Fantasy Football

NEED a bargain striker to bring your Dream Team together before the new season gets underway on Friday night?Look no further.We’ve identified five forwards below £4m with the potential to make a mockery of their affordable price once the action starts.PLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON – £50,000 TOP PRIZE PLUS £5,000 FOR GAMEWEEK 1 WINNER!Fulham’s new No9Credit: Dream TeamRodrigo Muniz (£3m)The Fulham striker’s tally of nine league goals in 2023/24 may seem underwhelming but the outlook changes when you consider they all came after the start of February.In fact, Muniz was among the most-prolific goalscorers in the top flight during the final third of the campaign.At his best, the Brazilian bagged eight goals in as many games, including a brace against Tottenham.Muniz has been given the No9 shirt this season as reward for his efforts and he will hope to hit the ground running with Manchester United, Leicester and Ipswich (plus a Carabao Cup opponent) to play before the end of August.Niclas Fullkrug (£3.5m)Most read in FootballHammer time!Credit: GettyA shiny, new toy for Dream Team bosses!West Ham’s new target man has arguably never been hotter after some eye-catching performances during Borussia Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final and a succession of impactful substitute cameos for Germany at Euro 2024.Fullkrug isn’t the most cultured forward around but he’s mightily effective at his best and a nightmare for opposition centre-backs.The Hammers have seemingly improved the quality of their squad considerably this summer and with the likes of Lucas Paqueta (£4m), Jarrod Bowen (£5m), Mohammed Kudus (£5m) and fellow new signing Crysencio Summerville (£3m) providing the service, Fullkrug should get enough deliveries into the box.Granted, Julen Lopetegui’s side face a relatively difficult start to the season in terms of fixtures but the German striker is a tempting option at £3.5m.Oscar Bobb (£2m)Breakout season loading?Credit: GettyThere’s value-for-money options and then there’s outright bargains.Predicting Pep Guardiola’s team selections is fraught with risk but Manchester City’s No52 seems set to play his fair share of minutes this month at least.Bobb has caught the eye in pre-season and an assist in the Community Shield last Saturday has only strengthened his case for a spot in the starting XI when the defending champions travel to Stamford Bridge in Gameweek 1.The talented Norwegian will obviously not play as an out-and-out striker, that spot is reserved for his blonde compatriot aiming for a third consecutive Golden Boot, but he may well be given the nod on the right flank.Whether the 21-year-old is a long-term selection is another conversation but he’s a potential game-breaker for the first few Gameweeks at £2m if he is afforded enough minutes to strut his stuff.Dream Team’s Fantasy Football GamePLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!£5,000 prize for the manager who earns the most points in Gameweek 1 – master the opening weekend for a HUGE payout!Play in Mini Leagues against your mates£50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus other weekly prizesPlay for FREE via Dream Team’s app or website today!Jean-Philippe Mateta (£3.5m)Prolific in 2024Credit: PAThis suggestion comes with an important caveat.The Frenchman went all the way to the gold medal match while on duty for his country at the Olympics and so he’s not been with Crystal Palace during the crucial stage of pre-season.It remains to be seen how Oliver Glasner handles the situation but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mateta’s minutes were managed in August.But looking ahead to when he’s a guaranteed starter again, he’s an excellent option in the mid-range.Like the aforementioned Muniz, Mateta came to the fore at the back end of last season with a red-hot scoring streak.The 27-year-old scored 14 goals in his final 16 outings of the campaign as the Eagles finished strongly with six wins from their last seven games.Matheus Cunha (£3.5m)You may have to wait until his fixtures even outCredit: GettyOne of absolute best differentials of last season.Wolves’ talisman scored 14 goals and provided eight assists at an average of one goal involvement every 126 minutes but that only tells half the story.The Brazilian’s silky dribbling and ability to draw fouls meant he finished second among players in his position for bonus points.Cunha also ranked sixth among forwards for tackles – he ticks a lot of boxes.READ MORE SUN STORIESGary O’Neil’s side have a tough start to the new campaign with Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Liverpool to play before the end of September, which is probably why Cunha features in just 0.8% of teams at present.But you should monitor his returns closely as he averaged 6.4 points-per-game in 2023/24 – a rate superior to that of Dominic Solanke (£4m), Darwin Nunez (£4.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£6m). More

ERLING HAALAND (£8.5m) and Cole Palmer (£6m) are comfortably the two most-popular players in Dream Team ahead of the new season.Manchester City’s No9 features in 57.8% of teams at the time of writing despite the fact he’s the most-expensive player in the game by a full £1.5m.Mohamed Salah (£7m) is the next most-costly asset but with Liverpool enjoying favourable fixtures from Gameweek 1 until the end of September, he too is expected to be a major player.There are several other top-tier performers available for selection but the ownership stats coupled with the starting prices have created a ‘big three’ in Haaland, Salah and Palmer.PLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON – £50,000 TOP PRIZE PLUS £5,000 FOR GAMEWEEK 1 WINNER!Palmer, Haaland and Salah will set your back £21.5m!Credit: Dream TeamThe trio have a combined cost of £21.5million, which is 43% of the total budget.Many gaffers will desperately be trying to find eight other players with the remaining 57% in an attempt to start the new campaign with an XI that features the three heavy hitters without sacrificing too much quality elsewhere. Allow us to put forward some suggestions.A strong start but what next?Credit: Dream TeamTo offset the cost of ‘the big three’ we’ll need to find some bargains in other positions.Dean Henderson (£2.5m) is set to be Crystal Palace’s first-choice goalkeeper and therefore appears reasonably priced.Most read in FootballThe Eagles finished last season with six wins from their last seven games, during which time the England keeper endeared himself to Oliver Glasner with some solid displays.Elsewhere, Emile Smith Rowe’s (£2.5m) transfer to Fulham has improved his viability considerably.The 24-year-old was starved of minutes at Arsenal but should be a regular for the Cottagers.A goal in pre-season bodes well for his future at Craven Cottage and Marco Silva’s troops could get out of the blocks sharply with fixtures against newly-promoted Leicester and Ipswich before the end of August.In defence, Valentin Barco (£2m) could offer plenty of value for money if he begins the campaign as Brighton’s starting left-back as expected.The 20-year-old Argentina international may not be a long-term pick as Pervis Estupinan (£3m) is due to recover from an ankle injury by mid-September but the first few Gameweeks is all that matters right now.Barco may even take a few set-pieces, which is always useful.Let’s plug in those three bargains for a combined cost of just £7m.Now we can splash the cash a littleCredit: Dream TeamWith the books all but balanced, we can now afford five players in the mid-range to pad out our XI with quality options.Let’s start with Josko Gvardiol (£4.5m) as our premium defender.The Manchester City left-back developed into an attacking force of nature at the back end of 2023/24 and Pep Guardiola will surely keep encouraging him to get forward.Dream Team bosses are spoiled for choice in midfield and we can fork out £9m for two of the most-popular selections in Anthony Gordon (£4.5m) and Eberechi Eze (£4.5m).The England pair combined for 23 goals, 24 assists and 503 Dream Team points last season.Both Gordon and Eze are worthy of long stints in a competitive Dream Team but they’re particularly strong options out of the gate with Newcastle and Palace up against Southampton and Brentford respectively in Gameweek 1.Looking good…That leaves us £8m for a defender and a striker to complete our 3-4-3 formation.Our first instinct is to prioritise attack with a £5m striker in the form of either Son Heung-min or Alexander Isak – the latter is hugely popular ahead of Gameweek 1.That would leave us £3m for our last defender with Joachim Andersen, Ian Maatsen and Antonee Robinson among the leading candidates.However, we’re more inclined to split the remaining budget evenly to recruit Pedro Porro (£4m) and Dominic Solanke (£4m).Only Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.5m) averaged more points-per-game than Tottenham’s right-back among defenders in 2023/24 while Bournemouth’s No9 scored 19 league goals last time out.If the transfer rumour mill is to be believed, Porro and Solanke might be team-mates soon enough – the latter’s starting price of £4m will look rather generous if he suddenly becomes Spurs’ main striker.Alternatively, we could split the difference and pair Marc Guehi (£3.5m) with Kai Havertz (£4.5m).That’s how many gaffers are spending £8m of their initial budget but if pre-season is anything to go by, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gabriel Jesus (£4.5m) led the line for Arsenal against Wolves on the opening weekend, reducing the German’s viability.Here’s our XI in full…This team ticks a lot of boxesCredit: Dream TeamWe’re pretty happy with that.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe quality of Gvardiol and Porro offsets the Barco punt in defence, our midfield has multiple routes to points, and we haven’t compromised up front at all.Many gaffers would probably do things differently but this exercise shows that combining Haaland, Salah and Palmer is very much possible.Dream Team’s Fantasy Football GamePLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!Free to play£50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus weekly prizesPlayers score points in Premier League games, European competitions and both domestic cupsPlay in Mini Leagues against your mates£5,000 prize for Gameweek 1Play via Dream Team’s app or website today! 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ONCE you’ve decided upon your XI to start the new Dream Team season, you will have to nominate a captain.Your chosen skipper will have their points DOUBLED for the duration of Gameweek 1 – your vice captain will fulfil the role if your first-choice selection doesn’t play for any reason.PLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON – £50,000 TOP PRIZE PLUS £5,000 FOR GAMEWEEK 1 WINNER!Who else?Credit: AFPLet’s analyse the strongest captaincy candidates.Erling Haaland (£8.5m)Manchester City’s No9 is likely to be the more-popular captain for Gameweek 1 and with good reason.The Norwegian poacher has scored 63 goals in 66 Premier League games since his move to the Etihad and while Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge may seem like a relatively tricky opening fixture, it should be noted he scored a hat-trick against Chelsea in pre-season.For many gaffers, Haaland is the default option as long as he’s fit – there’s nothing worse than overthinking it and missing out on one of his hat-tricks.Mohamed Salah (£7m)How many points will Salah take off Ipswich?Credit: AlamyLiverpool’s Egyptian hero is often the leading alternative to Haaland and that seems to be the case in Gameweek 1.The Reds travel to newly-promoted Ipswich on Saturday lunchtime and while the Portman Road faithful will be a factor, the prospect of Salah facing a Championship-level defence is ripe with potential.The Tractor Boys were the top scorers in the second tier last season but they conceded more goals than Sunderland, who finished 16th.Salah’s form fell away at the back end of 2023/24 but a summer break should have done him the world of good.The 32-year-old does not leave as many defenders in his wake these days but he remains a massive threat in the final third – he ranked second for shots on target and big chances created among all players last season.Alexander Isak or Anthony Gordon (£4.5m)A formidable double actCredit: ReutersAway from the familiar favourites, the eye is drawn to Newcastle v Southampton.The Magpies boast a formidable home record under Eddie Howe; as personified by Gordon who registered the vast majority of his 29 goal involvements at St James’ Park last term.Saints earned promotion through the play-offs but they conceded more goals than the aforementioned Ipswich during the regular Championship campaign – even 17th-placed Stoke boasted a better defensive record over 46 games.Gordon is Newcastle’s home specialist but Isak is their most-potent attacker overall and first-choice penalty taker.The gifted Swedish forward scored 25 goals in all competitions last season, despite missing several games through injury, on his way to 267 points (6.7 per game).Dream Team bosses may remember that Isak scored a brace against Aston Villa to get 2023/24 underway – a performance that earned him 18 points.Will lightning strike twice?Dream Team’s Fantasy Football GamePLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!Free to play£50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus weekly prizesPlayers score points in Premier League games, European competitions and both domestic cupsPlay in Mini Leagues against your mates£5,000 prize for Gameweek 1Play via Dream Team’s app or website today! More

PLAY Last Man Standing with Dream Team this season and you could win serious cash!Just like our beloved fantasy football game and Score Predictor, Last Man Standing is free to play right now via our app and website.PLAY LAST MAN STANDING WITH DREAM TEAM THIS SEASON – £5,000 JACKPOT FOR FIRST PRIZE LEAGUE!Outlast your rivals to win cash with Last Man StandingCredit: Dream TeamLast Man Standing is quick and easy to understand.Ahead of each Matchweek (MW), you simply have to select one Premier League team to win their upcoming fixture.If your chosen team wins, you progress to the next Matchweek and take another step towards the cash prize.However, if your team draws or loses, you are eliminated.But here’s the thing, you can only select each team ONCE.So if you back Manchester City to beat Southampton, as an example, and they hammer Saints 5-0 then you will progress to the next Matchweek but you will no longer be able to select Pep Guardiola’s side as your designated team.This is where it gets strategic.If you use up Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool early doors then you may progress with little stress but you risk being light on strong teams when the stakes ramp up.On the flip side, if you decide to save the top teams for later, you risk being eliminated early if one of the mid-table outfits lets you down.Last Man Standing players will have to think carefully about when to back Man CityCredit: AlamyIf you forget to select a team before the Matchweek deadline (not advisable) you will be randomly allocated one from those available but you will only have yourself to blame if you’re subsequently eliminated.If you make it close to the end of a Prize League and all the remaining players fail to select a winning team, all players active in the previous Matchweek will progress – think of it as an extra life.As the name Last Man Standing suggests, the last remaining competitor will be crowned champion of the Prize League – an accolade that comes with cash winnings!We’re planning to run six Prize Leagues throughout the season.LAST MAN STANDING PRIZE LEAGUES 2024/25:Prize League 1 starts on August 16th (MW1) – £5,000 prizePrize League 2 starts on September 28th (MW6) – £3,000 prizePrize League 3 starts on November 23rd (MW12) – £2,000 prizePrize League 4 starts on January 4th (MW18) – £2,000 prizePrize League 5 starts on March 8th (MW24) – £2,000 prizePrize League 6 starts on April 29th (MW29) – £3,000 prizeIf you’re still active in Prize League 1 by the time Prize League 2 gets underway, you can compete in both simultaneously – crack on!Take on fans worldwide in Last Man StandingCredit: GettyLooking forward a few months, if the Premier League season ends and a Prize League is still active, the following rules apply:The prize pot will be split equally if five or fewer players remainThe prize pot will be allocated to one player via a randomised prize draw if six or more players remainOutside of the Prize Leagues, we will be running Challenge Leagues for those who want to play Last Man Standing for fun all season long.Challenge Leagues start every Matchweek of the season, except those when a new Prize League commences (see above dates).You can only enter one Challenge League at a time but this ensures you can play Last Man Standing all season long if you like – keeping you entertained while you wait for the next Prize League to get underway.You can also play in custom private leagues against your friends, family and colleagues – or join a public league to test your football knowledge against fellow fans from around the world.Have you got what it takes to be the Last Man Standing?Dream Team’s Fantasy Football GamePLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!Free to play£50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus weekly prizesPlayers score points in Premier League games, European competitions and both domestic cupsPlay in Mini Leagues against your mates£5,000 prize for Gameweek 1Play via Dream Team’s app or website today! More

LAST season we revolutionised how bonus points are distributed in Dream Team.Players earn player performance marks (PPM) for positive actions that don’t already result in points, which ultimately determine whether they claim zero, one, three or five bonus points from any given fixture.You can read all about the scoring system, including bonus points and PPM, in detail here.PLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON – £50,000 TOP PRIZE PLUS £5,000 FOR GAMEWEEK 1 WINNER!Bruno Guimaraes ticks a lot of boxesCredit: Dream TeamGiven the bonus point system will function in the same way in 2024/25 (plus additional PPM opportunities for goalkeepers) it’s certainly worth recapping which players topped the metric last season.MOST BONUS POINTS 2023/24Bruno Guimaraes 83ptsMohammed Kudus 70 ptsJeremy Doku 57 ptsPhil Foden 55 ptsEzri Konsa 54 ptsJames Ward-Prowse 54ptsConor Gallagher 52 ptsBukayo Saka 52 ptsEberechi Eze 48 ptsJames Maddison 43 ptsNewcastle’s all-action midfielder led the way and his huge tally helped him amass 304 total points – only ten players achieved a triple century overall.Guimaraes earns a tremendous amount of free-kicks for his side, easily outweighing the number he gives away, which is also substantial.The Brazil international also ranks relatively highly for successful dribbles and interceptions – his bonus point total is a reflection of his quality both in and out of possession.Most read in FootballWatch the ball, not his feetCredit: GettyIf you take anything away from this exercise it should be that there is a significant correlation between the Premier League’s best dribblers and the top bonus point earners.Kudus completed 150 successful dribbles in all competitions last season while Doku racked up 132 – no other player mustered more than 90, for comparison.The skilful midfielders’ off-the-charts dribbling is the main reason they ended on the podium for bonus points last season.Foden, Saka and Eze are all known for leaving defenders in their wake too.Dream Team’s Fantasy Football GamePLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!Free to play£50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus weekly prizesPlayers score points in Premier League games, European competitions and both domestic cupsPlay in Mini Leagues against your mates£5,000 prize for Gameweek 1Play via Dream Team’s app or website today!Konsa is a notable inclusion as the only defender to make the top ten.The Aston Villa fan favourite banked 194 points overall and has been slapped with a £4m price tag ahead of 2024/25 to reflect his helpful penchant for bonus points.Antonee Robinson (£3m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£3m) were second and third respectively among defenders.Konsa supplemented his returns with regular bonus points last seasonCredit: GettyIt should go without saying that bonus points are only one aspect of the game – don’t target them at the expense of regular goal involvements or clean sheets.READ MORE SUN STORIESBut they are something to monitor closely as the campaign progresses.If you’re ever undecided between two evenly-matched players when making transfers, bonus points can be a good way of identifying the superior option. More