Dream Team’s most popular midfielder will score ZERO points in Gameweek 8

THE international break rumbles on but it’s time for Dream Team managers to refocus on the task at hand.

One key aspect to consider is the fact Jack Grealish (£3.8m) is guaranteed to score zero points in Gameweek 8.

Dream TeamGrealish won’t play again until 26th October[/caption]

The 30-year-old has rediscovered his best form since joining Everton on loan.

Grealish has provided four assists in seven league outings so far and he scored a stoppage-time winner against Crystal Palace last time out to underline his resurgence.

However, David Moyes will not be able to call upon his creative left winger against Manchester City this coming Saturday as loan players are not permitted to play against their parent clubs.

Nine clubs are due to fulfil double duty in Gameweek 8 but the Toffees are not among that group and so Grealish will not have the chance to add to his points tally until Tottenham visit Hill Dickinson Stadium in Gameweek 9.

GettyGrealish is not eligible to play against Man City[/caption]

This is a massive issue as Grealish happens to be the most popular midfielder in Dream Team.

In fact, only Erling Haaland (£7.9m) features in more teams among all assets.

MOST SELECTED PLAYERS IN DREAM TEAM (% OWNERSHIP)

63% – Erling Haaland

38.3% – Jack Grealish

37.5% – Mohamed Salah

30.2% – Micky van de Ven

29.6% – Antoine Semenyo

26.6% – Joao Pedro

24.2% – Riccardo Calafiori

23.1% – Marc Guehi

A sizeable chunk of Dream Team bosses have a decision to make before the Gameweek 8 deadline at 11am this Saturday (18th October).

For many, accepting a zero-pointer is unthinkable and they will simply use a transfer to replace Grealish.

GettyGrealish averages 6.6 points-per-game this season[/caption]

Some gaffers will be extremely reluctant to ditch him at this moment in time because his price is likely to increase when the Gameweek 8 deadline passes given he banked 12 points from his most recent appearance.

So perhaps there’s another option.

This season, Dream Team managers can make use of the Substitute function to temporarily replace a player who hasn’t featured for their club.

It’s therefore possible to hold Grealish, benefit from his price rise, wait for him to no-show against Man City on Saturday afternoon and then activate Substitute to replace him for the remainder of the Gameweek.

In terms of replacements, the list would be limited as you are only able to select somebody who is yet to play.

However, since Everton are due to kick-off at 3pm on Saturday, that means you will be able to browse options from Fulham, Arsenal, Spurs, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man United, West Ham and Brentford.

Among those clubs, Arsenal, Spurs, Villa and Liverpool will also play in Europe in midweek.

It’s important to note that Substitute only lasts for the duration of the Gameweek.

For example, if you swap Grealish for Joao Palhinha (£3.8m) then the latter will score points for you against Villa and Monaco before the former reclaims his place for Gameweek 9.

How over a third of gaffers react to Grealish’s absence will be a key talking point of this coming Gameweek.

Read more about the Substitute feature in our Game Rules.

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