Rooney’s Man Utd madness heads Fantasy Football talking points

Wayne Rooney’s red card, Edin Dzeko helping himself to 13 points and Steven Naismith not being the only cheap striker friendly on the budget are the three talking points to come from Gameweek 6, where most of the game’s big guns failed to fire for the second successive week.

Here’s what’s ‘trending’…

The Wayne Rooney conundrum

There are over 3 million total players of the Premier League Fantasy Football game and Wayne Rooney is the third most owned striker behind Diego Costa and Naismith.

Given he has now started the last two games in more of an advanced midfield role for Man Utd, Rooney’s position would have already been on thin ice for many and his red card against West Ham has surely only confirmed a mass exodus, with a three-game ban on the horizon.

A straight swap with Radamel Falcao would be a logical move, but the Colombian was reduced to shooting from outside of the box against the Hammers and hasn’t been playing on the shoulder of the last defender in the way he has previously in his career.

Finding 1.7m for Sergio Aguero is a big ask too, so for those that already own Costa, some deliberation is needed as to how best to profit from Rooney, with another big-hitting midfielder and a mid-range striker in a double transfer looking the most appealing.

Edin Dzeko causes a lot of head scratching

In the last four gameweeks, Dzeko has been transferred out of more teams than he has been brought into. In fact, over 200,000 fantasy footballers have got rid of the Man City striker in this period.

How does he repay them? His double at Hull helped him accrue 13 points, which is more than any other striker in Gameweek 7, with Newcastle still to face Stoke.

With Stevan Jovetic back in training, Dzeko’s starting spot is in doubt again though. Graziano Pelle and Danny Welbeck look far safer options still for similar outlays.

Steven Naismith isn’t the only budget striking option

Given he was available for £5m at the launch of the game this season, it’s understandable that Naismith is in over a quarter of teams.

He looks even more appealing now Everton have ridden through their tough run of fixtures, with home games with Aston Villa, Swansea and West Ham in the next six, alongside trips to Burnley and Sunderland.

There is a fear though that he will be rotated with the Europa League in mind, making him a candidate to be introduced as a late substitute and a risk of collecting one point.

Saido Berahino has now delivered two double-figure hauls after his two goals against Burnley brought 12 points, while Crystal Palace’s Fraizer Campbell has scored in back-to-back league outings.

Naismith is still the preferred option of the trio, but there is food for thought.

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