Team of the Week – Matchday 1 ESPN Fantasy Football
The season has kicked off! With over 85,000 participants, the first season of ESPN Fantasy Football is officially underway. And as with every Fantasy game, Monday naturally brings the Team of the Week. Looking at the eleven top scorers from Matchday 1, three things stand out: the established stars are living up to their reputations, Schreuderball is off to a spectacular start, and in Friesland, the early optimism has taken a hit.
In the opening round, it paid off to put your trust in the familiar faces. Joey Veerman (1 goal and 2 assists against Sparta – value €8.0M) and Tjaronn Chery (goal, assist, and clean sheet against Excelsior – €6.5M) immediately showed why they’re consistent point-scorers in games like this.
Up front, Wout Weghorst (€8.0M), Troy Parrott (€8.0M), and Koki Ogawa (€6.0M) led the line—each a proven striker in the Eredivisie. Add Ivan Perisic (€9.5M) and Sem Steijn (€11.0M), who have carried their strong form from last season into the new campaign, and you’ve got a midfield and attack in the Team of the Week that’s a celebration of familiarity.
Red-green spectacle in Nijmegen
Chery and Ogawa are joined in this team by teammate Gonzalo Crettaz (4.0M). The Argentine goalkeeper, who arrived from Castellón together with coach Dick Schreuder, immediately impressed against Excelsior with several fine saves.
With Heracles (away), NAC (home) and Fortuna Sittard (away) coming up, NEC seems well positioned to benefit from a favorable start for the time being.
Disappointment in Friesland
At first glance, Matchday 1 in the Eredivisie offered few major surprises. After a solid pre-season, expectations were high for sc Heerenveen, but at home against newly promoted FC Volendam, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Particularly for the 23.4% of participants who picked Dylan Vente (€6.5M), it was a letdown. With uncertainty surrounding the striker positions at PSV (Pepi–Pléa), Ajax (Weghorst–Brobbey), Feyenoord (Ueda–Tengstedt) and AZ (Parrott–Meerdink), Vente, with his guaranteed starting spot, seemed like a safe choice.
That he managed only one failed shot attempt on home turf was therefore a disappointment. In the Derby of the North next weekend, many Fantasy managers will be hoping for his redemption.
New round, new opportunities
This Friday marks the start of a new matchday in the Eredivisie. Keep an eye on our articles throughout the week on ESPN and the Eredivisie website for extra tips and tricks.
And don’t forget: every Thursday you can catch the weekly ESPN Fantasy Voetbal Show on ESPN or YouTube, and follow the Fantasy Voetbal account on Instagram.
Reminder: the new deadline is Friday at 19:55.
Missed the first matchday? No problem! You can still start a subleague with your friends, family, or colleagues.
Read more
