Dream Team and Manchester City players; you’ll struggle to find a more complex relationship.
City boast six of the 18 top scoring players on Dream Team so far this season and are prolific across the board.
And one man in particular is hitting dizzy heights.
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Riyad Mahrez (£4.2m) felt like a spare part at times last term, but ever since scoring that crucial goal in their title-clinching with at Brighton back in May he’s been a revelation.
The Algerian has 52 points already this season, actually one more than team-mate Kevin De Bruyne who has been taking most of the plaudits.
But, like many incredible City players, he’s not always guaranteed to start.
In the weekend win over Everton, Pep Guardiola had the luxury of leaving Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Bernardo Silva on the bench.
That’s actually laughable.
Those that deputise – see Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan as prime examples – still do the business, which means Dream Team gaffers are left with a tactical guessing game.
When Mahrez does play he is prolific, registering three goals and six assists from just five starts in all competitions so far this season.
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That kind of form, you’d think, would make him undroppable, but that’s not how Pep works.
The reluctance from Dream Team managers to back the former Leicester winger is reflected in his popularity.
Featuring in just 3.6% of teams, only John McGinn and Callum Wilson have been picked less from the top 15 points scorers.
City play in three competitions over the next month so rotation remains an inevitability.
So has Mahrez forced himself to the top of Pep’s player pile?
If he has, then he could prove the perfect differential option when your October transfers drop later this week.