Fantasy Football Insider Gameweek 8: Time for another Wayne Rooney spurt?

Time for another Wayne Rooney spurt?

First of all, apologies for whatever terrifying images the above sub-heading might inspire, but one of the cardinal rules of Fantasy Football over the last few years is that a manager must pick Wayne Rooney when he goes on a goal spurt.

Ever since he took over the mantle of Manchester United’s main man when Cristiano Ronaldo left in the summer of 2009, Rooney has been the main source of goals for the Red Devils, scoring 64 in the last three seasons. It's an average of just over 20 goals a season, although that statistic is skewed somewhat by the 11 he netted in the 2010/11 campaign.

Anyone that follows Rooney, or indeed Fantasy Football closely, will be aware that he is an incredibly streaky player, particularly in front of goal, the type who could go ten games without a goal and then score ten in five or six games.

Injury and eh, about half a stone of excess weight which he appears to have since shed have prevented him from opening his account in the league this season but there are signs that he is beginning to hit form.

He made a huge difference when introduced at half-time in the defeat to Spurs, he was man of the match against Newcastle with two assists and although the presence of Robin van Persie may well affect the number of goals he scores, he’ll still score plenty and if he’s in a deeper role he’ll assume the role of provider-in-chief.

Assuming that he will embark one of his renowned streaks at some stage, the period between now and Christmas could well be when he picks his time to shine. United have to play Chelsea and Arsenal in the next three weeks, but from now until their meeting with arch rivals Man City on December 9, they will also face Stoke, Aston Villa, Norwich, QPR, West Ham and Reading.

It is because of their record against the teams from the middle to the bottom of the table, rather than against their counterparts at the top of the table that United have won titles in recent years and Rooney scoring goals against those sides has been a crucial component of that.

JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:

Top Dollar: Santi Cazorla (£9.4 million). You may have gathered it from previous articles but we love this guy. Two goals, three assists and five bonus points so far, he’ll likely add to his tally against a Norwich side leaking goals at the moment.

Mid Range: James Morrison (£6.0 million). Only five midfielders have scored more points than him so far this season and will be looking to add to his two goals and three assists against the champions this weekend.

Bargain Basement: Rafael (£5.9 million). At the expensive end of the bargain basement category, but the Brazilian has scored two goals in six games and is playing the best football of his United career.

Irish Pick: Damien Duff (£6.3 million). By far the highest scoring player in a Fulham team playing well, his decision to call it quits at international level seems to be having the desired effect, annoying and all as that realisation is for Irish fans.

Captain’s Pick: Wayne Rooney (£11.7 million). As elaborated upon above, we have a feeling Rooney’s about to embark on a good run of form. Stoke at home seems like a decent place to start.

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