Fantasy Football: Insurance Times’ Harry McNeil Q&A

That’s October finished then, with the Premier League’s standings starting to take a form that may resemble what they look like at the end of the season. 

The Insurance Times Fantasy Football League is also entering is third month of the season, with top managers from the insurance industry throwing down the gauntlet. 

Before gameweek seven gets started this evening with Fulham’s visit to Bournemouth, Insurance Times thought it would be good to speak to its very own senior reporter Harry McNeil, who found himself in the top 10 managers for October and placed 18th overall in the league. 

1. Congrats on being in the top 10 managers for September, how do you rate your chances of being there again for October?

If I stick to my strategy – it’s top secret – then I’ll have every chance of being in the top 10 by the end of this month. I’ve only got three gameweeks to mess it up, so I should hold steady in my ambition to win not only the Insurance Times league but the whole fantasy football league.

My team is looking great at the moment and I’ve stacked up three transfers going into this week, with no plans to make a transfer. This means I’ll have four off the back of the international break, so I should be very versatile.

2. What are the key decisions to make ahead of GW6?

I think there are some fixtures this week that could really swing the balance of who scores points and who doesn’t, including the Chelsea v Liverpool match that has high ownership of both teams’ assets.

Arsenal v West Ham will also be big and Arsenal assets will clearly be growing in popularity soon. I can’t imagine anything other than a win for them. However, I will hold off for the moment to see who the standout picks are from the in-form team – I do like the look of Gyokeres.

Whoever wins between Everton and Crystal Palace could also significantly swing the outcome, so selecting players from those teams could be key.

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

I don’t own him, but I have been really looking at Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace. He’s cheap, not very highly owned and in an in-form team. In the games he has played, he has scored points in all of them.

In my team, Enzo Fernandez is a bit of a rogue pick, being that he plays a little bit deeper than other midfielders, but he’s scoring points for the McNeil Deal, so I can’t complain. I couldn’t care less how deep he is or how much I hate Chelsea.

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

Insurance United Against Dementia (IUAD) is a great cause. Also, shout out to anyone I have interviewed recently – thanks for lending your time. Another big shout out to the whole industry, which has been incredibly welcoming in my first six months at Insurance Times.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the colour and fun of an industry that which is generally considered to be a bit boring.