Fantasy Football

KELECHI IHEANACHO (£2.9m) averages a goal or assist every 111.6 minutes in the Premier League.This is a significant statistic because the 26-year-old is midway through his eighth season in England’s top flight, it’s by no means a small sample size.
Given his potency, it’s remarkable that the striker has rarely been a first-choice starter for a prolonged spell of games.
Iheanacho has made 184 appearances in the Premier League of which he’s started 72 – he has played the full 90 minutes just 22 times.
A name to considerCredit: GETTY
One of the few times he was cemented as a certain starter was during the second half of the 2020/21 season.
With Jamie Vardy (£3.5m) sidelined through injury, Iheanacho stepped up for Leicester in a big way, scoring 12 goals in 15 league games at the back end of the campaign.
Add in four goals in what proved to be a successful FA Cup campaign and a sprinkling of other strikes across all competitions and the Nigeria international finished the season with 19 goals and seven assists to his name.
Dream Team managers will remember the huge swathes of points he provided during that time – he was a popular recruit ahead of a meeting with Sheffield United and instantly delivered a hat-trick at the Blades’ expense to underline his viability.
32 points in two games speaks volumes
More than a few gaffers will have been reminded of those prosperous weeks in the wake of Iheanacho’s masterclass at home to Spurs om Saturday.
The Foxes’ No14 scored one goal and assisted another to claim the Star Man award and bank 15 points.
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And he achieved something similar the previous Game Week when he scored one and assisted two more as Leicester beat Aston Villa 4-2.
Back-to-back Star Man awards and an influx of 32 points in two games is more than enough to put Dream Team bosses on alert, especially those who remember his 2020/21 exploits.
Iheanacho is dirt-cheap at £2.9m and his current ownership of 0.2% makes him a massive differential.
A fruitful Dream Team combination
One potential drawback to this transfer suggestion is his upcoming fixtures.
Brendan Rodgers’ side travel to Old Trafford this Sunday before hosting league leaders Arsenal the following weekend.
Saying that, Villa were unbeaten in four league games before they succumbed to Leicester’s onslaught and Champions League hopefuls Spurs came off the back of a win over Manchester City when they were thrashed at the King Power.
2022/23 has been an underwhelming season for the Foxes so far but they’re steadily moving out of the relegation dogfight and towards the relative safety of mid table.
Keeping clean sheets has been a problem for them under Rodgers but scoring goals has rarely been an issue.
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Only Southampton and Bournemouth have conceded more goals this term but only five teams have scored more at this stage.
Keep an eye on Iheanacho’s returns, if he embarks on 2020/21-esque spree then you probably can’t afford to miss out. More

NOT all prolific goalscorers at Championship level are able to transfer their skills successfully to the Premier League.Ivan Toney (£5.4m), however, has proven to be a centre-back’s nightmare at top-flight level since Brentford’s promotion.
Last season, the Bees’ No17 scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 33 league appearances – a superb effort for a newly-promoted side.
This campaign, he’s already scored 14 goals (and provided three assists) with only Harry Kane (£8.2m) and runaway leader Erling Haaland (£8.8m) ahead of him in the Golden Boot race.
A well-earned slice of luckCredit: GETTY
Granted, Toney latest strike was served with a sizeable slice of luck given the PGMOL have issued an apology to Arsenal for video assistant Lee Mason’s mistake in incorrectly checking for an offside in the build-up.
Had VAR been properly employed, Brentford’s equaliser would have been chalked off although Toney certainly won’t be breaking out the violins for the Gunners over the matter.
What matters to Thomas Frank’s side is that they’re now unbeaten in ten league fixtures and a point earned at the home of the leaders may well prove to be hugely valuable in their quest for European qualification this season.
It goes without saying that if they are to maintain their pursuit of the Europa Conference League/Europa League then their top scorer will need to keep leading the line in the effective manner to which opposition defenders have become accustomed, much to their chagrin.
Poor William Saliba (£3.1m) was given a ragged time by Toney at the weekend with the latter winning all but one of his 13 aerial duels, a freakish statistical achievement.
From a Dream Team perspective, it was the 26-year-old’s all-round performance that contributed to him bagging the Star Man award just as much as his goal.
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Mixing it with the big boysCredit: GETTY
A 13-point haul in north London has taken Toney’s total for the campaign to 133.
Mohamed Salah (£7.7m), Kane, Marcus Rashford (£6.1m) and Haaland are the only forwards with more points to their name at the time of writing.
Even more impressively, Toney averages six points-per-game in 2022/23 – Haaland and Rashford are the only assets in his position who boast a superior rate.
Barring injury setbacks or suspensions, he should register 20+ Premier League goals this season and, more importantly, 200+ Dream Team points.
Double centurions are relatively rare, last season just six forwards reached the milestone.
Premier League is the Bees sole focus for the rest of the seasonCredit: GETTY
One potential issue for Toney (and his backers) is that Brentford’s calendar contains their remaining 16 league fixtures and nothing more.
Without European or FA Cup commitments, the streetwise target man may find it difficult to keep pace with busier assets in the final third of the campaign but he’s not to be underestimated.
Toney’s current ownership of 8.1% makes him the ninth-most selected forward in the game but the fact he’s less popular than Darwin Nunez (£4.8m), Gabriel Martinelli (£3.1m) and Son Heung-min (£5.2m) should raise a few eyebrows. More

NO Dream Team manager achieved a century of points in Game Week 21 but Gareth Powell came very close.The Tottenham fan racked up 98 points and was comfortably the top gaffer of the week, which also means he’s in pole position to claim the PlayStation 5 that’s up for grabs in February’s Monthly competition!
Let’s take a closer look at how he did it…
What a week!Credit: DREAM TEAM
Chelsea have kept three clean sheets in a row and the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.7m) and Marc Cucurella (£3.6m) have reaped the benefits.
The pair combined for 16 points by the end of the Blues’ stalemate with west London neighbours Fulham.
The Spanish goalkeeper is up to third in the rankings among assets in his position and currently features in just 2% of teams – a masterstroke from Gareth!
And the same could be said of his decision to back Ben Mee (£3.7m).
The 33-year-old is only marginally more popular than Arrizabalaga with an ownership of 2.5% and he provided a whopping 18 points by virtue of a goal, clean sheet and a Star Man award at Southampton’s expense.
Thomas Frank’s side are pushing for European qualification this season and Mee’s experience at the back has certainly contributed to their continued improvement.
The ex-Burnley centre-back was Game Week 21’s joint-top defender alongside James Tarkowski (£2.4m).
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Mee has offered excellent value for money this seasonCredit: GETTY
Mee is accompanied in Gareth’s XI by his team-mate Ethan Pinnock (£3.4m), who banked eight point of his own against Saints.
In midfield, the disappointment of a Riyad Mahrez (£5.7m) blank was offset by a pleasantly surprising ten-point haul from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£3.6m).
The Denmark international provided the assist for Spurs’ winner against Manchester City (more on that in a moment) and battled hard to deny the likes of Rodri (£3.7m) and Bernardo Silva (£2.8m) freedom in the middle of the park.
Hojbjerg edged the match ratings to bag the Star Man award and, incredibly, he’s now just four points shy of a century.
Dream Team’s current third-best midfielder Bukayo Saka (£4.2m) had to settle for three points as Arsenal were upset by Sean Dyche’s Everton but the Gunners’ No7 will be hopeful of a decent haul in Game Week 22 with two fixtures to fulfil.
Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m) has been on a tear lately and this past week he overtook Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) to become Dream Team’s leading asset in his position.
The Portuguese playmaker took Crystal Palace for 13 points at the weekend and topped up his total with three more in midweek against Leeds – he’s now got 136 overall.
A turn up for the booksCredit: GETTY
Up front, Cody Gakpo (£3.3m) has to be considered something of a rogue choice.
The Dutchman chipped in with three points this past week but that’s all he’s mustered since signing for Liverpool and it’s clear he needs some time to settle.
What’s notable is that Gareth went without Dream Team’s best performer Erling Haaland (£8.8m) in Game Week 21.
The prolific Norwegian failed to register a shot on target against Spurs while his counterpart, Harry Kane (£8.2m), grabbed headlines with a winning goal that moved him clear of Jimmy Greaves at the top of the Lilywhites’ all-time top scorers list.
England’s skipper notched his 200th Premier League goal in the process, something previously achieved by just two men: Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer.
And last but by no means least, the man with the hot hand right now, Marcus Rashford (£6.1m).
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Manchester United’s No10 scored against Palace and Leeds to continue his sensational form – he’s amassed 116 points in the last seven Game Weeks!
Superbly played, Gareth, good luck to you and everyone else ahead of Game Week 22! More

LEICESTER won the FA Cup for the first time in their history in 2021 but the club’s fortunes have steadily declined since that impressive achievement.The Foxes finished outside of the European places last season and they’re on track for a bottom-half finish this term having lost 12 of their 21 league fixtures – only Southampton have suffered more defeats.
Brendan Rodgers’ side may have let their standards drop in the last two years but James Maddison (£5.4m) has pulled twice his weight from an individual perspective.
A formidable Dream Team assetCredit: GETTY
Having recently returned from an injury lay-off, the 26-year-old scored upon his first Premier League start since mid-November when he netted against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Leicester’s No10 has scored eight goals and provided four assists in 15 league appearances this season – an immense effort in a struggling team.
Naturally, Maddison’s performances have translated to Dream Team success.
An eight-point haul at Villa Park took his overall total to 76 which puts him 14th among midfielders but the stat to focus on is his average points-per-game of 4.5.
Among midfielders to have played at least three games, Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) is the only asset with a better average than Maddison at the time of writing.
If he can avoid further injury setbacks and enjoy a long run in the team, there should be plenty of points on offer.
Leicester fans will be hoping their No10 can stay fit for the rest of the season
Dream Team managers should always be on the hunt for midfielders who specialise in goal involvements and Maddison fits the bill perfectly.
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The England international (just the one cap to date) scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions last season – there are plenty of out-and-out strikers who looked upon that return with envy.
And the season before that he reached double figures in both metrics too.
Because of his recent injury, Maddison’s ownership currently sits at a very modest 3% so gaffers in need of differential players in hope of gaining ground in their mini-leagues would be wise to consider him.
That being said, Leicester face a tough run of fixtures this month with Spurs, Man United and Arsenal to come in their next three games – although Maddison has a good record against the so-called big six. More

THE maximum amount of strikers you’re allowed in your Dream Team is three… or is it?You have the choice of three formations – 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 – but there are plenty of players who are not easily categorised when it comes to fixed positions.
These days it’s hard to differentiate between traditional wingers and wide/inside forwards and so some wide players are categorised as midfielders whereas others are lumped into the same bracket as out–and-out strikers such as Erling Haaland (£9.1m), Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.6m), etc.
It’s generally a good idea to take advantage of this grey area by stacking your midfield with the most attack-minded players possible: Riyad Mahrez (£5.9m), Bukayo Saka (£4.2m) and the like.
And sometimes, a particular set of circumstances allows gaffers to perform a neat trick that allows them to select four genuine strikers, if that’s what they desire.
Enter stage rightCredit: GETTY
At the start of the season, Brennan Johnson (£2.3m) was generously categorised as a midfielder.
The Welshman generally played just off a traditional centre-forward during Nottingham Forest’s promotion campaign and so he was deemed to be a No10 and therefore an attacking midfielder.
In reality, Johnson are predominantly been Forest’s most advanced player this season having either led the line solo or acted as one half of an easily identifiable strike partnership.
In simple terms, Johnson is categorised as a midfielder but he’s very much a forward.
Occasional positional quirks are inevitable; Dream Team bosses may remember when Stuart Dallas switched from left-back to centre-midfield during Leeds’ first season back in the Premier League.
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The Northern Ireland international scored eight league goals for Marcelo Bielsa’s enterprising side that campaign, more than Mason Mount, Kevin De Bruyne and Raphinha, all while categorised as a defender.
Halcyon days
Previously, Johnson’s position didn’t really matter because Steve Cooper’s side struggled to string many positive performances together during the first third of the campaign.
However, things are looking up for the two-time European Cup winners.
Forest are undefeated in their last five Premier League games and have fought their way up to 13th in the table, level on points with 12th-placed Crystal Palace.
And Johnson’s improved form has been a key feature of the upsurge.
The 21-year-old has scored five goals and provided two assists in his last 11 games.
On Sunday, his perfectly-executed volley proved to be the difference between Forest and Leeds at City Ground, despite the visitors dominating possession and creating more chances.
Johnson has registered 49 points across the last seven Game Weeks, making him one of Dream Team’s most in-form “midfielders”.
A valid optionCredit: GETTY
Forest’s No20 has struck up a telepathic understanding with Morgan Gibbs-White (£2.5m) with the pair essentially responsible for the team’s entire attacking thrust.
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Dream Team gaffers desperate to pack their XI with as much attacking intent as possible could give themselves a bonus striker by transferring Johnson (0.8% ownership) into their midfield.
At £2.3m he’s cheap as chips too. More

MOST Dream Team gaffers will know that our match ratings are provided by WhoScored.Our data-loving pals use a sophisticated stats-based algorithm to determine which players earn bonus points from 7+ ratings and which individual claims the Star Man award in any given fixture.
Naturally, it makes sense to check in with WhoScored every now and then to see which players are ranking highly.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at their Premier League Team of the Season so far…
GOALKEEPER: Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.4m)
He’s a keeperCredit: GETTY
Nick Pope (£5.3m) has one finger in the Golden Glove having kept 12 clean sheets, three more than his nearest rival, and with 126 points to his name he’s by far and away Dream Team’s best goalkeeper.
However, it’s Chelsea’s custodian who has the highest average rating (7.22).
Arrizabalaga has impressed since replacing Edouard Mendy (£3.2m), who is as prone to errors as injuries this season, and a run of three consecutive clean sheets has propelled him up to third in the rankings among keepers.
The Spaniard was signed for an enormous transfer fee in 2018 and has largely disappointed but he’s finally showing the kind of form that put him on the map at Athletic Bilbao.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£6.6m), Fabian Schar (£4.8m), Ben Mee (£3.4m), Joao Cancelo
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Pope may have missed out on this XI but Newcastle make up half of the back four.
Trippier’s average rating of 7.68 is the second-highest among all players and no asset has claimed more Star Man awards than the England international’s seven at the time of writing.
Schar is second only to his vice-captain among defenders in terms of Dream Team points and so his presence won’t come as much of a surprise – although few if any would have predicted the extent of the Swiss centre-back’s success prior to Game Week 1.
New year, new Mee!Credit: GETTY
We wrote an entire article full of overdue appreciation for Mee’s efforts earlier this week.
The 33-year-old’s appearance in WhoScored’s XI is yet further confirmation of how effectively the ex-Burnley captain has improved Brentford’s defence.
With the Bees pushing for European qualification, Mee has chipped in with three useful goals on top of his reliable performances at the back.
Well, well, well, look who it is at left-back, Manchester City’s recent exile.
Cancelo’s form dropped off a cliff following his return from the World Cup but his average rating of 7.03 underlines how good he was during the first third of the campaign.
The Portugal international earned 99 points before he was loaned to Bayern Munich.
For those who feel Cancelo’s inclusion doesn’t wash, Fulham’s Kenny Tete (£2.7m) has the next-best average rating (7.01) among full-backs.
MIDFIELDERS: Bukayo Saka (£4.2m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7m), Martin Odegaard (£3.4m), Joelinton (£3.7m)
Team of the Year candidate?
League leaders Arsenal provide 50% of the midfield.
Saka and Odegaard have 27 goal involvements between them in the league this season and both have been key contributors to the Gunners’ title charge so far.
The pair’s efforts have translated to Dream Team success without any friction as both are among the exclusive group of just five midfielders with 100+ points to their name at this stage.
De Bruyne leads the way in that regard with a tally of 135 points and his average rating of 7.58 is only bettered by three players.
The Belgian may have slacked off a tad in recent weeks but he’s still the leading assist provider by a comfortable margin – he has 11 in 20 league outings.
Joelinton completes the midfield and while the St James’ Park faithful will say he’s fully deserving of his place for his wholehearted displays, it’s interesting that his consistent performances aren’t reflected in the Dream Team rankings.
72 points represents a decent return for the Brazilian but he’s currently outside the top 15 assets in his position.
It’s worth noting here that had WhoScored not been so strict on positioning, Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) would have filled the final spot in midfield.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£9.1m), Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m)
Injured but not forgotten
Man City’s prolific poacher has the highest average rating (7.7) in the Premier League this season, a fair reflection of his mountainous goal tally.
Haaland has scored 25 goals in 20 league appearances since his move from Borussia Dortmund and probably already has a place on his mantelpiece cleared for the Golden Boot.
His tally of 256 Dream Team points is also ludicrous.
Arsenal’s No9 has been injured for a few weeks now and some Dream Team bosses may have forgotten how influential he was during his side’s flying start.
Jesus scored five goals and assisted five others in his first 14 games but it was the way he linked the attacking unit together that ensured a string of lofty ratings.
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Trippier and Haaland are the only players with a higher average rating than the Brazilian’s 7.6.
Harry Kane (£7.9m) and Ivan Toney (£5.5m) narrowly miss out. More

FEBRUARY sees the return of the European competitions, the continuation of the FA Cup, and the culmination of the Carabao Cup, not to mention the bread and butter of the Premier League.More than ever, Dream Team gaffers need to make sure their XIs are in tip-top shape.
With that in mind, allow us to humbly propose three transfer recommendations.
OUT: Andy Robertson (£4.2m), IN: Luke Shaw (£3.9m)
Liverpool are going through a rough patchCredit: getty
Liverpool are in a right pickle at the moment, so much so that their 3-0 defeat to Wolves at the weekend didn’t come as much of a surprise.
The Reds’ first-choice left-back has provided more than his fair share of points in recent years but he’s mustered just 42 this season.
The extensive list of defenders with more points than Robertson this term includes: Lewis Dunk (£2m), Ryan Sessegnon (£2.3m), Tim Ream (£2.2m), Serge Aurier (£2.6m) and Ben Johnson (£3.4m).
Scotland’s captain remains more popular than Dan Burn (£4.8m) even though Newcastle’s big man is the third-best asset in his position!
Chances are Robertson will come strong again in the future but he’s one of several Liverpool players who simply aren’t worth sticking by during this funk.
In contrast, Manchester United’s results have been categorically encouraging in recent months.
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Currently third in the league and set to recommence European commitments against Barcelona in the Europa League, there are plenty of points to be had backing the Red Devils.
After a flurry of minus points at the start of the campaign, Shaw has amassed 94 across the last 13 Game Weeks.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.6m) may also appeal for those keen on this tactic.
OUT: Miguel Almiron (£3.4m), IN: Martin Odegaard (£3.4m)
The gravy train is off the tracksCredit: getty
Almiron’s brief transformation into a Gareth Bale/Thierry Henry hybrid was fun while it lasted but the Paraguayan winger has seemingly returned to normality.
Having scored seven goals in as many games earlier in the season, he’s now without a goal in his last nine appearances and his underlying numbers have dropped off a cliff too.
The 28-year-old has produced 12 points in his last nine games whereas Odegaard has amassed 52 in the same time frame.
Admittedly, Arsenal’s skipper has blanked three times in a row recently but with eight goals and five assists to his name he’s been one of the standout Premier League players this season.
The Gunners don’t recommence their European campaign until next month but they’ve got four fixtures still to fulfil this month which means their assets are busy enough.
Eddie Howe’s side play three times before the start of March and one of those is the Carabao Cup final against Man United.
OUT: Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.6m), IN: Son Heung-min (£5.1m)
Hear us out…Credit: getty
A big call here.
On the surface, Fulham’s No9 is enjoying a fantastic season while the South Korean superstar is enduring perhaps his worst time in English football.
While that’s true to a certain extent, every Dream Team manager knows that form can be painfully fleeting.
Since the start of Game Week 16, Mitrovic has mustered just one point while Son has pouched 27.
There have been signs in the last two or three outings that Tottenham’s No7 is shaking off his slump which should put gaffers on alert.
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Son is a Dream Team phenomenon when at his best and it’s telling that he’s the sixth-best forward in the game currently despite having been mostly below par.
If the 30-year-old is truly on the rise then this transfer could be extremely well timed but gaffers will need a little extra cash in the bank to make it work. More