Here’s Rebecca with an article on why Marcus Rashford should be picked for the EPL Restart.
Why Marcus Rashford Should Be Picked for the EPL Restart
Please note this article was written before the Spurs v Man Utd match
If you are playing fantasy sports, it’s not always good practice to dwell on what might have been scenarios. Sure, you might have to take a plunge on a gut feeling now and again, but, overall, it’s the statistics that should determine your picks.
And yet, when looking at Marcus Rashford’s performance this season, it is worth considering what would have happened had he not suffered a back injury in the FA Cup against Wolves on 15th January. Rashford, therefore, missed two months of action before the season was postponed.
The United striker sits quite loftily on the points table for Fantasy Premier League; he’s just outside the top 10 on 134 points. Not bad, especially when you consider that almost every player ranked ahead of him has played well over 2,200 minutes of football (Rashford has clocked in 1,881 minutes).
United built around Rashford this year
But, as we hinted at above, there is more to Rashford’s tale than just dry statistics. Before that injury, Rashford was on fire. Not only was he scoring goals and making assists, but United seemed to have had developed a system to get the best out of Rashford. He really began to hit his stride in late-autumn, for both club and country.
Crucially for United, though, Rashford developed a knack of scoring against United’s perceived rivals. Goals against Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham all came within a few months of Rashford’s injury. He has become talismanic, the kind of player punters can depend on for a late winner when they are using live sports betting platforms online during a United match. Turnaround moments, like the match-winning penalty against PSG in the Champions League last year, have become his hallmark.
Getting back to the fantasy football element, however. Why do we think Rashford is a better option than, for example, another great striker coming back from injury, Harry Kane? Well, aside from the fact he is £2 million cheaper (£10.8 million vs £8.8 million). Kane has around 100 minutes fewer played than Rashford this season, but Rashford has a wide gap in points 134 vs 104.
United and Spurs clash in mid-June
We could look really foolish to dismiss Kane, and we won’t, but it feels like there is a nice momentum behind United and, by extension, Rashford, whereas we don’t get that with Spurs. This is being written before the pair clash to open the season, and both are expected to start for their clubs. So, we run the risk of eating our words if Kane bangs in a hat-trick and Rashford looks like a passenger.
But we must return to that gut-feeling. Have you had a look at the media stories emanating from Old Trafford recently? Everything seems very positive, as if the club is finally being steered in the right direction. Bruno Fernandes is going to appear in a lot of fantasy teams, but it will perhaps be even more intriguing to see if the Portuguese maestro can further unlock the talents of Rashford.
The England striker has 14 goals in the league this season, and he is an intriguing 16/1 (888sport) to catch Jamie Vardy (19 goals) for the Golden Boot. But even should United stutter against Tottenham, you can expect the team to pick up goals and points against Villa, West Ham, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton, in what looks like an inviting series of games for the Red Devils. If Rashford picks up from where he left off before injury, he could be a fantasy football bargain.
