In a new column Joe Townsend gives his verdict of who is best to pick for Last Man Standing, doubling up as acca tips and swerves.
What Is Last Man Standing?
For the uninitiated it makes sense to start with describing what this game, and therefore this article, actually is.
For those already in WhatsApp groups where Last Man Standing chat dominates, sorry for wasting your time.
The concept is a simple one: pick one team to win each week and keep going until everyone else is knocked out.
Usually there's a buy-in in the same way a sweepstake works, so the bigger the group the bigger the payout.
Each week, you choose a team you think will win. If they win, you’re through. Lose or draw and you’re out.
You can only pick each team once, which is where the tactics come in.
Do you keep backing the strongest clubs every week until you run out and hope for the best? Look a week or two ahead and save a strong team for when there's very little on offer?
It seems easy to start with but choices soon dry up, and you're bound to have shock results in there too. Before you know it a few (or even just one) of your mates is rooting for everyone's teams to lose so they can buy back in for a second game.
How does Last Man Standing work?
- Decide the leagues included
- Set a deadline
- Each pick a team to win
- Winners survive
- No repeat selections
- Last man standing wins
Basically, don't get knocked out.
Each week I'll run through the obvious picks and make a case for or against.
As the season goes on, and people are more likely to have used up the obvious teams, I'll try and dig out a few more obscure options but the column itself won't change hugely to allow for new Last Man games.
For the purposes of this column we'll stick to matches in the Premier League and EFL until the FA Cup third round.
Who should I pick in Last Man Standing this week?
The opening round of EFL matches proved that in the early part of the season we should be wary of odds-on favourites.
An unusual quirk of the fixture list meant there were only eight teams odds-on a week ago.
Of those eight only four won, one of which came via a stoppage-time goal. Two were beaten, with another only avoiding defeat through a very fortunate 93rd-minute penalty.
There are 23 teams shorter than even money this weekend, boosted by the start of the Premier League, which brings its own challenge of knowing who to back and to keep hold of.
ARSENAL are the standout on the schedule and come with the added bonus of playing on Friday night, meaning you are likely to be able to enjoy watching everyone else sweat after the Gunners inevitably sweep Coventry aside.
It's hard to argue with MANCHESTER UNITED against another newly-promoted team in Hull either.
Tactically it may be better to keep hold of both of these teams for future weeks, especially with there being so many strong options in the EFL, but the name of the game is to stay in it.
Teams to hold on to
Tempting as it may be to dive straight into blindly backing Premier League favourites, there are far too many unknowns in Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea's opening fixtures.
All six managers take charge of their first league game with their new clubs, enough to put me off without even considering extra factors such as Fulham against Chelsea being a derby.
The EFL options
If you do want to play it cute early on then there are a host of other options in the EFL. While each should win they all have caveats that make me more comfortable to sit on them for future weeks.
Southampton showed everything is not perfect post-Spygate by conceding twice early and losing 2-1 at Watford.
Leicester failed to beat newly-promoted Notts County, with Russell Martin's football usually taking a while to bed in. This weekend's opponents Burton thrived against League One’s better sides last season.
In recent years teams coming up from League Two have had a remarkably strong record in the opening weeks and it continued last weekend as they went undefeated, picking up eight points. That's enough to be wary of Luton - who came from 3-0 down to beat Reading 4-3 - against Notts County.
Stockport began with a thumping win at promotion rivals Plymouth and are certainly a team worth considering. Blackpool have made big improvements under Ian Evatt over the past 10 months and were unfortunate to only draw with Wycombe. There will be better weeks to back the Hatters.
On opening weekend in League Two, Bristol Rovers came out on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller at York while Newport thrashed Rochdale 3-0. There have been plenty of examples of teams finishing a season in incredible form under a new coach then struggling to pick up where they left off in the next, so it's perhaps worth reassessing Steve Evans’ men after a couple more games.
West Ham ought to be a banker later in the season and I suspect this weekend lots will be rushing to get them into an accumulator.
They have shown plenty of vulnerability already by going 1-0 down at home to Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup and throwing away a 2-0 lead at Burnley late on to draw 2-2.
With lots of squad changes ongoing and faced with a local derby against a street-wise Charlton they scream potential coupon buster to me.
In League Two, Swindon's collapse in the second half of last season and Cheltenham's rise under Steve Cotterill makes this a complete avoid.
At the same price Port Vale host former boss Darrell Clarke and Tranmere, who started the campaign under their wily new manager with a comfortable win. Clarke thrives on being the underdog and his team could be one to watch this season.
Odds correct 12:00 BST (19/8/26)
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