Eliteserien Fantasy 2026 Round 18 Preview

Eliteserien Fantasy round 18 tips: best buys, captain picks and differentials

Round 18 of Eliteserien Fantasy 2026 is a blank round. Only seven matches are played, because Bodø/Glimt and Start have no fixture. That single fact should shape almost every decision you make before the deadline on Friday 14 August at 17:55, when Rosenborg host Viking to open the round.

Everyone already knows they need Zlatko Tripic. The round is won and lost in the other ten spots — the cheap defender in a clean-sheet fixture, the 5.4m midfielder nobody owns, and the decision not to panic-sell your Bodø/Glimt block. That is what this preview is about.

The blank round: do not sell your Bodø/Glimt players

Bodø/Glimt and Start are both idle in round 18. With four bench slots and only one free transfer, the correct move for the vast majority of managers is to bench the blanking players, not sell them. Glimt come straight back in round 19 at home to Rosenborg with a 73% win probability and 2.87 projected goals — one of the strongest fixtures of the next four rounds.

The numbers back that up. Fredrik Sjøvold (7.8m, Bodø/Glimt) is the most-owned defender in the game at 38.8% and scores nothing this round, but his next five rounds read 4.7 → 4.3 → 4.5 → 3.5 → 5.4. Ole Blomberg (9.8m, Bodø/Glimt) is the standout: 5.9 → 5.8 → 5.9 → 5.1 → 6.8 from round 19 onwards. Selling either to cover one blank round is a bad trade when a second transfer costs 4 points.

The exception is Start's goalkeepers. Jasper Silva Torkildsen (3.9m) sits at 11.7% ownership and the model projects him at 0.0 in every round from 18 to 23 — he is not expected to play at all. That is a free transfer waiting to happen.

Round 18 fixtures: where the points are

Three home teams stand clear of the rest. Brann have the best all-round fixture in the round; Fredrikstad have the single highest clean-sheet probability.

Below that tier the round flattens out fast. Rosenborg - Viking on Friday night is close to a coin flip (37% home, 39% away) and neither side clears a 20% clean sheet. Molde host Tromsø at 42%, and Vålerenga travel to Aalesund at 42%. No fixture in round 18 goes above 62% — which matters for chip planning, see below.

Avoid loading up on Sandefjord, Hamarkameratene and Kristiansund assets entirely: all three are away at the round's three strongest home sides, with clean-sheet probabilities of 13%, 10% and 18%. Check the full slate on the Eliteserien Fantasy schedule and the underlying odds on the market probabilities page.

Goalkeepers: Fredrikstad's clean sheet is the play

Martin Børsheim (4.8m, Fredrikstad) is the top-projected keeper of the round at 4.00 points, driven by the highest clean-sheet probability on the card (34%) against a Kristiansund side projected for just 1.09 goals. At 4.8m he costs less than every 5.0m keeper projected below him.

If you want to save money, Leander Øy (4.3m, Sarpsborg 08) is the best value in the position: 3.80 points this round at 0.88 points per million — the best rate of any goalkeeper — and the steadiest six-round profile on the board (3.8, 3.1, 3.7, 3.5, 3.8, 3.5). Håvar Jenssen (3.8m, KFUM) is the enabler pick: the cheapest starting keeper in the game, 3.10 this round, and a six-round weighted score of 12.7 that beats four of the five 5.0m keepers.

One correlation play worth flagging: pairing Børsheim with a Fredrikstad defender doubles up on the same 34% clean sheet, and Fredrikstad's cheap back line makes it affordable. Mathias Dyngeland (5.0m, Brann) is the alternative if you would rather stack Brann.

Defenders: Soltvedt is both the safe pick and the best pick

Joachim Soltvedt (6.1m, Brann) carries the joint-highest projection of any player in the round at 5.80, and he is also the best defender over the planning horizon: 5.8 → 4.1 → 5.2 → 5.5 → 3.0 → 3.4, for a decay-weighted score of 17.2 — the highest of any defender in the game. He adds 0.16 projected goals and 0.27 assists on top of Brann's 33% clean sheet, which is why he outscores pure clean-sheet defenders. At 25% ownership he is not a differential, but at this price he is close to essential.

Daniel Eid (5.6m, Fredrikstad) at 5.20 is the second-best defender this round, but be clear about what you are buying: his run collapses to 2.4 and 1.7 in rounds 19 and 20. Treat him as a one-to-two round move, not a season hold.

Hidden gem: Kolbeinn Finnsson (5.1m, Vålerenga) is owned by 1.9% and delivers 4.00 this round before jumping to 6.2 in round 19, when Vålerenga host Molde at an 81% win probability. His weighted score of 14.0 is second among all defenders, and 88 projected minutes means no rotation worry. This is the best-value defensive buy on the board.

Budget defenders: Fredrik Holmé (4.4m, Fredrikstad) returns 4.10 at 0.93 points per million with 88 projected minutes — the position's best rate, and he is 1.5% owned. Anders Hiim (4.5m, Sarpsborg 08) is right behind at 4.00 and 0.89 per million, with a better six-round profile (weighted 11.7) if you want the cheap slot to hold. Jonas Lange Hjorth (4.8m, KFUM) is the long-game version: only 3.60 now, but 13.7 weighted with a 5.0 spike in round 21.

Midfielders: the round's best attacking pick is 4.7% owned

Sondre Sørli (6.5m, Sarpsborg 08) is the story of round 18. He carries the highest projection of any attacking player on the card at 5.80, with 0.33 projected goals and 0.22 assists at home to a Sandefjord side given a 13% clean sheet. He is owned by just 4.7%. Over six rounds his weighted score of 18.4 is third among all midfielders, behind only players costing 12.6m and 6.6m. If you make one aggressive move this week, make it this one.

Zlatko Tripic (12.6m, Viking) remains the template anchor at 65.6% ownership. His 5.60 this round is the weakest fixture of his run (away at Rosenborg), but his weighted score of 23.9 is the highest of any player in the game, and he takes 93% of Viking's penalties. Hold — and note that his ceiling rounds are 19 and 21 (8.0 and 7.8), when Viking host Aalesund and Kristiansund at 84% and 82%.

Differential: Niklas Castro (8.1m, Brann) is on 5.50 with 0.26 projected goals and 0.33 assists, plays in the best fixture of the round, and takes 88% of Brann's penalties — and only 3.2% of managers own him. That combination of penalty duty, the round's top fixture and near-zero ownership is rare.

Felix Va (6.4m, Lillestrøm) at 5.30 is the reliable mid-price hold (weighted 18.1). One caution on Lucas Ravn-Haren (6.6m, Vålerenga): his 5.50 projection is excellent and round 19 reads 8.0, but 69 projected minutes flags rotation risk. If he starts he is a top-five pick, so check the predicted line-ups for Eliteserien Fantasy before locking him in.

Budget midfielders: Bilal Njie (5.4m, KFUM) is the best cheap buy in the game right now — 4.70 this round at 0.87 points per million, 16.2 weighted over six rounds, and 0.2% ownership. Endre Osenbroch (4.7m, Aalesund) has the highest points-per-million of any midfielder at 0.96, and the model assigns him Aalesund's full penalty share. Andreas Nibe (5.2m, Sarpsborg 08) at 4.40 is the third route into that Sarpsborg attack, at 0.1% ownership.

Forwards: Brann and Viking, then a gap

Noah Holm (7.6m, Brann) tops the position at 5.20 with 0.46 projected goals, in the round's strongest fixture. Peter Christiansen (10.6m, Viking) is the premium hold at 5.10 and a weighted 22.6, second only to Tripic; his rounds 19 and 21 both project 7.6.

Thomas Lehne Olsen (8.0m, Lillestrøm) at 5.10 carries the highest goal projection in the round at 0.47, and Daniel Seland Karlsbakk (8.8m, Sarpsborg 08) is on 5.00 with 0.45 goals plus 93% of Sarpsborg's penalties in that strong home fixture.

Below the 8m bracket the picks are thinner. Kristian Hemmingsen Lonebu (6.3m, Aalesund) at 4.80 and Henrik Langaas Skogvold (6.7m, Fredrikstad) at 4.70 are the two mid-price forwards worth owning. There is no cheap forward worth recommending this round: the best option under 6.0m projects at 2.50, which is why most squads should run a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 shape and spend the money in midfield instead.

Captain picks for round 18

The joint-highest projection in the round belongs to a defender (Soltvedt, 5.80), but captaincy is about ceiling, so the armband should go to an attacker.

1. Sondre Sørli (6.5m, Sarpsborg 08) — 5.80. The top attacking projection on the card, at home, against the weakest defence of the round. The best combination of expected points and low ownership available.
2. Zlatko Tripic (12.6m, Viking) — 5.60. The safe choice. Penalties, 84 projected minutes and the highest six-round weighted score in the game. If you want to protect your rank rather than chase it, this is the pick.
3. Niklas Castro (8.1m, Brann) — 5.50. The differential armband: the round's best fixture plus 88% penalty share, owned by 3.2%.

Noah Holm (5.20) is the fourth option if you already own the Brann attack. Look further ahead before committing: round 19 gives Viking a home game at an 84% win probability, so Tripic and Christiansen are the natural captains next round — which strengthens the case for owning at least one of them now.

Who to sell before the deadline

These are widely-owned players whose projections have collapsed. None of them are worth a bench slot.

• Henrik Falchener (6.3m, Viking) — 24.6% owned and projected for zero minutes in round 18. His weighted six-round score is 2.4. The clearest sell in the game.
• Henrik Udahl (5.8m, Hamarkameratene) — 28.1% owned, only 55 projected minutes, not expected to start, and away at Brann. 2.10 points projected.
• Jasper Silva Torkildsen (3.9m, Start) — 11.7% owned, blanks this round and projects 0.0 in every round through 23.
• Dino Islamovic (8.0m, Rosenborg) — 10.5% owned, zero projected minutes, and 8.0m of your budget frozen.
• Bård Finne (6.3m, Brann) — 10% owned but only 15 projected minutes; take the Brann attack through Holm or Castro instead.

Two softer calls. Leo Cornic (6.3m, Tromsø) is 29% owned and projected for no minutes this round, but returns to 3.0-4.5 from round 19 — bench rather than sell if you can afford the slot. And Emil Breivik (7.7m, Molde) at 51.5% ownership is the biggest downgrade opportunity in the game: 4.10 this round and 12.8 weighted, against Sørli's 18.4 for 1.2m less.

Chips: hold them for round 19

Round 18 is the wrong week for Rich Uncle or Attack! Attack!. Only seven matches are played, and no team in the round clears a 62% win probability. Round 19 is dramatically better: Viking host Aalesund at 84% with 3.45 projected goals, Vålerenga host Molde at 81% with 3.19, and Bodø/Glimt host Rosenborg at 73% with 2.87. If you are planning a chip, that is the round to target. You can test any chip line-up against the live solver on the optimal teams page for Eliteserien Fantasy, which rebuilds the best legal squad from current projections every time you load it.

Transfer summary

With one free transfer, the priority order is: remove a non-playing high-ownership asset first (Falchener, Udahl, Torkildsen), then upgrade into Sørli, Castro or Finnsson. Keep your Bodø/Glimt players on the bench rather than taking a hit to move them. Full per-round numbers for every player are on the Eliteserien Fantasy player picks page, and you can compare expected starters on the predicted line-ups page.

More Eliteserien analysis is in our Eliteserien Fantasy preview hub, including the earlier round 13 preview. New to the game? Start with our fantasy football guides, then check the match probabilities and the fixture schedule for the rounds ahead.

FAQ

Who should I captain in Eliteserien Fantasy round 18?

Sondre Sørli (6.5m, Sarpsborg 08) is the top pick with 5.80 projected points, the highest of any attacking player in the round, at home against a Sandefjord side rated at just a 13% clean sheet. Zlatko Tripic (12.6m, Viking) at 5.60 is the safer template armband thanks to his 93% penalty share, and Niklas Castro (8.1m, Brann) at 5.50 is the differential option in the round's best fixture.

Which teams blank in Eliteserien Fantasy round 18?

Bodø/Glimt and Start have no fixture in round 18 — only seven matches are played. Bench those players rather than selling them: Glimt return in round 19 at home to Rosenborg with a 73% win probability and 2.87 projected goals, and both Fredrik Sjøvold and Ole Blomberg project strongly from round 19 onwards.

What are the best differentials for Eliteserien Fantasy round 18?

Bilal Njie (5.4m, KFUM) is owned by 0.2% and projects 4.70 points at 0.87 per million. Kolbeinn Finnsson (5.1m, Vålerenga) is 1.9% owned, projects 4.00 now and 6.2 in round 19. Niklas Castro (8.1m, Brann) is 3.2% owned with 88% penalty duty in the round's strongest fixture, and Sondre Sørli at 4.7% is the highest-projected attacker of the whole round.

Which budget players should I buy in round 18?

Fredrik Holmé (4.4m, Fredrikstad) offers 4.10 points at 0.93 per million with 88 projected minutes behind the round's best clean-sheet probability of 34%. Anders Hiim (4.5m, Sarpsborg 08) returns 4.00 at 0.89 per million. In midfield, Endre Osenbroch (4.7m, Aalesund) has the position's best rate at 0.96 per million, and Håvar Jenssen (3.8m, KFUM) is the cheapest starting goalkeeper worth owning.

Should I play a chip in Eliteserien Fantasy round 18?

No. Round 18 is a blank round with only seven matches and no team above a 62% win probability. Round 19 is far stronger, with Viking at 84%, Vålerenga at 81% and Bodø/Glimt at 73% all playing at home, so hold Rich Uncle and Attack! Attack! until then.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI - verified by Nicolai @ TheFantasyTool