The first Double Gameweek of the season in Sky Sports Fantasy Football is almost here, with matches taking place on six separate days over the next week.
As a result, there are plenty of chances for huge scores via the all-important captaincy picks.
The month of December in general is a busy one, with lots of fixtures to come between now and the New Year.
We’ve picked out a handful of players who are worth monitoring – or even selecting in your starting XI sooner rather than later.
Create or amend your Sky Sports Fantasy Football team here
Kurt Zouma – £7.8m
Kurt Zouma is a Fantasy dream right now. Selected by 18.44% of Sky managers overall, the Frenchman finds himself in 46.8% of the top 1,000 teams – and with good reason.
Zouma has racked up 78 of his 88 points in his last eight Premier League matches for Chelsea, averaging just under 10 per game in that period. He has contributed to five clean sheets, while scoring four – yes, four – goals. As a result, he tops the defender charts for total points.
Zouma is also in pole position on the value-for-money charts in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, bringing in 11.28 points per million so far this term. It amplifies how valuable the central defender is as an asset but also how much of a bargain he could be for the Christmas period, allowing you to reinvest elsewhere.
James Ward-Prowse – £8m
Like Santa, another person who keeps delivering is James Ward-Prowse, who is fourth in the midfielder points list and sitting pretty on 72 points. Over 10% of Sky Fantasy managers brought the Englishman into their side last weekend ahead of Southampton’s trip to Brighton.
They will not have been disappointed as his whipped ball for Jannik Vestergaard’s header handed him five points – double, of course, if you captained him. It is his keen eye from set-pieces that has attracted Fantasy Football owners, including 42.9% of the top 1,000, with Ward-Prowse netting four goals and assisting three during 2020/21.
Southampton host Sheffield United this weekend before facing Fulham and West Ham after tough clashes with Arsenal and Manchester City. In at least three of those matches would you expect the midfielder to avoid a blank, while Southampton are in a rich vein of form currently, capable of beating any team. Perhaps the most desirable fact about Ward-Prowse, however, is that he is only £8m.
Ruben Dias – £9.1m
For this price, you may not get your hands on a better asset than Ruben Dias. The new Manchester City recruit from Benfica has been a firm favourite in the game, picking up 53 Fantasy points from his last seven matches.
Of those seven games, he has attained passing bonus points in all of them (five tier 2, two tier 1). The nonchalant centre-back is now owned by 28% of the top 1,000 Fantasy Football managers.
An eagerly anticipated Manchester derby awaits the Portuguese international on Saturday, his first in a City shirt, but following this, he will face West Brom, Southampton and Newcastle – a prime opportunity to extend his total and reward Fantasy managers who have recruited him.
Rodrigo Moreno – £8.8m
Rodrigo has a modest two attacking returns to his name so far but has not had much time to make a mark, with early-season benchings and then a positive coronavirus test – just when he was hitting form – disrupting his progress.
The signs of what he is capable of were there against Arsenal, when he hit the post and registered three efforts on goal in a second-half cameo.
And the Spanish international, who is admittedly highly priced in comparison to his teammate Patrick Bamford, has been named in Marcelo Bielsa’s starting line-up for Friday’s clash with West Ham
It is the way in which he gets in between the lines and links up with Bamford that excites a lot of Leeds fans, and Declan Rice and Tomasz Soucek could have a torrid time if he is on song.
Only 1.11% of managers are on board, with Leeds facing Newcastle, Manchester United, Burnley and West Brom thereafter. The Spaniard could be a shrewd differential option over the festive season.
PODCASTS
Listen to “Fantasy Football: Be Like Bielsa” on Spreaker.
Tom Carnduff and Billy Lumsden discuss all things Sky Sports Fantasy Football in their latest podcast, from the imminent Double Gameweek to which Manchester United assets – other than Bruno Fernandes – to consider.
Our very own Joe and Luke tackle everything from remaining transfer allowance to Leeds assets as they preview Gameweek 14.
