Fantasy Premier League: Who's Hot and Who's Not in Gameweek 2
The second round of Premier League fixtures get underway on Saturday - after a barnstorming start to the season saw Manchester City and Liverpool pick up where they left off, Manchester United remember they were good and West Ham take up their usual residence at the bottom of the table after one game.
But enough of reality, because where's the fun in that? We all know fantasy football is the place to be - after all, the majority of us are left sweating over the course of a week wondering whether or not our starting XI's are going to do the business.
Well, incase you're unsure about whether they will, here's your latest dose of fantasy news - reminding you of exactly who's hot and who's not as we head into the second week of the season...
Goalkeepers
Who's Hot
David de Gea: The Spaniard had a rocky year by his standards last season, with the 54 goals he conceded being the second highest in the league's top ten behind West Ham. However, he was last week's top fantasy goalkeeper with 10 points and showed just how good he is with some confident saves against Chelsea.
Mat Ryan: Brighton's Australian keeper had little to do last week against a dismal Watford side, but did make one smart save from Andre Gray en-route to a unexpected shut out. The Seagulls number one was a top points scorer last week, and now has the lowly Hammers in his sights. Clean sheet number two, anyone?
Who's Not
Kepa Arrizabalaga: The young Spaniard had every right to be furious at a defence that imploded in front of him last weekend, with both Cesar Azpilicueta and Kurt Zouma enduring torrid games at Manchester United. After conceding four, he simply is not hot - pure and simple (enjoy singing Hear'Say in your head).
Defenders
Who's Hot
Lewis Dunk: Brighton's captain fantastic and England international put in a terrific performance against Watford, hacking one off the line before picking out Neal Maupay with a pinpoint pass to earn a cheeky assist. 11 points and just £4.5m? Yes, please.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: The Arsenal academy prospect was impressive last week in what was largely an uninspiring Arsenal performance. He is not a natural full-back, but his defending visibly improved as the game went on and it was his brilliant athleticism that provided the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal. He also helped the Gunners match their haul of away clean sheets for last season - a big fat one. Crikey.
Who's Not
Aaron Cresswell: The West Ham left-back was the worst of a sorry group of defenders taken to school by Manchester City last week. Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez had him on toast last week, with the former steaming past the former Ipswich man like an Olympic sprinter to set up Gabriel Jesus for the opening goal of the game. Never recovered and is one for the bin.
Midfielders
Who's Hot
Riyad Mahrez: Raheem Sterling would be the blindingly obvious choice here, so we've plumped for Mahrez because it's basically more fun. 38% of players have picked Sterling, whereas just 3% have picked out the Algerian superstar and two-time Premier League winner. Don't be boring, run the risk and get him in - and then probably marvel as Pep Guardiola switches things up against Tottenham, leaving Mahrez with a watching only brief. D'oh.
Mohamed Salah: Now it's time to go blindingly obvious, but only because Salah is an Egyptian king. That aside, a typically brilliant performance saw him scoop a goal and an assist last time out, and Southampton, who conceded three at Burnley last weekend, are now in his crosshairs. Is that a St Mary's pummelling I smell? Most likely.
Who's Not
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: The Armenian was afforded the opportunity of starting the season against Newcastle, but his performance rather summed up his time in north London so far - uninspiring and lacking any invention or penetration. Wasted a glorious chance as well when blazing over the crossbar, so that's reason enough to not be hot.
Forwards
Who's Hot
Harry Kane: The England captain once blew all of our minds last week by scoring not one, but two goals in an August Premier League game. I know, madness, right? A horror trip to Manchester City awaits Kane this weekend, but the master of the chokeslam will fancy his chances against a defence that basically had the day off last week against West Ham. G'wan Harry, you're a wizard.
Marcus Rashford: Manchester United's striking sensation represents a much cheaper option for your team, and he too is in rather splendid form. Could easily have won man of the match if big Harry Maguire hadn't been so damn brilliant on his debut, but alas it wasn't to be. A trip to Wolves is by no means easy, but Rash is a man brimming with confidence.
Who's Not
Danny Ings: When you face your former clubs, you normally head into the game with a burning desire to be absolutely sensational. That simplistic ideology was plainly ignored by Ings upon his return to Burnley last weekend, as Southampton's main man was really rather dreadful. He now has Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk to play against this week, rendering the former Red anything but hot.
