With a massive Champions League qualification match for FK Bodø/Glimt in the upcoming week, the player picks in Eliteserien Fantasy don’t seem so straightforward. Still, Tipster Jacob Silkstone is backing his differentials to come up big in gameweek 18, especially Hólmbert Friðjónsson, who is being trusted with the captain’s armband.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW17 Recap

After an uneven start to the season, it looks like we’re back to status quo: Bodø/Glimt are dominating the league, looking a level ahead of everybody else, and able to put a hatful of goals past virtually anyone. The 7-0 win over Odd last week brought some real ‘rough with the smooth’ fantasy stories, as popular picks Lars-Jørgen Salvesen and Joel Mvuka (both in our recommended Team of the Week) blanked while Amahl Pellegrino (our recommended captain) and Hugo Vetlesen recorded a staggering 42 points between them. In defence, Brice Wembangomo was hauled off at half-time for the second time in the last three weeks.

Aside from the Pellegrino haul, our picks had a slightly disappointing week. Ole Christian Sæter cemented his status as the best budget forward in the game with another goal, but our three defenders contributed just four points between them. Overall, our score of 61 was enough to beat the gameweek average (55) but far from being one of our more memorable performances of the season.

Gameweek 18 might be another tricky one to navigate. Bodø/Glimt will be looking ahead to the Champions League play-off round and managing the minutes of their key assets, while current league leaders Molde are one of four clubs with a blank gameweek. Odd, Viking, and Strømsgodset are also without a fixture, so a number of Eliteserien managers might be considering whether to play a chip or take a hit. Whatever your strategy, here are eleven players on our watchlist right now, with the usual mix of ‘essentials’ and differentials..

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW18 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

After last week, we can temporarily pretend that we’re focusing on Lillestrøm’s Mads Hedenstad Christiansen (5.7M) for his attacking threat. Christiansen’s last-gasp equaliser against Tromsø made him the first Eliteserien keeper to score a goal since Håkon Opdal in 2015, and we’re confident in predicting that he’ll be the top scorer among Eliteserien keepers this season. In the reasonably likely event that he never gets another attacking return for the rest of his career, he’s still a great pick this week as a rock-solid Lillestrøm backline come up against Jerv, still the league’s lowest scorers.

 

Defence

While defensive double-ups are always risky, Tom Pettersson (5.2M) carries plenty of genuine attacking threat and offers an underpriced route into one of the league’s strongest defences. We’re willing to give him another chance in our team after a blank last time out.

Double gameweek hero Lasse Nilsen (5.5M) returns from a one-match suspension to face Kristiansund in GW18. Perhaps surprisingly, Tromsø have the second best defence in the league in terms of expected goals conceded, only narrowly behind Bodø/Glimt. Nilsen ranks higher for expected assists than any of his defensive teammates, and delivered 16 fantasy points in his last two starts.

Isak Helstad Amundsen (4.3M) has been going under the radar as a budget option at Bodø/Glimt, starting each of the last four games. As mentioned above, he’s part of statistically the strongest defence in the league; whisper it quietly, but he also has a relatively impressive goalscoring record at the youth level.

 

Midfield

Rosenborg’s Carlo Holse (9.5M) has been in coruscating form recently, with a goal, six assists, and an incredible 14 bonus points across his last seven matches. The Trondheim team are pushing for a place in the top three this year, and Holse is crucial to their hopes. He ranks higher than any other Rosenborg player for expected assists.

It would take a fool to bet against Amahl Pellegrino right now, but we’re doing exactly that. With concerns over Pellegrino’s playing time (although an early substitution last week did nothing to prevent a haul), we’re keeping the faith in teammate Joel Mvuka (6.7M). Mvuka passes the ‘eye test’ every week, although he remains a frustratingly inconsistent finisher. Looking at the stats alone, he should have come close to matching Pellegrino and Vetlesen last week.

Eric Kitolano (7.3M) has emerged as the star man for Tromsø recently, returning maximum bonus points again as they came desperately close to shocking Lillestrøm last time out. In a purple patch and about to face the side at the bottom of the table, he looks like an obvious pick.

Vålerenga have overcome a horrific start to the season and are currently playing some of the best football in the league. With Osame Sahraoui an injury doubt, we turn to Amor Layouni (8.5M) as our midfield selection for the game against HamKam. Layouni has three goals from his last five games, but remains in only 5% of fantasy teams for the moment.

 

Attack

Icelandic international Holmbert Fridjonsson (8.9M) continues to lead the line for Lillestrøm in the absence of Akor Adams. Opponents Jerv have (by far) the highest expected goals conceded total in the league, and we expect Fridjonsson to capitalise on the chances that are almost certain to come his way.

Added to the game only just before the last deadline, Danish striker Casper Tengstedt (9.5M) made a hugely impressive debut for Rosenborg, scoring the opening goal as they beat an obdurate HamKam side 2-1. Expectations will be high for the rest of the season…

Henrik Udahl (8.4M) ranks fourth among active players for expected goal contributions per 90 minutes,  but he’s started only a handful of games all season. It’s surely no coincidence that Vålerenga’s upturn in form has coincided with his reintroduction to the starting eleven.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 18

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

FK Bodø/Glimt’s teenage sensation Joel Mvuka has been on a roll with five assists in his last four games, solidifying his spot in Jacob Silkstone’s Eliteserien Fantasy TOTW for gameweek 17 with a fixture against Odd.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW16 Recap

Regular fantasy players will be all too familiar with the DGW drill by now. You spend a few weeks getting overly enthusiastic about average assets with a double fixture, fill your team with as many as possible (preferably taking at least a -8 along the way) and then watch the doublers blank/get rotated/’do a Dennis’ while the single gameweek players you’ve just sold march serenely on to their inevitable points hauls.

At least, that’s how it usually works. But where the likes of Man City and Liverpool so often let us down in FPL, Tromsø and Kristiansund have delivered spectacularly in the Eliteserien version of the game. They might not update the transfers or add the bonus points on time, but apparently, Eliteserien Fantasy still can’t be beaten when it comes to a top-quality double gameweek. Our three Tromsø picks (captain August Mikkelsen, plus Eric Kitolano and Lasse Nilsen) recorded a fairly decent 73 points between them, with 11 more from Kristiansund’s Bendik Bye. To balance things out, our single gameweek selections all blanked, but our final score of 98 was more than double the overall average for the gameweek (40). Had Martin Linnes been substituted just a few minutes later, we’d have recorded a single successive triple-figure score.

With no doubles or blanks, and possible rotation as the bigger clubs look ahead to crucial European fixtures, GW17 is harder to call…

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW17 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

HamKam have had to let go of influential midfielder Kristian Eriksen after a bidding war between Bodø/Glimt and Molde, with the latter emerging victorious. Even with Eriksen, HamKam had scored just twice in their last five games, and now face a trip to a Rosenborg side with two clean sheets in their last three. André Hansen (5.6M) takes his place between the posts for us this week.

 

Defence

With some caveats about possible rotation risk, Martin Linnes (7.4M) remains our first-choice defender this week. A head injury to Kristoffer Haugen in Molde’s European game and reduced minutes last week both increase Linnes’ chances of starting against Kristiansund. His last full ninety minutes produced a goal and two assists, highlighting his attacking threat.

Lillestrøm suffered a tough defeat in their Conference League game, but the budget-friendly Tom Pettersson (5.0M) returns to our line-up before a home match with Tromsø. Despite missing the first three games of the season with injury, Pettersson has more bonus points than any other player in the Lillestrøm squad, and his last three home starts have produced two goals from set pieces.

At home to Jerv and currently in just 1.3% of fantasy teams, Haugesund’s solid centre-back Søren Reese (4.9M) is one of our favourite budget picks this week.

 

Midfield

Although we’re not expecting him to play the full ninety minutes, Amahl Pellegrino (12.1M) is our premium midfielder ahead of Bodø/Glimt’s home match against Odd. The defending champions have been in sizzling form lately, scoring nine in their last two Eliteserien home games and five more in their midweek Champions League clash. Pellegrino is a good bet to be the most captained player among the elite managers this week, and he’s increasingly hard to ignore. He’s our captain for this gameweek.

As long as Molde remain in Europe, Magnus Grødem (8.0M) is in the unusual position of being one of their key fantasy assets by virtue of not being one of their key players. While the main men are at risk of rotation, Grødem was subbed off before the 60-minute mark on Thursday evening and should be ready for a start against Kristiansund.

Joel Mvuka (6.6M) was another player subbed early in a key European fixture this week. Despite being profligate in front of goal, Mvuka has five assists in his last four and shows every sign of delivering a major haul soon. He’s currently sixth among active players for xA per 90 minutes.

Christos Zafeiris (5.5M) takes our budget midfield slot ahead of Haugesund’s game against Jerv. Zafeiris finally registered his first goal of the season last week, and sits second for expected assists among the Haugesund squad.

 

Attack

Summer signing Lars-Jørgen Salvesen (9.3M) was immediately off the mark for Bodø/Glimt in their hugely impressive Champions League victory over Zalgiris. Having looked marginally over-priced at Strømsgodset earlier in the season, he now looks underpriced at his new club, especially with Victor Boniface’s departure to Union Saint-Gilloise. One to buy soon and probably hold for the rest of the season.

Akor Adams’ unfortunate injury last week leaves Holmbert Fridjonsson (8.8M) as Lillestrøm’s undisputed first-choice striker. Fridjonsson already has a hat-trick in Europe this season, and provided a goal and an assist after coming off the bench last week. Having played the full ninety just once in the league, this is his chance to cement a regular place for the surprise title challengers.

Ole Christian Sæter (6.4M) can count himself unlucky not to have been awarded a single bonus point last week following a goal and an assist, probably a reflection of a couple of big chances squandered. Still, the Rosenborg striker looks a constant threat, averaging close to a goal every 90 minutes this season.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 17

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

FK Bodø/Glimt’s talisman Amahl Pellegrino is in the form of his career after scoring in his last five consecutive Eliteserien games for a total of nine goals including a hattrick last week against Jerv, making him an indispensable part of Jacob Silkstone’s Fantasy Eliteserien TOTW for gameweek 16.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW15 Recap

Magnus Grødem struck the bar on his way to a blank against Sandefjord, but the rest of our Team of the Week tips struck gold. The double gameweek brought a points haul our way, with five goals, six assists and two clean sheets (and one defender subbed just before clean sheet points kick in… Even in the good weeks, it’s tempting to dwell on those small moments of bad luck) as we racked up a three-figure total for the second time this season. Amahl Pellegrino was the undoubted hero: early on Saturday morning, his wife gave birth to their second child (“Today has been total chaos, right from the moment when I woke up and my wife was giving birth on the bathroom floor… not the best preparation for the match,” according to the man himself); a few hours later, superdad was scoring a hat-trick against Jerv (with three bonus points for good measure). With a full night of uninterrupted sleep, who knows what he might be capable of?

Gameweek 16 brings us another double/blank combo: Kristiansund and Tromsø play twice, while Viking and Haugesund will get some respite from the packed summer schedule. With another double on the horizon in GW20, Tromsø players are top of the list for potential investment.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW16 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

According to the xG stats, only four teams have been stronger at the back than newly-promoted HamKam this season. With hapless Kristiansund the latest visitors to Briskeby, we’re looking at Guatemalan international Nicholas Hagen (4.5M) as a reasonably priced keeper with a more than reasonable shot at a clean sheet.

 

Defence

Bodø/Glimt’s season has finally ignited, with the 5-0 thumping of Jerv followed by an 8-0 annihilation of Linfield in the Champions League. Alfons Sampsted (5.8M) returns to our Team of the Week, mostly because we’re wary that Brice Wembangomo is carrying a knock at the moment and may be set for reduced minutes again. Bodø/Glimt have the second strongest defence in the league in terms of xG conceded, while opponents Aalesund have just sold their two key players to the Danish Superliga.

Injury concerns are on our mind with the choice of Molde defender too. Kristoffer Haugen sat out the midweek European game; he has a chance of being back in time for the home match against Strømsgodset, but Martin Linnes (7.3M) has been the dependable choice over the last few weeks and gets the nod again here. Linnes’ total of five big chances created is only one behind Haugen’s and compares favourably to every other Eliteserien defender.

Lasse Nilsen (5.5M) is our first selection from Tromsø as we look ahead to their double gameweek. Nilsen has created four big chances this season, outperforming the rest of the Tromsø defence for xA. He can consider himself unlucky to have just one assist, and the stats point to him as the most likely DGW defender to haul this week.

Aleksander Melgalvis (5.1M) completes a HamKam defensive double up. Vegard Kongsro has very similar stats and is available for the same price, so the choice of HamKam full-back is very close to a coin flip. We prefer Melgalvis for the security of minutes, although there are plenty of arguments for going the other way.

 

Midfield

Will he play anything close to the full game? Will it matter if he doesn’t? Amahl Pellegrino (now 11.9M) has racked up a fairly astonishing 35 fantasy points, even with just 75 minutes on the pitch over the last two games. He’s Eliteserien’s in-form player, and the one every team around you is rushing to buy if they don’t already own.

For the first and almost certainly last time this season, we present a Tromsø midfield double-up. August Mikkelsen (7.7M) burst onto the scene last year, but has been enduring the footballing equivalent of the difficult second album. He has 0 goals and 2 assists so far, but the numbers point to that turning around soon (if he isn’t transferred away from the league first). We’re willing to take a huge gamble and back him with the captain’s armband this week.

Eric Kitolano (7.3M) is our second Tromsø midfielder, although there are some cheaper options worth consideration in Sakarias Opsahl and Ruben Yttergård Jenssen. Kitolano had four shots in the box in last week’s match, and has looked sharp ahead of a favourable pair of double gameweek fixtures.

Bendik Bye (6.9M) was a late entry in our Team of the Week last time out, replacing the injured Alioune Ndour Badou. Bye rewarded us with his fourth goal of the season. Kristiansund have been in miserable form, but if anyone can restore some hope for them then Bye is the man.

With our three Tromsø slots taken and space open for a midfielder from the bargain basement, Amidou Diop (4.5M) gives us a rare Kristiansund double-up. We’re not expecting much over the four appearance points, but Diop loves a shot and already has a couple of goals this season. He also has four bonus points from the man in the stand system, more than any other Kristiansund player.

 

Attack

Molde will be on a high after a crushing victory over Elfsborg in Europe, and David Datro Fofana (11.2M) has been in excellent form recently. With Veton Berisha gone, Fofana now has the highest xG total of any forward in the league.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 16

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

While they haven’t had the best start to the season and are in the bottom half of the table, tipster Jacob Silkstone creates a strong argument why Sandefjord could be a good bet in gameweek 15 of Fantasy Eliteserien with a doubleheader against Molde and Kristiansund.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW14 Recap

Another tough week in the frequently frustrating world of Eliteserien Fantasy: Veton Berisha, for a long time the most reliable source of points in the game, is almost certainly heading to Hammarby, and nobody has quite stepped up to fill the void. A series of low-scoring games led to an overall average of just 34 points, by far the lowest of the entire season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there wasn’t much to celebrate in our Team of the Week selection. Captain David Fofana contributed an assist, winning a penalty, and looked dangerous throughout Molde’s game against Haugesund, but a yellow card meant he finished with just four points in total. A clean sheet from Kristoffer Haugen was our only other success as our team ended with a rather depressing total score of 32.

Gameweek 15 is both a double and a blank: Lillestrøm and Aalesund have no fixtures, while Sandefjord and Kristiansund play twice. With two home games (albeit one is against league leaders Molde) Sandefjord look like the team to invest in, although fantasy managers will be perturbed by the fact that key asset Mohamed Ofkir is still flagged because of a thigh injury.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW15 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

One of the few things we got right in last week’s article was predicting that Hugo Keto (4.4M) is now first choice between the posts for Sandefjord. The double gameweek brings potential save points against Molde and a possible clean sheet at home to Kristiansund; Keto remains the cheapest starting keeper in the game.

 

Defence

With the defending champions facing the weakest attack in the league, we’re heading our defensive selection with Bodø/Glimt’s Brice Wembangomo (6.0M). Wembangomo’s xA stats are on a par with teammates Ulrik Saltnes and Amahl Pellegrino, who are available for almost twice the price in Eliteserien Fantasy.

Adrian Pereira (6.9M) leads every other defender in the league for xA per 90 minutes, and is a great pick despite a slightly exorbitant price. Rosenborg started the season with three consecutive clean sheets at home, and the stats indicate they have one of the strongest defences in the league. Opponents Tromsø were thumped 5-1 in their last away game, so are likely to be focused on keeping it tight this time.

Kristiansund have had an utterly miserable season so far, and key defender Christoffer Aasbak (5.9M) has just 10 fantasy points from 10 starts. He’s not a hugely exciting pick, but he does have far better attacking stats than any of his defensive colleagues and we’re happy to include him as a double gameweek punt.

After being in and out of the preferred XI earlier in the season, Josef Baccay (4.5M) has nailed down a spot for Odd, starting each of their last eight matches. Opponents Kristiansund still have just a single point so far, with just one goal in their last three games at home.

 

Midfield

League top scorer Amahl Pellegrino (11.8M) made quite an impact off the bench last week, scoring twice in just thirteen minutes against a stubborn HamKam defence. There are still some question marks over his fitness, but he shouldn’t need the full 90 in order to rack up a sizeable score at home to Jerv.

Mohamed Ofkir (7.0M) limped off the pitch at the end of the last gameweek as a run of four successive double-digit hauls came to an abrupt halt. Still, he’s expected to play a part in both games of Sandefjord’s double; pending any late fitness updates, he looks like one of the best captain picks this week.

Molde’s Magnus Grødem (8.1M) converted a crucial penalty to keep his side at the top of Eliteserien last gameweek. Crucially for our selection, he played just a few minutes of Molde’s midweek European win against Elfsborg, suggesting he’ll get the nod to start against Sandefjord on Sunday. He’s currently fourth in the league for expected goals, and first among all midfielders.

Following a run of eight goals in as many games, Alioune Ndour Badou (8.9M) has gone cold lately, with three consecutive blanks. Still, as the saying goes, class is permanent. A home game against Sarpsborg might be exactly what he needs: his opponents have conceded eleven goals in their last four games.

Joel Mvuka (6.5M) was subbed early in the midweek European game and is on a run of two consecutive starts for Bodø/Glimt in the league. He’s ranked higher than any other Glimt player apart from Pellegrino for expected goals per 90 minutes, so he takes his place as our mid-priced midfield punt for this week.

 

Forward

For the first (and presumably last) time this season, we’re tripling up on Sandefjord. Alexander Ruud Tveter (6.8M) takes our striker slot. His expected goals total is far higher than any of his teammates (including Ofkir) and he has attacking returns from three of his four starts at home this season. With the injury doubts over Ofkir, we’re taking a gamble and backing Ruud Tveter as our captain for the double gameweek.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 15

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

Rosenborg’s Carlo Holse has been in red hot form in Eliteserien Fantasy. Despite a tricky fixture against Aalesunds FK away, tipster Jacob Silkstone is backing him to continue his good run in gameweek 14.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW13 Recap

One disadvantage of making Eliteserien predictions a few days ahead of the deadline is that news tends to break quite late. Premier League fans might be used to scrutinising training pictures for signs that a star player might be absent, or hearing a comprehensive list of exactly who has arrived at the team hotel, but in Norwegian football we’re often relying on paywalled local papers for news. Confirmation that Stefano Vecchia wouldn’t be in the Rosenborg line-up last weekend only arrived a few hours before the gameweek started; if we’d known in advance, Carlo Holse was a natural alternative in the Rosenborg midfield, but we’ll take the 0-point captaincy on the chin with an apology to any readers who rushed to follow our advice.

At the time of writing, Vecchia has been ruled out for at least another week, Sæter is feeling the effects of a concussion that should have seen him subbed much earlier in the win over Jerv, and Sebastian Sebulonsen (owned by nearly a third of fantasy teams) is about to be sold to Brøndby.

Mohamed Ofkir, Kristoffer Haugen and (despite being reduced to a late cameo off the bench) Victor Boniface were the double-digit haulers in our latest Team of the Week, as we scraped up to a total score of 56 points, still comfortably ahead of the overall average even with the captain blank and lack of autosubs.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW14 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

Fantasy managers received an unwelcome surprise last week when popular pick Jacob Storevik was relegated to the bench and the Sandefjord goalkeeper’s jersey was handed to former Arsenal youth player Hugo Keto (4.4M). With the local paper reporting that the number one spot is suddenly Keto’s to lose, he becomes an enticing budget option ahead of a game with shot-shy Jerv. Bear in mind that Sandefjord also have a double gameweek on the horizon, with two home games in GW15.

 

Defence

With Linnes likely to be sidelined for a couple of weeks, Kristoffer Haugen (7.5M) is once again our route into the Molde defence ahead of a home game with Haugesund. Haugen is now third in the entire league (and comfortably first among defenders) for expected assists, marginally underperforming his stats despite a double-digit haul in the last round.

Viljar Vevatne (4.7M) is on a run of four consecutive starts for Viking after struggling to cement his place in the team earlier in the season. He stands out as a budget pick as they prepare to face rock-bottom Kristiansund, and his aerial threat has seen him score five goals over the last three seasons.

Odd have failed to score in two of their last four games, so Lillestrøm’s generally solid defence shouldn’t have too much to fear from their latest away game. Vetle Winger Dragsnes (5.5M) has been playing an increasingly attacking role in recent weeks, and remains favourably priced.

 

Midfield

Although he has been outshone by other Sarpsborg midfielders over the last couple of weeks, Jonathan Lindseth (8.5M) looks to be statistically the best option from his team, sitting second in the league for expected assists and outranking most of his teammates for expected goals too. Opponents Vålerenga have conceded seven goals in their last three away games.

We’re doubling up on Sarpsborg this week with Anton Saletros (6.6M) as our second midfielder. Saletros leads his teammates for expected goals and has double-digit scores from both of his last two home games, with 31 fantasy points in total.

Rosenborg’s Carlo Holse (9.3M) has been in coruscating form recently, reflected by seven bonus points across his last three matches. An away game against Aalesund might be a tough one for Rosenborg, but we’re backing Holse to play a central role for them once again.

Budget Bodø midfielder Elias Hagen (5.0M) comes back into our thinking despite a run of disappointing scores. Hagen outranks all of his teammates for expected assists, and has now started seven consecutive games.

 

Attack

No doubt irate over his last-minute omission from the Fantasy Tipsters Team of the Week, Molde’s David Datro Fofana (now 11.0M) delivered one of the performances of the season in a 5-1 win over Tromsø last week. He now has four goals in his last three starts at home, and we’re giving him the captaincy against Haugesund.

With some doubts over the fitness of in-form Mohamed Ofkir, our Sandefjord attacking slot goes instead to Alexander Ruud Tveter (6.7M). Ruud Tveter started the season spectacularly, smashing a hat-trick past hapless Haugesund, but has just three goals since. Still, two of those have come in the last two away games, and he remains comfortably ahead of Ofkir in the expected goals stats.

Our biggest punt of the week is a striker who hasn’t played more than twenty minutes in any game all season. Fans of safe picks should feel to look away now, but Mai Traore (5.9M) has more expected goals per 90 minutes than any other player in the league and came off the bench to score a crucial winner away at Lillestrøm in GW13. The local press are tipping him for a first start of the season at home against Kristiansund, and we’re willing to bet that they might just be right.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 14

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

Even though starts in the league have been hard to come by, a hat-trick in the Champions League playoff match should earn Victor Boniface a well-deserved start against Sarpsborg at home, where he could solidify his spot in the team, making him one of Jacob Silkstone’s top picks in Eliteserien Fantasy for gameweek 13.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW12 Recap

Thirteen is traditionally an unlucky number, but it’s hard to imagine many weeks treating fantasy managers harder than GW12. Firstly, a late double gameweek announcement left many of us scrambling to get in Molde players ahead of the deadline, with a slew of hits taken to double-up on the Molde attack. Cue one goal in two games (plus a missed penalty) against newly-promoted sides. There was also some interest in bottom-of-the-table Kristiansund ahead of their double, but a pilots’ strike left them with no option other than to cancel their fixture against Tromsø (for the second time this season). Predicting fantasy scores involves several different variables, but knowing which unions are about to take strike action (or which major airlines are heading for bankruptcy) isn’t traditionally part of the average fantasy pundit’s skillset.

Amid a number of other surprise results (including a defeat for Bodø/Glimt) and blanks for some popular picks, our Team of the Week didn’t do particularly well. We just about made the right call in doubling on Molde’s defence rather than their attack, but our decision to triple up on Sarpsborg backfired. We predicted more goals in that fixture than in any other; the prediction was accurate, but our three Sarpsborg attackers registered just a single assist between them. Molde’s David Fofana (our captain selection) and Jerv’s Aral Simsir contributed our only other attacking returns this week, as our team ended on 51 points (slightly ahead of the overall average, which was down at 45).

The pilots’ strike continues, but at the time of writing, all Eliteserien games are scheduled to go ahead this weekend. As ever, we’ll try to add updates if there are any late changes to the fixture list. This week’s major transfer news is that Sigurd Haugen (owned by over a third of teams) has been sold to AGF Aarhus and has played his last game for Aalesund.

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Eliteserien Fantasy GW13 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

Jerv’s draw against Molde was their first ever away point as an Eliteserien club, but we’re not expecting them to add another this week. Rosenborg’s André Hansen (5.5M) is our first-choice keeper: the Trondheim team have kept clean sheets in three of their five home games, while Jerv have only scored twice away from home all season.

 

Defence

Molde’s fixture against Tromsø is under threat from the strike, but all the signs currently point to it going ahead. With Tromsø’s preparation being less than ideal and Molde desperate to bounce back from two disappointing draws, we’re looking at Kristoffer Haugen (7.4M) to lead our defensive picks this week. Haugen has been posting far better stats than Martin Linnes over the last few games, so he offers the chance of attacking returns too.

Top-scorer Veton Berisha is expected to sit out at least one more league game for Viking, and the Stavanager side have been blunt up front without their star player. League leaders Lillestrøm have conceded just once at home all season, and centre-back Tom Pettersson (4.9M) is an intriguing option. An injury at the start of the season meant his price dropped and he was overlooked by most fantasy managers, but he registered more shots in the box than any other Lillestrøm defender in their last game and already has three attacking returns this year.

Vålerenga have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season, facing a relegation battle if their current form continues. With a crucial home game against bottom-of-the-table Kristiansund to come, we’re giving one last chance to Vegar Eggen Hestenstad (5.9M). Vålerenga have generally been solid at home, with the notable exception of a heavy defeat against Rosenborg, and Hedenstad’s pinpoint crosses have already led to two assists. Meanwhile, Kristiansund are bereft of confidence and only have two goals away from home so far this season.

 

Midfield

Rosenborg’s key man Stefano Vecchia (10.7M) is back from injury and takes the captain’s armband for us this week. With goals in each of his last four starts, Vecchia is central to Rosenborg’s attack, and we’re predicting that Jerv might struggle defensively against a fully-rested side after a heroic effort to keep Molde out in midweek.

Strømsgodset’s Johan Hove (9.0M) has been conspicuously quiet over the last three games, after playing a central role in his side’s six-game unbeaten run earlier in the season. Having scored in three of his last four at home, we’re backing him to rediscover his best form this gameweek. Opponents Odd are joint second in the league for xG conceded, although it’s worth noting that they’re on a run of three consecutive away wins.

Alioune Ndour Badou (8.9M) saw his golden run of form come to an abrupt end last week, with a sequence of eight goals in eight games followed by a blank and a yellow card against Jerv. We’re backing him to bounce back against another newly-promoted side, HamKam, this time around.

Sandefjord’s Mohamed Ofkir (6.8M) has three consecutive double-digit hauls. While the raw numbers suggest he’s significantly over-performing, he’s still in the league’s top 20 for xG, and it’s worth capitalising on his current purple patch. A home game against Aalesund is a decent fixture, and we’re happy to back Ofkir again.

Emil Breivik (5.5M) underlined his status as a budget gem with another assist in the midweek game against Jerv — his fifth assist of the season. He ranks third in the Molde squad (behind only Haugen and the injured Wolff Eikrem) for xA, and he’s still owned by under 10% of teams in fantasy.

 

Attack

Victor Boniface (10.0M) has started just three league games for Bodø/Glimt all season, but sits third in the league for xG per 90 minutes. He scored a hat-trick in the midweek Champions League match and fully deserves a run in a team that have struggled to replicate the highs of their last two title-winning years. A home game against Sarpsborg should be the perfect opportunity to prove himself.

If, for any reason, you’re not convinced by Vecchia, Ole Christian Sæter (5.9M) provides a much cheaper route into the Rosenborg attack. He scored a hat-trick in their last home game, and has already racked up five goals and two assists despite starting just three games all season.

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Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 13

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