fun fact: his xG total for the season is higher than Casper Tengstedt’s (of course, it helps that Kirkevold has played nearly three times as many games…).

Team of the Week Gameweek 24

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

The spotlight might be on Casper Tengstedt, but tipster Jacob Silkstone believes that strike partner Ole Christian Sæter is also one to consider in Eliteserien Fantasy with his brilliant form at home.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW22 Recap

Let’s begin by moaning about flags: Fantasy Premier League players are probably familiar by now with a system in which injuries are meticulously monitored. Training photos are exhaustively analysed to see who might be missing; reports are available to show who boarded the team bus or stayed at the team hotel; if someone’s sister’s friend’s friend works in catering and noticed a player leaving the team dinner early, news of a possible stomach bug will be all over Twitter/Reddit within minutes.

In the Wild West (or unnavigable North) of Norwegian football, we’re more reliant on paywalled local newspaper reports and the game’s often-unreliable flagging system. At the time last week’s article was written, Molde’s wing-back Martin Linnes was flagged while Kristoffer Haugen was clear. Mohamed Ofkir, Osame Sahraoui, and David Datro Fofana were all unflagged, but local reports suggested they’d missed training due to an unspecified sickness; no one seemed exactly sure what was going on with Amahl Pellegrino.

As things turned out, one of the sick players started (and blanked), one was benched (but hauled anyway), and one wasn’t in the squad at all. Linnes returned from injury to haul (conveniently subbed just before Molde last their clean sheet) while Haugen missed out with a knock that had gone completely unreported prior to the deadline. Pellegrino was also absent, but is now back in training ahead of Gameweek 23. It all feels like a bit of a lottery sometimes: being on top of the injury news mostly backfired last week if you ignored Fofana, captained Sahraoui, or preferred Haugen to Linnes – all reasonable moves given what we knew before the deadline.

Despite a disappointing performance from our strikers, including a first blank for captain Casper Tengstedt, our Team of the Week (reduced to ten men by Haugen’s absence) scored a total of 50 points, comfortably ahead of the overall average (37). The Molde midfield duo of Markus Kaasa and Ola Brynhildsen both scored, as did Lillestrøm defender Vetle Winger Dragsnes.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW23 Picks

Goalkeeper

Magnus Smelhus Sjøeng (4.6M) has been an unlikely hero for Vålerenga this season, conceding just once in his last three home games. Opponents Sandefjord are on a poor run of form, winless in their last seven and drifting perilously close to the relegation zone. A lot may depend on whether they can get Mohamed Ofkir fit in time for this game.

Defence

Eliteserien Fantasy’s top-scoring defender, Martin Linnes (7.2M), returned to full fitness last weekend and should be in prime position for another start as Molde host Aalesund. Linnes continues to trail teammate Kristoffer Haugen for expected attacking involvements, but he has fairly consistently been the best pick in fantasy over the course of the season (the author of this article may or may not be a slightly bitter Haugen owner).

Still on the subject of flags, Alfons Sampsted (5.9M) is marked as a having a shoulder injury in the game, but was back in training and ready to play from the start in the Europa League. Bodø/Glimt’s defence remains among the strongest in the league according to the underlying numbers, and Sampsted is the most likely defender to provide an attacking return.

The first of a Sarpsborg triple-up (not a sentence anyone could possibly have imagined writing a few weeks ago), Eirik Wichne (5.4M) finally registered his opening attacking return of the season last gameweek. We’re primarily interested in the prospect of a clean sheet against a Jerv side that frequently struggle to score away from home, but some added attacking threat certainly doesn’t hurt.

Odd have tightened up at the back since receiving a 7-0 thrashing against Bodø/Glimt, conceding just three in their last four games. Odin Bjørtuft (4.6M) represents excellent value ahead of a home game against HamKam, who will be looking nervously down towards the relegation spots after a poor run of form. Bjørtuft has five attacking returns already this season, and should probably have had far more…

Midfield

Expected assist king Osame Sahraoui (8.8M) was transferred in by close to 5000 fantasy teams last week (close to 15% of the entire game) after consecutive double-digit hauls. Inevitably, he blanked against relegation-threatened Kristiansund. Still, the underlying numbers suggest he’s one of the best picks in the game, and Vålerenga now face a Sandefjord side that have conceded nine goals in their last three away games.

Since ending a run of eight consecutive defeats, Sarpsborg have now won two on the bounce. Tobias Heintz (7.6M) is their most-selected player in the fantasy game, with an ownership of just over 8%. With attacking returns in four of his last five games, he’s showing signs of a return to top form at just the right time. Sarpsborg brushed aside Jerv 5-0 last time they played, and will be optimistic of a similarly emphatic win in front of their own crowd.

Markus Kaasa (5.8M) has recorded consecutive double-digit hauls, with three goals in his last two league games. He played just a single minute in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, and he’ll be expected to come back into the starting eleven against Aalesund.

Attack

David Datro Fofana (10.9M) was our captain in the first draft of last week’s article, only for sickness to cast some serious doubt over his expected game time. As it happened, he required just four minutes on the pitch to score twice against Jerv. A (harsh) red card in the midweek Europa Conference League game should remove any lingering concerns about Fofana being rested against Aalesund in this round; among all Eliteserien players, only Pellegrino outranks Fofana for expected goals.

Sarpsborg’s Swedish summer signing Gustav Engvall (8.0M) makes his first appearance in our Tipsters selection. Engvall is emerging as a key player in Sarpsborg’s struggle to lift themselves comfortably clear of the relegation play-off spot, with attacking returns in two consecutive games.

With Casper Tengstedt left out for budgetary reasons, our attention turns to the significantly cheaper Ole Christian Sæter (6.8M), his strike partner at Rosenborg. Sæter has been particularly effective at home, scoring four in his last three games and blanking just once in front of his own fans since gaining a regular place in the starting eleven.

Team of the Week Gameweek 23

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Amahl Pellegrino has been one of the most consistent players in Eliteserien Fantasy this season, and even though his injury absence is a massive loss for both fantasy managers as well as FK Bodø/Glimt’s title hopes, tipster Jacob Silkstone is backing Hugo Vetlesen to come up big in his absence.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW21 Recap

One of those weeks in which most things went right, only for the captain choice to go badly wrong. Milan Jevtović had plenty of chances to score as Odd dominated Jerv, but squandered every single one. Our differential attacking pick, Adama Diomande, performed slightly better before leaving the pitch early with what looks like a serious injury. Amahl Pellegrino, the most captained player in the game, was another injury casualty as Bodø/Glimt were eventually brushed aside 4-1 by a Molde team now seemingly destined to be champions. Pellegrino’s injury status will be a key talking point ahead of Gameweek 22, with many teams eyeing up Vålerenga’s in-form Osame Sahraoui as a potential replacement at a slightly cheaper price point. Sahraoui’s 18-point haul was the standout success for our Team of the Week, with Casper Tengstedt, the other significant contributor to a total of 67 points. With the overall gameweek average down at 34, that makes GW21 one of our most successful weeks of the season so far. Will our luck (combined with at least a smattering of good judgement?) hold as we head into a new round of fixtures?

Eliteserien Fantasy GW22 Picks

Goalkeeper

Aalesund have two clean sheets from their last five games at home and haven’t conceded more than twice in front of their own fans all season. Sten Grytebust (5.1M) ranks fourth in the league for total saves, while opponents Sarpsborg have lost six consecutive away games. The numbers have to add up, don’t they?

Defence

Popular pick Martin Linnes is back in training ahead of Molde’s game with Jerv, but the safer selection right now seems to be Kristoffer Haugen (available for a Trent-esque 7.7M). Haugen’s attacking stats have been impressive all season long, and he leads all other defenders for expected assists.

Strange but true: Vetle Winger Drasgnes (6.0M) has blanked in eight of the last ten gameweeks. In that time, his ownership has nearly doubled, and his price has risen by 0.5M. Lillestrøm remain one of the tighest defences in the league, especially at home, and opponents Strømsgodset have blanked in three of their last four away games.

Bargain option Kobe Hernandez-Foster (4.3M) has been a revelation since securing his starting spot for HamKam. Rock-solid at the back, he also has two attacking returns in his last three games, and should have had at least one more last gameweek in a painful defeat against Sarpsborg. Facing Viking would have been an uncomfortable prospect for any defender earlier in the season, but the Stavanger side haven’t quite been the same since selling Veton Berisha. HamKam have generally been solid at home, conceding just four times in their last five (including visits from both Molde and Bodø/Glimt).

Midfield

With concerns over Wolff Eikrem’s minutes and Fofana struggling with illness, Ola Brynhildsen (10.1M) comes into our thinking as we look for a way into Molde’s attack. Brynhildsen was among the most-selected Molde players at the beginning of the season, but a long-term injury has led to him completing the full ninety minutes just twice. Although he’s played under 180 minutes since his return, he already has four goals and three fantasy bonus points, and he’ll be targeting a strong end to a heavily-disrupted campaign.

Hugo Vetlesen (9.1M) has finally shown signs of hitting top form after a slow start to the campaign, registering five goals and three assists in his last five games. Bodø/Glimt must win their northern derby against Tromsø to have any hope of clawing back a sizeable deficit in the title race, and Vetlesen is now the main man in midfield in the likely absence of Pellegrino.

Lillestrøm’s Yllden Ibrahimaj (7.4M) is in the top ten of active players for expected assists, but has only delivered an attacking return in two of his last ten matches. It’s not a huge surprise, then, that his ownership is hovering around the 5% mark, but the underlying numbers are promising, and he’s our differential midfield selection this week.

Markus Kaasa (5.7M) was the star of Molde’s emphatic win over Bodø/Glimt last gameweek, following that up with another lively performance in the Europa Conference League against Gent. He looks fantastic value right now as Molde aim to continue their march towards the title.

Attack

For the third consecutive week, we present a differential striker with below 1% overall ownership. Sahraoui will be most people’s route into the impressive Vålerenga attack, but he’s missed a couple of training sessions this week, and his minutes (at the time of writing) are uncertain. Instead, we turn to Torgeir Børven (9.0M), a recent arrival from the Turkish Süper Lig. Børven will be fondly remembered by Eliteserien Fantasy managers for his free-scoring spell at Odd, and registered his first goal for his new club last weekend.

Casper Tengstedt (9.9M) has made the sort of start at his new club that might even make Haaland jealous. After five games, he now has seven goals and four assists. That level of performance can’t possibly be sustained, but we’re happy to keep on riding the wave here: Haugesund’s defence is far from watertight.

We predicted that Viking might be a little battle-weary as they prepared to face Rosenborg last week, and they were duly thumped 4-1 in Trondheim. Having failed to deal with a Danish striker in GW21, the Viking defence should perhaps be worried about history repeating itself as they prepare to face Victor Lind (5.5M). Lind is something of a left-field selection here, with overall ownership of just 0.3%, but we’re backing him to be a good differential for anyone with room for a punt.

Team of the Week Gameweek 22

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Milan Jevtović was once a favorite of Eliteserien Fantasy managers at his time in Rosenborg. Now, in his second stint in the league at Odd, he is showing glimpses of his old self again, which is why Jacob Silkstone believes he is worth considering as a differential captain gameweek 21.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW20 Recap

Where would we be without our Tromsø picks? Not for the first time this season, a slightly disappointing set of DGW picks was bailed out by a haul from a Tromsø midfielder. August Mikkelsen‘s final total of 20 points made him the player of the week and boosted our score from mediocrity to respectability.

While our two punts up front, Thomas Lehne Olsen and Jonatan Braut Brunes, didn’t pay off, we did manage to get a couple of clean sheets, a smattering of save points and a penalty from Viking’s Zlatko Tripic. Overall, it was an underwhelming double gameweek, with an overall average of 52. Our Tipsters team returned 72, with the majority of the points coming from midfield.

Since the end of DGW20, the transfer deadline has brought some interesting new options onto the radar. Sander Svendsen, Viking’s new midfielder-turned-striker, is available for 8.0M, while Patrick Berg has rejoined Bodø/Glimt and will set you back 5.5M if you add him to your fantasy team. HamKam’s new Danish signing Victor Lind is also available for 5.5M and could make a mockery of that price tag. In all three cases, our advice is to wait and see how they settle in, especially with a set of hard-to-call fixtures ahead in GW21.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW21 Picks

Goalkeeper

The two keepers with the most saves so far this season face each other as Odd host Jerv. The away side’s Øystein Øvretveit leads the way for saves, but the home team’s Leopold Wahlstedt (5.2M) looks the safer bet from a fantasy perspective. Wahlstedt was linked with Bodø/Glimt in the transfer window, but has stayed put and will fancy his chances of a second successive home clean sheet.

Defence

Sarpsborg have now lost eight consecutive games and are tumbling towards the relegation zone. HamKam are heading in the other direction, buoyed by an impressive draw against Bodø/Glimt and a clean sheet in a win over Haugesund. Aleksandar Melgalvis (5.1M) continues to offer a chance of points at both ends of the pitch in a game HamKam suddenly find themselves warm favourites to win.

Over the course of the season, Snorre Strand Nilsen (5.6M) has proved to be significantly overpriced. As a one-off pick for this gameweek, though, he’s worth a closer look in a Kristiansund defence that has been more resilient lately, culminating in an impressive midweek win over Viking. That has to be followed by a big performance against Sandefjord if they’re to have any hope of staying up, and Strand Nilsen offers both attacking threat and clean sheet potential.

Ex-Brann defender Thomas Grøgaard (5.0M) fired up Strømsgodset with two assists in their last home game and has started every game so far this season. Strømsgodset are strong in front of their own fans, conceding just twice in their last five at home, while Aalesund rank twelfth in the league for expected goals.

A word of warning here: Bodø/Glimt have lost both of their last two home games against Molde without scoring a goal. Even so, we’re confident in saying they’re the best team in the league and they’ll be giving everything in a potential title decider this gameweek. Isak Helstad Amundsen (4.4M) has been a fixture in both their line-up and ours recently, offering better value than any other defender in the game.

Midfield

Maintaining our faith in Bodø/Glimt’s chances of edging out Molde in a tight game, we’re sticking with Amahl Pellegrino (12.4M) in midfield. That’s not a particularly brave punt: he has attacking returns in nine of his last ten games, and is close to an automatic captain selection for a significant number of fantasy teams. This might be the week to bet against him for the captaincy, but ditching from our squad altogether is a step too far.

After two games in a week and a gruelling European campaign, we’re expecting Viking to be slightly battle-weary as they travel to face Rosenborg. Carlo Holse (9.4M) has been consistently impressive for the Trondheim team, registering attacking returns in each of his last five games. He’s currently second in the league for expected assists.

Milan Jevtović (6.5M) briefly lit up Eliteserien in his days as a Rosenborg player and now looks to be the most dynamic route into the Odd attack. With two goals and 18 fantasy points in his last two games, he’s approaching top form ahead of an encounter with a Jerv side that haven’t kept an away clean sheet all season.

Right from week one, Osame Sahraoui (8.3M) has had the underlying stats to suggest that he’s among the league’s elite players, comfortably outranking anyone else for expected assists. Three double-digit fantasy hauls in his last six games are proof that he’s finally starting to deliver on the pitch too, and he gets a spot in our team this week despite a relatively tricky fixture against Lillestrøm.

Attack

Since joining Rosenborg early in the transfer window, Casper Tengstedt (9.8M) has had an extraordinary impact. In just four games, he has a total of 45 fantasy points, with attacking returns in every match. Viking can be tough opponents, but he seems close to essential right now.

Having failed with two punts on strikers who have ownership of under 1% in last week’s article, we’re hoping it will be a case of third time lucky now. Adama Diomande (8.0M) once scored a spectacular bicycle kick to help Hull defeat reigning champions Leicester in the Premier League… That might seem a very long time ago, but he’s now potentially a key player for Odd in the final stretch of this season. A home game against Jerv should be the perfect chance to open his account for his new club.

Captain Fantastic

For the last couple of months, Amahl Pellegrino has been the default captain option, and he remains the safest pick this week if you don’t want to put your rank at risk.

If you’re looking to make up ground, though, playing the fixtures and targetting Odd’s home game against Jerv could be a smart move. Adama Diomande is still settling in and possibly short of full match fitness, so our focus is on Milan Jevtović as a differential captain for our Tipsters selection this gameweek.

Although we’ve overlooked Molde completely in this preview, they’re the league leaders, and it’s worth noting they’ve won their last two away games against Bodø/Glimt without conceding. This is the kind of crucial match where the likes of Magnus Wolff Eikrem will be expected to step up and show their quality.

Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 21

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Fantasy-favourite Thomas Lehne Olsen is back in the Eliteserien after a short stint in the middle-east and is one of the first names on Jacob Silkstone’s Eliteserien Fantasy TOTW with a fixture against bottom-of-the-table Kristiansund.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW19 Recap

Better late than never… Captain Casper Tengstedt eventually delivered the points for us with a close-range winner in stoppage time as Rosenborg just about saw off a stubborn Aalesund side. With a huge haul from Vetle Winger Dragsnes (who could have had an extra assist if the rules had been interpreted a little more generously) and clean sheets from Magnus Smelhus Sjøeng and Benjamin Tiedemann Hansen, plus the usual imperious performance from Amahl Pellegrino, we could have been on for our best score of the season if we hadn’t got our two Strømsgodset picks wrong. In a 6-0 win over Jerv, our two recommended players scored just three points between them: Lars-Christopher Vilsvik was unflagged, but withdrew from the matchday squad with an injury; Herman Stengel initially registered an assist from a corner, but it was taken off him after a post-game withdrew.

Even after those minor setbacks, our tipsters team registered a total of 78 points, twenty ahead of the overall gameweek average.

Barring any unexpected postponements, DGW20 will be the last big double of the season. Kristiansund, Viking, Tromsø and Strømsgodset all play twice, offering an opportunity to use our last remaining chips. It’s also worth noting that Bodø/Glimt’s Champions League play-off on Wednesday evening went to extra-time and ended in a demoralising defeat against Dinamo Zagreb. Can they bounce back against Jerv on Saturday, and will any of the big names be rested? Luckily, team news will be available (just) before the deadline.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW20 Picks

Goalkeeper

Strømsgodset’s Thomas Myhra (5.1M) ranks third in the league for clean sheets and fifth for total saves, both higher than any other DGW keeper. Away games against Sandefjord and Tromsø might not be the easiest prospect for a side that tends to be significantly stronger at home, but Myhra is still a very solid option for this week.

Defence

Dedicated xG conceded fans will know that Tromsø have ranked as the strongest defence in the league for long periods of the season, although they now sit just behind Molde and Viking. Towering centre-back Christophe Psyche (4.9M), an Eliteserien Fantasy cult hero in previous seasons, looks likely to start both games and possesses significant attacking threat from set pieces.

Having been in out and of the team for the first quarter of the season, Viking’s Viljar Vevatne (4.7M) has now played the full ninety minutes in each of the last seven games. With rotation a concern after a tough European tie, Vevatne looks like one of the most secure picks from the Viking defence, at a favourable price.

With our budget going mainly on midfield and attack, we turn to bargain basement defender Isak Helstad Amundsen (4.4M) again. Helstad Amundsen has established his place as a regular starter for Bodø/Glimt, and they look the most likely of the single gameweek teams to register a clean sheet this week.

Midfield

Although we expect some rotation for Bodø/Glimt this week, there’s no way we can overlook Amahl Pellegrino (12.3M) against the weakest defence in the league. Pellegrino has been on an astonishing run of form lately, with eleven goals and an assist in his last six matches (despite completing ninety minutes in just two of them). Look out for team news, but even if he only has a cameo off the bench against Jerv he’s still capable of doing serious damage. In the expectation that he’s more likely to start, he’s our captain this week.

How many minutes will Zlatko Tripic (9.5M) play? He hasn’t completed more than 45 minutes in any game since GW4, but he’s working his way back to full fitness and is exactly the kind of player we’re willing to punt on for one week only. Among active players, he ranks first in the league for expected goal contributions per 90 minutes.

After being linked with a transfer away from Tromsø earlier in the summer window, August Mikkelsen (7.8M) has emphasised his desire to stay and rediscovered his best form recently, with an attacking return in four of his last five matches. Although he’s currently flagged, local press reports suggest he’ll be ready to start both games of the double. Eric Kitolano is a viable alternative at a slightly more budget-friendly price point.

It’s looking bleaker and bleaker for bottom of the table Kristiansund, but there’s still some hope as long as Bendik Bye (6.7M) keeps scoring. He now has five goals in his last nine games, and a penchant for performing in double gameweeks. He’s the only Kristiansund player to make our selection this week.

League leaders Molde come into this gameweek on a high, as the only Norwegian team to win their midweek European match. A world-class volley from Emil Breivik (5.2M) set them on their way in a 4-0 win against Wolfsberg, and the budget midfielder ranks seventh in the league (ahead of any other Molde player) for expected assists. Opponents Sarpsborg are in freefall, losing seven consecutive games.

Attack

We round off our team with two strikers who haven’t started a single game in Eliteserien this year and have a combined ownership of under 1%. Firstly, Thomas Lehne Olsen (11.0M) returns to Lillestrøm and starts with a mouthwatering home fixture against relegation-threatened Kristiansund. Lehne Olsen racked up 26 goals and three assists last season; he isn’t a guaranteed starter, but reports suggest he’s match-fit and ready to go.

Erling Haaland’s cousin, Jonatan Braut Brunes (8.5M), was the top scorer in the Norwegian first division at the time of his transfer to Strømsgodset. Catching Covid meant his first start for his new club will happen a few weeks later than planned, but he’s now fully fit. With ownership of 0.3%, he could be an incredible differential pick for the double gameweek (but don’t expect him to start both games).

Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 20

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Latest Rosenborg signing Casper Tengstedt has just played two games in the Eliteserien so far but already has four goals including a hattrick to his name, so it isn’t a surprise that tipster Jacob Silkstone is trusting him with the armband in his Eliteserien Fantasy TOTW for gameweek 19.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW18 Recap

In GW17, a set of disappointing picks was redeemed by the perfect captain pick; in GW18, a disappointing captain pick was redeemed by the rest of the team. Holmbert Fridjonsson hit the post and then blanked as Lillestrøm slumped to an unexpected 1-0 defeat against Jerv, all but ending their title challenge. We had more luck with our other strikers: Henrik Udahl scored again as Vålerenga drew with HamKam, while Rosenborg’s new star Casper Tengstedt registered one of the highest individual hauls of the season with a hat-trick and an assist against Sandefjord.

Assists from Joel Mvuka and Carlo Holse, plus a couple of bonus points for Isak Helstad Amundsen, helped boost our final score to 60 points. With the gameweek average down at 43, that’s another solid score for the Tipsters Team of the Week.

In GW19, Viking’s continuing involvement in Europe means that they and Kristiansund both have a blank gameweek; Molde’s fixture against Haugesund was initially expected to be postponed too, but is now back in its original spot in the schedule. It’s also worth noting that we’ll get early team news for Bodø/Glimt, so any rotation ahead of their Champions League play-off will be known before the deadline.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW19 Picks

Goalkeeper

Against expectations, Magnus Smelhus Sjøeng (4.6M) has maintained his starting spot for Vålerenga even after the arrival of Per Kristian Bråtveit in the summer transfer window. The battle for the number one spot is worth monitoring, and Smelhus Sjøeng remains a bargain as long as he keeps starting. Vålerenga have kept clean sheets in two of their last three at home, and visitors Tromsø haven’t won an away game all season.

Defence

Lars-Christopher Vilsvik (5.1M) leads the rest of the Strømsgodset defence for expected assists, slightly underperforming his stats so far this season. Both of his double-figure points hauls have come at home, and Jerv remain (as we seem to point out in this article every week) the weakest attack in the league.

With the risk of reduced minutes for the wing-backs, we’re looking at solid central defender Benjamin Tiedemann Hansen (5.5M) as a reliable selection from the Molde backline. Tiedemann Hansen has completed ninety minutes on every start this season, with the notable exception of a red card against Viking in GW5. He has also been popular with the bonus point system lately, receiving four bonus points in Molde’s last four games.

Lillestrøm’s form may have dipped slightly, but they still have a formidable defensive record at home: five clean sheets, and only three goals conceded on their own turf all season. Vetle Winger Dragsnes (5.8M) gets the nod for his attacking threat.

Finally, Isak Helstad Amundsen (4.4M) has been a breakout star for Bodø/Glimt this season and looked like one of the best players on the pitch as they saw off Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of their Champions League play-off. As with Molde, there are some question marks over reduced minutes for the more popular picks; Helstad Amundsen offers a more reliable option for a far better price.

Midfield

With Bodø/Glimt focused on their Champions League run, Amahl Pellegrino (12.3M) has played the full ninety minutes in just one of their last six games. In that time, he has scored nine goals and racked up four double-digit fantasy hauls. Check the team news before making him your captain, but right now he looks too good to ignore.

With the same caveat about checking the team sheets before confirming any transfer or captaincy decisions, we’re doubling up on the Bodø/Glimt midfield with Joel Mvuka (6.8M). Mvuka looks wildly underpriced in the fantasy game, producing six assists in his last four matches. Watch him play live and you’ll be baffled that he hasn’t scored more…

Vålerenga are unbeaten in their last six, and Osame Sahraoui (8.4M) leads the league for expected assists. With a European spot still not out of the question, they’ll be expecting another win from their clash against Tromsø this week. As mentioned above, the visitors have yet to win away from home this year.

Strømsgodset’s Herman Stengel (5.7M) is 13th among active players for expected assists, outranking the likes of Pellegrino, and also a regular penalty taker. He finally delivered on his underlying stats last week, and he’s our favourite budget midfield pick ahead of a home game against Jerv.

Attack

Danish striker Casper Tengstedt (9.5M) has enjoyed a stunning start to his Rosenborg career, returning four goals and an assist from his first couple of games. Opponents Aalesund were smashed 4-0 by Vålerenga in their last away game and haven’t won any of their last five league matches. Tengstedt takes the captain’s armband for us this week.

Tengstedt’s arrival has also been good news for Ole Christian Sæter (6.6M). The two forwards have struck up a formidable partnership already, and Sæter has three goals and two assists from his last three games. We’re happy to risk a Rosenborg double-up this week.

Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 19

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.