Premier League Fantasy Football: 5 lessons and tips learned from season so far

We've had some time to take stock over the last couple of weeks, looking back on a rollercoaster season so far.

So with a hectic Dream Team schedule on our doorsteps, here's five things we've learned...

Premier League Fantasy Football: 5 lessons and tips learned from season so far

1 Raheem Sterling is priceless

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Sterling is averaging a phenomenal 8.4 points per game this season and while his Premier League form has faded a little in recent weeks, his Champions League heroics continue.

He has a 25-point lead over his nearest challenger at the top and has recorded four 15-point hauls or higher already, including two hat-tricks.

Sterling (£7.7m) has rightly overtaken Mo Salah (£7.3m) and Sergio Aguero (£7.5m) as the most expensive player on the game.

2 Defenders are overrated

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There are no defenders in the top 13 points scorers and only one in the top 23; Leicester's Ricardo Pereira.

Clean sheets have been a real commodity this season, with even runaway leaders Liverpool only keeping three in all competitions so far.

Virgil van Dijk has struggled to live up to his starting price of £6m, while injuries to Aymeric Laporte and Antonio Rudiger haven't helped either.

3 3-4-3 is the only formation you need

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Point three is very much a result of point two, but the lack of high scoring defenders means you need to think more top heavy.

With that in mind, 3-4-3 really is the only formation that will lead you to glory right now.

Nine of the top 10 teams in the overall leaderboard have setup that way, hypothetically allowing you to pack the likes of Sterling, Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne and Christian Pulisic all into one midfield.

4 Other strikers are available

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Eight of the top 10 points scorers are strikers, with only Sterling and Mane bucking the trend from the highest performers so far.

But that means the points are being shared around quite a bit up top, with the likes of Tammy Abraham (£2.8m), Jamie Vardy (£5.1m), Marcus Rashford (£4m) and Raul Jimenez (£3.9m) all scoring big.

Aguero, Salah and Harry Kane might be the obvious choices, but other strikers have if anything proved more valuable.

Alex Neary, our leader at the top, is the only gaffer to break 900 points and he has an attack featuring Rashford and Anthony Martial.

5 Don't write players off

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Patience is a virtue on Dream Team and it's hardly groundbreaking news that new signings take a while to settle.

Pulisic is the prime example, scoring just 12 points in the opening eight Game Weeks and then 64 in four Game Weeks since.

He has either scored or assisted in five of his last six appearances, picking up three Star Man awards.

Nicolas Pepe next?