As the January wildcard is now upon us, and the cup begins to kick off in earnest for some, we bring you another bit of essential Fantasy Football anaylsis; a look at who you should bring into your team at this stage of the season. We've sifted through the mess to suggest the best performing strikers, and the best potential purchases in this area going forward into the new year. With money available being a big factor at this stage of the season, so we've broken down the choices into our top 5 strikers from different price ranges. Good Fantasy football teams will have a solid, predictable back-line; preferably with a couple of players who get multiple goals and assists. Midfield is usually worth a steady stream as well, but it's the choice of striker that defines a winning team. We've weighed the pros and cons of five strikers who you should consider buying as you make your wild-card choices this January, and why you should bite the bullet and spend the cash to bring these stalwarts into your team
5. Luis Suarez (12m+)
Current Price: 13.3m Popularity: 51.4% of Teams Points per game played: 10.93 Appearance Rate: 75% (15 Starts, No Subs) Goals: 19 (1.26 per game played) Assists: 12 (0.8 per game played) Quite simply, if you are in the minority of teams that doesn't have Luis Suarez, you need to rectify this. 1.26 goals per game is unheard of in the Premier League of recent years, and with a massive assist rate as well, Luis Suarez should be your first choice in any striker shuffle. He's either scored or directly assisted 76% of Liverpool's Premier League goals since his return from suspension, and is by far and away the most valuable player in England at the moment. His recent form has quietened slightly; 1 goal and 1 assist in the last 3 Premier League games, compared with 5 goals and 6 assists in the previous 3 games; but bear in mind that Manchester City and Chelsea were the opposition he failed to score against. With mid-table Aston Villa and struggling Stoke City next on the Premier League menu, he's surely a captain candidate for both games. The obvious and obligatory issue with Suarez is discipline - he's proven he can court controversy on the field. With 3 yellow cards already in 15 games, he's more likely than not to be serving a one-game ban somewhere towards the later end of the season; keep an eye on this, and adjust the team accordingly when it happens.
Diarmuid is a freelance student and studious sports journalist operating out of the wilds of Dublin, Ireland. His specialist subjects include the English Premier League, the GAA, and track and field athletics.
