Fantasy Premier League

FPL Gameweek 2 Manager of the Week

By The Scout 23 Aug 2016
gw2-totw.png

No Zlatan, no problem as Bench Boost helps Harvey Busby to top of overall rankings in Fantasy

Related Articles
FPL Gameweek 1 Manager of the Week
Opinion: Ibra is new king of Old Trafford External Link

Harvey Busby’s 'TheRealHarvz' stormed to the Fantasy Premier League Manager of the Week Gameweek 2 prize with an untouchable 118-point tally.

That total was also enough to establish him as the new overall leader in Fantasy.

Having scored 79 points over the opening weekend, Harvey’s squad now sits 12 points ahead of his nearest rival at the summit of the FPL rankings.

The achievement is all the more impressive given that he has opted to ignore this season’s most popular FPL target, as there is currently no place for Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£11.6million) in his squad.

Manchester United v Southampton
Harvey won the GW2 prize despite not having the most popular player, Ibrahimovic

Harvey’s Gameweek 2 total was gathered without the Swedish striker’s two goals and 13-point haul in Friday evening's victory over Southampton.

Instead, he has relied on Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (£13.1m) as his captain over both Gameweeks, supplementing his goals with able support from Burnley’s Andre Gray (£6.5m) and Middlesbrough’s Alvaro Negredo (£6.7m).

Harvey has also shown commendable insight with his midfield selections.

Last weekend he had the trio of Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho (£8.2m), Adam Lallana (£7.1m) and Tottenham Hotpsur's Erik Lamela (£7.1m) in place, totalling 35 points between them.

In Gameweek 2, it was Michail Antonio’s (£7.0m) turn to come to the fore with 11 points earned in West Ham United's win over AFC Bournemouth.

But it was Harvey’s defence that steered him to Gameweek 2 glory.

Without the hefty outlay on Ibrahimovic, he has been able to recruit both of the top-priced defenders in Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld (both £6.5m).

Kyle Walker (£5.6m) doubled his coverage of the Spurs clean sheet against Crystal Palace, with Manchester United’s Luke Shaw (£5.6m) and Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt (£5.0m) completing a pricey back line.

That formidable five-man defence came into its own in Gameweek 2 as Harvey played his Bench Boost chip, earning 18 additional points from defenders, plus 10 points from Burnley’s Tom Heaton (£4.5m).

Sunderland v Middlesbrough - Premier League
Harvey Busby's bench boost earned him an extra 28 points in GW2

Despite Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.5m) missing out against Manchester City, Harvey’s Bench Boost was the most effective chip played in Gameweek 2, propelling his squad to the weekly prize and the top spot overall.

Harvey edged out both John Williamson and Alex Yerrell, who both deployed the Triple Captain chip on Aguero to earn 115-point Gameweek totals.

At the other end of the spectrum, Alex Leeman’s 'Goldilocks' squad suffered a punishing weekend.

His decision to bench Manchester City pair Aguero and Nolito (£8.9m), along with Hull City’s Eldin Jakupovic (£4.0m) and Curtis Davies (£5.0m), saw him miss out on 45 points from his bench – the biggest total left in reserve in Gameweek 2.

Latest Videos

More Videos

Video is currently not available.

21 Nov 2024

FPL Pod: Who are Man Utd's best picks under Amorim?

Sam Bonfield says Man Utd's tactics under new head coach Ruben Amorim will have implications for FPL managers

Your details have been submitted successfully.

You have already entered this competition. Please check your email for further information.

Your details have been submitted successfully.

Create a Premier League account

Continue

You are logged in as

Enter your details