With Cesc’s return at City, the Arsenal playmaker is back on the radar and available for a cut-down price of 11.8 in the Fantasy Premier League game. The question is, do you spend points and conduct major surgery to bring in the mercurial midfielder now, or hold you fire, bank on cheaper alternatives and look to work him in as the Gameweek’s progress?

Mark “While Samir Nasri did a more than capable job of filling the void and provided a major distraction with a stunning performance against City last weekend, for me there was plenty of evidence on the return of Fabregas on Sunday, to suggest that the Gunners skipper will be an essential Fantasy signing this season.

He picked up another two FPL Bonus points, his sixth and seventh of a season that has seen him complete just one period of 90 minutes. Our recent “Minute Men” article for Members outlined just why the Arsenal skipper remains so highly conspicuous when it comes to these added extras and there’s every reason to suspect that Fabregas will go on hoovering up these points with regularity.

Assists will also look after themselves – a huge number of touches and passes in the opponents half and a massive influence at set-plays will surely see to that – double figures in this area looks assured. While Cesc might struggle to keep pace with the likes of Florent Malouda when it comes to goals, again double figures look likely – despite the missed spot-kick at Eastlands. I can personally see him fetching a 10/14 season for goals/assists – a return which would certainly justify his current price tag. That price will likely rise to the 12.5 mark by December, and the first major points haul will likely prove the catalyst for the first jump in ownership. With struggling West Ham at the Emirates this weekend, that first big scoring week may be just days away.

In short then, I’m buying into Fabregas now. I’ve spent four points to seal his capture at his current price with the promise of getting three of those points back with the obligatory Bonus return against the Hammers. That potential and the opportunity to hand Fabregas the armband in a week when Drogba and co face a tricky Ewood encounter and Nani faces Spurs, is more than enough to convince me that the timing is right.”

G-G-Granville “Fabregas look like the essential purchase this week and since he’s owned by a paltry 8.6%, it represents a huge differential in a week where it looks like he is guaranteed points. Judging by the transfers in this week, the majority have chosen Nasri over Fabregas, at a ratio of 5 to 1, understandable considering his recent form and outstanding value. I would be surprised however if he outscored Fabregas for the second week running.

There is always one thing to consider with him. Will his hamstrings continue to hamper his appearances and if so are you happy to be benching him or swapping him in and out?”

Da Beeeez “Count me in for getting Fabregas immediately. This is a serious bargain to be able to get Fabregas at a discount price, and well worth the 4-point hit that I must pay to make it happen. Whether he plays deep or presses forward, Arsenal are creating attacking opportunities (and getting penalties) and he’s always a presence at the bonus point trough. It may be a stretch for Fabregas to match his 15 goals and 15 assists from last season, but he should make a run at 200 fantasy points again before all is said and done. I understand why some people are floating the idea of opting for Samir Nasri plus using the extra cash elsewhere, but it feels like a classic case of chasing last week’s points. If you got Nasri’s points last week, enjoy them (I left him on the bench – doh!). If you missed Nasri’s points last week, curse and swear and then move on. But seriously, are we even having this debate if Nasri doesn’t score against City and Hart doesn’t save Fabregas’ penalty kick? With Lampard struggling to get healthy and to find a role, Gerrard stuck in the midst of Liverpool’s current chaos, and Malouda subject to emerging rotation speculation, Fabregas is an easy selection from the mega-expensive midfielders. All aboard!!!”

El Fozzie “I’m well aware that I’m the new boy and have committed my fair share of rookie mistakes so far this season, so it’s just possible I’m about to commit another howler, but right now, I’m not sure Fabregas is worth it. Other members of the same midfield can be acquired for a fraction of the price, and the money saved can be used to double up on Arsenal’s attacking players (Nasri, Arshavin, Chamakh even Walcott) and take full advantage of their upcoming fixtures.

As Fabregas is still coming back from injury, I’m concerned that he won’t be as sharp in and around the box as he is when fully fit. I also worry that immediately post-injury is the most likely time for big players to pick up another knock or a strain and Wenger could play it safe, preferring to keep him fit for the Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

I also think there are equally good options available for a far lower price in the form of Nasri and Walcott, both of whom are looking very sharp and in goal-scoring form. With regards to Nasri in particular (who’s my pick), I actually think this could be the season where he comes out from underneath Fab’s shadow to become a major star in his own right, he’s certainly looked the part so far and although he’s not involved in as many passes as Cesc might be, it seems like he’s involved further up the field. Walcott is more hit and miss of course, but when he’s on song his pace and skill make him unplayable and pace alone makes him a natural beneficiary of any off-side trap springing through-balls.

Ultimately then, if Fabregas were in the same bracket as Nasri and Walcott I would probably still prefer him, but given the differential in price (and the fact it’s likely to mean some chicanery in sacrificing points and/or other star players to get him in), I think Nasri is the better option, possibly with Walcott as support if you want to double up.”

Andy “I’ll be brief on this one. Without a shadow of a doubt I want Cesc Fabregas in my team, so much so that I sold Samir Nasri last week. Okay, that didn’t turn out too well in the end, but [when fit] Cesc is the closest I think I could ever come to regarding someone as “essential”. He’s not – no-one is, in my mind – but if I can get him in for fixtures at home to West Ham and Newcastle to hand him the armband he’s well worth chucking into my team, even for a hit. The fact that Nasri’s 14 point haul at Man City means the spotlight is somewhat deflected away from Cesc will hopefully make it all the more sweeter in the long run when he pulls the strings these next few weeks. Welcome back Francesc.”

Big Dunc “After going over all of the various options, I’ll be reluctantly bringing him in this week but its more out of fear than anything else; the thought of seeing Andy close a 40 point gap in a 2 week period was just too much to bear! There’s very few players in this game capable of racking up a cricket score but Fabregas is definitely one of them, and after watching him single handedly destroy Everton at Goodison last season, notching 22 FPL points in the process, a (fit) Fabregas has been the first name on my team sheet ever since. He went on to score double figures on ten separate occasions, and followed the Everton rout with another 22 pointer at Blackburn and a period of 5 games in a row where he picked up all 3 Bonus Points in every game. Somehow I can’t see Nasri or Walcott getting anywhere near those returns.

A lot of people are dropping Malouda but that looks a bit short sighted to me. When Lampard returns, it is going to be essential to have one of the two big Chelsea midfielders and so it seems silly to sell Malouda and lose 0.5M in value, only to want him back in a few weeks. The Tevez news is irritating, as he is another season keeper for me. It looks like I’ll be benching him and using Berbatov as my Fab-fodder, which means I’ll be stuck with one up front this weekend. Fingers crossed Captain Fabtastic pulls off another 22 pointer this weekend then.”