Tim Cahill may well be back in the Everton lineup but his is far from being over his injury concerns according to noises coming out of Goodison. Moyes has waved his Aussie midfielder off to a World Cup Qualifier yesterday, harbouring doubts over Cahill’s foot injury that is still troubling him; another operation may well be on the cards.

Add this to the fact that Cahill was often a bystander in a deeper role, whilst new signing Fellaini powered forward on Cahill-like runs against Boro and it’s clear that his fantasy potential is still very much in doubt…

At his best Tim Cahill is vital to Everton’s attacking play and can offer fantasy investors some serious returns in the mid-price bracket. He returned 7 goals and 3 assists in 17 starts last season – clear evidence that he can produce when fit and available.

Injuries and, to a lesser extent, suspensions, have always been a concern over the years and even though we’re seeing the midfielder back in the Everton side this month, he appears to be far from at his best. According to Moyes, Cahill got through 85 minutes of the Boro game courtesy of painkilling injections in his foot…

“He was desperate to play and that’s what we like about him, he always wants to be in the team. But he definitely has a problem. It’s like you’re standing on a marble all the time. We think it might be to do with the insoles he wears now after his metatarsal injuries. It changes the mechanism of his feet.”

Moyes took the option to start with both Fellaini and Cahill in central midfield yesterday, leaving Pienaar benched.

“We used him and Fellaini in the middle today and we asked them to take turns, one of them going forward and one of them staying back. I thought it worked well,” remarked the Everton boss.

I’m not so sure it did. Not for Cahill anyway. He had a goal chalked out from a set-piece but often looked on while Fellaini made the foraging runs forward we’ve long associated with the Aussie.

I personally doubt that Moyes will play both midfielders next time out. Cahill will return from his World Cup Qualifier at the weekend, in time to take the field for Everton at Wigan on Monday evening. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rested however, particularly if Moyes continues to opt for a 4-4-2 with Saha and Yakubu paired up front.

In the long term Cahill may need Moyes to shift to 4-5-1 to bring in the goals that have made him a fantasy target in previous seasons. While Arteta’s form stalls after contributing a string of early assists, Fellaini may well be the darkhorse in the Everton midfield if you’re looking for a differential. One glance at the fixtures (tot, AVL and CHE to come in the next five) and after watching Everton struggle in the first 45 against Boro, I’m far from convinced that Everton are worthy of investment right now despite the recent upturn in their results.