Fantasy Football

DREAM TEAM gaffers will get their hands on five box-fresh transfers this Friday.With European knockout ties, FA Cup semi-finals and Premier League double Game Weeks to come in the following weeks, April will undoubtedly prove to be a pivotal month.
Here we’ve identified five players (outside the blindingly obvious candidates) we think could thrive throughout the rest of the month.
Jack Grealish (£4.1m)
Grealish has adjusted to life under Guardiola
Man City’s No10 had one of his best games in a blue shirt at the weekend as he played a significant role in Liverpool’s capitulation at the Etihad.
Grealish scored one goal and assisted another as Pep Guardiola’s side came from behind to win 4-1.
He was great value for his ten points – his second double-digit haul of the season – having given Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.3m) and company a torrid time with his silky dribbling.
The England international’s club form has been noticeably better in recent months and with Phil Foden (£5.1m) sidelined while he recovers from having his appendix removed, Grealish is essentially a guaranteed starter on the left flank for the next three weeks.
He has registered 50 points across the last nine Game Weeks and with City set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals on top of four more league games before the end of the month, there’s plenty of time for the 5.2%-owned midfielder to add to his tally further.
Luke Shaw (£4.6m)
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It’s a marathon, not a sprintCredit: GETTY
Man United looked pretty flat against Newcastle and were comprehensively outplayed from start to finish.
However, the Red Devils busy schedule looks ripe for points even if their general functionality as a team is reduced all the while Casemiro (£3.4m) is suspended.
For example, Shaw gained a lot of ground in the rankings last month despite the fact it started with him incurring minus six points at Anfield.
Erik ten Hag’s side host Brentford in midweek before favourable league match-ups against Everton and Nottingham Forest around two Europa League legs against Sevilla.
All in all, Shaw potentially has a further EIGHT fixtures to fulfil before the start of May.
In comparison, Ben White (£4.5m), who nine points ahead of his compatriot after the weekend’s results, has a maximum of five more games in the same time frame – which includes away trips to Liverpool and Man City.
Dan Burn (£4.1m)
Back among the clean sheets
Sunday’s performance would have come as a massive reassurance for the many gaffers who have put their faith in a Newcastle-heavy defence.
Not only did the Magpies keep their first clean sheet since January, Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) rolled back the months to provide an assist and claim the Star Man award – though the right-back very much falls under the category of ‘blindingly obvious’ in terms of Dream Team recommendations.
However, if clean sheets are back on the menu then the Toon’s giant left-back may be worth a whirl as well.
Burn’s upcoming fixtures certainly aren’t anything to balk at: West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa, Spurs, Everton, Southampton.
With 120 points to his name, the 6ft 7in defender is Dream Team seventh-best asset in his position at the time of writing.
Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m)
You haven’t forgotten about the Europa Conference League, have you?Credit: GETTY
Many Dream Team bosses will instinctively want to keep West Ham assets are arm’s length given their form as a collective this season.
But the Europa Conference League quarter-finals should not be underestimated (okay, they should, but not totally).
Bowen has thoroughly enjoyed himself in the continent’s tertiary competition this term, bagging 44 points in six outings – that record suggests the Hammers’ two legs against Gent may be worth targeting.
With ten goals and six assists in all competitions to his name at this stage, the ex-Hull wingers boasts a respectable total of goal involvements even his tally doesn’t quite compare to his efforts in 2021/22.
It’s worth noting that he’s earned six Star Man awards and only four players have claimed more at this juncture.
West Ham also have eight more fixtures in the diary this month.
John Stones (£5.6m)
Capable of playing virtually anywhereCredit: GETTY
We finish by reverting back to Man City and their adaptable centre-back-turned-defensive-midfielder.
Against Liverpool, Stones played brilliantly alongside Rodri in Guardiola’s favoured system of late and so it’s likely he’ll reprise the role in the coming weeks.
The England international is slightly more likely to contribute goal involvements in his new role but his viability depends on his schedule, which looks promising.
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Granted, Bayern could inflict minus points over two quarter-final legs with all their attacking power but City’s fixtures around those games look like strong clean sheet possibilities: Southampton, Leicester, Sheffield United.
Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad on the 26th is clearly gigantic in the context of the Premier League title race but it’s worth remembering that City beat the Gunners 3-1 in north London. More

SOME of Arsenal’s more pessimistic supporters feared that the knee injury Gabriel Jesus (£4.8m) suffered at the World Cup would derail their title challenge.As it happens, the Gunners compensated for the Brazilian’s absence impressively with Eddie Nketiah (£3.4m) and Leandro Trossard (£4m) stepping up at different times to ensure the wins kept coming.
Still, there’s no doubt the four-time Premier League winner’s return to action has given Mikel Arteta’s side a boost ahead of the run-in.
As if to underline this point, Jesus scored a brace at home to Leeds on Saturday to ensure Arsenal matched Man City’s 4-1 win earlier in the day to therefore maintain their advantage in the title race.
A subtle message of confidence
The 26-year-old scored a penalty to open the scoring with usual spot-kick taker Bukayo Saka (£5.6m) on the bench because of an minor injury niggle.
Then in the second half he was on hand to convert Trossard’s smart pullback, just as a No9 should.
Naturally, his performance would have been noted by Dream Team bosses.
Gabriel Martinelli (£3.9m) claimed the Star Man award but Jesus’ haul of 13 points was the biggest of the game and the joint-best registered by a forward at the weekend among all fixtures.
Having been the second-most popular player in the game prior to Game Week 1, the former Man City striker provided healthy returns for a sizeable chunk of gaffers before the World Cup break.
He was transferred out of tens of thousands of teams when news of his three-month lay-off broke but a double-digit haul upon his first league start back gives Arteta and Dream Team managers a nice selection headache.
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Jesus enjoyed himself against LeedsCredit: GETTY
There’s only space for three starters in the front line but Martinelli, Trossard, Saka and Jesus would all be justifiably aggrieved if named on the bench when fully fit.
Rotation is inevitable and sensible in a real world context but potentially problematic in the realm of Dream Team.
Will Jesus start every game at centre-forward between now and the end of the campaign?
If so he would clearly be a brilliant Dream Team option.
However, if he’s to share duties with Trossard and/or Martinelli (Saka is a lock on the right when fit) then he may not be given the necessary minutes to provide plentiful returns.
With transfers set to be refreshed on Friday, there must be a few Dream Team bosses tempted to bring Jesus back into the fold… it is Easter weekend after all. More

LIGHT the beacons!Newcastle ended their clean sheet drought with a 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday as Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) became the first defender to pass 200 points in Dream Team this season.
The reliable right-back provided his eighth assist of the campaign as Eddie Howe’s side comprehensively outplayed the Red Devils at St James’ Park.
Erik ten Hag’s men mustered just one shot on target in the game and by the second half it felt inevitable that the Magpies would register their first clean sheet in all competitions since January.
Back on trackCredit: GETTY
The mini drought was a painful one for a sizeable chunk of Dream Team managers as Nick Pope (£4m) and Newcastle’s first-choice defenders are among the most popular assets in the game.
The England goalkeeper banked a much-needed five points having failed to notch any positive returns in the previous eight Game Weeks.
In fact, Pope has reclaimed his place at the top of the goalkeeper rankings from David de Gea (£4.1m) as there was just one point between them prior to Game Week 28 – the Spaniard incurred a minus point in the north east.
Fabian Schar (£3.6m), Dan Burn (£4.1m) and Sven Botman (£3.3m) all added eight points to their respective tallies at the weekend.
The latter is the only one of Howe’s preferred back four not inside Dream Team’s top ten defenders right now – he’s one point adrift in 11th.
But there’s no doubt Trippier was the big winner of the fixture.
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A league of his ownCredit: GETTY
The 32-year-old claimed his eighth Star Man award of 2022/21 to swoop 15 points when all was said and done – only Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m) has more Star Man awards (nine) at this stage.
At the time of writing, no player has scored more points than the England defender this Game Week.
Having moved onto 210 points overall, Trippier now holds a whopping 74-point lead at the top of the rankings among defenders – Ben White (£4.5m) is the new name in second place.
Not only is Trippier the first double centurion in his position, he may well finish the season as the only defender on 200+ points.
Now that Newcastle’s clean sheet drought is over, gaffers will be wondering how many more they can register in the coming weeks.
Howe’s side face West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Everton and Southampton before the end of April – a relatively favourable run all things considered. More

IT’S been a while since we checked in with the best possible Dream Team XI.For the purposes of this exercise, all we care about is total points, nothing else matters.
GOALKEEPER: David de Gea (£4.1m) – 122 points
Best in classCredit: GETTY
Nick Pope (£4m) led the way in his position for a long, long time but Newcastle’s clean sheets have evaporated in the last two months.
The England international’s red card against Liverpool didn’t help his case either.
Manchester United’s European exploits and their run to the FA Cup semi-finals have kept De Gea busy and all the additional fixtures have allowed him to claim top spot.
It’s as tight as it can be though as the Spaniard is just one point ahead of Pope so a resurgence from the Magpies could bring the latter back into contention.
De Gea (16.1% ownership) is also now the second-most popular asset among keepers having overtaken Pope (15.5%) in recent weeks though Aaron Ramsdale (£3.6m, 19.7%) remains the most selected.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£5.7m), Luke Shaw (£4.6m), Gabriel (£3.7m)
A Shaw thingCredit: GETTY
Nothing more needs to be said about Newcastle’s right-back, even accounting for a mini drought of clean sheets he’s on 195 points, 67 more than the other two names featured here.
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Trippier is in a league of his own among defenders and only Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m) have claimed more Star Man awards overall.
For the longest time Fabian Schar (£3.6m) played second fiddle to his team-mate and he’s still within touching distance on 126 points but both Shaw and Gabriel have poked their noses ahead of the Swiss centre-back on 128 each.
Again, the Red Devils’ busy schedule has boosted Shaw as it has De Gea while Arsenal’s omnipresent centre-back has made his way to the podium through impeccable consistency.
The Gunners have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the league this term so Gabriel backers can expect more returns in the final two months of the season.
MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m), Bukayo Saka (£5.6m), Phil Foden (£5.1m)
StarboyCredit: GETTY
Foden’s injury means he could slip out of this hypothetical XI soon but he’s deserving of his place currently having racked up 53 points in four Game Weeks before the international break.
Manchester City’s wonderkid has 152 total points to his name, 20 shy of Saka who is the only Premier League player into double figures for goals and assists this season.
Arsenal’s No7 is a Player of the Year candidate and is probably more assured of his place in Team of the Year than any other midfielder.
But it’s Man United’s Portuguese playmaker who leads the way among Dream Team midfielders with 200 points having registered 80 in the last seven Game Weeks.
Fernandes has 12 assists, ten goals and eight Star Man awards and yet he’s less than half as popular as De Bruyne, who is 20 points behind at this stage.
It’s interesting that just two Arsenal players feature in this team given the state of the Premier League table but it’s possible Martin Odegaard (£3.7m) will take Foden’s place in the coming weeks.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£9.3m), Marcus Rashford (£6.5m), Mohamed Salah (£8.7m)
A consistent superstarCredit: GETTY
A powerhouse front line led by Man City’s prolific poacher who is on course to breach 400 points in his first Dream Team campaign.
Haaland has had one hand on the Golden Boot since August and it’s not unthinkable he could notch half a century of goals in 2022/23 – ridiculous numbers.
Man United’s No10 may have pushed the Norway international close had he not been merely average during the opening weeks of the campaign.
Rashford has been on a tear since the World Cup the likes of which Dream Team gaffers have rarely seen – 174 points in 13 Game Weeks is obscene by any measure.
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And no best Dream Team XI of the season would be complete without Salah who has been a permanent fixture for five years now.
Some gaffers are undoubtedly guilty of taking the Egyptian’s brilliance for granted but the fact he’s on 208 points despite Liverpool enduring an underwhelming campaign more generally is testament to the forward’s quality. More

THE calendar has conspired to frustrate to Dream Team managers desperate for fresh transfers.Transfers are replenished on the first Friday of the month which means April’s batch won’t be available until Game Week 29.
However, some clever gaffers will have planned for this very moment and may have kept some of March’s allotment back so they can makes changes suited to Game Week 28.
With a dozen teams set to play twice this coming week, we’ve identified three players who could run amok (in a good way).
James Maddison (£5.6m)
A Dream Team gemCredit: GETTY
Fresh off what felt like his second England debut, the 26-year-old travels to a Crystal Palace side without a win since November on Saturday before welcoming Aston Villa to the King Power in midweek.
Leicester’s No10 averages 4.3 points-per-game this season, only four midfielders boast a better average at this stage (minimum three appearances).
This suggests that even an average week would mean a return of eight or nine points but given the relative favourability of his match-ups in the form of two bottom-half clubs, a double-digit haul could be on the cards.
Despite being limited to 20 league appearances this term, Maddison has registered nine goals and six assists in the top flight.
Dream Team bosses should always seek midfielders who provide regular goal involvements and the Foxes’ star has been in the top bracket for the last three years in that regard.
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Kaoru Mitoma (£4.5m)
Brighton’s new fan favourite
The Japan international is one of the very few midfielders to average more points-per-game (4.5) than Maddison in 2022/23.
Brighton’s enterprising style of football has produced enough points for their midfield to share around liberally but Mitoma leads the way with 122 at this juncture.
The skilful winger, who was initially added to Dream Team at just £1.5m, has claimed three Star Man awards in the last nine Game Weeks.
In Game Week 28, he’ll play Brentford at the Amex (the Bees are generally less threatening away from home) before a trip to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The Cherries have conceded more goals (54) than any other Premier League outfit this season so Mitoma owners should be licking their lips.
Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m)
A rogue optionCredit: GETTY
West Ham have endured a season to forget so far and the fact they will start Game Week 28 in the relegation zone hardly screams: viable Dream Team assets.
But their No20 has been somewhat immune to the mediocrity around him this campaign.
In fact, plenty of Dream Team gaffers will be surprised to learn that only four players – Erling Haaland (£9.3m), Kieran Trippier (£5.7m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m), Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m) – have earned more Star Man awards than Bowen’s six.
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The Hammers host 20th-placed Southampton in a must-win game this Sunday before welcoming Newcastle to the London Stadium on Wednesday.
Granted, things could turn toxic if Bowen and company can’t vanquish Saints first up but the England international has a decent double Game Week on paper with both fixtures coming at home – even Eddie Howe’s side have conceded a few goals recently. More

THE international break provided reasonable entertainment all things considered but attention now turns to the resumption of the Premier League, FA Cup and continental competitions.April promises to be a decisive month in the world of Dream Team with fixtures coming thick and fast in the coming weeks.
And Gaffers intent on banking plentiful points would do well to put their faith in the Manchester clubs for the foreseeable future.
Arsenal may be deserving favourites for the league title and the fact they’re no longer active in any other competition may help them focus on their primary objective but Dream Team bosses should always be looking to squeeze the schedule for all it’s worth.
For example, whereas the Gunners have six league games to fulfil in April, Manchester United will be in action NINE times throughout the course of the month.
Fernandes is the only midfielder to have reached the 200-point mark this seasonCredit: GETTY
The Red Devils’ meeting with Brighton at Wembley and a two-legged Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla ensure their most-popular assets will be incredibly busy.
Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m), Luke Shaw (£4.6m), David de Gea (£4.1m), Lisandro Martinez (£4.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.5m) all look to be excellent options after the international break – the latter’s injury is not thought to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
It’s not that Erik ten Hag’s side have a massively favourable run of match-ups, it’s just the sheer volume of fixtures that should put gaffers on alert.
Fernandes and Rashford actually combined to outscore the trio of Mohamed Salah (£8.7m), Darwin Nunez (£5.7m) and Cody Gakpo (£3.7m) in March despite the month starting with that 7-0 result at Anfield.
Man United’s extra games and Liverpool’s comparatively relaxed schedule meant the former’s two best attacking assets registered a net gain over their rivals’ first-choice front three in March despite the Reds’ forwards getting a massive head start.
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The lesson: squeeze the schedule.
Dream Team’s top goalkeeper right nowCredit: GETTY
United aren’t the only Manchester club with an FA Cup semi-final and a European quarter-final in the diary.
Pep Guardiola’s troops will be desperate to get past Bayern Munich, now with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, in the Champions League last eight to once again put themselves in serious contention to win the trophy they desire most.
Manchester City were also handed a favourable FA Cup draw in the form of Sheffield United, who will be prioritising automatic promotion from the Championship and may name a second-string XI, as they did against Spurs – though of course they won that game.
The defending English champions have eight games to fulfil in April and while half of them are likely to be tough tests – Liverpool, Bayern (x2), Arsenal – there’s rarely a bad time to back City players.
Phil Foden’s (£5.1m) owners will have to find a replacement while the England international recovers from having his appendix removed – some players have returned a fortnight later from similar surgery while others have been sidelined for almost two months.
Both Jack Grealish (£4.1m) and Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m) should get plenty of minutes next month.
Probably making Dream Team transfers…
Hypothetically, if a Dream Team gaffers were to transfer five Arsenal/Tottenham players for five City/United assets right now they’d potentially gain 15-20 appearances across April – that’s a huge swing!
The volume of fixtures isn’t everything of course, it wouldn’t be wholly surprising if Manchester-based defenders suffered minus points in multiple given the match-ups, but it’s generally something gaffers should take into account when devising their strategy. More