Even though he has been massively overlooked due to Berisha’s incredible start to the season, Tipster Jacob Silkstone backs Datro Fofana to go big in Fantasy Eliteserien now that Berisha is a doubt and he has a favorable schedule coming up.
Note: The game between Molde and Jerv has been postponed because of a Covid outbreak in the Jerv squad.
Eliteserien Fantasy GW10 Recap
A rare blank from Veton Berisha, his first two-pointer at home since GW2, ensured a frustrating end to the latest Eliteserien Fantasy gameweek (judging by how long it took the final set of bonus points to be added, there must have been some people at Eliteserien Fantasy Towers who didn’t want it to end at all). Our Team of the Week backed the wrong Sarpsborg midfielder but managed to make it up for it by backing the right Bodø/Glimt midfielder: Amahl Pellegrino hauled against his old club as the defending champions showed some signs of recovering their best form, while our decision to keep faith in their defence was finally rewarded with a first clean sheet of the season.
Alexander Melgalvis and Sigurd Haugen were also on the scoresheet for us, although our triple-up on Viking was a resounding failure. Even with a captaincy blank and a couple of painfully late cleansheet wipeouts, our team comfortably beat the overall average (56 points against 43).
Gameweek Eleven brings a fixture swing for title contenders Molde, with a run of tempting games coming up. It’s also nearly time to start looking ahead to the summer transfer window: Malmö have already put in a (rejected) bid for Berisha, and the annual exodus of Eliteserien’s best players should be about to begin… We’ll have a more detailed update on potential arrivals and departures as the window gets closer.
It’s also worth noting some injury news from the midweek cup games: Eikrem and Vecchia both limped off, putting their availability for the weekend in doubt.
Eliteserien Fantasy GW11 Picks
Goalkeeper
We turn to André Hansen (5.5M) for the first time this season as Rosenborg prepare to welcome Kristiansund to Lerkendal. Rosenborg have successfully shut out the opposition in three of their four home games this season, while Kristiansund have just a single goal from four games. On paper, at least, there’s no bigger chance for a clean sheet this gameweek…
Defence
Title-chasing Molde have, frustratingly for owners of their defensive assets (which means pretty much everyone in Eliteserien Fantasy), conceded a single goal in each of their last four games. A visit from Jerv, still the worst attacking team in the league according to just about any stat you choose, offers a chance to break the pattern. Martin Linnes (7.3M) has outscored fellow wing-back Kristoffer Haugen by ten points over the course of the season, and remains slightly cheaper, so he gets our vote of confidence again. The double-up is tempting for anyone prepared to invest heavily in their defence.
With Linnes not playing, Joachim Soltvedt (5.1M) is a much cheaper and even more attack-minded alternative. 4 big chances created (only Pereira has better stats among all defenders), 0 assists – really unlucky so far. pic.twitter.com/u0aX5zkW24
— Jacob Silkstone (@JacobSilkstone) June 25, 2022
Having predicted a few weeks back that Bodø/Glimt would go on a run once they finally secured their first clean sheet, we’re selecting Brice Wembangomo (5.9M) again ahead of a clash against Aalesund. Despite scoring twice against Vålerenga, Aalesund’s attack looked fairly blunt, with just eight touches in the box all game. Wembangomo’s total of three big chances created suggests he’s the best option from the Glimt defence.
There’s something irrepressible about Igoh Ogbu (5.6M) this season. Even when Lillestrøm aren’t keeping clean sheets, he’s been providing attacking returns and bonus points. An assist against Rosenborg last week maintained his record of only blanking twice since GW1. Strømsgodset’s unbeaten run ended with a 5-1 thumping against Sarpsborg, and their home record is patchy (including a 5-0 setback against Sandefjord).
Despite a run of three consecutive blanks, Sebastian Sebulonsen (6.4M) is posting some incredible stats as an out-of-position defender and we’re happy to keep him in our selection ahead of a trip to Haugesund, more for the chance of attacking returns than a clean sheet.
Midfield
The injury doubts over Vecchia and Eikrem have had a major effect on our midfield selection this gameweek. Both are fantastic options if they start, and it’s possible that more information on the Rosenborg team will emerge ahead of the deadline. For now, though, our top midfield pick is Molde’s Magnus Grødem (8.0M). The winger ranks third in the Molde team for xG per 90 minutes and looked enormously threatening last gameweek despite not registering any attacking returns.
Linnes to Soltvedt frees up some money for a premium mid in place of Grødem. Pellegrino scored twice last week, but the main man at Bodø/Glimt is Ulrik Saltnes (11.5M). Still thinking Glimt will go on a run now… pic.twitter.com/26Blz8laIN
— Jacob Silkstone (@JacobSilkstone) June 25, 2022
Life’s less fun without a couple of wild punts, and we’re going to hope that Joel Mvuka (6.5M)’s benching in the midweek cup game bodes well for his prospects of getting significant minutes for Bodø/Glimt against Aalesund. Mvuka has scored twice off the bench this season and leads the entire league for xG per 90 minutes. He was finally rewarded with a first start last week, and the cup line-up suggests he’s done enough to keep his place.
In the possible absence of Vecchia, we’re looking at Carlo Holse (9.2M) as our route into the Rosenborg midfield. After registering seven goals and seven assists last season, Holse has had a disappointing start to the campaign with only two assists so far. Surprisingly, he’s yet to receive a single bonus point either. Another punt, then, but perhaps more likely to succeed than it appears at first glance.
We’ve tended to overlook Sandefjord in our selections, but last week’s win over Viking was yet another indication that they deserve to be taken seriously as an established Eliteserien side. Mohamed Ofkir (6.6M) has been their standout player this season, and already has a couple of double-digit fantasy hauls.
Attack
The big choice for many fantasy managers this week is going to be whether to risk shifting Berisha out for David Datro Fofana (10.5M) ahead of Molde’s great run of fixtures. The fact that Berisha is flagged (as of Friday morning) might make the decision slightly easier. Fofana’s xG per 90 minutes total is almost identical to Berisha’s – even if Viking’s talisman is fully fit, the switch could still be tempting.
Finally, we’ll get early team news for Viking. If Berisha is confirmed out (hasn’t been training with the team this week), then Mai Traore (5.9M) is a great option. Second in the league for xG per 90, and ridiculously cheap.
— Jacob Silkstone (@JacobSilkstone) June 25, 2022
Ole Christian Sæter (5.6M) stormed off after being subbed early in Rosenborg’s defeat last week, putting his place in the team in some doubt. However, manager Kjetil Rekdal has been openly supportive in the press, and Sæter represents better value than any other budget striker if he gets significant minutes against Kristiansund. Certainly worth a punt.
Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 11
You can find Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.
Jacob is an all-round fantasy expert with 2 top 10K finishes in FPL, a best finish of #82 in GAFFR and #124 in Fantasy Eliteserien.