A View From The Virtual Dugout – A Midseason Fantasy Football Review
As the first half of the Premier League season draws to a close, there comes an opportunity for all football fans to reflect on the current season – a season like none other. The same can be said for Fantasy Football managers, like ourselves at Jargon PR, to look back on the highs, lows, successes, and failures of the first half of the 2020/21 Fantasy Premier League season.
Jargon PRsenal was a team destined to deliver so much, but a modest first half to the season sees us taking a seat in the middle of the road. Of the 175 teams currently participating in the Tech JPR league, we have felt the almighty highs of riding in the top ten for a number of early weeks, and the devastating lows of free falling to 120th.
As the mid-season approaches, Jargon PRsenal have middled out, sitting comfortably in the top 100 at 90th position, but well within reach of the top 50, and the ever-illusive top spot. In a tightly packed league, it only takes one standout performance or a strategically played ‘triple captain’ to boost you up the standings tenfold. However, a poor decision or an underperformance can see you drop lower than you could have imagined.
The Jargon PRsenal season so far
There have been a number of high points for Jarong PRsenal in their inaugural season in the Tech JPR division. An early four goal haul from captain Son Heung-Min and additional goal for Harry Kane for Tottenham Hotspurs away at Southampton saw Jargon PRsenal rake in an impressive 100+ points round in the early stages.
Harry Kane and Son, the deadly duo, have been consistently performing for Jargon PRsenal, and can be considered to be the main breadwinners in terms of bringing the points in. However, standout performances from Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Chelsea’s goal-scoring centre half Kurt Zouma have all been a welcome addition to the Jargon PRsenal squad.
The biggest issue this season is that there have been too many inconsistencies. In the same vein as the year we’ve had, the Premier League has become unpredictable and ferociously volatile – one week you’re riding high, the next you’re dragged back down to earth. Underperforming Arsenal and Sheffield United made up part of the early Jargon PRsenal squad. However, their lack of point scoring and unpredictability in front of goal and in defence made it unsustainable to keep them as part of the squad.
What to expect in the second half of the season
A number of good results have seen Jargon PRsenal steady the ship, and pick up some good points along the way. A rise in form for Aston Villa has been a welcome addition to the Jargon squad, introducing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, central defender Tyrone Mings, and continuing with creative playmaker Jack Grealish.
The introduction of Jan Bednarek and James Ward-Prowse from high flying Southampton, and ever dangerous Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha should see a higher number of points gained for Jargon PRsenal, helping to climb the table and begin the search for top spot.
Inconsistencies are beginning to blight the squad, so it looks unlikely that Manchester City’s Riyadh Mahrez, or Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tariq Lamptey will maintain their squad positions in the next couple of weeks.
There’s no doubt that twists and turns are on their way for the Jargon PR Fantasy Football squad. Arsenal will undoubtedly begin to overturn their midseason slump, picking up a number of points, and lowly Burnley and Fulham are also looking to turn their season around, so players from these sides should never be written off being drafted in to ‘bring home the bacon’.
