The 8 best Dream Team assets with an ownership below 10%
AS the Dream Team season hurtles toward a dramatic climax, gaffers lagging behind in their mini-leagues need to make their move.
The most effective way to do this is by backing players overlooked by those above you in the table.
Think about it, a Mohamed Salah (£7.7m) hat-trick isn’t going to impact the standings if he’s present in every XI in the mini-league.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which players with an ownership currently below 10% have racked up the most points this season.
Jose Sa (£3.8m) – 119 points
Only Ederson (£4.6m) and Alisson (£4.7m) have more points than Wolves’ keeper at this stage and the Brazilian pair are comfortably the most most-popular assets in their position.
Truth be told, Sa’s best point-scoring days may be behind him this season – Bruno Lage’s side have just six league games left to fulfil and two of those take the form of away days to Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Portuguese has an ownership of 3.2% and has punched well above his weight for his owners.
The fact he’s still above Edouard Mendy (£3.9m) in the rankings is truly remarkable.
Ilkay Gundogan (£4.6m) – 123 points
Manchester City have a surplus of midfield talent with the likes of Bernardo Silva (£3.7m), Raheem Sterling (£5.1m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m) all immensely popular among Dream Team bosses.
If the Germany international played for any other team in the league he’d be one of the first names on the team sheet and would probably have an ownership of 15% instead of the 3.6% it is right now.
Gundogan averages a goal or assist every 144.1 minutes in the Premier League this season, which just goes to show the depth of quality available to Pep Guardiola.
Aymeric Laporte (£5.7m) – 140 points
We’ve done our best to boost the Frenchman-turned-Spaniard’s ownership in recent weeks having tipped him repeatedly but still it sits at a modest 7.5%.
With Ruben Dias (£4.5m) sidelined trough injury, Laporte has been Man City’s leader at the back and as a result he’s notched 71 points in his last 14 games.
It’s not too late to jump aboard this particular hype train as the Etihad residents are hunting trophies on three fronts still, though their fixture list hinges on what happens against Atletico Madrid this evening.
Phil Foden (£5.8m) – 142 points
The third and final Man City player to appear on this list and one you should seriously consider.
For similar reasons mentioned in regards to Gundogan, the Stockport Iniesta currently features in just 8.5% of teams – that seems very low for a player of his ability.
Foden frequently plays in Guardiola’s preferred front three, often as a false nine, and his tally of 11 goals and nine assists from 36 appearances is evidence that he does his best work in the final third.
The 21-year-old could be the perfect man for those hoping to gain ground in their mini-leagues.
Cesar Azpilicueta (£6.0m) – 142 points
The experienced Chelsea defender averages 4.2 points-per-game and has lingered inside the top 15 defenders pretty much all season long.
And yet he features in just 5.7% of teams.
This is probably because he’s been an expensive asset from the get-go and because his team-mates have offered even greater returns for less investment.
Even now, Antonio Rudiger (£4.6m), Thiago Silva (£5.1m) and Reece James (£5.8m) can all be picked up cheaper – all three have superior points tallies.
Ivan Toney (£4.8m) – 165 points
The top of the forward rankings have been dominated by Liverpool’s prolific goalscorers, Spurs’ established partnership, and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo (£7.4m).
As the primary striker for Brentford during the club’s first-ever campaign in the Premier League, Toney sticks out ike a sore thumb when perusing the Stats Centre – and we mean that as a compliment.
The Bees haven’t had European fixtures to fulfil and while they made it to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, they were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fourth round.
Toney has amassed his impressive total at a rate of 5.3 points-per-game – even Diogo Jota (£5.5m) and Son Heung-min (£5.5m) haven’t been able to maintain that pace.
Only four players have scored more league goals than the 26-year-old at this stage and yet his ownership rests at 5.6%.
Reece James (£5.8m) – 165 points
File Chelsea’s rampaging right-back in the same bracket as Foden.
His ownership naturally plummeted when he was injured and it’s only recovered to 9.6%, which doesn’t to match up to his stature in the game.
Despite missing several games while he was sidelined, James remains the eighth-best defender and his average of 5.5 points-per-game is only bettered by Ben Chilwell (£5.0m), Joao Cancelo (£7.7m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) and Kieran Trippier (£2.9m) in his position.
Jarrod Bowen (£4.9m) – 177 points
A similar story here as West Ham’s No20 was more popular prior to his recent injury.
At the time of writing, his ownership is 9.7% and those who were quick to reinstall Bowen in Game Week 30 were rewarded with a 15-point haul, though he blanked against Brentford last weekend.
The ex-Hull winger has been one of the breakout stars on 2021/22 having registered 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions to date.
Fatigue seems to be hampering the Hammers at the back end of the season but few midfielders have provided as many goal involvements as Bowen in recent months.