Peter Fraser looks at where the smart money is going in this year's Sky Sports Fantasy League.
Peter Fraser looks at where Fantasy League smart money is going
Wheeling and dealing, cushty coups and the occasional suspect sale: not a day in the life of a Peckham market trader, but the activity in the Sky Sports Fantasy Football 2008 transfer market.
As the big kick-off approaches you have wasted little time (on official work lunch breaks of course) in entering into the spirit in an attempt to demonstrate that you really know your stuff.
There are many subjects to spark office disputes. The highbrow may discuss the for and against of a particularly crucial business venture, while a row over whose turn it is to get the next tea round can never be far away.
However, the current staple diet for the opinionated would be whether Frank Lampard is really worth more than Steven Gerrard, as Fantasy Football officials tell us. Let battle commence.
Fantasy Football plans are being drawn and here we take a sneaky peak at those players that are proving this season's must have accessory and those that could be heading for a place on the Reduced to Clear shelf.
There is no better place to start than those who are clearly a hit, and you do not have to model the surname Ferguson, Scolari, Benitez or Wenger to be able to recognise that Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is a half-decent player.
The man from Madrid is already rapidly approaching the capacity of Anfield in selections as he comfortably clocks the backing of more than 30,000 punters to prove the most popular player so far.
Admired
Torres' real world employers also appear the most admired club when it comes to the provision of players as the Reds have amassed over 80,000 selections - a good 12,000 clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Cesc Fabregas is a major contributor to the Gunners' haul as the assist master continues to leave me eating my 'over-rated' rant words as the Spanish schemer approaches almost 23,000 picks.
You have also decided the recent rule that Everton follow one excellent campaign with a stinker is nonsense as Joleon Lescott, the highest points scoring defender last season and most trendy to date this term, is again expected to earn his corn with a supply of goals; the England international currently enjoys the backing of 20,000 tactical masterminds.
The final two entries in our top five display a shrewdness and a 'he who dares, wins' mentality - suggesting there is a Del Boy want-to-be attitude in all of us - as hopes will be high Micah Richards' injury woes are over following 17,000 or so selections, while Aston Villa's Danish defender Martin Laursen is fancied for another impressive year after being plucked around 13,000 times.
An interesting side note is that Gerrard is proving to be the most valued midfield selection as an air of uncertainty surrounds 2007/08's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (107), while Rio Ferdinand proves the current Mr Popular at Manchester United.
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon insists he is an innocent bystander as the Ronaldo 'soap opera' rumbles on. But Fantasy Football land clearly finds the transfer saga as interesting as watching an episode of long-since axed Malaga-based drama Eldorado, and the belief appears to be that the Portuguese winger - who has collected the measly support of an approximate 5,000 - is on his way to the Bernabeu.
Knowledge
Elsewhere, overall selections are suspiciously similar to the Fantasy Football Tips offered by my colleague Alex Dunn a week or so ago, as even the likes of Brazilian midfielder Geovanni at newly-promoted Hull has received a healthy number of managers' backing.
A little bit of number crunching implies that, in your view, Mr Dunn - who suggested Geovanni will impress - is on a par with Sky Sports expert Andy Gray in terms of football knowledge and analysis. Alarm bells are ringing. You do know the man supports Oldham?
Of course the secret to success in Fantasy Football is not simply trotting out the big guns and sitting back as the points roll in. A gamble or two and a little nous is required. A £55million budget will not manage itself, out manoeuvre rivals or stumble across a hidden gem that will provide the overlooked edge. Speculate to accumulate.
It was promised the shrewd signings would be highlighted and therefore it is worth a glance at who is attracting attention from those prepared to take a risk on the defences of the Premier League's new boys, which will come under severe examination.
Wayne Brown at Hull is currently the man in the spotlight as approaching 700 hopefuls fancy he will keep the finest attacking threat in the country at bay, while West Brom's recently purchased goalkeeper Scott Carson is also proving fashionable, as is his Hawthorns pal Shelton Martis.
Stoke, though, are being given as wide a berth as that which is handed to a street salesmen flogging 'genuine' designer aftershave with only two members of Tony Pulis' backline, Ryan Shawcross and Lewis Buxton, receiving selections totalling three figures.
At the top of this piece you were also assured that a dodgy looking deal would be highlighted, and if it is the unique buys you are looking for in a bid to steal a march then bear in mind Middlesbrough's Ross Turnbull.
The Riverside goalkeeper, at the time of writing, had earned a glorious total of six selections. You know who you are.
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