The Importance of a Quality Bench

The Wigan - Bolton match being frozen off at the end of gameweek 18 brings home a reminder of the importance of having a bench with players who are capable of contributing points if they become needed. With some notable injuries to a few marque players (ala Fabregas) having a solid line up of quality substitute players becomes even more pressing.

Compounding this are the frankly bizarre results coming out of the top of the table sides lately. It seems if you are at the top earn 1 or fewer EPL points, while the bottom sides earn 3. This makes some lower team players worthy of a high risk / high return investments. Ben Haim and Hreidarsson have made some points over the last four gameweeks as Portsmouth have started to swing their season around. In fact, over the last 4 gameweeks, Portsmouth have earned more points than Chelsea. Avram Grant seems to be working his magic at the coast.

Similarly Wolves have had a good run of it lately, particularly Jody Craddock in the defence. At £4.2m, his 46 points earned in the last 8 weeks mean he is in fine form indeed. On paper Wolves' fixtures aren't great over the next two weeks, but against a vunerable looking Liverpool anything might happen. Again, as a budget defender he makes a good choice.

For those with a little more cash to splash, Villa's Carlos Cuellar is probably the best choice. Still at a bargain £5.5m, he has played all bu 91 minutes this season, has bought home 7 bonus points, and more importantly has cashed in as Villa kept 4 consecutive clean sheets. Aston Villa's fixture list is stiffening somewhat between now and February however, with matches against Arsenal twice, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United, as well as Wigan, West Ham and Fulham.

Regardless of which players you choose to add to your squad, you should always have at least a couple of players there who will take the field for their teams should you need them. That way bizarre weather or wacky team-lines will not impact on the team greatly. A good EPL fantasy football manager mitigates that kind of risk. For great success!