Fantasy Football: Ben Iwanowytsch Q&A

Gameweek eight gets underway this evening (23 October 2026), with Ipswich taking on Nottingham Forest at 8pm.

This gives Insurance Times Fantasy Football League managers until 18.30 tonight to lock in their transfers for the gameweek.

Before the gameweek gets underway, Insurance Times thought it would speak to a manager whose results have landed him in the top three in the Fantasy league.

Verlingue’s Ben Iwanowytsch currently sits second with 540 points, just two away from first. And his performances this season have seen him consistenly remain in the top 10.

1. Congratulations on your performance so far, what has been the key to a solid start this year?

I think I have started strong partly due to me being aggressive with my chips early in the season. My star week was in gameweek 2 when I bench boosted, that got me an extra 29 points and I finished on 143 points, which was top 5,000 for that gameweek.

Apart from that, consistency has been key. I have tried to learn from my mistakes last year and pick the right captain each week, which has made a huge difference.

2. What are the key decisions to make ahead of gameweek 8?

I think Chelsea will score a lot of goals in the upcoming games and I can see Cole Palmer running the show. Yet a key decision for me in the main is having patience to listen to all the transfer talk and stay resilient and build my transfers up so I have flexibility in the upcoming gameweeks.

3. Who would you call out as an under-rated player for everyone’s Fantasy squad?

I think Nicolas Jackson is a complete striker and will be a star player for Aston Villa in their rebuild, so I think he will shine as the season continues.

I also think Alexis MacAllister has been one of Liverpool’s best player this season and is now picking up G/A, so could be good differential pick.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Jeremy Doku. I think he has been unstoppable and I think he’s on for a dominant season.

4. Who or what would you like to call out in the insurance industry?

I think I’m doing a very early call out for all insurers who compete in Verlingue’s annual charity football tournament.

We’ve got our sights set on the winners shield next year so consider it a fair warning to the competition. It’s a fantastic event that brings the industry together for a great cause but come September 2027, we’re determined to have Verlingue’s name on that trophy.