WAYWARD
Premier League Fantasy Football: Are Liverpool defenders proving too much?
Liverpool defenders are hot property on fantasy football.
And it's easy to see why after some heroic displays last season.
The Reds kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the Premier League and conceded just 22 goals.
Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold contributed 23 assists between them while Virgil van Dijk was the highest scoring defender on Dream Team.
But so far this season has been a bit of a different story.
While Alexander-Arnold is still contributing in the assist category, the clean sheets have dried up.
Liverpool have conceded in every league game so far and were even incapable of shut outs in the Community Shield and the Super Cup.
A supposed change in tactics to encourage their midfielders to get further forward by playing a higher defensive line has certainly made them look more susceptible.
None of their players are in the top 15 highest scoring defenders on Dream Team so far, with Joel Matip their leading light on 11 points.
Van Dijk is the real concern.
At 51.1% ownership he's by far and away the most popular defender on the game but, a goal against Norwich aside, at £6m he is costly and hasn't delivered so far.
His eight points is bettered by Jan Bednarek, Enda Stevens and Dan Burn to name but a few.
Robertson is fairing even worse with just six points and no assists to his name so far.
Liverpool actually boast three of the top five selected defenders, with Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka making up the numbers.
But it is their cross city rivals Everton who are impressing the most at the back after two clean sheets from their opening three games.
Wily Boly at Wolves leads the way after two Star Man awards in his first four games and at £2.7m he's less than half the price of Van Dijk.
VVD is as expensive as Sadio Mane and more pricey than Roberto Firmino, while Liverpool's full backs are as expensive as some of the best midfielders on the game.
So will their fortunes change?
Liverpool face Burnley and the red hot Ashley Barnes before the international break, with Newcastle, Chelsea and Sheffield United afterwards.
Logic suggests a first clean sheet won't be far away, but this shift in approach means they are going a little more gung-ho.
As a result it might be time to reconsider your reliance on Van Dijk, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and co....