The Dream Team Transfer Window 1 opened back on September 3 and slams shut at 12.45pm this coming Saturday. That gives us just a matter of days to make three allotted trades, which means we need to sift through the deadline day bluster, assess the current crop of injuries and examine the schedule prior to our next opportunity to make another three precious transfers in November.

This season, when the Dream Team Transfers Windows come around, we’ll not only be reminding you to start tinkering before the opportunity is missed, we’ll also be offering some insight into the strategy for each window, providing an in-depth look at the fixtures, analysing the current transfer trends in the game and identifying the key targets when making your three available trades.

Transfer Window 1 – Dates and Fixtures

We have until Saturday afternoon (12.45) to make our three Dream Team transfers. These are “use them or lose ‘em” transfers so there’s no rolling over and saving for later. With that in mind, even if you’re flying up the rankings and settled on your starting XI, it’s wise to make a full assessment of your options.

Crucially, this means getting a grasp on the schedule between this window and Transfer Window 2 – the next opportunity we’ll get to tweak our teams.

Transfer Window 2 is open from November 12-23. In Gameweek terms, that means we’re unable to make any transfers between Gameweeks 4 and 11. Immediately, then, you’ll be wanting to be checking your Fantasy Football Scout Season Tickers to assess which teams have the most favourable set of fixtures in that period. Our members can use their ticker to narrow the selection to Gameweeks 4-11 and simply sort by difficulty – they can also apply the “Attacking” and “Clean Sheet” filters to get a view on potential goals and shut-outs.

In addition to league fixtures, Dream Team managers also have to take in cup competitions.

Here’s a breakdown of the extra fixtures that fall between Transfer Windows 1 and 2.

Capital One Cup
Third and Fourth Rounds.

Europa League
Matchdays 1,2,3 and 4.

Champions League
Matchdays 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Only Crystal Palace will miss out in the Capital One Cup, although one look at the third round draw casts some doubt over several teams’ chances of progressing further, with several all-Premier League ties on offer.

The European fixtures are more of a concern, in that the following teams will all certainly play four additional matches before Transfer Window 2:

Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Swansea.

The Players

Not surprisingly, then, it makes sense to target players in those six teams with our moves in this window. With at least four additional fixtures, it’s likely that their players will top the points rankings between now and Transfer Window 2. Having said that, with rest and rotation likely, we can have no guarantees that those extra fixtures will translate to extra appearances and points.

Despite an indifferent start to the season, Arsenal have attracted the most investment from Dream Team managers thus far. Their players are ranked at the summit of almost all positions with Aaron Ramsey (46 points) and Kieran Gibbs (27 points) the top midfielder and defender respectively. Up front, the much-maligned Olivier Giroud (31 points) is ranked second behind Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge (42 points). When you throw Mesut Ozil into the equation, it’s not surprising that almost 32% of transfers made so far in this window have seen Arsenal assets drafted in. Ozil has been the most attractive option on offer with over 170,000 Dream Team managers bringing him in since he arrived at the Emirates.

There’s little doubt that Arsene Wenger’s squad are key considerations and Ozil, at £5.5 million is a major temptation. Even so, established targets such as Theo Walcott (£5.5m) and, in particular, Olivier Giroud (£4.0m), look to offer great value and ready-made solutions for those nursing the likes of Juan Mata or Romelu Lukaku in their lineups.

Liverpool’s assets have proved the next most popular so far, attracting 16% of the business carried out so far. That’s somewhat surprising given that they are without European football and face Man United in their third round Capital One Cup tie. Despite having favourable fixtures prior to Transfer Window 2, then, investment in Brendan Rodgers’ squad is perhaps ill-advised.

Tottenham look a stronger source for targets. Not only do they have Europa League football ahead, their fixtures leading up to November 9 are possibly the best on offer of any team. The north London club have a raft of new talent to choose from, notably Christian Eriksen (£4.0m) and Erik Lamela (£4.0m) with the latter looking particularly tempting. Roberto Soldado (£4.0m) is the key man up front, while at the back Danny Rose (£2.5m) offers exceptional value with Jan Vertonghen (£5.5m) the more explosive option. Given his home fixtures before Transfer Window 2, the Belgian looks well placed to be the top scoring defender in this spell.

Jose Mourinho’s squad, with a Champions League schedule ahead of them, also have major appeal although our enthusiasm has to be tempered by the risk of rotation. Their forthcoming league fixtures could also be stronger, suggesting that the likes of Eden Hazard (£6.5m) and Frank Lampard (£5.0m) may be options best overlooked. So far, Lampard, with 17 Dream Team points to his name, has fetched almost 20,000 new owners in the window, more than any other Chelsea player. Hazard meanwhile, is second only to team-mate Juan Mata when it comes to trades out – over 45000 have sent him packing in the window to this point.

The Manchester clubs look more viable options, with Robin van Persie (£8.0m) and David Silva (£5.5m) undoubtedly the most obvious targets on show. So far, however, with that pairing perhaps already settled in many teams, it’s been Marouane Fellaini (£5.0m) and Yaya Toure (£6.0m) who have attracted the highest number of new owners in the window from the two Manchester rivals. The pair would seem assured starters in midfield for the coming months, although in both cases, they look set for deep-lying midfield roles and seem unlikely to contribute the goals required to keep pace with the likes of Walcott or even Lamela.

A United defender, whilst easily overlooked prior to Transfer Window 1 given the fixture list, now seems a bigger temptation. Patrice Evra (£6.0m) or even David De Gea (£5.5m) in goal look the most favourable routes to securing United clean sheets. The same confidence cannot be applied to the City defence given the likely absence of Vincent Kompany for the coming weeks.

Swansea are the final team with European fixtures to consider. Of their squad, Michu has emerged as the only serious attacking consideration given the rotation of Wilfried Bony up front. The league fixtures ahead of Swansea are more favourable with home games with Arsenal and Liverpool the sternest tests ahead of Transfer Window 2. That promotes interest not only in Michu but also in the defence with Ashley Williams (£3.5m), Chico (£2.5m) and Angel Rangel (£2.5m) all viable targets at the back for those looking to free up funds.

If you must turn to those sides without the draw of European football, then Southampton’s mid-price assets look the most likely source of points. They enjoy a very favourable run of home opponents in the league prior to Transfer Window 2 and also face a home Capital One Cup tie with Bristol City; that should see them book a fourth round berth with some goals thrown in. Of the Saints assets on offer, Dejan Lovren (£2.0m) at the back and strikers Rickie Lambert (£3.5m) and Pablo Osvaldo (£3.0m), looks the choice cuts.

The Sun Dream Team Scout League

A reminder that we also have our own Fantasy Football Scout League with a £1000 top prize on offer to the winner.

Simply use the following PIN and password to enter your teams into the running:

League Name: Fantasy Football Scout
Password: ReWOZhn1T1
PIN: 8061654