It's two weeks into the season and already the villains and heroes are emerging from this year's fantasy football. The players you were sure would hit the ground running haven't left the traps, while the one's you wrote off as past their best are raking in the points and leaving you slumped in the bottom half of the league.
This is the sort of thing being discussed weekly on the Balls.ie Fantasy Football Podcast so be sure to check that out too.
Here are the worst offending players that aren't doing the business:
Wayne Rooney
Rooney appeared as a bargain at £10.5m, Louis Van Gaal promised the England international would be the focal point of a highly creative Manchester United attack. Surely with the service provided by Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Juan Mata, Rooney would prove a smart alternative to the expensive Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa? 34.3% back the United striker to do the business, but the second most selected striker in the game has managed just four points from two games, neither of which he had a shot on target in.
Harry Kane
Last year Hurrikane proved to be the ultimate Fantasy Football bargain as taking a chance on the Spurs striker £6.0 returned 21 Premier League goals. This season backing him to continue his goalscoring form at £9.5m was seen as a fair price which 32% paid. Despite Spurs looking lively, Kane simply hasn't, he's failed to score or assist in the opening two games and was substituted after 63 minutes to see Tottenham throw away a two goal lead to draw with Stoke.
Eden Hazard
Last year's PFA Player of the year it this year's most popular Fantasy Premier League choice. Unfortunately Hazard, like his team, hasn't hit the ground running. Hazard is the kind of player you feel like you can't leave out, but those who were brave enough have reaped the benefits of not picking the game's most expensive midfielder at £11.5m. The almost half (47.4%) that have Hazard in their team have gained just three points from two games as Chelsea have struggled.
Petr Cech
A smart selection for your first choice goalkeeper is essential for Fantasy Football success, two keepers dominated teams this year, we'll get to the second shortly, but Petr Cech looked nothing like the player we know as his two errors saw Arsenal slump to a 2-0 opening day defeat to West Ham, and he could have done better at Crystal Palace. Cech is still the most popular keeper this year and 31.2% of teams are hoping he returns to form soon.
The Chelsea Defence
The single biggest killer in the opening two gameweeks has undeniably been the Chelsea back-line. First of all, Courtois broke a huge amount of hearts as his tally of -2 was accompanied by a suspension for the most selected goalkeeper in the game after being sent off against Swansea. At least one of Chelsea's rock-solid defenders from last year was seen as must have, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill and Azpilicueta all came with an expensive price tag you felt it was necessary to pay. Five goals conceded in two games has made you regret it.
Here's the players that you wrote off, that have helped your pals leave you behind:
Vincent Kompany
The Manchester City captain we were sure was past his best after an underwhelming last season, we were wrong. Two rock solid performances have brought two clean sheets, while he managed to find the net in both. Kompany is now the joint-highest scoring player with 25 points, which was jumped his value to £6.2, making him too expensive to buy while those who had the Belgian secured an early season bargain.
Romelu Lukaku
Many struggled this year to find that mid-range striker to you could count on bringing home the points. That man looks to be Romelu Lukaku, who started the season priced at a reasonable £8.0, and is the highest scoring striker with 18 points, two clear of his bargain of the season teammate Arouna Kone. Lukaku is a natural goalscorer but many felt more expensive options were a better choice, they were wrong as Everton's star hit the ground running.
Mateo Darmian
Manchester United can't defend, they've only bought attacking players, they'll never keep clean sheets with Jones and Smalling in the team... Well, they have. New full-back Mateo Darmian has needed little time to adjust to the Premier League and has managed two impressive performances with both resulting in clean sheets and a total of four bonus points. Those that picked Darmian from the start have seen his value rise to £5.7 million and gained 15 points for their smart selection.
Joe Gomez
The rumours were true and those who believed that Brendan Rodgers would give an 18-year-old a starting berth in his back-line were handsomely rewarded. The defender cost just £4.5, putting him on par with Sunderland's back four that has conceded seven goals already this season. Gomez has played every minute of Liverpool's opening two games, his two clean sheets and assist have seen him become the joint second-highest scoring defender with 18 points.
Joe Hart
The players smart enough to avoid Cech and Courtois probably plumped for the Manchester City keeper, and has seen him go untroubled in two assured performances, including the 3-0 win over Chelsea. Hart has amassed 15 points for City and his value has risen as a result making his the joint most expensive keeper. City have reasonably comfortable fixtures against Everton, Watford and Crystal Palace to come, and given their form, those who selected Hart should see his value continue to rise.
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