Kenwyne Jones is nearing fitness by the day and according to his team mates, we should expect him to make a major impact on his return.

Jones is currently tipped to return from a knee ligament injury by the end of this month and club skipper, Dean Whitehead, has revealed that the striker has spent his time out building up his frame to centre-back-scaring proportions. Jones has been in light training this week and the sight of the T&T striker has already made an impression on old Dean…

“He must have been doing hours and hours in the gym because he’s much bigger than he was last season”, commented Whitehead. “He was a physical presence last season, but he’s bigger now, trust me.”

Jones’ return will be an interesting one. There’s no doubt that he’s a key figure for Keane’s men and given his returns last season, he’s got to be a mid-price fantasy consideration once again…

Jones was Sunderland’s player of the year and their major fantasy target. While he was hardly a prolific scorer last term – his assist count backed that up rather nicely. Jones brought in 7 goals and 10 assists, along with an 18 point Fantasy Premier League bonus haul from 33 appearances.

Those stats saw him rank 10th amongst last season’s strikers in the Fantasy Premier League game and that’s seen his price rise significantly this term. Currently priced at 6.9 from a 7.0 original value, Jones still looks a decent option in the mid-price bracket.

Zaki dominates that price range with a current value of 6.8 and rising, while the likes of West Ham’s Cole and Bolton’s Davies are producing returns in lower price brackets. Elsewhere however, options are fairly sparse. If Jones returns and begins to produce then, he will be worthy of attention.

Sunderland are a stronger outfit this season but are still struggling for goals, averaging just a goal a game so far. He should get improved service with the likes of Malbranque and Diouf possibly occupying wide roles, while the presence of Cisse could bring even more assists this term.