The Fantasy Football season, perhaps more exciting than the Premier League season, is upon us, and managers all over the World are frantically scrambling to find bargains and the next breakout star. We have put together a list of seven players who every manager thinks they are really sneaky and clever for including, when in fact everyone else has thought of them too.
Let's begin.
Geoff Cameron - Stoke City - 16% of teams.
Stoke City's versatile American defender Geoff Cameron had a very good season last year, and at only 4.5m, he represents real value at the back. Unfortunately everyone knows this, so you're not clever.
Alex Bruce - Hull City - 20.9% of teams.
Everybody needs a sub defender at the cheapest possible price. 4.0m is as cheap as they come, and as Alex Bruce is the son of Hull manager Steve Bruce, one in every five fantasy managers are backing this wonderful case of nepotism to bear fruit in terms of points.
Andre Wisdom - West Brom - 7.2% of teams.
Liverpool fans in particular will be all over loanee Andre Wisdom, who is worth a gamble at only 4.0m and could well see significant playing time for West Brom. With a 7.2% selection rate, many people are taking that gamble.
Jonjo Shelvey - Swansea - 10% of teams.
While every team needs a big name like Hazard, Gerrard, or Mata in the midfield, the only way to afford them is to include cheaper players. At 5.5m, Jonjo Shelvey is a great option, but disappointingly for those who thought they had found an overlooked points machine, one in ten teams have Jonjo in their ranks.
Jason Puncheon - Crystal Palace - 8% of teams.
When Tony Pulis took over at Palace last year, if you immediately put Jason Puncheon in your fantasy team, then congratulations, you are an excellent fantasy football hipster. Now, however? Not so much. Puncheon costs 6.0m and if he produces like he did at the business end of last season then that's a serious bargain.
Bojan - Stoke City - 14.2% of teams.
A lot of people are taking a punt on Bojan being able to "do it on a wet windy night in Stoke" this season, and a large reason for that is because of his low price at just 5.5m. Some would have thought he would have gone unnoticed, but at that price its no surprise he's one of the most picked strikers in the league.
Stevan Jovetic - Man City - 6% of teams.
Serie A star Jovetic made little impact in his first season at Man City last year, so who in their right mind would gamble £8.0m on him? Fantasy Football addicts who track pre-season form, that's who. Jovetic has been playing very well in pre-season, banging in goals left, right, and centre, and when you factor in Aguero's injury problems, you have yourself a dark horse for a big season. Actually, no you don't, as loads of other people think the same. Unlucky.
