Michael Olise now Dream Team’s most in-form player – Crystal Palace midfielder features in 1% of teams
CRYSTAL PALACE'S 3-1 victory over Brentford on Saturday ended a run of eight games without a win and Roy Hodgson was happy to herald Michael Olise (£3.7m) as the difference-maker after the final whistle.
The 22-year-old scored a brace against the Bees to continue his fantastic form.
In fact, Olise has scored five goals in his last seven starts to become Dream Team's most in-form player.
But goals are only one aspect of his rise to prominence.
Much like his team-mate Eberechi Eze (£3.3m), Olise's play style allows him to hoard bonus points at a rapid rate.
The Eagles' No7 has earned 23 bonus points across his last eight appearances, including a maximum of five from one fixture against Bournemouth in Gameweek 14.
Olise, who currently features in just 1% of teams, completes plenty of successful dribbles, provides accurate crosses, and wins more than his fair share of free-kicks.
The Palace winger has amassed 52 points since the start of Gameweek 16 across four fixtures, making him statistically Dream Team's most productive player in that time frame.
Additionally, Olise has earned 84 points in just nine games since making his first appearance of the season in Gameweek 12.
Most read in Football
That works out at an average of 9.3 points-per-game, the best rate among players in his position and second only to Erling Haaland (£7.9m) among all assets.
Simply put, he's one of 2023/24's absolute best Dream Team players so long as he's available.
Many Dream Team managers will be eager to recruit Olise after his 18-point haul at Brentford's expense but there are a couple of interfering factors to consider.
Firstly, he was seen limping at the very end of Saturday's game and gestured to the bench that he needed to be removed.
Speaking after the game, Hodgson said: "I spoke to him and he didn’t seem overly concerned. We don’t know until he gets back into training and we assess it. It would be really unlucky.
"I don’t think it was a major snap of a muscle, but unfortunately, we’re in that period of football life where... people are going to pick up muscle injuries."
Thankfully, this uncertainty will be cleared up this Gameweek as Palace are due to face Everton in the FA Cup third round on Thursday night.
Should Olise play and thrive once again, Dream Team gaffers would still do well to remain patient as the Eagles and the Toffees are the only two Premier League clubs without a fixture in Gameweek 19 (because of their early FA Cup meeting).
In theory, gaffers could bring Olise in as soon as possible to avoid an inevitable price increase but that would mean accepting a blank from him in Gameweek 19 - not ideal.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Assuming he's fit, he would next be in action against Arsenal at the Emirates in Gameweek 20 - a difficult fixture on paper but perhaps nicely timed as the Gunners have stumbled lately.
In summary, Olise is a great option because he's scoring regular goals and collecting bucket-loads of bonus points but it's best to delay a transfer if you are interested because Palace don't play in the upcoming Gameweek - clarification is also needed on his fitness.
talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 -
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org