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Fantasy football tips: 5 players to avoid at all costs this season

Fantasy football is very much back with a bang with the Premier League gracing our lives again this week.

Arsenal and Leicester get the 2017/18 campaign underway on Friday night ahead of what many expect to be one of the most exciting seasons yet.



 Don't let the looks fool you...
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Don't let the looks fool you...

Dream Team 2017/18

How does the game work?

  • This year's fantasy football game will be absolutely FREE for all players to play
  • The total prize pot is an approximated £750,000
  • Game Weeks will run from Friday to Thursday
  • £50m budget on 11 eligible players

We've gone through the facts and stats from the last couple of Dream Team seasons to find you five players you'll want to avoid like the bubonic plague when creating your fantasy team...

Fantasy football tips: 5 players to avoid

1 Olivier Giroud - (Arsenal) £4.0m

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With the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette this summer, it looks like poor ol' Olivier probably won't get much of a chance this season in the Premier League.

Despite scoring one of the goals of the season, Giroud never really got going last term as Arsenal had a less than flattering campaign

, Dream Team's ratings provider, gave Giroud a lowly 6.81 rating in the Premier League last season, while the majority of the Frenchman's appearances came from the bench.

2 Diego Costa - (Chelsea) £6.0m

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Following Chelsea's signing of Alvaro Morata, it looks like big Diego is out of favour at Stamford Bridge as well as being linked with a move away from Chelsea.

Costa has been a constant first team regular and reliable goalscorer for the Blues since his arrival in 2014, but now faces the axe from Antonio Conte.

gave Costa an impressive 7.41 rating in the Premier League last season, however it does look like the striker is out of favour at Chelsea and may be on his way out the door.

3 Daniel Sturridge - (Liverpool) £3.0m

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It looks as if Roberto Firmino is now Liverpool's main man up front which may spark the end of Sturridge's stint as a Liverpool player.

Studge never really gets a consistent run of a games in the league due to him always being on the treatment table which continues to see him missing for most of the season.

gave Sturridge a rating of 6.67 last time out in the Prem as he made a grand total of 20 appearances last season, 13 of which came from the substitute's bench.

4 Anthony Martial - (Manchester United) £3.0m

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Anthony Martial never really seems to be the star man at United despite being labelled as "the next Thierry Henry" when he joined from Monaco for £36m.

The forward has had two mediocre seasons at Old Trafford and looks to be out of favour for Jose Mourinho.



gave Martial a 6.94 rating last season as he had an average campaign for the Red Devils.

5 Vincent Janssen - (Tottenham Hotspur) £2.5m

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Janssen was a complete flop for Spurs last season after he was bought as backup for Harry Kane.

The Dutchman signed for £18m from AZ Alkmaar but couldn't manage to get a significant amount of goals last season.

gave Janssen an abysmal 6.34 rating last season and with Kane on top form it's unlikely Vinny will be able to wriggle his way into the starting XI.

How does fantasy football work?

The setup for Dream Team is quite simple – as a manger you get a budget of £50m to spend on your team of 11 players.

Game Weeks will run from Friday to Thursday this season and you’ll be allowed to transfer out players who have already played in that Game Week.

How did Philippe Coutinho perform in fantasy football last season?

  • Liverpool's highest-rated player (7.56) in the Premier League last season
  • 17 goals and 7 assists in all competitions
  • Highest points scoring Liverpool player on Dream Team (201)

Each manager gets a maximum of three transfers a month – so it’s important to pay attention to upcoming fixtures.

And if the incentive of beating your mates in our Mini-League system isn’t enough, there’s a whopping £750,000 prizepot at stake too.

Which fantasy football team names are the most popular?

Team names have become almost as important as picking winning sides in recent years, with the punnier the better the general consensus.

So whether it’s Giroud Sandstorm, Neville Wears Prada or Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtel, check out our foolproof list to help you decide.

Who are the best bargains?

While we'd all like to be able to pick a team of superstars, that £50m budget means you also need to have an eye for a cheeky bargain.

This season there are quite a few intriguing options available, with Vincent Kompany (£3.5m) and Ander Herrera (£3.0m) both at eye-catching prices.

In attack, West Ham new boy and Manchester United favourite Javier Hernandez is £3.5m which seems like pennies for guaranteed goals.

Our most eye-catching bargain though? Joe Allen at just £2.0m.

 Allen was Stoke's best player last season
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Allen was Stoke's best player last seasonCredit: Reuters

After playing a big role in Wales’ run to the semi-final of Euro 2016, we were pretty surprised when Allen swapped Liverpool for Stoke last season.

But the Welsh wizard flourished with the Potters, scoring six goals last season as he continued his conversion from a sideways-passing anchorman to a dynamic box-to-box midfielder.

One of Stoke’s most consistent points scorers, Allen could be a decent yet affordable addition to your Dream Team.

Why is Alexis Sanchez such a fantasy football favourite?

The uncertainty surrounding Alexis Sanchez’s future at Arsenal this summer has been driving Gunners fans up the proverbial wall.

And it’s easy to see why too after their talisman racked up 348 points to be the best performing player on Dream Team last season.

 Sanchez was by far and away the highest points scorer on Dream Team last season
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Sanchez was by far and away the highest points scorer on Dream Team last season

Sanchez bagged a massive 31 goals and 10 assists for Arsenal in all competitions last and at times looked like he could single-handedly carry Arsene Wenger’s side into the top four.

Whether Sanchez appears in the red of Arsenal or (whisper it quietly) the sky blue of Manchester City this season, he’s still likely to be a huge Dream Team favourite.

You can stay up to date with all the latest fantasy football news with our fantasy football live blog and

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