Which players will you bring into your Fantasy Football XI? It's YOUR call
Friday 16 October 2020 07:35, UK
The Sky Sports Fantasy Football Overhaul is here, meaning unlimited transfers can be made until Saturday October 17 without eating into your 40 for the season.
For some, their team may be set in stone and ready for domestic football's return, but for others, crucial decisions are still to be made and Fantasy Football watchlists are to be narrowed down before the deadline.
Five players who could make your Fantasy Football XIs are below - will any of these make your starting line-up?
The statistics do the talking with Harry Kane. With three goals and six assists to his name, the England captain has already hit the half-century mark in terms of Fantasy Football points after just four games. Kane leads the way with 50, the most in the game.
A hefty 40 of these came against Southampton and Manchester United alone, with the Tottenham talisman now finding himself in 60.2 per cent of the top 1,000 Fantasy Football teams ahead of the Overhaul period.
Kane said himself after the Manchester United result that the ability to drop deeper has always been a part of his game, so this could be seen more often in the coming weeks. Assists, as well as goals, could become synonymous with the addition of Harry Kane into your Fantasy XI.
The most promising aspect coming out of the Overhaul is quite simply Tottenham's fixtures. Jose Mourinho's side face West Ham, Brighton, Burnley and West Brom in their next four, an opportunity for Kane to extend his gap at the top of the points chart.
You could have taken your pick of players from Aston Villa's drubbing of champions Liverpool last weekend, but Jack Grealish is the one which will bring you consistent averages, week on week. He was Villa's highest point-scorer in Fantasy Football last year and you should expect that stat to stay the same this term.
The English international posted 25 points against Liverpool; let that sink in! Two goals, three assists - Grealish will get you points this campaign. This was after he scored against Fulham the week before, so again he is proving it on a consistent basis.
This can be emphasised by his selection percentage, currently standing at 23.13 per cent. This makes Grealish the fourth-most selected midfielder in the game, and for good reason. With fixtures against Leeds, Southampton, Brighton and West Ham featuring in Villa's next six, they could well add more points to their 100 per cent start, with Grealish adding more points to his near-perfect start in Fantasy Football.
The Newcastle stopper will be remembered most for his man-of-the-match performance against Tottenham as far as the season goes so far. If there was a threshold for tier three save bonus points, Karl Darlow would have reached it, but earning a point for Steve Bruce's side away at Tottenham will have done just fine.
Aside from this, Newcastle's clean sheet on the opening day at West Ham tallied Darlow another eight of his 23 seasonal points, so despite his lowly cost of £6.2m, it could mean that the man behind the sticks could be a potential bargain buy following the international break.
It is said that within Sky Sports Fantasy Football, it is important to choose and stick with your goalkeeper for large periods of time, so it is paramount that you get it right. Although Newcastle face Manchester United, Wolves and Everton in their next three, you would still expect Darlow to register bonus points alongside the potential shock clean sheet.
Much has been said about James Rodriguez since his arrival at Goodison Park, particularly within these Fantasy Football articles. The last time Rodriguez was mentioned, he had a goal and assist - fast forward the clock, and the Colombian has now netted three goals and made two, collecting two man-of-the-match awards.
Rodriguez is the most selected midfielder aside from the big-hitters known as Kevin de Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes, with 24.55 per cent of Fantasy Football teams recruiting thus far. It might be in part to Everton's early-season form, winning all four of their Premier League matches and sitting at the top of the table.
A Merseyside derby awaits Rodriguez, so he will have to be at his very best after the long trip back from South America to keep his selection percentage as high. Southampton and Newcastle follow, so there is as good a case as any to bring in and keep the silky midfielder in your team for weeks to come.
You will not transfer in a better player, for the price of £9.1m, than Ruben Dias of Manchester City. Although there has been an abundance of shocks, goals, and penalties so far this campaign, many forget that Ederson of Manchester City walked away with the Golden Glove in 2019/20; Manchester City will keep clean sheets again this year.
The signing of Dias from Benfica for £65m will bolster the sometimes frail defence of City, as Pep Guardiola identified the Portuguese international to be the final piece of the puzzle. Partnering Aymeric Laporte against Leeds, Dias looked composed and eager to impress on his debut.
Twice from corners, Dias got his head to the ball and was unfortunate not to see one of these nestle in the back of the net, proving that he could bring in attacking returns from set-pieces, as well as attaining passing bonus points as City retain more possession and helping his new team to keep clean sheets.
Your Fantasy Football team should be planned with the long-term fixture schedule deep in your mind, alongside a couple of differentials and cheap picks that could make all the difference in your mini leagues.
