We all know what Rooney, Aguero, Suarez et al have to offer, but outside of the big guns, what strikers currently represent the best value for money?
Fantasy Football (In association with Champion)
Picking your strikers if often the most arduous and most expensive task when it comes to assembling your fantasy football team and it is – in 90 per cent of cases – the positions that managers will look to fill first.
This season, for example, if like plenty of managers your striking trio includes Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero, you are looking at nearly a quarter of your budget spent on an eighth of your playing squad and have to make some pretty drastic adjustments with the rest of your side to ensure they are accommodated.
Is it worth it? It certainly has paid dividends so far, you only need to look at the points tallies of both players so far as proof. On a weekend such as this, however, where Rooney goes to a ground (Anfield) that hasn’t provided particularly happy hunting in the past and Aguero is rated only 50/50, it can be prudent to have a few other options ready and waiting in the background.
This season, where the goals have flowed more readily than in campaigns past, proven and affordable alternatives are in plentiful supply.
Starting at the big clubs, the career graphs of both Danny Welbeck (£7.1 million) and Daniel Sturridge (£6.6 million) have risen steadily of late and both are likely to be offered the chance to further stake their claims for more regular inclusion this weekend.
Sturridge, after two goals against former club Bolton last time out, is likely to fill in for the suspended Fernando Torres against Everton at Stamford Bridge and considering that Javier Hernandez played for Mexico in Mexico on Tuesday night, Welbeck could well be preferred alongside Wayne Rooney in attack by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Welbeck has netted three times in five games this season, even though in three of those games he was on the pitch for 35 minutes or less. An away trip to Liverpool is a different kettle of fish entirely, but Welbeck has the talent, and the temperament, to go a long way.
Further down the line, one man making waves so far this season is Aston Villa’s Gabby Agbonlahor (£7.1 million). Agbonlahor doesn’t come across as the brightest tool in the box (check out this clip if you don’t believe us) and he seems to be flourishing under the uncomplicated management style of Alex McLeish, with four goals, three assists and nine bonus points so far, enough to make him the highest scoring forward in the league behind Rooney and Aguero.
Outside of the two Manchester clubs, the team making the biggest impression so far this season is Newcastle, who have scaled to the dizzying heights of fourth place. While our own Leon Best (£5.4 million) deserves a mention even if his good form continues to go unnoticed by Mr. Trapattoni, the Magpies’ man of the moment is Demba Ba (£6.2 million), with four goals in his last two games.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Robin Van Persie (£11.9 million). As Liverpool v Man U is always so hard to call and as there are doubts over the fitness of Sergio Aguero, it might be worth considering the case of Robin Van Persie. Arsenal might be struggling, but the Dutchman scored twice on his last home outing and could repeat the trick against a faltering Sunderland at the Emirates.
Mid-Range: Daniel Sturridge (£6.6 million). Fernando Torres remains suspended so it looks likely that Sturridge will start alongside lederhosen enthusiast Didier Drogba up front. Everton will be no pushovers at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues have put away nine goals in the last two games, so you’d fancy them to come up trumps.
Bargain Basement: Tim Krul (£4.6 million). You get the feeling that Newcastle’s good run is going to come to an end sooner rather than later, but you might as well make the most of it while it lasts. Krul has kept three clean sheets already this season behind what has been a very solid defence.
Irish Pick: Shane Long (£6.0 million). Simon Cox may have been preferred to Long for Ireland during the week, but at club level, the Tipperary man is still the boss. He’ll be battling plenty of his countrymen against Wolves at the Hawthorns and will be anxious to prove a point.
Captain’s Pick: David Silva (£10.1 million). The pint-sized Spaniard has been flying this season and his momentum shows no signs of slowing down after two goals for his country during the week.
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