DREAM TEAM gaffers would have noted a lack of productive mid-range strikers this season.
Premium options such as Mohamed Salah (£7.9m), Harry Kane (£7.6m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£7.4m) have provided plentiful points but the likes of Ollie Watkins (£3.3m), Patrick Bamford (£3.5m), Richarlison (£3.1m) and other previously successful assets haven’t been viable this term for various reasons.
To further explore this frustrating trend, let’s run through the forwards who have decreased in price the most since the start of the campaign.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin £5.0m > £4.0m
Cast your mind back to August when the outlook for Everton looked refreshingly rosy.
The Toffees won three of their first four games and drew the other at the start of the season.
Their No9 immediately picked up where he left off in 2020/21 by scoring three goals in his first three outings and his Dream Team price actually increased to £5.7m.
Unfortunately for DCL, he was sidelined with injury and missed the next 15 games, during which time Everton’s results went south with extreme velocity.
Calvert-Lewin has found it difficult to regain his top form since returning, understandably so given the fractious atmosphere at Goodison Park and further injury niggles.
His price has plummeted in recent weeks as he’s incurred more minus points than positive points since Game Week 18.
Christian Benteke £3.0m > £2.0m
Crystal Palace’s Belgian target man reached ten league goals in 2020/21 for the first time in four seasons.
He was consequently rewarded with a starting price of £3.0m for 2021/22 but he’s reverted to the non-scoring version of Benteke this term.
The 31-year-old has mustered just four goals so far this season from 27 games – although the majority of his appearances have come as a substitute in fairness.
All power to the 0.2% of gaffers till backing Benteke at this stage of the campaign.
Raul Jimenez £4.0m > £3.0m
The Mexico international was perhaps the best value-for-money striker Dream Team had to offer in 2019/20.
He scored 21 goals in all competitions that season and proved to be an unerringly consistent performer who claimed plenty of Star Man awards to boot.
His 2020/21 was infamously cut short by a horrific head injury and, despite plenty of endeavour, he’s yet to rediscover his sharpness in front of goal since returning.
Jimenez has score six goals in 30 games this season for a return of 56 points as his price has steadily dwindled.
Here’s hoping he returns to his former glory next season.
Ashley Barnes £2.0m > £0.9m
There’s no way to sugar-coat this: Burnley’s No10 is Dream Team’s outright worst forward at this stage.
Having been limited to just 504 minutes of playing time with no goals, assists or 7+ ratings to show for his efforts, three yellow cards mean he’s currently on -3 points.
Yes, you read that correctly, minus three.
Sadio Mane £5.5m > £4.2m
At the complete opposite end of the scale is a player who’s actually enjoying a prosperous season.
The Senegal superstar has scored 14 goals in all competitions and his points tally of 133 is only bettered by six other players in his position.
Mane’s price remained steady for the first third of the season but a lean spell of ten points in seven games prior to Africa Cup of Nations took its toll.
Similarly, he’s produced just nine points from his six most recent outings to reduce his price to the cheapest it’s been in years.
It’s worth noting that expensive forwards are prone to greater fluctuations in price because more points are expected of them.
Plenty of Dream Team bosses will be tempted to bring Mane into their XI at £4.2m – it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was closer to £5.0m in a fortnight’s time.
Romelu Lukaku £6.5m > £5.1m
This one is all about expectations.
Upon his big-money return to Chelsea, the hulking Belgian was added to Dream Team at £6.5m, making him one of the expensive players in the game.
This was because he had just inspired Inter to the Serie A title with a hugely impressive 24-goal campaign, not to mention his prolific record for Belgium.
Simply put, Lukaku was in the conversation for best No9 in the world this time last year.
While his second stint at Stamford Bridge hasn’t been a disaster by any means – ten goals in all competitions is just about respectable – the 28-year-old hasn’t made the major impact many anticipated.
His points total of 105 is enough to make Lukaku a top ten forward at the time of writing but he was expected to rival Salah, Kane and Ronaldo for returns this season and he’s fallen way short – his declining price has reflected that.
Edinson Cavani £4.5m > £2.9m
Truth be told the experienced Uruguayan hasn’t shown much interest in playing for Manchester United this season.
Those in the know have indicated that Cavani has made the most of injury niggles to minimise his workload where possible.
The 35-year-old has started seven league games for the Red Devils in 2021/22 with just two goals to show for his efforts – a far cry from the 17 he managed last term.
Marcus Rashford £5.0m > £3.3m
It’s an unwanted one-two for Manchester United.
The only forward to decrease in price more than Cavani this season is Old Trafford’s boy wonder.
Rashford’s drop in form has been the subject of much scrutiny at a time when the Red Devils have struggled for consistency and fluency.
Eight goals in 13 European appearances made the England international an extremely useful Dream Team asset for the majority of 2020/21 – he ended with 21 goals in all competitions.
In contrast, this season could end up being the worst of his career as he’s mustered just five goals, three fewer than he managed in 2015/16 as an 18-year-old.
Having started at £5.0m but with just 38 points to his name ahead of Game Week 30, Rashford unfortunately has to go down as one of the biggest flops of the Dream Team campaign.
