Now, I already know exactly what you’re thinking – “It’s real points that count, not expected ones!”

And yes, you’re right, points win prizes and that’s why the real league table is the only one that matters.

But expected points (xPTS) are useful for football analysts because they can serve as a decent indicator of whether a team over or under-performed across the course of a season.

Expected points are calculated by comparing the quality of goalscoring chances a team makes (xG) and concedes (xGA) in every match throughout the campaign, and shows what the impact would have been on the team’s points total.

In theory, it measures how genuinely strong a team’s attacking and defensive performance was.

Roberto De Zerbi is hoping to raid his old club Brighton to charge up Tottenham Hotspur’s rebuild, with Carlos Baleba, Jan Paul van Hecke and Bart Verbruggen at the top of his transfer targets.

There is naturally an acceptance they may not get all of those, which is why Spurs are also looking at Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Manchester City’s James Trafford.

Tottenham are even considering a deal for John Stones in order to bring in some badly-needed leadership.

The club hierarchy are fully willing to back De Zerbi after negotiations that secured a “Hail Mary” appointment back in April to ultimately keep Tottenham in the Premier League. He naturally wants squad members that can quickly internalise his style, and sees the Brighton trio and “his players”.

Baleba is likely to prove the trickiest, given that Brighton want over £100m, and there is competition from Manchester United.

De Zerbi is also intent on a new goalkeeper despite Antonin Kinsky’s recent heroics, with Verbruggen knowing exactly how he plays.

The club meanwhile want to bring in both Van Hecke and Senesi as centre-back options. The highly-rated teenager Luka Vuskovic is expected to sign a new deal and then go back on loan to Hamburg, were he hugely impressed this season on the club’s return to the Bundesliga – finishing as the league’s highest-scoring defender with six goals, recording the best duel success rate in the division (69.1 per cent) and being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

Micky van de Ven meanwhile wants to stay, to form a strong centre-half line-up key to De Zerbi’s approach.

Stones would come under stronger consideration if any of the main targets fall through but De Zerbi realises the need for that kind of leadership, which is also why Spurs have sustained interest in Robertson following his emotional departure from Liverpool.

The club have already found that new opportunities have opened up now they’ve secured Premier League safety, which even extends to potential football leadership and executive roles.

Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain a super-middleweight world title when he returns to the ring in September, seeking to prove once again that he is the top dog in the 168lb division. Although, there is one world champion that the Mexican has admitted he will not face.

Canelo claimed all four of the super-middleweight world titles in just 11 months when he became the first undisputed super-middleweight champion of all time back in 2021, before defending those belts on four occasions.

Alvarez then became a two-time undisputed ruler by outpointing William Scull last year, but he lost all of his titles to Terence Crawford four months later, with the American’s retirement then causing the fragmentation of the undisputed throne.

Christian Mbilli was upgraded to the full WBC world champion, with Canelo scheduled to challenge ‘Solide’ in September, whilst the other straps now belong to Hamzah Sheeraz (WBO), Jaime Munguia (WBA) and Osleys Iglesias (IBF).

With this new set of champions, Canelo has one roadblock standing in the way of becoming undisputed at 168 once again. Speaking to Ring Magazine, Canelo declared that he will never rematch WBA champion Munguia, who recently joined Team Canelo and began training under Eddy Reynoso.

“I am not going to fight Munguia again. No. We are in the same team, we like Munguia, he is a great person. He works very hard, we are never going to fight again. 

“We are always looking for good fights, big fights, and I think there is other big fights out there.”

Munguia was trumped by Alvarez back in May 2024, that being the first and only time in his career that Canelo has defended a world title against a fellow Mexican.

Jarrod Bowen, who has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United, has sent a clear message on Instagram after West Ham were relegated

West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen has once again suggested he intends on bringing the Hammers back into the Premier League. Bowen found the net in side’s final match of the season.

Despite West Ham beating Leeds United 3-0, the 2023 Europa Conference League winners were relegated as a result of Tottenham beating Everton 1-0. Bowen was crestfallen when their first relegation since 2011 was confirmed.

When the match was ended, Bowen, who was recently linked with Manchester United, hit out at questions asking about his future in the capital. He then appeared to suggest he intends on returning to the Championship with West Ham.

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In his post-match interview, he said: “I’m under contract here. I’ve been here six and a half years. I’ve had some really high moments and this is a low moment that will outweigh everything.

“There’s going to be rumours, there’s going to be talk. Ultimately, what I see is getting this club back in the Premier League because that is where it deserves to be.”

Today, he seemed to reinforce this message by taking to Instagram and writing: “It’s hard to post something like this when all you’re feeling is embarrassment and pain.

“I could write loads trying to explain where it all went wrong this season, but honestly what you deserve from me is an apology. Winning that trophy in Prague was the best night of my career. Sunday was the worst.

“We just weren’t good enough. Simple as that. And that’s why the season ended the way it did. To the fans, you didn’t let us down once.

“The support home and away never changed, even when things weren’t good enough from us on the pitch. We should have given you more. You deserved more.

“One thing I know about this club is that it has the desire and fight to bounce back from this. This club belongs in the Premier League and deserves to be back there as soon as possible.”

Bowen’s deal at the London Stadium does not expire until 2030. With relegation widely predicted to inflict a £100million dent into West Ham’s revenues cost, Bowen has been tipped to be sold, as have his team-mates Mateus Fernandes and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Before the final round of Premier League fixtures, it was claimed by the Guardian United were pondering a move for the ex-Hull City ace, should the Hammers get relegated. Now their descent to the Championship is complete, many may be anticipating United to make an approach.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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Startup dynasty fantasy football drafts are ongoing, and redraft leagues will get cracking in three months. During those events, it might be a decent idea to take a flyer on Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason.

Mason’s RB2 case depends on volume, efficiency, and whether Aaron Jones finally gives up touches.

The veteran tailback is on tap for RB1-RB2 duty in 2026, and he made a list of potential “sleepers” published by Fansided last week.

Minnesota’s Backfield Could Create Real Fantasy Value

Mason could be an undercover stud in 2026.

Fansided: Mason Is a Fantasy Sleeper

Justin Carter at Fansided tossed out eight sleepers for your upcoming drafts, and on Mason, he explained, “Mason’s first season with the Minnesota Vikings was solid. He rushed for a career-high six touchdowns and came close to his previous career high in rushing yards despite playing just 44 percent of Minnesota’s offensive snaps, with Aaron Jones serving as the team’s lead back for the 12 games Jones was healthy and active for.”

“Now, Jones is a year older. He has over 1,500 career carries. He missed time last year with a variety of injuries. And he’s backed up by one of, IMO, one of the best backup running backs in the league. This is a situation where fantasy managers could get a massive reward if the Vikings end up using Mason as the starting running back at some point.”

Mason was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings’ rushing offense last year, especially early in the season.

Carter continued, “There’s one issue that caps his upside a bit, though: he’s a complete non-factor as a receiver. Mason had 159 carries last year, but just 16 targets. That’s, uhh, a pretty big disparity, and it wasn’t a result of game planning.”

“Jones had 132 carries — fewer than Mason due to missing five games — but was still targeted 41 times. Still, in standard and even half-PPR, Mason is a great player to throw a dart at later in your fantasy draft.”

His 2025 Output

How productive was Mason in Year No. 1 with the Vikings? Quite is the answer. He logged 159 carries for 758 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, paydirts that were ultra-refreshing because the 2024 Vikings almost refused to score rushing touchdowns altogether. Mason also caught 14 passes for 51 yards, a modest mark.

His problem? Attention. Touches. Emphasis. Like this year, Minnesota has Aaron Jones lined up to share the RB1-RB2 workload, a one-two punch of experience and dependability. Jones isn’t the type of guy teams put on the bench, so the pair basically coexist.

Had Mason been granted the touch load of an RB1 — like Travis Etienne, for example, in Jacksonville — in the arena of 260 rushing attempts, here’s what Mason’s stat line would look like:

— 260 Carries
— 1,239 Rushing Yards
— 4.8 Yards/Carry
— 10 Touchdowns
— 23 Receptions
— 83 Receiving Yards

He Just Needs Carries and Touches

When the offseason began in January, a large faction of Vikings fans expected the club to release Jones, who battled injuries in 2025 — and battles some form of injury nearly every season. Jones will be 32 this winter, and age-32 running backs aren’t often hot commodities.

But Jones accepted a paycut to stay in Minnesota, keeping in the mix for 2026. That flattened Mason’s broad outlook this season. Had Jones departed, Mason would’ve been the next man up by default and possibly a bellcow RB1.

Until it happens, Mason will encounter a familiar narrative: the guy just needs more rushing attempts. When he gets the ball, he chips off about 5 yards per carry. He can’t blossom as a true-blue RB1 unless he gets 200-300 carries.

The Fansided theory evidently operates on the pretense that Mason will get closer to RB1 duty, rather than the shared setup on the docket right now.

RotoBaller‘s Patrick McGrath on Mason: “With a healthier offensive line and improved quarterback play, his second season with the Vikings could be marginally more productive even if his role remains largely unchanged.”

“At 27 years old, Mason is RotoBaller’s dynasty RB52, and while the breakout calls have quieted, he is still capable of playing out the final year of his contract as an occasional flex option with notable insurance upside.”

Other Vikings Sleepers?

For fantasy football sake, the Vikings don’t have too many sleepers — everyone already knows that Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and Kyler Murray are draftable.

But if push came to shove for a Vikings-themed fantasy sleeper list, it would probably look like this:

Second-year pass-catcher Tai Felton could bloom, too, but the probability of that shrank when interim general manager Rob Brzezinski signed Jennings.

Mason turned 27 on Sunday.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Widely touted as one of the best managers in Premier League history, Pep Guardiola has stepped down from his role at the helm of Manchester City on May 26. After ten glorious years, during which the 55-year-old oversaw 593 games – more than any other in the club’s history – fans said goodbye to Guardiola at a trophy parade and after-party.

Introduced by Update 3 in Build a Ring Farm, the Striped Starfruit is a valuable crop that belongs to the Exotic rarity. All players can obtain it for their farm without making seed rerolls because it has replaced the Horned Melon in the Seed Collector. A single unit of Striped Starfruit has a base sale value higher than most of the other Exotic-rarity crops, including Kiwi, Moonflower, and Passion Fruit.

Here’s everything to know about the Striped Starfruit in Build a Ring Farm.

Getting the Striped Starfruit seed in Build a Ring Farm

There are a couple of ways to get the Striped Starfruit. Primarily, it can be acquired from the Seed Collector machine in the middle of the map. Any player can submit seeds in this machine, earn points, and reach milestones to unlock rewards.

A total of 180,000 points have to be earned to acquire a single Striped Starfruit seed. Notably, the rarity, level, and mutation of a seed submitted in the Seed Collector affect the number of earned points. You can easily gain thousands of points by depositing mutated seeds belonging to the Secret rarity.

Only 60,000 points can be amassed in a day. If you attempt to gain more points, the machine will refuse to accept any seeds.

To submit any seed, equip it, approach the Seed Collector, and hold the E key. The deposited seed will be converted into points. A bar at the top of the machine will move to indicate your progress to the final reward, which is the Striped Starfruit.

Another method to get Striped Starfruit is the Trucker Event. When the event is active, the Trucker NPC arrives in a red truck and surveys the farms of all players on the server. It then grades these farms according to their number of upgrades, rarity of crops, and overall production value.

Trucker gives rewards based on the grades given to the farms. If you get an S+ rank, there is a high likelihood of the NPC rewarding you with rare seeds and items, such as the Cosmic Spray, Super Fertilizer, and Striped Starfruit seed.

Also check: How to get Cash fast in Build a Ring Farm

Details of the Striped Starfruit in Build a Ring Farm

A Striped Starfruit plant produces round fruits with green and yellow colors. At Level 1 and when possessing no mutations, a single unit of Striped Starfruit sells for a whopping 130,000 Cash. You can increase its sale value by using Cash on upgrades as well as sprays that offer mutations.

Cosmic mutation currently gives the highest multiplier. Apply this mutation on the Striped Starfruit by using a Cosmic Spray, which is an item purchasable from the Gear Shop and Plant Rush shop.

Compared to other Exotic-rarity crops, the Striped Starfruit is average. Its base sale value is surpassed by Pepper, Trucker’s Delight, Void Fruit, and Dragonfruit.

Also check: How to get limited Kitsune pet in Build a Ring Farm

FAQs on Build a Ring Farm

What is the rarity of Striped Starfruit?

This seed is of Exotic rarity.

How do I get the Striped Starfruit seed?

This seed can be acquired from the Seed Collector and as a reward from the Trucker Event.

What is the base sale value of a unit of Striped Starfruit?

A unit of Striped Starfruit has a sale value of 130,000 Cash.