Fantasy Football

SEVERAL popular Dream Team are flagged as unavailable right now.Between the Asian Cup, Africa Cup of Nations, and a smattering of frustrating injuries, many gaffers will have their work cut out for them ahead of Gameweek 20.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s (£5.8m) latest injury is particularly unwelcome as he is among the most-popular players in the game.
Not only that, Liverpool’s homegrown hero is currently Dream Team’s outright best defender having amassed 169 points via two goals, 11 assists and nine clean sheets.

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Decisions, decisions…Credit: Dream Team
With the England international set to be sidelined for “a few weeks” we’ve identified five potential replacements.
Pervis Estupinan (£3.1m)
The Ecuador international averages five points-per-game this season and he’s been especially productive since returning from injury.
Estupinan has notched 26 points in his last three outings, thanks mostly to his fantastic goals against Tottenham and Stoke.
Brighton clean sheets are ultra rare but their left-back is a strong option nonetheless because of his attacking pedigree.
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In just 12 appearances, he’s scored three goals and provided three assists,
Estupinan also ranks joint-third among defenders for shots on target and fifth for big chances created – remarkable given how few minutes he’s played.
The Seagulls’ fixture appear favourable from now until mid-March.
Virgil van Dijk (£4.2m) or Joe Gomez (£3.3m)
Gomez is assured of playing time in the coming weeksCredit: The Mega Agency
Many Dream Team bosses will opt for a direct replacement for Alexander-Arnold in the form of another Liverpool defender.
It goes without saying that neither Van Dijk nor Gomez are capable of providing even a slither of the attacking threat of the Reds’ playmaking right-back but that goes for the vast majority of players in the position.
Liverpool remain a great team to back in the coming weeks because they remain active in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, giving them a busy schedule.
It won’t be long before they resume Europa League commitments either.
Jurgen Klopp’s side face Bournemouth and Fulham in Gameweek 20 then Norwich/Bristol Rovers and Chelsea in Gameweek 21.
Van Dijk’s viability depends on his condition after his bout of illness.
Pedro Porro (£3.5m)
Tottenham’s right-back has improved greatly this season and his spectacular 20-point haul against Burnley has propelled him up to third in the defensive rankings.
The Spaniard also ranks third in his position for assists and big chances created.
Perhaps most importantly, Porro averages 6.8 points-per-game in 2023/24, the joint-highest average among defenders alongside Alexander-Arnold.
Of course, Spurs aren’t active in the Carabao Cup or Europe like Liverpool but his Premier League form has been highly impressive of late.

Kieran Trippier (£4.9m)
Back on track?Credit: Rex
A few weeks ago, replacing an injured Alexander-Arnold with Newcastle’s right-back would have been a no-brainer.
However, Trippier’s viability decreased when he suffered a severe dip in form either side of a one-game suspension.
Not only that, Newcastle have shipped plenty of goals in recent weeks.
Regardless, Trippier is a top-tier Dream Team asset, second among defenders and ninth overall.
He’s provided eight assists and his tally of 36 bonus points is surpassed only by Bruno Guimaraes (£3.9m) at this stage.
It’s worth noting that since his wobble in mid-December, Trippier has registered 25 points in three outings – normal service resumed.
Kyle Walker (£3.1m)
Points aheadCredit: Getty
It feels as if it will soon be time to back Manchester City to the hilt.
Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) and Jeremy Doku (£4.1m) have returned from injury and Erling Haaland (£7.9m) is close to joining them.
Pep Guardiola’s side will play Copenhagen over two legs in the Champions League round of 16, remain active in the FA Cup, and won’t play any other top-eight team in the league until March.
Generally, it’s better to make use of City’s attacking assets as clean sheets have been harder to come by this season but Walker may well be a worthy replacement for Alexander-Arnold given his affordable price.
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The experienced right-back is captain and seemingly the most immune to rotation among the treble-winners’ defenders.
Make sure you replace Alexander-Arnold before Gameweek 20’s deadline: 6:45pm this Friday (January 12th).

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IVAN TONEY (£5m) has thrived in the world of Dream Team ever since Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League.Gaffers have not been able to call upon the 27-year-old for eight months due to his suspension for gambling offences but he is set to return to action in Gameweek 20.
The Bees’ FA Cup third round replay against Wolves on Tuesday comes one day too soon but Toney will surely feature at home to Nottingham Forest the following Saturday.

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Time’s ticking…Credit: Dream Team
The Bullish striker boasts an impressive top flight record having scored 32 goals and provided nine assists in 68 appearances.
That boils down further to a goal involvement every 143.2 minutes.
Needless to say, Toney’s effectiveness has translated to plentiful Dream Team points across the last two seasons and so his return is bound to pique the interest of more than a few Dream Team bosses, especially at a time when popular goalscorers such as Erling Haaland (£7.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) are flagged as unavailable.
Thomas Frank will be desperate to call upon his prolific target man as he has overseen a miserable run of results of late.
Brentford have lost five league games in a row and their only win in their last nine fixtures was the 3-1 victory over Luton at the start of December.
Consequently, the Bees find themselves just four points above the relegation zone in 16th – they have a game in hand over most other bottom-half clubs but it’s against Manchester City…
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Brentford need Toney back as soon as possibleCredit: Getty
Toney’s return should improve the outlook but still the form guide will perturb Dream Team gaffers.
Toney would be a far more inviting option if he were about to take his place in a free-flowing, top-half outfit as the West Londoners earlier in the campaign.
And yet the fact remains he scored more league goals than Salah last season – only Harry Kane and Haaland scored more among all players.
For added spice, he scored a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the weekend.

Of course, it’s also possible Toney will don different colours soon.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the England international in recent times.
Certainly, a transfer to the Gunners (who have looked in desperate need of such a striker lately) would be something of a game-changer for Dream Team bosses.
At the very least, Toney’s return is something to keep an eye on.

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THERE’S a very good chance Pascal Gross (£4.3m) is the most underrated player in the Premier League.The 32-year-old is into his seventh season on English soil and is therefore not a blooming young talent or a newly-discovered gem but he is an ultra reliable, adaptable footballer.
Capped by Germany for the first time just a four months ago, Gross is capable of playing anywhere in midfield and can even fill it at full-back when required.

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Overdue appreciationCredit: Dream Team
An accomplished technician and one of the league’s better set-piece takers, he ticks a lot of boxes and deserves heaps of credit for taking his game to another level under Roberto De Zerbi at the back end of his career.
Gross’ goal involvements have gone through the roof since the Italian tactician took up residence in the Amex dugout, a development that has increased his Dream Team viability tenfold.
At the time of writing, Brighton’s No13 is the sixth-best asset in his position having amassed 146 points.
The list of midfielders below him in the rankings includes Martin Odegaard (£4.7m), Bruno Fernandes (£4.9m), Cole Palmer (£3.6m), Dominik Szoboszlai (£3.7m), Declan Rice (£3.6m) and several other popular stars.

Gross’ relatively meagre ownership of 1.6% is evidence of the fact he is underappreciated because his other numbers are impressive.
The Seagulls’ favourite has registered 64 points across nine fixtures since the start of Gameweek 14.
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To put that into perspective, Dream Team’s top midfielder, the 52.1%-owned Bukayo Saka (£6.1m), has provided 57 points in the same time frame.
A match made in Dream Team heavenCredit: PA
Additionally, only six midfielders have earned more bonus points than Gross’ 25 at this stage of campaign.
However you spin it, it’s clearly an injustice that he’s currently being overlooked by 98.4% of Dream Team gaffers.
But it’s not too late!
Granted, Brighton aren’t among the ten teams with two games to fulfil in Gameweek 20 but his fixtures appear relatively friendly across the next two months more generally.
De Zerbi’s side face Wolves, Luton, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Everton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest in their next eight league meetings.
They’re due to play the Blades again in the FA Cup fourth round and they’ll also resume their Europa League campaign in February.
If Gross, who has four goals and nine assists to his name this term, maintains his current form then there’s surely plenty of points to be had in the coming weeks.

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Fancy playing Dream Team this season but haven’t yet registered?Now’s your chance!
Rather than waiting until the start of the 2024/25 campaign to immerse yourself in our compelling fantasy football game, you can sign-up to play for free this week and immediately compete against all other managers in our Second Shot Competition.
And did we mention there’s £5,000 in prize money up for grabs?

CLICK HERE TO PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW – FREE TO PLAY, AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE, SECOND SHOT COMPETITION STARTING SOON!

Don’t wait until summer, play Dream Team now!
Our Second Shot Competition allows new gaffers to compete against existing ones on a level playing field throughout the second half of the season.
Scoring starts with Friday night’s game between Burnley and Luton (enter before the 6:45pm deadline) and the first Gameweek of the Second Shot Competition will last until January 25th to account for the Premier League’s partial winter break.
To clarify, the Second Shot Competition will only take into account points scored between Friday 12th January and the end of the season – think of it as a clean slate.
Perhaps you’ve heard about Dream Team’s improved scoring system, transfer process, and the addition of game-changing Boosters that have transformed the game for the better?
If so now is the perfect time to get involved as the Second Shot Competition will give you a fair, competitive framework to measure yourself against rivals old and new – not to mention the £5,000 prize pot.
Kevin De Bruyne is starting his season at the halfway stage – you can too!Credit: Getty
Dream Team is a joy to play this season, but don’t just take our word for it, here are some quotes from some notable gaffers…
“It’s a different game this season. I think it’s pretty much Dream Team, Telegraph, Sky, FPL… all the best bits from fantasy games in one… with a massive cash prize on the end of it!” – Tony, host of the Dream Team Tonic podcast
“It’s the most I’ve enjoyed a fantasy football game in a long time – maybe ever. Two transfers a week is brilliant, it keeps you really engaged. The scoring system is fantastic, it rewards good fantasy play.” – Fergi, Dream Team winner 2020/21
New to Dream Team? Here’s how it works…
Team Selection
You will have an initial budget of £50million to select your team of eleven players from the vast pool of talent provided by the 20 Premier League clubs.
You have the choice of seven formations:

4-4-2
4-3-3
4-5-1
3-4-3
3-5-2
5-4-1
5-3-2

There is no limit to the number of players you can select from any one club so if you want to pick Sheffield United’s entire starting line-up then crack on (but don’t expect many points).
The most-expensive player right now? Erling Haaland (£7.9m) of course.
Scoring System
Dream Team features an improved scoring system this season, one that recognises individual performance levels in more detail than ever before.
All Players

Goal +5 points
Assist +2 points
Appearance (0-59 minutes) +1 point
Appearance (60+ minutes) +1 point
Shot on target +1 point
Big chance created +1 point
Successful tackles +1 point per two
Yellow card -1 point
Red card -3 points
Penalty miss -3 points
Own goal -2 points

Goalkeepers & Defenders Only

Clean sheet (minimum 60 minutes played) +5 points
Each goal conceded over one goal -1 point

Goalkeepers Only

Saves +1 point per two
Penalty save +3 points

There are also additional bonus points on offer – click for here for more information.
Players score points in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Bukayo Saka is currently Dream Team’s best midfielderCredit: Getty
Transfers
Transfers allow you to swap under-performing players for replacements in sparkling form – that’s the idea at least.
This season, you will have the opportunity to make two transfers per Gameweek.
If you choose not to make any transfers in a given Gameweek then one of them will carry over, meaning you’ll have three available the following Gameweek.
It’s possible to carry over again but four is the maximum number of transfers you’ll have available at any one time.
Hypothetically, if you were to only use one of your two weekly transfers then you would have two available again the following Gameweek – transfers only carry over if you don’t use any at all. 
All players will be locked out one hour before the first fixture of the Gameweek kicks off so make sure you’ve settled on your strategy in advance.
Captaincy
Each Gameweek you will be invited to select one of your players as captain – the chosen player will receive DOUBLE points for the duration of the Gameweek.
If you forget to set your captain then the armband will default to your most recently-selected captain and they will score double points.
Boosters
Now for the most exciting new feature in the world of Dream Team.
You have three Boosters at your disposal which, if used wisely, will provide a lorry-load of points in one fell swoop.
Each Booster can only be played once per season and only applies for the duration of the given Gameweek.

PARK THE BUS: All defenders score double points
12TH MAN: Select a 12th player to score points for your team
MAXIMUM CAPTAIN: Whichever player earns the most points will automatically be selected as captain

Trent Alexander-Arnold leads the way among defendersCredit: Reuters
Variable Pricing
Player prices will change as the season continues to align with each individual’s form.
Without over-complicating it, if a player performs well his price will increase but if he finds points hard to come by then his value will decrease.
Once you’re up and running, you may notice your XI will have a total value in excess of the initial £50million limit – that’s all part of the game – successful gaffers know how to work Dream Team’s stock market to their advantage.
Prize Money
Here’s how the cash will be dished out once the Second Shot Competition concludes at the end of the season.

1st: £2,000
2nd: £1,000
3rd: £1,000
4th: £500
5th: £500

Get involved now!

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JOAO PEDRO’S (£3.6m) success has undoubtedly been one of the stories of the current Dream Team season.At the time of writing, only Erling Haaland (£7.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) have more points than the 22-year-old among Dream Team strikers.
Only fools overlook him now!Credit: Dream Team
Pedro took his place on the podium on Saturday courtesy of a 15-point haul away to Stoke amid Brighton’s 4-2 win in the FA Cup.
The ex-Watford forward bagged a brace to take his goal tally for the season to 15 in all competitions.
Again, Haaland and Salah are the only players above him in this metric.
His goal tally is helped by no fewer than EIGHT penalties but, if anything, that should only spur on Dream Team managers.
Roberto De Zerbi admitted he hadn’t heard of Pedro prior to his appointment at the Amex but the pair are ultra familiar now and with Kaoru Mitoma (£3.4m), Simon Adingra (£3.2m) and Ansu Fati (£3.5m) currently unavailable for a variety of reasons, the Brazilian will have to bear much of the responsibility in attack in the coming weeks.
What makes Pedro’s success particularly impressive is that he started the season as a rotational player.
In fact, he was on the pitch for just over half of the available minutes between Gameweeks 1 and 7.
Even now after a sustained spell as a regular starter, he averages 62.6 minutes of playing time per Brighton fixture in 2023/24.
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15 goals in all competitions is no jokeCredit: AP
Initially, Pedro was something of a Europa League specialist.
He banked 54 points across Brighton’s six group stage fixtures via six goals – no Dream Team player has scored more points in Europe so far this season.
But Pedro’s brilliance has since extended to the domestic game.
He’s amassed a whopping 38 points in his last three outings, including a mighty 20-point haul at Tottenham’s expense in Gameweek 17.
Less than half of his goals have come in the Premier League but Dream Team gaffers should know by now not to underestimate the additional competitions.
Despite his mountainous points tally of 169, Pedro is still relatively affordable at £3.6m.
In fact, he’s the cheapest asset among Dream Team’s top 20 performers (based on total points) at this stage.

Pedro has been excellent in Euroe this seasonCredit: Getty
Dream Team bosses should also be encouraged by Brighton’s schedule.
De Zerbi’s side face Wolves, Luton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Sheffield United, Everton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest in their next eight league games.
They’re also in the hat for the FA Cup fourth round and will resume their Europa League campaign in February.
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The Seagulls’ No9 currently features in 9.6% of teams but his ownership will surely increase in the wake of his fifth double-digit return of the season.
In terms of value-for-money, he’s arguably Dream Team’s MVP right now!

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MANCHESTER CITY’S routine victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup hardly came as a surprise.The Terriers are battling relegation in the Championship and so a 5-0 defeat at the home of the treble winners was par for the course, even in Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) continued absence.
Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed 84% possession as they strolled into the fourth round of the competition they won for the seventh time in June of last year.
Plenty of Dream Team managers were pleased with the points achieved by Phil Foden (£5.1m) and Julian Alvarez (£4.2m) in the one-sided affair but the headline news concerned the return of Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) and Jeremy Doku (£4.1m) from injury.
Return of the KingCredit: Dream Team
The pair came off the bench in the 57th minute and combined for City’s fifth goal to remind the Etihad faithful of what they’ve been missing.
In what was a classic Guardiola goal, De Bruyne found his international team-mate in space with a delicate chip from the byline – meaning the former marked his return with a trademark assist.
Doku’s return is significant as the 21-year-old made huge waves in Dream Team earlier this season, mostly because his unmatched dribbling statistics ensured a torrent of bonus points.
But De Bruyne’s comeback may prove to be a pivotal turning point in the Dream Team campaign.
City’s playmaker-in-chief hasn’t been seen since the opening weekend of 2023/24 when he limped off in the 23rd minute.
Dream Team bosses old and new will know that he’s capable of mighty returns when in full flow.
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Nobody can match his creative output and it would be a surprise if the bonus point system failed to recognise the positive impact of his overall performances.
KDB or not to KDB? That is the question…Credit: PA
Clearly, De Bruyne is a Dream Team asset capable of providing a volume of points that can reshape Mini Leagues but when should gaffers pull the trigger?
Guardiola made a point of telling journalists that he does not want to rush the 32-year-old back into sustained action after two lengthy lay-offs in recent times.
However, City have just three more games to fulfil before the end of the month as it stands due to the winter break so it should be easy enough to manage De Bruyne’s workload before things ramp up in February with the return of the Champions League.
Not that recruiting him will be all that easy for Dream Team managers given he’s the joint-second most expensive asset in the game at the time of writing.
Then there’s the question: how many Man City midfielders is too many?
Doku has an X FactorCredit: Getty
Foden is in undroppable form right now having plundered 44 points from his last four outings.
Only Bukayo Saka (£6.1m) has more total points among midfielders and the Etihad’s homegrown starlet is closing the gap at a rapid rate – he’s now just nine point shy of his compatriot after a brace against Huddersfield.
Prior to his injury, Doku was verging on ‘must-have’ status and De Bruyne is simply one of best players of the modern era.
Three City midfielders is a viable strategy but such a ploy would mean missing out on in-form players from other clubs – Saka, Jarrod Bowen (£5.5m), Anthony Gordon (£3.9m), Cole Palmer (£3.6m) and several others are also pushing hard for selection.
A trio of City midfielders would also be somewhat vulnerable to rotation frustrations.
It can be stressful enough owning one Guardiola midfielder, let alone three, although Foden has been a lock for months on end now and Doku proved earlier in the season that he doesn’t need much time on the pitch to provide healthy returns.

19 goal involvements and countingCredit: Reuters
Thankfully, gaffers have some time to weigh up the pros and cons as City have just one fixture (vs Newcastle) in Gameweek 20 whereas several other clubs will pull double duty so De Bruyne and Doku are probably not essential.
The thing about a player of De Bruyne’s calibre is that he generates a palpable FOMO (fear of missing out) that many gaffers will be unable to resist.
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Officially, The Belgian playmaker has scored 64 goals and provided 102 assists in the Premier League alone and that doesn’t even account for the alternative definition of assists adopted by Dream Team and most other fantasy football games.
Decisions, decisions…

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