As the time for draft night nears for a number of fantasy players, time is running out to decide which players to prioritise from different sides.
The Confederations Cup, Under-21 European Championships and Under-20 World Cup have muddied the waters for fantasy research slightly as a number of would-be targets are given time off to recuperate.
As we near August however, the big boys are starting to get some game time under their belts and hint at what they are capable off. Here are the key performers from the weekend’s action.
Strong Chelsea side dismantle Arsenal’s youth
A full-strength Chelsea side comfortably beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing.
Michy Batshuayi continued his rich vein of form with two goals and an assist, while Willian followed up his hat-trick against Fulham with the opening goal.
It seems likely the Blues will start their opener against Burnley with more or less the same side that led them to the title, with Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Batshuayi looking to increase their game time in the absence of Nemanja Matic, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
Pedro was substituted off after a collision with Davide Ospina, while it appears Antonio Conte could take a little time bedding Alvaro Morata in as he did with Marcus Alonso and David Luiz when they signed last season.
Spurs start as they mean to go on in Parisian goal fest
Tottenham Hotspur’s stars were all in action in some form as they played out a thrilling 4-2 win over Paris St Germain.
The French side also played with a relatively strong lineup as Mauricio Pochettino started with Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen, Ben Davies, Eric Dier, Moussa Dembele and Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen and Dier grabbed the goals in the first half, with the Dane netting with a wonderful long-range strike.
In the second half, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld, Victor Wanyama, Dele Alli and Harry Kane came on, with the Belgian finding the net before top scorer Kane sealed the win from the spot.
Kane, Alli and Eriksen will undoubtedly be among the top picks, with the striker arguably the most coveted player this year. With Davies and Tripper likely to start in defence with Alderweireld and Vertonghen and Wanyama likely to pick up tackling points, there are Spurs options all over the park.
Liverpool outcompete Leicester to win the Asia Cup
Liverpool lifted the Asia Cup after coming from a goal down to beat Leicester City 2-1.
Mohamed Salah bagged another goal with a close-range header as he looks to have seamlessly blended into the Reds attack while Phillipe Coutinho won the game with a beautiful curling strike.
With Firmino also starting and Mane to return, Jurgen Klopp has an embarrassment of attacking riches which draft players can enjoy – although it will be worth seeing if Barcelona’s interest in Coutinho comes to anything before investing an early pick.
Islam Slimani opened the scoring for Leicester as he looks to improve after a disappointing early campaign.
Rooney revitalisation continues as Everton draw against Genk
Wayne Rooney bagged his second goal of preseason as the Toffees scored 1-1 against Genk ahead of their European preparations.
The ex-United striker turned in from close range after excellent work from new signing Sandro, making both viable options up front.
Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane also played as Koeman’s new signings begin to gel, while Kieran Dowelled again impressed as he looks to break into the first team.
Austin at the double for Southampton
Charlie Austin struck twice for Southampton as they drew 2-2 with Brentford.
The ex-QPR hitman looked sharp and appears to be edging ahead of Manolo Gabbiadini as the Saints’ starting striker with the Italian an unused substitute.
Maya Yoshida and Jen Bednarek started in defence although neither can be wholly recommended as we wait to see how Mauricio Pellegrini’s backline copes without Virgil Van Dijk; for now Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand remain better picks due to their attacking capabilities.
Gray scores hat-trick in Burnley win
Burnley haven’t been looked at with too much excitement this season but may attract some attention after securing two wins.
Sean Dyche’s side played two fixtures with different sides; a 3-0 win over Alfreton Town and a 1-0 over Kidderminster.
It was the former which grabbed our attention as Andre Gray scored a hat-trick, assisted by Jon Walters and Jack Cork as well as scoring from the spot. Gray will be worth keeping an eye on as he adjusts to the top flight, while Tom Heaton and possibly Walters are the only other draft options worth considering.
Capoue could prove option once again after bagging for Watford
Etienne Capoue scored the only goal for Watford in a 1-0 win over SD Eibar.
The Frenchman looked to be playing in the number 10 role and may well be a decent option after surprising managers with his early season goalscoring spree.
It was also another clean sheet for the Hornets as they continue to improve defensively under Marco Silva, with Jose Holebas and Daryl Janmaat options at wing back while Christian Kabasele’s aerial threat could make him a dark horse pick.
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