Fantasy Football: A Q&A with editor Katie Scott and her husband

Gameweek 32 begins this Saturday afternoon, as Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace to the Ethiad Stadium.

With just seven gameweeks left, there is limited chance for managers to climb – or fall – in the table, so managers should make sure they are focused on the remaining fixtures to finish as high as they can.

And the upcoming gameweek presents an opportunity for managers to gain more points than usual, given Newcastle and Crystal Place are playing twice.

So, this weekend could see some big swings in the Insurance Times Fantasy Football league. And ahead of the gameweek, I decided to ask editor Katie Scott if she had any tips for managers.

Scott currently sits 331st in the league, but in recent weeks has secured points that rival those in the top 20.

However, upon asking Scott to do this Q&A, it was revealed that her husband, Dan Scott, has been managing her team! And he very kindly offered his advice to managers for the upcoming gameweek.

1. What are the key decisions to make ahead of GW32?

It’s key to look forward and have a strategy for the next three game weeks. GW32 and GW33 are both double game weeks, while GW34 is a blank week for four teams.

If you fill your team with players doubling in GW32/33, you need to look ahead to how you will be managing those players blanking in GW34, especially if you don’t have a Free Hit or Wildcard to use.

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

Mateta (Crystal Palace) has two double game weeks, but has only been selected by 17.7% of managers compared to the 60.3% of managers who have gone with Isak (Newcastle).

Crystal Palace have some tough fixtures, but I would expect Mateta to get minutes, especially against Man City with Nketiah out suspended. I’d be surprised if Mateta didn’t add to his 13 goal tally this season.

3. Who or what would you like to call out in the insurance industry? – answered by Katie Scott

I would like to give a shout out to my fabulous editorial colleagues at Insurance Times and the hard work they put in every day. As many of our readers know, we have grown our headcount in recent months and it has been brilliant building out my team – we have a lot of plans and ambitions for the year ahead.

I am passionate about the role of the trade press, which is very distinct from national journalism. We act as the insurance industry’s critical friend – sharing best practice, offering opportunities for collaboration, unearthing and detailing trends to inform decision-making and making challenges on certain issues, where appropriate.

For this year, a key focus for us is the talent challenge across the sector in terms of attraction, retention, talent development and succession pipelines. We’ll be looking to support the industry here with some new projects, so watch this space!