Dream Team

YOU know what it’s like.You’ve kept patience with certain players and expect to be rewarded for your limitless patience.
But you’re not alone. There are thousands of Dream Team gaffers who have stuck to their guns in anticipation of an explosive haul – but who are the main culprits?
We at Dream Team HQ take a closer look at the FIVE most popular fantasy football assets with fewer than 30 points and evaluate whether managers should stick or twist.
Is it time to sell Aaron Ramsdale?Credit: GETTY
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.6m)
First up is Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who boasts a still considerable 8.1% ownership despite accumulating just 21 points this season.
Ramsdale started the campaign in good enough fashion, taking home 10 points from his opening two fixtures but it went south… quickly.
The Englishman, 25, has been ousted by summer arrival David Raya with the 1-0 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup his only appearance in the last seven matches in all competitions.

Our verdict: Sell. Raya has the No.1 jersey and doesn’t look like relinquishing it anytime soon.

Virgil van Dijk (£4.1m)
Usually Mr Consistent for points, it’s been a very sluggish start from Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.
Just over 7% of bosses have kept faith with the towering centre-back despite a lowly return of 27 points and an average points tally of 3.9 from seven appearances.
Liverpool have managed just two clean sheets in their 11 competitive matches this season, while Van Dijk was absent for three of those having been red carded against Newcastle back in August.

Our verdict: Hold. Liverpool are in good form and the clean sheets are bound to arrive soon. They also have some great fixtures on the horizon against Everton, Toulouse, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Luton on the horizon.

We think Jack Grealish is poised for a revivalCredit: GETTY
Lewis Dunk (£2.3m)
Just the 21 points on the board for Brighton’s Lewis Dunk.
There’s very little to complain about in terms of the 5.8% owned defender’s performances, but Roberto Di Zerbi’s attacking philosophy means the Seagulls often concede.
In fact, only Bournemouth, Luton and Sheffield United have shipped more goals in the Premier League this season, while they’ve not managed a clean sheet in any competition since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.

Our verdict: Sell. Clean sheets don’t look forthcoming and his potential attacking returns simply don’t offer enough value for money compared with other defenders.

Jack Grealish (£4m)
A very stop-start season this far for our Jack. The Manchester City attacker missed six matches with a hamstring injury and has only just returned to the starting XI.
He’s chalked up 19 points for his 5.8% of owners, who will have expected better for a £4m asset – especially when you consider that Phil Foden (£4.6m) has 65 points this term.
His injury paired with the loss of influential midfielder Rodri has seen Manchester City stutter, losing all three and scoring just once in the last three top-flight matches.

Our verdict: Hold. Jack’s back to full fitness and Rodri has completed his three-game suspension. Pep Guardiola’s side are somewhat slow starters and are likely to return firing on all cylinders after the international break.

Easy one. Hold.Credit: GETTY
Gabriel Martinelli (£4m)
Nice and simple this one. Hold. The Arsenal winger suffered an unfortunate injury against Everton having gathered 19 points in his opening four matches.
The Brazilian missed three games with an ankle injury, but returned with a BANG against Manchester City and proved just how essential he is to Mikel Arteta and CO.
He still has a 5.4% ownership, but that perhaps makes him an exciting differential with games against Chelsea, Sevilla and Sheffield United coming up in the next three.

Our verdict: Hold. He’s going to amass some serious points.

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We all know Dream Team is the centre of the universe, right?And with that in mind, we’ve decided England manager Gareth Southgate might like to consider picking his best starting XI based entirely on this season’s Dream Team points.
Here’s what we’ve conjured up. Fans of the current Three Lions team might want to look away now…
Spoiler alertCredit: GETTY
GOALKEEPER: Nick Pope (£4.3m)
Newcastle’s Nick Pope isn’t just England’s top-scoring goalkeeper — he’s the highest scoring stopper among ALL Dream Team keepers!
The 31-year-old, who didn’t make Southgate’s squad, has accumulated 55 points this season, meaning he’s comfortably ahead of England rivals Jordan Pickford (27 points) and Aaron Ramsdale (21 points).
Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone (£1.7m) is our back-up option.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£5.6m), Ben White (£4.5m), Dan Burn (£3.9m), Levi Colwill (£2.9m)
An interesting back four, granted. But we MUST stick to the data to preserve the legitimacy of our experiment. Southgate is counting on us…
Newcastle’s in-form Kieran Trippier gets priority at right-back considering he’s gathered a colossal 75 points this season.
He’s provided a whopping six assists in ten appearances and only five players in the entire game have outscored him.
The versatile Ben White slots in at centre-back having played 207 of his 286 senior appearances there.
White has 66 points this season but – much like his England career – is being overlooked by managers just a lowly 8.8% ownership.
Levi Colwill makes the cut at centre-back.
The Chelsea defender has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, which has seen him rise to sixth in the overall defender standings with 52 points – averaging eight in his last three games.
And finally – man, myth, legend Dan Burn joins his Newcastle colleague on the opposite flank.
The Geordie gladiator (and surprisingly good dancer) has developed an appetite for goals having scored against both Sheffield United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ignored by Gareth Southgate, not by usCredit: GETTY
MIDFIELDERS: James Maddison (£4.3m), James Ward-Prowse (£4.3m), Jarrod Bowen (£4.8m), Phil Foden (£4.6m), James Garner (£2m)
Alas, we’ll NOT be going with Mike Bassett’s traditional 4-4-2 formation here. However, there are shades of Bassett’s Christmas Tree formation. Is this the ultimate hipster quintet?
Anyway, Tottenham’s James Maddison is an obvious inclusion having registered 76 points this season including a massive 18 bonus points to boot. He’s not exactly going under the radar with 41.% of gaffers picking him for their squads.
Phil Foden is another chosen by Southgate for the games against Australia and Italy, and rightly so given he’s relished the opportunity to step into Kevin De Bruyne’s boots at Manchester City.
Jarrod Bowen completes our attacking trio on the right flank. He’s the fifth highest-scoring midfielder in Dream Team right now after scoring five goals and providing an assist in nine matches.
Now this is where it gets interesting.
Maddison is pushing hard for a place in England’s starting line-upCredit: Rex
The most under-appreciated player in the English game James Ward-Prowse is absent from England’s squad – and nobody can quite understand why.
The 28-year-old has hit the ground running at West Ham with two goals and seven assists, while accumulating 72 points at an average of 6.8 per game.
Martin Odegaard is the only midfielder with more points in Dream Team and has double the ownership. JWP is the seventh-highest scorer in the game and has more bonus points than quite literally anyone.
Sneaking in alongside him is Everton’s James Garner, who’s quietly been going about his business on the way to 61 points. Just 1.4% of managers have selected Garner, leaving Southgate is in the clear majority by not picking him for England.
It would be remiss not to mention Jude Bellingham, who would clearly make this XI if Real Madrid fell under Dream Team’s jurisdiction. We’ve also omitted Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, who are both injured.
STRIKER: Ollie Watkins (£4.3m)
With Harry Kane unavailable for selection, Aston Villa hitman Ollie Watkins will be spearheading our attack.
Watkins is the top-scoring English forward in Dream Team with 65 points and a fairly modest 10.2% ownership. Only attackers Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have outscored him but nobody has a higher average points than Watkins’ 10.7 over the last three game weeks.
Dominic Solanke is our back-up option, and would get in ahead of Marcus Rashford on points.
Here’s what our XI would look like…
It’s… interesting
In conclusion, we don’t hate it. Kind of.

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THREE of the four top points scorers so far this season are three of the four most expensive players available.So to score big and include the likes of Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka and/or Mohamed Salah in your side, you need to spend wisely elsewhere.
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Only Trippier and White have more points as a defender than Andersen
That’s where your bargain buys come in. But it’s important you don’t just fill spots with no-hopers, just because they’re cheap.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 points scorers under £4million, to give you plenty of food for thought this international break.
Top 5 points scorers that cost less than £4m

Eberechi Eze – £3.6m – 63 points
Joao Pedro – £2.8m – 63 points
James Garner – £2m – 61 points
Mathias Jensen – £3.3m – 60 points
Joachim Andersen – £3.1m – 60 points

Crystal Palace star Eze really hit the ground running at the start of the season.
The added pressure of having no Wilfried Zaha in the line-up seems to have done him wonders and he looks to take on that extra responsiblity.
He came out the blocks flying with 44 points by the end of Game Week 4 and has slowed down slightly but a great option at the price.
Eberechi seems an Eze optionCredit: Reuters
Joao Pedro being as high up this list is a testament to him, given he’s played the full 90 minutes just once this season.
Has registered five goals across all competitions for the Seagulls and has matched the points return of Eze, despite costing less than £3m.
No surprise to see his price increasing recently and his ownership numbers will likely follow suit.
James Garner will surprise a few managers in Dream Team, given Everton have flown under the radar despite their recent uplift in form.
At just £2m, Garner is one of the best value-for-money purchases available, which only 1.3% of managers are currently benefitting from.
Has two goals in his last three Toffess appearances and will be hoping this international break doesn’t halt his progress.
Mathias Jensen has surpassed both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in the Brentford rankings for points – both of whom were considered shrewd business earlier in the campaign – and is now the top Bees scorer.
Mathias JensenCredit: Getty
Brentford’s results have tailed off recently, but Jensen has still chipped in with two goals in his last five outings and his position in the midfield sees him able to accumulate plenty of points for managers.
Only Kieran Trippier and Ben White have more points as a defender at this stage than Joachim Andersen.
Arsenal and Manchester City are the only two clubs to have conceded less goals than Palace in the league so far this season (7 goals in 8 games).
Andersen has scored twice himself this season too. Word of caution though – Palace have Newcastle and Tottenham in their next two.
Special shout out to Alexander Isak who ranks as eighth best in the game so far with 72 points and sits bang on the £4m mark.
He’s a much cheaper option than the likes of Haaland (£7.7m) and Salah (£6.5m) who currently sit ahead of him in the charts.
But he’s surprisingly cheaper than Ollie Watkins (£4.3m) and Son (£4.8m) who he’s outscored so far.
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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 8 in one easily digestible dose.Roy Hodgson confirmed the rumours that Eberechi Eze (£3.7m) has suffered a “serious” hamstring injury with Crystal Palace’s No10 expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.
The talented midfielder is joint-fifth in his position and leads the way among all assets for bonus points.
In more positive news for the Eagles, Odsonne Edouard (£2.9m) was pictured in training and has a decent chance of being involved this weekend.

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Eze is a big miss for PalaceCredit: Dream Team
Mikel Arteta told reporters that Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) is “in contention” to face Manchester City on Sunday despite the winger’s premature substitution against Lens.
Arsenal’s No7 has limped off in his last three outings and will be monitored closely in the coming days.
As for Pep Guardiola’s side, John Stones (£5m) is still not quite ready to return, though he’s been named in the latest England squad.
Rodri (£4.2m) will serve the final game of his domestic suspension.
Tottenham’s Manor Solomon (£2.4m) faces a long spell on the sidelines because of a “significant knee injury” while Gameweek 8 also comes too soon for Brennan Johnson (£2.5m).
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However, both Bryan Gil (£2m) and Giovani Lo Celso (£1.9m) have returned to training.
Key players James Maddison (£4.4m) and Son Heung-min (£4.7m) are “fine” according to Ange Postecoglou – the pair are Dream Team’s most-popular recruits this week.
Cody Gakpo (£3.2m) is progressing well already but Liverpool won’t be able to call upon the Dutchman’s services until after the international break.
The Reds will also be without Diogo Jota (£3.4m) and Curtis Jones (£2m) for their trip to Brighton following the pair’s red cards at Spurs last Saturday.
As for the Seagulls, Pervis Estupinan (£3.4m) is expected to be out of action for a month “more or less” – the Ecuador international is Dream Team fifth-most popular defender at the time of writing.
Estupinan features in almost a fifth of all teamsCredit: Getty
Moussa Diaby (£3.4m) is scheduled to train on Saturday and has a chance of making Aston Villa’s trip to Wolves but Unai Emery stressed that the Frenchman is a doubt – he was not in the squad for the Villians’ Europa Conference League game on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, both Jacob Ramsey (£2.7m) and Alex Moreno (£2.5m) have suffered recurrences of their previous injuries and are once again unavailable.
Anthony (£3.4m) is available to start for Manchester United having been reintegrated into the squad in midweek.
Newcastle will make late decisions on Callum Wilson (£4.3m) and Joelinton (£2.8m) ahead of their game against West Ham at the London Stadium.
Anthony Gordon (£3m), who was among the transferred-in players last week, is suspended having raced to five yellow cards.

Diaby is a doubt but could still travel to MolineuxCredit: Getty
ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Martinelli (doubt), Bukayo Saka (doubt)
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Tim Iroegbunam, Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno, Moussa Diaby (doubt), Boubacar Kamara
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Alex Scott, Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes, Chris Mepham, Lloyd Kelly, Tyler Adams
Suspensions: None
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Josh Dasilva, Shandon Baptiste, Rico Henry, Mikkel Damsgaard, Ben Mee, Kevin Schade
Suspensions: Ivan Toney
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, James Milner (doubt), Adam Lallana
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Michael Obafemi, Hjalmar Ekdal, Nathan Redmond, Manuel Benson, Johan Berg Gudmundsson
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, Beniot Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Marcus Bettinelli, Carney Chukwuemeka (doubt), Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell
Suspensions: Malo Gusto
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Michael Olise, Matheus Franca, Naouirou Ahamada, James Tomkins, Jefferson Lerma, Dean Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard (doubt)
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Seamus Coleman, Dele Alli, Andre Gomes (doubt)
Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Tosin Adarabioyo, Adama Traore, Kenny Tete
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Cody Gakpo
Suspensions: Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Jordan Clark, Gabriel Osho, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Amari’i Bell (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones
Suspensions: Rodri
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez, Sergio Reguilon
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Joe Willock, Emil Krath, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Callum Wilson (doubt), Joelinton (doubt)
Suspensions: Anthony Gordon
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Danilo, Nuno Tavares, Nicolas Dominguez (doubt), Ryan Yates (doubt), Ola Aina (doubt)
Suspensions: Moussa Niakhate
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Rhys Norrington-Davies, Daniel Jebbison, John Fleck (doubt), Max Lowe, Ben Osborn, Will Osula, George Baldock, John Egan
Suspensions: None
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Rodrigo Bentacur, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Brennan Johnson, Manor Solomon
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Aaron Cresswell (doubt), Michail Antonio (doubt), Ben Johnson (doubt)
Suspensions: None
WOLVES
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Injuries: Santiago Bueno (doubt), Hugo Bueno (doubt)
Suspensions: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

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STOP the presses!Is it actually possible that Erling Haaland (£8m) is NOT the safe, smart choice for captain in Gameweek 8?
Manchester City’s No9 is still by far and away the most-popular selection to have his points doubled among Dream Team managers but if ever there was a week to take him on, this is surely it.

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Dare you take Haaland on this weekend?Credit: Getty
Pep Guardiola’s side travel to the Emirates for a top-of-table clash on Sunday in what should be a competitive fixture.
Granted, the treble winners have an impressive recent record against the Gunners – they won 3-1 in North London earlier this year – but Mikel Arteta’s men ultimately triumphed in the Community Shield and when Rodri (£4.2m) is unavailable City are noticeably more vulnerable.
The same logic can be applied to several other captaincy candidates: Martin Odegaard (£5m), Julian Alvarez (£4.5m), etc.
So, with Gameweek 8’s headline fixture a difficult one to read, perhaps gaffers should look elsewhere for captaincy options?
Tempting alternativesCredit: Dream Team
James Maddison (£4.4m)
There’s a chance Tottenham could head into the international break as league leaders.
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With Arsenal and City going to battle, Ange Postecoglou’s troops have a relatively favourable fixture in the form of Luton.
The Hatters beat Everton last weekend but defeat to Burnley in midweek came as something of a reality check and Rob Edwards will know his side will have to be at their resilient best to keep a free-flowing Spurs at bay.
Maddison is his side’s playmaker-in-chief and he’s not shy of a effort on goal either – no midfielder has registered more shots on target this season.
Even without European fixtures, Spurs’ No10 is the joint-third best asset in his position this term.
Son Heung-min (£4.7m)
Much of what applied to Maddison is also relevant here.
In fact, Dream Team gaffers with both Spurs stars in their XI will have a tough time deciding who to select as captain if they do decide to target the Luton fixture.
The South Korea international has scored six goals in his last four outings, a run that includes tricky match-ups against Arsenal and Liverpool.
Son is the fourth-most popular captain ahead of Gameweek 8.
A man in formCredit: Reuters
Mohamed Salah (£6.7m)
Many gaffers will defer to Liverpool’s main man if they feel Haaland isn’t a suitable captain this weekend.
Salah is the second-most selected striker in Dream Team and his return of four goals and four assists, while impressive, doesn’t even tell the full story.
The 31-year-old has created ten big chances in all competitions this season – no other player has registered more than six.
And his tally of 14 shots on target is only bettered by the aforementioned pair of Alvarez and Haaland.
The Reds travel to Brighton on Sunday and while that may well prove to be a tricky fixture, it’s a match-up that virtually guarantees goals.
The Seagulls are the Premier League’s top scorers but they’ve also conceded as many goals as Luton – they simply don’t do clean sheets.
Aston Villa hit six past them last weekend and Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of an open game with counterattacking potential.
Levi Colwill (£2.7m)
48 points and countingCredit: Getty
A proper outside-the-box suggestion to finish.
With so much of the talk around Chelsea focusing on their inefficiency in front of goal, their solid defensive record has gone somewhat unnoticed.
The Blues have kept four clean sheets in all competitions and only Man City have conceded fewer league goals this campaign.
This parsimony has translated to Dream Team success with Robert Sanchez (£2.7m) second in the goalkeeper rankings and both Colwill and Axel Disasi (£3.5m) among the top eight defenders.
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The 20-year-old, who is included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, took Fulham for 12 points on Monday night and looks well placed to thrive again at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Burnley have scored just five league goals since promotion and so they are unlikely to get much joy out of Colwill and company on current form.

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