Eliteserien Fantasy: Tips & Strategy for Gameweek 1 & Beyond
The Eliteserien season kicks off this weekend and with it comes the launch of Eliteserien Fantasy. However, this year’s start presents a unique challenge for fantasy managers, with several blank gameweeks and double gameweeks already on the horizon.
Five teams will have double gameweeks within the first six rounds, with one team facing two of them. This early complexity demands careful squad planning from the outset.
Sarpsborg 08 and Bodø/Glimt are without a fixture in the opening round, scheduled for . Round two sees Bodø/Glimt, HamKam, Lillestrøm, and Kristiansund also sidelined.
The immediate question for fantasy managers is whether to invest in Bodø/Glimt players, knowing they’ll be on the bench for the first two rounds. Similarly, can managers afford to exclude Lillestrøm players, despite their upcoming double gameweek in round four?
“I won’t have any Bodø/Glimt players in my team from round one,” says Dagfinn Thon, Eliteserien Fantasy expert and the individual responsible for setting player prices, to Dagbladet. “They don’t have a game in the first two rounds, and it simply won’t work. It’s impossible to have such good players and so much money on the bench.”
The strategic considerations extend to Lillestrøm. Thon notes, “LSK is a real headache. I’d like to have Lillestrøm players for their double gameweek in round four, and for their game against Aalesund. I want to include some from Lillestrøm, but the blank gameweek makes it difficult to include as many as I’d initially planned.”
One approach is to start with three or two Lillestrøm players, benching them in round two, and capitalizing on their double gameweek in round four. This allows for potential inclusion of three players from Tromsø as well.
“I recommend starting with at least one defender from LSK, and two from Tromsø,” Thon advises. “The most important is Leo Cornic (6.5 defender). He and Zlatko Tripić (12.0 midfielder) are locked into my team. They’re simply must-haves. I’d also include Alexander Warneryd (6.0 defender) to have the option of using the ‘Park the Bus’ chip.”
The possibility of an early Wildcard deployment is also being considered. Dropping both Lillestrøm and Bodø/Glimt players for the first two rounds could be a viable strategy. This would allow for a Wildcard in round three, bringing in players to capitalize on the double gameweeks.
“I think many will leverage a Wildcard in round three,” Thon predicts. “I’m tempted to wait until round five to bring in three Bodø/Glimt players for their double gameweek in round six, along with players from Tromsø, Brann, and Start.”
Looking ahead, round six features double gameweeks for Bodø/Glimt, Brann, Start, and Tromsø. This further complicates team selection and chip strategy.
Thon highlights potential value picks, including Kasper Høgh (11.5 attacker), Jens Petter Hauge (10.5 midfielder), and Fredrik Bjørkan (6.5 defender). However, he cautions against overspending on certain players.
“Patrick Berg (9.0 midfielder) is slightly underrated. People think he’s expensive, and he is, but he plays 90 minutes every game, gets plenty of assists and bonus points, and has a good shooting ability. He also takes set pieces.”
He expresses more caution regarding Brann’s players, noting that key performers from previous seasons are no longer in the starting lineup.
“Noah Holm (7.5 attacker) has potential, but hasn’t consistently been a goalscorer. Felix Horn Myhre (7.5 midfielder) is a good player, but not necessarily a great Fantasy pick. In the absence of better options, I’ve included him in my team. I also have Denzel De Roeve (6.0 defender) at the moment.”
Zlatko Tripić, however, is considered a non-negotiable asset. “It’s crazy. He’s scored 53 goals in his last 53 Eliteserien games. You simply have to have him.”
Potential under-the-radar picks include KFUM’s Jonas Hjorth (5.0 defender) and Sander Sjøkvist (5.0 defender), as well as Teodor Haltvik (5.0 midfielder).
This year, the opening gameweek deadline is unique. Due to the league’s 10-year anniversary, the deadline is . This allows managers to make changes even after the first game, HamKam versus Viking, has begun.
“If Zlatko Tripić scores before 4:10 PM, you can bring him in, and his points will count, even if he wasn’t in your team at kickoff.”
From round two onwards, the deadline will revert to five minutes before the scheduled start of the first game of the round.
Several Eliteserien players have also shared their preferred picks from their own teams, offering further insight for fantasy managers.
The opening round fixtures are: HamKam vs. Viking, Molde vs. Rosenborg, Kristiansund vs. Brann, Aalesund vs. Lillestrøm, KFUM vs. Start, Vålerenga vs. Sandefjord, and Tromsø vs. Fredrikstad.